Hertford (UK Parliament constituency)

Hertford was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire, which elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1298 until 1974.

Hertford
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
County	Hertfordshire
Major settlements	Hertford
1885–1974 (1974)
Seats	One
Replaced by	Hertford & Stevenage
1298–1885
Seats	Two (1298-1868), One (1868-1885)
Type of constituency	Borough constituency

History

The Parliamentary Borough of Hertford was represented by two MPs in the House of Commons of England from 1298 to 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 onwards. Under the Boundaries Act of 1868, its representation was reduced to 1 MP.^[1]

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (which followed on from the Third Reform Act) abolished the Parliamentary Borough and it gave its name to one of four Divisions of the abolished three-member Parliamentary County of Hertfordshire, and was formally named as the Eastern or Hertford Division of Hertfordshire.

As well as the Borough of Hertford, the enlarged constituency included the towns of Ware, Bishop's Stortford and Hoddesdon. It remained largely unchanged until 1955, but was radically altered for the 1955 general election. It was abolished in 1974.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Sessional Divisions of Bishop's Stortford and Cheshunt;
• Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Hertford and Ware; and
• In the Sessional Division of Aldbury, the parishes of Great Hadham and Little Hadham.^[2]

1918–1950

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware;
• The Rural Districts of Hadham and Ware; and
• The Rural District of Hertford parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.^[3]

Minor changes to boundaries.

1950–1955

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware;
• The Rural District of Ware;
• The Rural District of Braughing parishes of Albury, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Little Hadham, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, and Thorley; and
• The Rural District of Hertford parishes of Bayford, Bengeo Rural, Bengeo Urban, Bramfield, Brickendon Liberty, Brickendon Rural, Hertingfordbury, Little Amwell, Little Berkhamsted, St Andrew Rural, St John Rural, Stapleford, and Tewin.^[4]

Nominal changes only to reflect restructuring of rural districts.

1955–1974

• The Borough of Hertford;
• The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City; and
• The Rural Districts of Hatfield, Hertford, and Welwyn.^[5]

Significant changes with only the Municipal Borough and the part of the Rural District of Hertford retained. The remainder of the constituency formed the basis of the new County Constituency of East Hertfordshire. The Urban District of Welwyn Garden City and the Rural District of Welwyn were transferred from St Albans; the Rural District of Hatfield from Barnet; and the remainder of the Rural District of Hertford from Hitchin.

The constituency was abolished in the redistribution taking effect for the February 1974 general election. The Municipal Borough and Rural District of Hertford were included in the new constituency of Hertford and Stevenage, with remaining areas forming the new constituency of Welwyn and Hatfield.

Members of Parliament

Hertford borough (1298-1885)

1298-1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1376	Constituency franchise lapsed
1624	Constituency re-enfranchised by Parliament
1624	William Ashton	Thomas Fanshawe
1625	William Ashton	Thomas Fanshawe
1626	Sir William Harrington	Sir Capell Bedell
1628	Sir Edward Howard ennobled and replaced by Sir Charles Morrison	Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629	John Carey, Viscount Rochford	Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

1640-1868

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640		Viscount Cranborne	Parliamentarian		Sir Thomas Fanshawe	Royalist
November 1640
November 1643				Fanshawe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645					William Leman
December 1648	Cranborne not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653	Hertford was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654		Isaac Pulter		Hertford had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659					James Cowper
May 1659		Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660		Arthur Sparke			James Cowper
1661		Sir Edward Turnor			Thomas Fanshawe
1673		Sir Thomas Byde
1675					Edmund Feilde
1677					Sir John Gore
February 1679					Sir Charles Caesar
September 1679					Sir William Cowper
1685					Sir Francis Boteler
1689					Sir William Cowper
1690		Sir William Leman
1695		William Cowper
January 1701		Charles Caesar			Thomas Filmer
February 1701					Richard Goulston
1705					Sir Thomas Clarke
1708		William Monson
1710		Charles Caesar			Richard Goulston
1715 ^[6]		Sir Thomas Clarke			John Boteler
1722		Edward Harrison			Charles Caesar^[7]
1723					Sir Thomas Clarke
1727		George Harrison
1734		Nathaniel Brassey
1741					George Harrison
1759					George Cowper
1761		John Calvert			Timothy Caswall
1768					William Cowper
1770					Paul Feilde
1780		Thomas, Baron Dimsdale^[8]			William Baker
1784					John Calvert
1790		Nathaniel, Baron Dimsdale^[8]
1802		Hon. Edward Spencer Cowper	Whig^[9]		Nicolson Calvert	Whig^[9]
1817		James Gascoyne-Cecil	Tory^[9]
1823		Thomas Byron	Tory^[10]
1826					Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	Whig^[9]
1830		Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Tory^[9]
1831		John Currie	Whig^[9]
1832 ^[11]		Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Tory^[9]		Philip Stanhope	Tory^[9]
1832	writ suspended: both seats vacant until 1835^[11]
1835		Hon. William Cowper	Whig^[12]^[13]^[14]^[9]		Philip Stanhope	Conservative^[9]
1852					Thomas Chambers	Radical^[15]^[16]^[17]
1857					Sir Walter Townshend-Farquhar	Conservative
1859			Liberal
1866					Robert Dimsdale	Conservative
1868	Representation reduced to one MP

1868-1885

Election		Member	Party
1868		Robert Dimsdale	Conservative
1874		Arthur Balfour	Conservative
1885	Constituency abolished; name transferred to county division

Hertford county constituency (1885-1974)

Election		Member	Party
1885		Abel Smith	Conservative
1898 by-election		Evelyn Cecil	Conservative
1900		Abel Henry Smith	Conservative
Jan. 1910		Sir John Rolleston	Conservative
1916 by-election		Noel Pemberton Billing	Independent
1918			Silver Badge Party
1921 by-election		(Sir) Murray Sueter	Anti-Waste League/Independent Parliamentary Group
1922			Conservative
1945		Sir Derek Walker-Smith	Conservative
1955		Robert Lindsay	Conservative
Feb. 1974	Constituency abolished - see Hertford and Stevenage

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Hertford^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	Unopposed
	Tory	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 800
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

General election 1831: Hertford^[9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	492	37.7
	Whig	John Currie (MP)	431	33.0
	Tory	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	383	29.3
Majority			48	3.7
Turnout			739	c. 92.4
Registered electors			c. 800
	Whig hold
	Whig gain from Tory

General election 1832: Hertford^[9][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	432	32.5	+17.9
	Tory	Philip Stanhope	381	28.7	+14.1
	Radical	Thomas Slingsby Duncombe	329	24.8	−12.9
	Radical	John Eden Spalding	186	14.0	N/A
Majority			52	3.9	N/A
Turnout			671	95.9	c. +3.5
Registered electors			700
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	+12.2
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	+10.3

The 1832 election was later declared void, but a new writ was not issued during the course of the parliament.

General election 1835: Hertford^[9][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Stanhope	359	35.7	+7.0
	Whig	William Cowper	327	32.5	N/A
	Conservative	Henry Chetwynd-Talbot	321	31.9	−0.6
Turnout			616	97.3	+1.4
Registered electors			633
Majority			32	3.2	−0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing
Majority			6	0.6	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing

General election 1837: Hertford^[9][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	378	38.5	+6.0
	Conservative	Philip Stanhope	306	31.2	−36.4
	Radical	John Currie (MP)	297	30.3	N/A
Turnout			580	91.9	−5.4
Registered electors			631
Majority			72	7.3	+6.7
	Whig hold		Swing	+21.2
Majority			9	0.9	−2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−21.2

Cowper was appointed as a commissioner of Greenwich Hospital, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 20 May 1839: Hertford^[9][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	297	51.7	+13.2
	Conservative	Walter Townsend-Farquhar	278	48.3	+17.1
Majority			19	3.4	−3.9
Turnout			575	92.9	+1.0
Registered electors			619
	Whig hold		Swing	−2.0

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Hertford ^[18][9][10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Conservative	Philip Stanhope	Unopposed
Registered electors			607
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Cowper was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 July 1846: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1847: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Conservative	Philip Stanhope	Unopposed
Registered electors			567
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	301	32.3	N/A
	Radical	Thomas Chambers	235	25.2	N/A
	Conservative	Philip Stanhope	213	22.9	N/A
	Conservative	Charles Dimsdale^[19]	182	19.5	N/A
Turnout			466 (est)	68.0 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			685
Majority			66	7.1	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			22	2.3	N/A
	Radical gain from Conservative

Cowper was appointed Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1 January 1853: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Cowper was appointed president of the General Board of Health, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 14 August 1855: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Cowper was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 9 February 1857: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cowper	301	37.2	+4.9
	Conservative	Walter Townsend-Farquhar	273	33.7	−8.7
	Radical	Thomas Chambers	235	29.0	+3.8
Turnout			405 (est)	65.2 (est)	−2.8
Registered electors			620
Majority			28	3.5	−3.6
	Whig hold		Swing	+4.6
Majority			38	4.7	N/A
	Conservative gain from Radical		Swing	−6.3

General election 1859: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Conservative	Walter Townsend-Farquhar	Unopposed
Registered electors			530
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

Cowper was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 19 August 1859: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Cowper	281	57.9	N/A
	Conservative	Robert Dimsdale	204	42.1	N/A
Majority			77	15.8	N/A
Turnout			485	91.5	N/A
Registered electors			530
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

Cowper was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 13 February 1860: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1865: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Cowper	Unopposed
	Conservative	Walter Townshend-Farquhar	Unopposed
Registered electors			543
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

Townshend-Farquhar's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 June 1866: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Dimsdale	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Seat reduced to one member

General election 1868: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Dimsdale	434	55.7	N/A
	Liberal	Frederick Waymouth Gibbs^[20]	345	44.3	N/A
Majority			89	11.4	N/A
Turnout			779	84.5	N/A
Registered electors			922
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

 

Arthur Balfour was MP for Hertford between 1874 and 1885, and later Prime Minister.

General election 1874: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Balfour	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,041
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Balfour	564	58.5	N/A
	Liberal	Edward Ernest Bowen^[21]	400	41.5	New
Majority			164	17.0	N/A
Turnout			964	89.2	N/A
Registered electors			1,081
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Balfour was appointed President of the Local Government Board, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 30 Jun 1885: Hertford ^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Balfour	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

 

Smith

General election 1885: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Smith	4,263	58.1	−0.4
	Liberal	Henry Cowper	3,072	41.9	+0.4
Majority			1,191	16.2	−0.8
Turnout			7,335	83.0	−6.2
Registered electors			8,840
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.4

General election 1886: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Smith	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Smith	4,276	60.3	N/A
	Liberal	Edwin Robert Speirs	2,818	39.7	New
Majority			1,458	20.6	N/A
Turnout			7,094	75.8	N/A
Registered electors			9,355
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1895: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Smith	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Smith's death caused a by-election.

 

Spencer

1898 Hertford by-election^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Evelyn Cecil	4,118	51.7	N/A
	Liberal	Charles Spencer	3,850	48.3	New
Majority			268	3.4	N/A
Turnout			7,968	77.4	N/A
Registered electors			10,301
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1900s

 

Smith

General election 1900: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Henry Smith	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

 

Buxton

General election 1906: Hertford ^[22][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Abel Henry Smith	4,836	50.4	N/A
	Liberal	Charles Buxton	4,756	49.6	New
Majority			80	0.8	N/A
Turnout			9,592	86.2	N/A
Registered electors			11,124
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Hertford ^[24][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Rolleston	6,147	58.0	+7.6
	Liberal	Edmund Broughton Barnard	4,455	42.0	−7.6
Majority			1,692	16.0	+15.2
Turnout			10,602	89.6	+3.4
Registered electors			11,838
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.6

General election December 1910: Hertford ^[24][23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Rolleston	5,594	57.0	−1.0
	Liberal	George Strachan Pawle	4,226	43.0	+1.0
Majority			1,368	14.0	−2.0
Turnout			9,820	83.0	−6.6
Registered electors			12,684
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.0

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: John Rolleston
• Liberal:
• Independent: W. H. Rolfe

 

Billing

1916 Hertford by-election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Noel Pemberton Billing	4,590	56.3	New
	Unionist	Brodie Henderson	3,559	43.7	−13.3
Majority			1,031	12.6	N/A
Turnout			8,149	64.2	−18.8
Registered electors			12,684
	Independent gain from Unionist		Swing

General election 1918: Hertford ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Noel Pemberton-Billing	9,628	52.1	N/A
	National	*Edmund Broughton Barnard	7,158	38.8	−18.2
	Labour	Cyril Harding	1,679	9.1	New
Majority			2,470	13.3	N/A
Turnout			18,465	57.4	−25.6
Registered electors			32,158
	Independent hold		Swing

* Barnard was also the nominee of the National Farmers' Union

Elections in the 1920s

1921 Hertford by-election^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Anti-Waste League	*Murray Sueter	12,329	68.9	New
	Unionist	Hildred Carlile	5,553	31.1	New
Majority			6,776	37.8	N/A
Turnout			17,882	55.1	−2.3
Registered electors			32,426
	Anti-Waste League gain from Independent		Swing

* Sueter was also the nominee of the Independent Parliamentary Group.

General election 1922: Hertford ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murray Sueter	11,406	63.6	N/A
	Liberal	Thomas Greenwood	6,534	36.4	New
Majority			4,872	27.2	N/A
Turnout			17,940	54.1	−3.3
Registered electors			33,184
	Unionist gain from Anti-Waste League		Swing

General election 1923: Hertford ^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murray Sueter	10,660	52.2	−11.4
	Liberal	Thomas Greenwood	9,763	47.8	+11.4
Majority			897	4.4	−22.8
Turnout			20,423	60.6	+6.5
Registered electors			33,704
	Unionist hold		Swing	−11.4

General election 1924: Hertford^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murray Sueter	14,582	60.0	+7.8
	Liberal	Thomas Morris Davies	5,828	24.0	−23.8
	Labour	Ernest Selley	3,885	16.0	New
Majority			8,754	36.0	+31.6
Turnout			24,295	70.8	+10.2
Registered electors			34,315
	Unionist hold		Swing	+15.8

General election 1929: Hertford^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murray Sueter	13,525	39.5	−20.5
	Independent	Noel Pemberton Billing	10,149	29.6	New
	Liberal	Thomas Evander Evans	6,419	18.7	−5.3
	Labour	Roger S Edwards	4,193	12.2	−3.8
Majority			3,376	9.9	−26.1
Turnout			34,286	74.7	+3.9
Registered electors			45,893
	Unionist hold		Swing	−7.6

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Hertford ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Murray Sueter	25,751	78.4	+38.9
	Labour	Roger S Edwards	7,092	21.6	+9.4
Majority			18,659	56.8	+46.9
Turnout			32,843	69.1	−5.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+14.7

General election 1935: Hertford ^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Murray Sueter	21,193	64.8	−13.6
	Labour	Roger S Edwards	11,492	35.2	+13.6
Majority			9,701	29.6	−27.2
Turnout			32,685	62.5	−6.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−11.7

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: Murray Sueter
• Labour: Mitchell W. Gordon^[27]

General election 1945: Hertford^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Walker-Smith	19,877	43.3	−21.5
	Labour	Lynton Scutts	17,349	37.9	+2.7
	Liberal	Thomas Peter Hughes	7,587	16.6	new
	Independent	Arthur Bernard Swain	1,005	2.2	new
Majority			2,528	5.4	−24.2
Turnout			45,818	70.4	+7.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	−12.1

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Hertford^[28][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Walker-Smith	25,074	45.90	+2.60
	Labour	Lynton Scutts	19,324	35.37	−2.53
	Liberal	Thomas Peter Hughes	10,234	18.73	+2.13
Majority			5,750	10.53	+5.13
Turnout			54,632	83.18	+12.78
Registered electors			65,683
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.57

General election 1951: Hertford^[28][30][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Walker-Smith	30,519	56.28	+10.38
	Labour Co-op	Richard Marsh	23,708	43.72	+8.35
Majority			6,811	12.56	+2.03
Turnout			54,227	80.80	−2.38
Registered electors			67,110
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.02

General election 1955: Hertford^[28][32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Lindsay	25,014	56.79	+0.51
	Labour	John McKnight	19,030	43.21	−0.51
Majority			5,984	13.58	+1.02
Turnout			44,044	82.24	+1.44
Registered electors			53,556
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.51

General election 1959: Hertford^[28][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Lindsay	31,418	58.17	+1.38
	Labour	Gerald D Southgate	22,597	41.83	−1.38
Majority			8,821	16.34	+2.76
Turnout			54,015	84.26	+2.02
Registered electors			64,106
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.38

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Hertford^[28][34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Lindsay	29,134	46.23	−11.94
	Labour	Thomas A Deacon	25,161	39.93	−1.90
	Liberal	Anna Harman	8,722	13.84	New
Majority			3,973	6.30	−10.04
Turnout			63,017	84.64	+0.38
Registered electors			74,450
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.02

General election 1966: Hertford^[28][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Lindsay	32,302	50.62	+3.79
	Labour	Peter Nurse	31,508	49.38	+9.45
Majority			794	1.24	−5.06
Turnout			63,810	83.70	−0.94
Registered electors			76,234
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.83

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Hertford^[28][36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert Lindsay	36,494	52.58	+1.96
	Labour	Yvonne Sieve	26,924	38.79	−10.59
	Liberal	John Melling	5,994	8.64	New
Majority			9,570	13.79	+12.55
Turnout			69,412	78.08	−5.62
Registered electors			88,900
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.28

References

1. Great Britain (1868). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1868/69]. unknown library. His Majesty's statute and law printers.
2. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
3. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell.
4. "Representation of the People Act, 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
5. S., Craig, Fred W. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178094. OCLC 539011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. At the general election of 1715, Caesar and Goulston were initially declared re-elected, but on petition the result was overturned and their opponents, Clarke and Boteler, were seated in their place
7. On petition, Caesar was adjudged not to have been duly elected and his opponent, Clarke, was declared elected in his place
8. Dimsdale was a baron in the Russian peerage
9. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 145–147. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
10. Fisher, David R. "Hertford". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
11. At the election of 1832 Ingestrie and Mahon were declared elected, but on petition was their election was declared void, Hertford's writ was suspended and the seats remained vacant until the next general election
12. "Hertford". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 17 February 1835. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
13. Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. pp. 151–152. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
14. Warwick, William Atkinson (1841). The House of Commons: As Elected to the Fourteenth Parliament of the United Kingdom, Being The Second of Victoria. London: Saunders and Otley. p. 43.
15. Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1855). The Parliamentary Companion, 1855. London: Whittaker & Co. p. 154. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
16. "Hertford Election". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 10 July 1852. pp. 4, 7. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
17. "The Borough Election". Herts Guardian, Agricultural Journal, and General Advertiser. 10 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
18. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
19. "Hertford Borough Election". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 10 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 14 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "Hertford Election". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 14 November 1868. p. 1. Retrieved 18 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Hertford". The Scotsman. 20 March 1880. p. 12. Retrieved 29 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
22. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
23. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
24. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1918
25. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
26. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
27. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
28. British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, F W S Craig
29. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
30. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
31. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.
32. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
33. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
34. Kimber, Richard. . Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
35. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
36. Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 11 April 2016.

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
• D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949" (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)