Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)

For other uses, see Peterborough (disambiguation).

Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Paul Bristow of the Conservative Party.

Peterborough
Borough constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire
Location of Cambridgeshire within England
County	Cambridgeshire
Electorate	70,424 (2018)^[1]
Current constituency
Created	1974 (1974)
Member of Parliament	Paul Bristow (Conservative)
Seats	One
1918–1974 (1974)
Seats	One
Type of constituency	County constituency
1541–1918
Seats	1541–1885: Two 1885–1918: One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency

Its current form is the direct, unbroken successor of a smaller constituency that was created in the mid-16th century returning two Members of Parliament (MPs) using the bloc vote system of election and represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. From 1885 onwards, the seat has elected one MP using the first-past-the-post system.

Boundaries and boundary changes

Prior to 1918

The City of Peterborough formed a parliamentary borough returning two members in 1541. The rest of the Soke of Peterborough was part of the Northamptonshire parliamentary county; the area south of the River Nene was in the historic county of Huntingdonshire and Thorney was considered part of Cambridgeshire. Until 1832 when the whole of the parish of Saint John the Baptist was encompassed, the boundary, as far as is known, excluded the villages of Longthorpe, Dogsthorpe and Newark with Eastfield. The Great Reform Act did not affect the borough, while the rural portion of the Soke was included in the Northern division of Northamptonshire. Under the Boundaries Act 1868,^[2] New Fletton and Woodstone were transferred from Huntingdonshire^[3] and, under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough's representation was reduced from two to one MP.

1918-1950

• The administrative county of the Soke of Peterborough (the Municipal Borough of Peterborough and the Rural Districts of Barnack and Peterborough);
• The Urban District of Oundle;
• The Rural Districts of Easton-on-the-Hill and Gretto; and
• Parts of the Rural Districts of Oundle and Thrapston^[4]

In 1918 the parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced with a new division of the parliamentary county of Northampton with the Soke of Peterborough,^[5] including the whole of the Soke (which had been created as a separate administrative county by the Local Government Act 1888) and neighbouring parts of the administrative county of Northamptonshire, absorbing the bulk of the abolished Northern division, incorporating Oundle and extending down to and beyond Thrapston and Corby.

1950-1974

• The Municipal Borough of Peterborough;
• The Urban District of Oundle;
• The Rural Districts of Barnack and Peterborough; and
• Part of the Rural District of Oundle and Thrapston^[4]

Designated as a county constituency under the revisions brought in for the 1950 general election by the Representation of the People Act 1948, with only minor changes to the boundaries of the constituency to reflect a rationalisation of the rural districts of Northamptonshire.

1974-1983

• The Municipal Borough of Peterborough; and
• The Rural Districts of Barnack, Peterborough and Thorney^[4]

In 1965 the administrative counties of the Soke of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire were combined to form Huntingdon and Peterborough. At the next redistribution, which came into effect for the February 1974 general election, the constituency was redesignated as a Borough Constituency, composed of the local authorities which had comprised the Soke, together with the sparsely populated Rural District of Thorney, which was transferred from the administrative county/constituency of Isle of Ely. The parts in Northamptonshire were transferred to Wellingborough.

1983-1997

• The City of Peterborough wards of Bretton, Central, Dogsthorpe, East, Fletton, North, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Park, Paston, Ravensthorpe, Stanground, Walton and West^[6]

As a result of the Local Government Act 1972, the two counties of Huntingdon and Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely were merged to form the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, with effect from 1 April 1974. However, the next redistribution did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, when areas to the south of the River Nene, including Fletton and the Ortons, which were now part of the expanded City of Peterborough, were transferred from the abolished constituency of Huntingdonshire. Mainly rural areas to the east (Thorney and Eye) and west (Barnack and Werrington) were transferred to the new constituencies of North East Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon respectively.

1997-2010

• The City of Peterborough wards of Bretton, Central, Dogsthorpe, East, North, Park, Paston, Ravensthorpe, Walton, Werrington and West^[7]

The next redistribution, which came into effect for the 1997 general election, saw the creation of North West Cambridgeshire, which took the areas to the south of the River Nene (City of Peterborough wards of Fletton, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville and Stanground). Werrington was transferred back from Huntingdon.

2010-present

 

Map of current boundaries

• The City of Peterborough wards of Bretton North, Bretton South, Central, Dogsthorpe, East, Eye and Thorney, Newborough, North, Park, Paston, Ravensthorpe, Walton, Werrington North, Werrington South and West^[8]

Following their review of parliamentary representation in Cambridgeshire which came into effect for the 2010 general election, the Boundary Commission for England made minor alterations to the existing constituencies to deal with population changes,primarily the transfer back of Thorney and Eye from North East Cambridgeshire. There were also marginal changes to take account of the redistribution of City of Peterborough wards. These changes increased the electorate from 64,893 to 70,640.^[9] On the enumeration date of 17 February 2000, the electoral quota for England was 69,934 voters per constituency.^[9]

The current constituency is composed of built-up areas of Peterborough to the north of the River Nene, as well as rural areas to the east and north and comprises approximately 60% of the electorate of the local authority of the City of Peterborough.^[10] Remaining parts of the city, composed of residential areas to the south of the River Nene and rural areas to the west of Peterborough (wards of Barnack, Fletton, Glinton and Wittering, Northborough, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Orton with Hampton, Stanground Central, and Stanground East) form part of the North West Cambridgeshire constituency.^[8]

Franchise

 

The Guildhall, Cathedral Square (1669–1671), site of the former Market Place.

In the unreformed House of Commons to be either a candidate or an elector for a county seat, a man had to own (not rent) freehold property valued for the land tax at two pounds a year (women could neither vote nor stand for election). They were known as the Forty Shilling Freeholders. The franchise for borough seats varied enormously. Originally in Peterborough the dean and chapter had claimed the franchise and held that only residents of Minster Precincts were burgesses. By the interregnum, the city was one of 37 boroughs in which suffrage was restricted to those paying scot and lot, a form of municipal taxation. In 1800 there were 2,000 registered voters in Northamptonshire and 400 in Peterborough. By 1835 this was 576, or about one per cent of the population.^[11] Bribery was general until the introduction of the secret ballot under the Ballot Act 1872. Votes were cast by spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, erected on the Market Place (now Cathedral Square).^[12]

In 1832 the Great Reform Act enfranchised those who owned or leased land worth £10 or more and the Second Reform Act extended this to all householders paying £10 or more in rent per annum, effectively enfranchising the skilled working class, so by 1868 the percentage of voters in Peterborough had risen to about 20% of the population.^[13] The Third Reform Act extended the provisions of the previous act to the counties and the Fourth Reform Act widened suffrage further by abolishing practically all property qualifications for men and by enfranchising women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications. This system, known as universal manhood suffrage, was first used in the 1918 general election. However, full electoral equality would not occur until the Fifth Reform Act ten years later.

According to the 2001 census, the population count of Peterborough constituency is 95,103 persons, comprising 46,131 males and 48,972 females. 67.56% of those aged 16–74 are economically active, including 5.92% unemployed; a further 12.26% are retired and 3.08% students. Of a total 39,760 households, 63.80% are owner occupied, fewer than the regional (72.71%) and national (68.72%) averages.^[14] Turnout at the 2005 general election was 41,194 or 61.0% of those eligible to vote, below the regional (63.6%) and national (61.3%) figures.

Members of Parliament

 

The Town Hall, Upper Bridge Street (1930–1933), formerly Narrow Street.

Peterborough sent two members to parliament for the first time in 1547. Before the civil war, many were relatives of the clergy; then for two hundred years after the restoration there was always a Fitzwilliam, or a Fitzwilliam nominee, sitting as member for Peterborough, making it a Whig stronghold.^[15] Representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.^[16]

One of the earliest incumbents, Sir Walter Mildmay, member for Peterborough from 1553 to 1554, subsequently became Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1559 to 1589. Later, in the nineteenth century, William Elliot, Whig member from 1802 until his death in 1819, was Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland between 1806 and 1807; the Hon. William Lamb (later the 2nd Viscount Melbourne), Whig member from 1816 to 1819, became Home Secretary in 1830 then Prime Minister from 1834 to 1841; and Sir James Scarlett (later the 1st Baron Abinger), Whig member from 1819 to 1830, was, from 1827, Attorney General for England and Wales.^[17]

From the formal merger of the breakaway Liberal Unionists with the Conservatives in 1912 and the absorption of rural North Northamptonshire in 1918, Peterborough has been predominantly Conservative; however, it has elected Labour MPs several times from 1929 onwards.

Lord Burghley, as he then was, succeeded the socialist writer and illustrator, Frank Horrabin, who was born in the city and elected under the leadership of Ramsay MacDonald in 1929.^[18] David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, winner of 400m hurdles at the 1928 Summer Olympics, member of the International Olympic Committee for 48 years and chairman of the organising committee of the 1948 Summer Olympics, was the Conservative member from 1931 to 1943.

In 1966, in one of the closest polls in UK history, Sir Harmar Nicholls held the seat by three votes after seven recounts. Nicholls was the Conservative member from 1950 to 1974, when he lost in the October election of that year to Labour's Michael Ward, having held on by just 22 votes after four recounts in the election eight months earlier.^[19] The growth in the New Town from 1967 may in part account for Labour's victory here in 1974. In 1979, however, Ward lost the seat to the Conservative Brian Mawhinney, who would represent Peterborough for the entire duration of the incoming Conservative government and was a Cabinet Minister and Conservative Party Chairman during the second Major government (1992–97).

The seat was made more competitive in the 1997 boundary review by the formation of the North West Cambridgeshire seat, which incorporated the rural land outside Peterborough and several Conservative-inclined wards from the city. Since its formation, North West Cambridgeshire has been one of the safest Conservative seats in the country, whilst Peterborough was ranked 93rd in the Conservatives's one hundred most vulnerable seats (the ones which the other parties must take if there is to be a change of government) and 73rd on Labour's target list;^{[citation needed]} these factors led Mawhinney to stand in North West Cambridgeshire instead. He retired as an MP in 2005 and was created Baron Mawhinney, of Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Helen Clark (née Brinton) won the seat for Labour in 1997. She was defeated by Conservative candidate Stewart Jackson at the 2005 election, following which it was widely reported that Clark was planning to defect to the Conservative Party,^[20] an announcement which was not popular locally.^[21] However, by early June it emerged that while she had left the Labour Party, she had not in fact joined the Conservatives and did not intend to.^[22]

Jackson was re-elected in 2010 with an increased majority, which then fell in 2015. In 2017, Labour's Fiona Onasanya won a majority of 607; this result marked the first time since 1929 that Peterborough voted Labour in an election where the Conservatives won the national popular vote, and the first time it has ever elected a Labour MP in a year in which Labour did not form the government. Furthermore, Peterborough became one of five constituencies – the others being Croydon Central, Enfield Southgate, Leeds North West and Reading East – which elected Labour MPs in 2017 having not done so since 2001.

Parliamentary borough 1547–1918

MPs 1542–1660

Election	Senior member	Junior member
1542	Sir Thomas Moyle^[23]
1547	Sir Wymond Carew, died and replaced in 1552 by John Campanett^[24]	Richard Pallady^[25]
March 1553	Not known	Not known
Oct. 1553	Sir Walter Mildmay^[26]	Sir William FitzWilliam^[27]
April 1554	John Gamlin (Gamblin, Gamlyn)^[28]	Giles Isham
Nov. 1554	William Liveley^[29]	Gilbert Bull
1555	Maurice Tyrell	John Mountsteven
1558	Giles Isham	Thomas Hussey
1559	Sir William FitzWilliam	Robert Wingfield Jr.
1562	John FitzWilliam
1571	William Fitzwilliam^[30]	Henry Cheke, sat for Bedford and replaced by Brian Ansley
1572	Robert Wingfield Jr., died and replaced in 1581 by Sir William FitzWilliam	Hugh FitzWilliam died and replaced 1576 by Humphrey Mildmay
1584	William Fitzwilliam^[30]	James Scambler
1586		Thomas Hacke
1589	Sir Thomas Reede	Thomas Howland
1593		William Hacke
1597	John Wingfield	Alexander Neville
1601	Nicholas Tufton	Goddard Pemberton
1603	Sir Richard Cecil of Wakerley	Edward Wymarke
1614	Sir William Walter	Roger Manwood
1621	Mildmay Fane^[31]	Walter Fitzwilliam
1624	Sir Francis Fane^[32]	Laurence Whitaker
1625	Sir Christopher Hatton
1626	Mildmay Fane, Lord Burghersh
1628
The Short Parliament (April–May 1640)
April 1640	David Cecil	William FitzWilliam, 2nd Baron FitzWilliam
The Long Parliament (1640–1648), the Rump Parliament (1648–1653) and the Barebone's Parliament (1653)
Nov. 1640	William FitzWilliam, 2nd Baron FitzWilliam	Sir Robert Napier, 2nd Baronet
The First Protectorate Parliament (1654–1655); one member only
1654	Col. Alexander Blake^[33]
The Second (1656–1658) and Third (1659) Protectorate Parliaments
1656	Col. Alexander Blake	Francis St John

MPs 1660–1883

The Tories (or Abhorrers) and Whigs (or Petitioners) originated in the Court and Country parties that emerged in the aftermath of the civil war, although it is more accurate to describe them as loose tendencies, both of which might be regarded as conservative in modern terms.^[34] Modern party politics did not really begin to coalesce in Great Britain until at least 1784.

Election	First member^[35]		1st party	Second member^[35]		2nd party
The Rump Parliament recalled (1659) and the Long Parliament restored (1660)
1660		Sir Humphrey Orme^[36]	Court		Charles Fane, Lord le Despencer	Country
1666					Edward Palmer^[37]	Whig
1667					William FitzWilliam, 3rd Baron FitzWilliam^[38]	Whig
1671		Sir Vere Fane	Whig
Feb. 1679		Francis St John	Whig
Aug. 1679					Charles Orme	Whig
1681					William FitzWilliam, 3rd Baron FitzWilliam	Whig
1685		Charles FitzWilliam	Whig		Charles Orme	Whig
Jan 1689					Sir Gilbert Dolben, 1st Baronet^[39]	Whig
Dec 1689		Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet	Whig
1698		Hon. Sidney Wortley-Montagu	Whig		Francis St John	Whig
1701					Sir Gilbert Dolben, 1st Baronet	Whig
1710		John FitzWilliam, Viscount Milton	Whig		Charles Parker	Tory
1722					Hon. Sidney Wortley-Montagu	Whig
1727					Sir Edward O'Bryan, 2nd Baronet^[40]	Tory
1727					Hon. Sidney Wortley-Montagu	Whig
1728 by-election					Joseph Banks	Whig
1729 by-election		Charles Gounter-Nicoll	Whig
Jan. 1734 by-election		Armstead Parker	Tory
April 1734					Sir Edward Wortley Montagu	Whig
1741		William FitzWilliam, 3rd Earl FitzWilliam	Whig
1742 by-election		Armstead Parker	Tory
1747		Sir Matthew Lamb, 1st Baronet^[41]	Whig
1761					Armstead Parker	Tory
March 1768					Matthew Wyldbore	Whig
Nov. 1768 by-election		Henry Belasyse, Viscount Belasyse	Whig
1774 by-election		Richard Benyon	Whig^[42]
1780					James Farrel Phipps	Whig^[42]
1786 by-election					Hon. Lionel Damer	Whig^[42]
1796		Dr. French Laurence^[43]	Whig^[42]
1802					William Elliot	Whig^[42]
1809 by-election		Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock	Whig^[42]
1812		George Ponsonby^[44]	Whig^[42]
1816 by-election		Hon. William Lamb^[45]	Whig^[42]
Feb. 1819 by-election					Sir James Scarlett^[46]	Whig^[42]
Nov. 1819 by-election		Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet^[47]	Whig^[48]^[42]^[49]^[50]
Aug. 1830					Charles Wentworth-FitzWilliam, Viscount Milton^[51]	Whig^[42]
Nov. 1830 by-election					John Nicholas Fazakerley	Whig^[42]^[49]^[50]
1841					Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig^[52]^[48]^[42]
1847		Hon. William Cavendish	Whig^[52]^[53]^[54]
1852		Hon. Richard Watson	Whig^[42]^[55]
1852 by-election		George Hammond Whalley^[56]	Radical^[57]^[58]^[59]^[60]
1853 by-election		Thomson Hankey^[61]	Whig
1859			Liberal		George Hammond Whalley	Liberal
1868		William Wells^[62]	Liberal
1874		Thomson Hankey	Liberal
1878 by-election					Hon. John Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Independent Liberal
1880		Hampden Whalley^[63]	Liberal
1883 by-election		Sir Sydney Buxton^[64]	Liberal
1885	representation reduced to one member

MPs 1885–1918

In 1832 the Tory Party evolved into the Conservative Party and in 1859 the Whig Party evolved, with Radicals and Peelites, into the Liberal Party. In opposition to Irish home rule, the Liberal Unionists ceded from the Liberals in 1886, aligning themselves with the Conservatives. The Labour Party was later founded, as the Labour Representation Committee, in 1900.

Election	Member^[35]		Party
1885		Hon. John Wentworth-FitzWilliam^[65]	Independent Liberal
1886			Liberal Unionist
1889 by-election		Sir Alpheus Morton	Liberal
1895		Sir Robert Purvis	Liberal Unionist / Conservative
1906		Sir Granville Greenwood^[66]	Liberal
1918	parliamentary borough abolished

Division and county constituency

The parliamentary borough of Peterborough was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1918, and the name was transferred to a division of the new parliamentary county of Northampton with the Soke of Peterborough.^[5] The Peterborough division became a county constituency in 1950.

MPs 1918–1974

Election	Member^[35]		Party
1918		Sir Henry Brassey, 1st Baronet^[67]	Coalition Conservative
1929		J. F. Horrabin^[68]	Labour
1931		David Cecil, Lord Burghley^[69]	Conservative
1943 by-election		John Hely-Hutchinson, Viscount Suirdale	Conservative
1945		Stanley Tiffany	Labour Co-operative
1950		Sir Harmar Nicholls^[70]	Conservative
Feb. 1974	county constituency abolished

Borough constituency

Peterborough was redefined as a borough constituency with effect from the February 1974 general election.^[71] Successors of the historic parliamentary boroughs, the spending limits for election campaigns are slightly lower than in county constituencies.

MPs since 1974

Election	Member^[35]		Party
Feb. 1974		Sir Harmar Nicholls^[71]	Conservative
Oct. 1974		Michael Ward	Labour
1979		Sir Brian Mawhinney	Conservative
1997		Helen Clark	Labour
2005		Stewart Jackson	Conservative
2017		Fiona Onasanya	Labour
2018			Independent
2019 by-election		Lisa Forbes	Labour
2019		Paul Bristow	Conservative

Onasanya sat as an independent after she was suspended by the Labour Party in December 2018.^[72][73] The seat became vacant on 1 May 2019 following a successful recall petition,^[74] until 7 June 2019, when Lisa Forbes was elected to the constituency in the 2019 Peterborough by-election, on behalf of the Labour Party.

Elections

 

Election history since 1900

Elections in the 2020s

Next general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Andrew Pakes
	Conservative	Paul Bristow
	Green	Nicola Day
Majority
Turnout

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Peterborough^[75]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Paul Bristow	22,334	46.7	−0.1
	Labour	Lisa Forbes	19,754	41.3	−6.8
	Liberal Democrats	Beki Sellick	2,334	4.9	+1.6
	Brexit Party	Mike Greene	2,127	4.4	-
	Green	Joseph Wells	728	1.5	−0.3
	Independent	Luke Ferguson	260	0.5	New
	CPA	Tom Rogers	151	0.3	N/A
	Monster Raving Loony	The Very Raving Mr P	113	0.2	N/A
Majority			2,580	5.4	N/A
Turnout			47,801	65.9	−0.8
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+3.3

By-election 2019: Peterborough^[76]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Lisa Forbes	10,484	30.9	17.2
	Brexit Party	Mike Greene	9,801	28.9	New
	Conservative	Paul Bristow	7,243	21.4	25.4
	Liberal Democrats	Beki Sellick	4,159	12.3	9.0
	Green	Joseph Wells	1,035	3.1	1.3
	UKIP	John Whitby	400	1.2	New
	CPA	Tom Rogers	162	0.5	New
	English Democrat	Stephen Goldspink	153	0.5	New
	SDP	Patrick O'Flynn	135	0.4	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Alan Hope	112	0.3	New
	Independent	Andrew Moore	101	0.3	New
	Common Good	Dick Rodgers	60	0.2	New
	Renew	Peter Ward	45	0.1	New
	UKEU	Pierre Kirk	25	0.1	New
	Give Me Back Elmo	Bobby Smith	5	0.0	New
Majority			683	2.0	0.7
Turnout			33,920	48.4	18.3
	Labour hold		Swing	23.6

General election 2017: Peterborough^[77]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fiona Onasanya	22,950	48.1	+12.5
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	22,343	46.8	+7.1
	Liberal Democrats	Beki Sellick	1,597	3.3	−0.4
	Green	Fiona Radić	848	1.8	−0.8
Majority			607	1.3	N/A
Turnout			47,738	66.7	+1.8
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.7

General election 2015: Peterborough^[78]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	18,684	39.7	−0.7
	Labour	Lisa Forbes	16,759	35.6	+6.1
	UKIP	Mary Herdman	7,485	15.9	+9.2
	Liberal Democrats	Darren Fower	1,774	3.8	−15.8
	Green	Darren Bisby-Boyd	1,218	2.6	+1.4
	Liberal	Chris Ash	639	1.4	New
	Independent	John Fox	516	1.1	New
Majority			1,925	4.1	−6.8
Turnout			47,075	64.9	+1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.4

General election 2010: Peterborough^[79]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	18,133	40.4	−2.9
	Labour	Ed Murphy	13,272	29.5	−4.8
	Liberal Democrats	Nick Sandford	8,816	19.6	+2.9
	UKIP	Frances Fox	3,007	6.7	+3.5
	English Democrat	Rob King	770	1.7	New
	Green	Fiona Radic	523	1.2	New
	Independent	John Swallow	406	0.9	New
Majority			4,861	10.9	+4.3
Turnout			44,927	63.9	+2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.95

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Peterborough^[80]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	17,364	42.1	+4.1
	Labour	Helen Clark	14,624	35.5	−9.6
	Liberal Democrats	Nick Sandford	6,876	16.7	+2.2
	UKIP	Mary Herdman	1,242	3.0	+0.6
	National Front	Terry Blackham	931	2.3	New
	Independent	Marc Potter	167	0.4	New
Majority			2,740	6.6	N/A
Turnout			41,194	61.0	−0.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+6.85

General election 2001: Peterborough ^[81]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Helen Brinton	17,975	45.1	−5.2
	Conservative	Stewart Jackson	15,121	38.0	+2.8
	Liberal Democrats	Nick Sandford	5,761	14.5	+3.8
	UKIP	Julian Fairweather	955	2.4	+1.7
Majority			2,854	7.1	−8.0
Turnout			39,812	61.4	−11.4
	Labour hold		Swing	−4.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Peterborough ^[82]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Helen Brinton	24,365	50.3	+12.5
	Conservative	Jacqueline Foster	17,042	35.2	−14.3
	Liberal Democrats	David Howarth	5,170	10.7	+1.4
	Referendum	Philip Slater	924	1.91	New
	Natural Law	Charles Brettell	334	0.7	+0.4
	UKIP	John Linskey	317	0.7	New
	ProLife Alliance	Stephen Goldspink	275	0.6	New
Majority			7,323	15.1	N/A
Turnout			48,427	72.8	−2.3
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+11.6

General election 1992: Peterborough ^[83]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	31,827	48.3	−1.1
	Labour	Julie Owens	26,451	40.2	+6.5
	Liberal Democrats	Amanda Taylor	5,208	7.9	−8.2
	Liberal	Erbie Murat	1,557	2.4	New
	BNP	Richard Heaton	311	0.5	New
	Independent	Pamela Beasley	271	0.4	New
	Natural Law	Charles Brettell	215	0.3	New
Majority			5,376	8.1	−7.6
Turnout			65,840	75.1	+1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.8

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Peterborough^[84]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	30,624	49.4	+2.3
	Labour	Andrew MacKinlay	20,840	33.7	+4.7
	Liberal	David Green	9,984	16.1	−6.6
	Green	Nigel Callaghan	506	0.8	−0.1
Majority			9,784	15.7	−2.4
Turnout			61,951	73.5	+0.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.2

General election 1983: Peterborough^[85]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	27,270	47.1	−1.7
	Labour	BW Fish	16,831	29.0	−10.8
	SDP	Bill Walston	13,142	22.7	New
	Ecology	Nigel Callaghan	511	0.9	New
	Workers Revolutionary	DE Hyland	155	0.3	+0.1
Majority			10,439	18.1	+9.1
Turnout			57,909	73.3	−4.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.5

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Mawhinney	27,734	48.80	+8.12
	Labour	Michael Ward	22,632	39.82	−4.63
	Liberal	D Green	5,685	10.00	−4.87
	National Front	J Willhelmy	672	1.18	New
	Workers Revolutionary	M Bishop	106	0.19	New
Majority			5,102	8.98	N/A
Turnout			56,829	77.94	−0.07
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+6.37

General election October 1974: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael Ward	21,820	44.45	+4.94
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	19,972	40.68	+1.13
	Liberal	Peter Boizot	7,302	14.87	−6.06
Majority			1,848	3.77	N/A
Turnout			49,094	77.87	−4.45
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.91

General election February 1974: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	20,353	39.55	−14.53
	Labour	Michael Ward	20,331	39.51	−6.41
	Liberal	Peter Boizot	10,772	20.93	New
Majority			22	0.04	−8.12
Turnout			51,456	82.32	+3.83
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.06

General election 1970: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	30,227	54.08	+8.01
	Labour	Michael Ward	25,662	45.92	−0.14
Majority			4,565	8.16	+8.15
Turnout			55,889	78.49	−2.93
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.08

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	23,944	46.07	−0.48
	Labour	Michael Ward	23,941	46.06	+4.58
	Liberal	Basil Goldstone	4,093	7.87	−4.10
Majority			3	0.01	−5.06
Turnout			51,978	81.42	−0.34
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.53

General election 1964: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	24,045	46.55	−8.01
	Labour	David Saunders	21,428	41.48	−3.96
	Liberal	Lawrence Young	6,181	11.97	N/A
Majority			2,617	5.07	−4.05
Turnout			51,654	81.76	−1.23
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.03

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	27,414	54.56	+1.28
	Labour	Betty Boothroyd	22,830	45.44	−1.28
Majority			4,584	9.12	+2.56
Turnout			50,244	82.99	−0.02
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.28

General election 1955: Peterborough^[86]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	26,319	53.28	+5.23
	Labour	Albert Farrer	23,081	46.72	−0.60
Majority			3,238	6.56	+5.83
Turnout			49,400	83.01	−3.79
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.92

General election 1951: Peterborough^[87]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	24,536	48.05	+2.11
	Labour	Albert Farrer	24,163	47.32	+1.67
	Liberal	Wolf Isaac Akst	2,367	4.64	−3.78
Majority			373	0.73	+0.44
Turnout			51,066	86.80	−0.43
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.22

General election 1950: Peterborough

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harmar Nicholls	22,815	45.94	−3.36
	Labour Co-op	Stanley Tiffany	22,671	45.65	−5.05
	Liberal	Wolf Isaac Akst	4,180	8.42	New
Majority			144	0.29	−1.01
Turnout			49,666	86.37	+13.47
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+0.7

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Peterborough^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Co-op	Stanley Tiffany	22,056	50.7	+7.3
	Conservative	John Hely-Hutchinson	21,485	49.3	−7.3
Majority			571	1.4	N/A
Turnout			43,541	72.9	−7.9
	Labour Co-op gain from Conservative		Swing

1943 Peterborough by-election^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hely-Hutchinson	11,976	52.4	−4.2
	Independent Labour	Samuel Bennett	10,890	47.6	New
Majority			1,086	4.8	−8.4
Turnout			22,866
	Conservative hold		Swing

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: David Cecil
• Labour: Samuel Bennett^[89]

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Peterborough^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Cecil	22,677	56.6	−8.6
	Labour	Ernest A J Davies	17,373	43.4	+8.6
Majority			5,304	13.2	−17.2
Turnout			40,050	80.8	−4.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1931: Peterborough^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Cecil	26,640	65.2	+27.5
	Labour	Frank Horrabin	14,206	34.8	−4.4
Majority			12,434	30.4	N/A
Turnout			40,846	85.2	+4.6
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Peterborough^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Horrabin	14,743	39.2	+6.6
	Unionist	Henry Brassey	14,218	37.7	−12.7
	Liberal	Francis Hill	8,704	23.1	+6.1
Majority			525	1.5	N/A
Turnout			37,665	80.6	+3.4
Registered electors			46,704
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	+9.7

General election 1924: Peterborough ^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Henry Brassey	14,195	50.4	+7.0
	Labour	John Mansfield	9,180	32.6	+2.1
	Liberal	Daniel Boyle	4,786	17.0	−9.1
Majority			5,015	17.8	+4.9
Turnout			28,161	77.2	+2.8
Registered electors			36,461
	Unionist hold		Swing	+2.5

General election 1923: Peterborough ^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Henry Brassey	11,634	43.4	−4.1
	Labour	John Mansfield	8,177	30.5	+0.1
	Liberal	Daniel Boyle	7,014	26.1	+4.0
Majority			3,457	12.9	−4.2
Turnout			26,825	74.4	−6.2
Registered electors			36,049
	Unionist hold		Swing	−2.1

General election 1922: Peterborough ^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Henry Brassey	13,560	47.5	+3.4
	Labour	John Mansfield	8,668	30.4	−10.6
	Liberal	George Nicholls	6,290	22.1	+7.2
Majority			4,892	17.1	+14.0
Turnout			28,518	80.6	+18.4
Registered electors			35,393
	Unionist hold		Swing	+7.0

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Peterborough^[88]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Henry Brassey	9,516	44.1	−3.3
	Labour	John Mansfield	8,832	41.0	New
	Liberal	Thomas Ivatt Slater	3,214	14.9	−37.7
Majority			684	3.1	N/A
Turnout			21,562	62.2	−27.8
Registered electors			34,676
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+17.2
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General election December 1910: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Greenwood	3,105	52.6	−0.9
	Conservative	Henry Lygon	2,802	47.4	+0.9
Majority			303	5.2	−1.8
Turnout			5,907	90.0	−4.2
Registered electors			6,564
	Liberal hold		Swing	−0.9

General election January 1910: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Greenwood	3,308	53.5	−7.0
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	2,875	46.5	+7.0
Majority			433	7.0	−14.0
Turnout			6,183	94.2	+3.0
Registered electors			6,564
	Liberal hold		Swing	−7.0

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Greenwood	3,326	60.5	+12.3
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	2,167	39.5	−12.3
Majority			1,159	21.0	N/A
Turnout			5,493	91.2	+6.9
Registered electors			6,025
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+12.3

General election 1900: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	2,315	51.8	−1.0
	Liberal	Halley Stewart	2,155	48.2	+1.0
Majority			160	3.6	−2.0
Turnout			4,470	84.3	−5.1
Registered electors			5,300
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	−1.0

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	2,259	52.8	+4.8
	Liberal	Alpheus Morton	2,020	47.2	−4.8
Majority			239	5.6	N/A
Turnout			4,279	89.4	+3.5
Registered electors			4,787
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+4.8

General election 1892: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alpheus Morton	2,037	52.0	+6.4
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	1,879	48.0	−6.4
Majority			158	4.0	N/A
Turnout			3,916	85.9	+1.7
Registered electors			4,559
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+6.4

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 7 Oct 1889: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alpheus Morton	1,893	53.6	+8.0
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Purvis	1,642	46.4	−8.0
Majority			251	7.2	N/A
Turnout			3,535	87.2	+2.9
Registered electors			4,056
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+8.0

• Caused by Wentworth-Fitzwilliam's death.

General election 1886: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	John Wentworth-FitzWilliam	1,780	54.4	+0.7
	Liberal	George Greenwood	1,491	45.6	−0.7
Majority			289	8.8	+1.4
Turnout			3,271	84.3	−4.5
Registered electors			3,882
	Liberal Unionist gain from Independent Liberal		Swing	N/A

General election 1885: Peterborough^[90]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	John Wentworth-FitzWilliam	1,853	53.7	+19.3
	Liberal	Sydney Buxton	1,595	46.3	+1.7
Majority			258	7.4	−0.3
Turnout			3,448	88.8	+19.5 (est)
Registered electors			3,882
	Independent Liberal hold		Swing	+8.8

By-election, 23 Jun 1883: Peterborough (1 seat)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sydney Buxton	1,438	56.5	−22.5
	Conservative	John Adam Ferguson^[92]	1,106	43.5	+22.5
Majority			332	13.0	+7.3
Turnout			2,544	70.9	+1.6 (est)
Registered electors			3,589
	Liberal hold		Swing	−22.5

• Caused by Whalley's resignation.

General election 1880: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	John Wentworth-FitzWilliam^[93]	1,615	34.4	N/A
	Liberal	Hampden Whalley	1,257	26.7	−7.4
	Conservative	Robert Tennant	987	21.0	+3.8
	Liberal	Thomson Hankey	841	17.9	−16.2
Turnout			2,350 (est)	69.3 (est)	−4.8
Registered electors			3,393
Majority			358	7.7	N/A
	Independent Liberal gain from Liberal		Swing	N/A
Majority			270	5.7	−5.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 29 Oct 1878: Peterborough (1 seat)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	John Wentworth-FitzWilliam^[94]	1,360	50.5	New
	Conservative	John Lawrance	671	24.9	+7.7
	Liberal	James Hayes Raper^[95]	653	24.3	−43.9
	Lib-Lab	George Potter	8	0.3	−14.3
Majority			689	25.6	N/A
Turnout			2,692	80.6	+6.5
Registered electors			3,340
	Independent Liberal gain from Liberal		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Whalley's death. Raper was a 'Permissive Bill' candidate.^[96]

General election 1874: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomson Hankey	1,135	29.4	+6.3
	Liberal	George Hammond Whalley	1,105	28.6	−2.5
	Conservative	Henry Wrenfordsley	666	17.2	+12.6
	Lib-Lab	George Potter	562	14.6	N/A
	Liberal	Neville Goodman^[97]	323	8.4	N/A
	Liberal	Robert Malcolm Kerr^[98]	71	1.8	N/A
Majority			439	11.4	+3.4
Turnout			2,264 (est)	74.1 (est)	−2.6
Registered electors			3,056
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.4

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Wells	1,282	35.5	+3.7
	Liberal	George Hammond Whalley	1,122	31.1	−4.2
	Liberal	Thomson Hankey	834	23.1	−10.5
	Liberal	William Green^[99]	204	5.7	N/A
	Conservative	Henry Wrenfordsley	167	4.6	New
Majority			288	8.0	+6.2
Turnout			1,888 (est)	76.7 (est)	+1.6
Registered electors			2,461
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

• Green, a Radical liberal,^[100] withdrew before polling.^[101]

General election 1865: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Hammond Whalley	340	35.3	+7.5
	Liberal	Thomson Hankey	320	33.6	+3.4
	Liberal	William Wells	303	31.8	N/A
Majority			17	1.8	−4.6
Turnout			482 (est)	75.1 (est)	−5.0
Registered electors			641
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91][102]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomson Hankey	275	30.2	−4.4
	Liberal	George Hammond Whalley	253	27.8	+4.2
	Conservative	John Harvey Lee Wingfield^[103]	195	21.4	New
	Liberal	James Wilde	187	20.5	N/A
Majority			58	6.4	−4.6
Turnout			455 (est)	80.1 (est)	+9.3
Registered electors			568
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1857: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	321	41.8	+4.6
	Whig	Thomson Hankey	266	34.6	+1.8
	Radical	George Hammond Whalley	181	23.6	N/A
Majority			85	11.0	+8.2
Turnout			384 (est)	70.8 (est)	−16.9
Registered electors			542
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

By-election, 25 June 1853: Peterborough^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	George Hammond Whalley	236	52.3	+0.6
	Whig	Thomson Hankey	215	47.7	−0.6
Majority			21	4.6	+1.2
Turnout			451	85.7	0.0
Registered electors			526
	Radical hold		Swing	+0.6

• Caused by the 1852 by-election being declared void on petition due to bribery and treating.^[104] Although Whalley secured the most votes, his election was declared void owing to disqualification due to the earlier bribery and treating, and Hankey was declared elected.^[105]

By-election, 6 December 1852: Peterborough^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	George Hammond Whalley	233	51.7	N/A
	Whig	George Cornewall Lewis^[106]^[107]	218	48.3	−21.7
Majority			15	3.4	N/A
Turnout			451	85.7	−2.0
Registered electors			526
	Radical gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Watson's death.

General election 1852: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	260	37.2	N/A
	Whig	Richard Watson	229	32.8	N/A
	Conservative	John Talbot Clifton^[108]	210	30.0	New
Majority			19	2.8	N/A
Turnout			455 (est)	87.7 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			518
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1847: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Unopposed
	Whig	William Cavendish	Unopposed
Registered electors			553
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1841: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91][42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	317	38.8	+1.5
	Whig	Robert Heron	255	31.3	−3.3
	Conservative	Thomas Gladstone	244	29.9	+1.8
Majority			11	1.4	−5.1
Turnout			495	85.9	−3.6
Registered electors			576
	Whig hold		Swing	+0.3
	Whig hold		Swing	−2.1

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91][42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Nicholas Fazakerley	311	37.3	−1.9
	Whig	Robert Heron	288	34.6	+0.5
	Conservative	William Edward Surtees^[109]	234	28.1	+1.4
Majority			54	6.5	−0.9
Turnout			494	89.5	+3.2
Registered electors			552
	Whig hold		Swing	−1.3
	Whig hold		Swing	−0.1

General election 1835: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91][42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Nicholas Fazakerley	412	39.2
	Whig	Robert Heron	358	34.1
	Conservative	Walker Ferrand	281	26.7
Majority			77	7.4
Turnout			591	86.3
Registered electors			685
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1832: Peterborough (2 seats)^[91][42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Nicholas Fazakerley	Unopposed
	Whig	Robert Heron	Unopposed
Registered electors			773
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1831: Peterborough (2 seats)^[42][110]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Nicholas Fazakerley	Unopposed
	Whig	Robert Heron	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 730
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

By-election, 24 November 1830: Peterborough^[42][110]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Nicholas Fazakerley	Unopposed
	Whig hold

• Caused by Wentworth-FitzWilliam's resignation

General election 1830: Peterborough (2 seats)^[42][110]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Charles Wentworth-Fitzwilliam	Unopposed
	Whig	Robert Heron	Unopposed
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cambridgeshire

References

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2. 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.
3. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1868, Peterborough". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
4. 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)
5. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the People Act 1918, with Explanatory notes. London: Sweet and Maxwell. pp. 515–516.
6. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
7. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
8. "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
9. England., Boundary Commission for (2007). Fifth periodical report : presented to Parliament pursuant to section 3(5) of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986. London: Sationery Office. ISBN 9780101703222. OCLC 85783106.
10. Boundary Commission for England, 2018 Review, Associated consultation documents (Document type: Electoral data) (24 February 2016). "The electorate of each region subdivided by both local authorities and each existing constituency".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
11. Knight, Charles Peterborough in 1840 Old Towns of England Originally published in The Penny Magazine by The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
12. Forrester, E.G. Northamptonshire County Elections and Electioneering 1695–1832 Oxford University Press, 1941
13. Pelling, Henry Mathison A Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 (pp.96–97 & 106–124) Macmillan, London, 1967
14. 2001 Census Area Statistics Office for National Statistics, April 2001
15. Wentworth-Fitzwilliam family of Milton Peterborough City Council (retrieved 22 September 2007) 13 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
16. Tebbs, Herbert F. Peterborough: A History (pp.192–194) The Oleander Press, Cambridge, 1979. See also Bromund, Ted A Complete Fool's Paradise: The Attack on the Fitzwilliam Interest in Peterborough 1852 Parliamentary History, vol.12 no.1 (pp.47–67) Edinburgh University Press, 1993 and Howarth, Janet The Liberal Revival in Northamptonshire 1880–1895: A Case Study in Late Nineteenth Century Elections The Historical Journal, vol.12 no.1 (pp.78–118) Cambridge University Press, 1969
17. The History of Parliament The House of Commons: 1509–1558 (3 vols.) Bindoff, S. T., 1558–1603 (3 vols.) Hasler, P. W., 1660–1690 (3 vols.) Henning, Basil Duke, 1715–1754 (2 vols.) Sedgwick, Romney, 1754–1790 (2 vols.) Namier, Sir Lewis Bernstein and Brooke, John, 1790–1820 (5 vols.) Thorne, R. G. Martin Secker and Warburg (reissued by Her Majesty's Stationery Office) for the History of Parliament Trust, London, 1964–1986
18. Craig, Frederick Walter Scott British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1970 (4 vols.) Macmillan, London, 1971–1977 and Stenton, Michael and Lees, Stephen (eds.) Who's Who of British members of parliament 1832–1979: a biographical dictionary of the House of Commons based on annual volumes of Dod's Parliamentary Companion and other sources (4 vols.) Harvester Press, Hassocks, 1976–1981
19. The Liberal candidate was Peter J. Boizot, founder of the Pizza Express restaurant chain and now Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire
20. "BBC NEWS – UK – England – Cambridgeshire – Ousted MP defects to the Tories". bbc.co.uk. 8 May 2005.
21. POLITICS: 'A slap in the face' Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 9 May 2005^{[dead link]}
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