City of London (Parliament of England constituency) facts for kids

The City of London was a special area that elected people to the Parliament of England until 1707. Think of it like a voting district. These elected people would speak for the City of London in the government.

What was the City of London Constituency?

Where was it?

This voting area, called a borough constituency, was the old, historic heart of what we now call Greater London. Today, this small part of London is still very important.

It's located on the north side of the River Thames. To its west is the City of Westminster. To the north are areas like Holborn and Finsbury, with Shoreditch to the north-east and Whitechapel to the east.

How it Started

Before 1298, the City of London was part of a larger voting area called Middlesex. Even though it was geographically in Middlesex, the City of London was managed separately.

In 1298, London was given its own right to elect members to Parliament. It was the most important city in England. Because it was so important and managed itself like a county, it got four seats in Parliament. Most other areas only got two. The extra two seats were meant to show its special "county-like" status.

How Elections Worked (Early Days)

By the 1500s, elections in the City of London were quite unique. The Court of Aldermen (a group of important city leaders) would meet at the Guildhall. They would choose two candidates to be the city's "knights" in Parliament. One was usually an alderman (a former Lord Mayor of the City of London). The other was often the Recorder of London, a legal expert who helped the City with new laws.

The aldermen also made a list of twelve other important Londoners who were not aldermen. Then, a group called the liverymen (members of powerful trade groups) would vote to choose two people from this list to fill the other two seats in the House of Commons. The whole election usually happened in one day.

If someone resigned or became an alderman during their time in Parliament, a new election would be held to replace them.

Changes in Elections (After 1603)

After 1603, the City of London changed its election system to be more like other places. The two London Sheriffs would set a day for people to suggest candidates at the Guildhall. If there were more than four candidates, a longer voting period, called a poll, would take place over several weeks. Even though it wasn't a strict rule, it was common for two of the City's seats to be filled by aldermen and two by non-aldermen.

During a time called The Protectorate (in the mid-1600s), the City of London briefly had six seats in the House of Commons. But by 1659, it went back to its usual four seats.

Voters in the City of London

The City of London was a very busy and crowded place before 1707. The right to vote was held by members of the livery companies, which were powerful trade and craft guilds. This wasn't as open as some other voting areas, like nearby Westminster. However, because the City was so large and wealthy, it had many more voters than most other areas. Only Westminster had more voters. Historians estimate there were about 4,000 liverymen who could vote in 1661, growing to about 6,000 by 1680.

Members of Parliament

Many people were elected to represent the City of London in Parliament over the centuries. These individuals played important roles in shaping laws and representing the interests of the city.

Elections

Election Dates (1660–1710)

Here are the dates of some general elections and special "by-elections" (when a single seat became empty and needed to be refilled) in the City of London during this period:

• 27 Mar 1660 GE (General Election)
• 19 Mar 1661 GE
• 10 Feb 1663 BE (By-Election)
• 17 Feb 1679 GE
• 7 Oct 1679 GE
• 4 Feb 1681 GE
• 15 May 1685 GE
• 9 Jan 1689 GE
• 14 May 1689 BE
• 11 Mar 1690 GE
• 2 Mar 1693 BE
• 25 Oct 1695 GE
• 30 Jul 1698 GE
• 1 Feb 1701 GE
• 20 Mar 1701 BE
• 24 Nov 1701 GE
• 18 Aug 1702 GE
• 17 May 1705 GE
• 16 Dec 1707 BE
• 14 May 1708 GE
• 16 Nov 1710 GE

Election Results (1660–1690)

In many of these elections, the candidates were chosen without anyone running against them, meaning they were "unopposed." This shows that there was often agreement on who should represent the City. For example, in the general elections of 1660, 1679 (both March and October), 1685, and 1689, all four seats were filled by candidates who faced no opposition.

However, sometimes there were contests. For instance, in the by-election on 14 May 1689, Sir William Ashhurst won with about 1,700 votes, beating Sir Samuel Dashwood, who received around 1,100 votes. This shows that while many elections were unopposed, voters sometimes had a clear choice between candidates.

See also

• Duration of English parliaments before 1660
• Duration of English, British and United Kingdom parliaments from 1660
• List of parliaments of England