Lancaster | |
---|---|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons |
|
County | Lancashire |
1885–1997 | |
Number of members | One |
Replaced by | Lancaster and Wyre, Morecambe and Lunesdale, Fylde |
Created from | North Lancashire |
1523–1867 | |
Number of members | Two |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Replaced by | North Lancashire |
Created from | Lancashire |
1295–1376 | |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until the constituency was disenfranchised for corruption in 1867.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Lancaster was re-established for the 1885 general election as a county constituency. It then returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, with elections held under the first-past-the-post system. This constituency in turn was abolished when it was largely replaced by the new Lancaster and Wyre constituency for the 1997 general election.
Lancaster returned Members to Parliament between 1295 and 1331 but is not known to have done so again, on the grounds of the poverty of the town's burgesses, until the election of William Banester in 1523.
Representation was reduced during the protectorate: Lancaster was not represented in the Barebones Parliament and sent only one Member to the first and second Protectorate Parliaments.