Bridgwater is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2024 by Ashley Fox of the Conservative Party. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
From 2010 to 2024 it was replaced by the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency. Further to the completion of the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies, the seat has been re-established for the 2024 general election, primarily formed from the now abolished of Bridgwater and West Somerset seat but excluding the area comprising the former District of West Somerset.
Constituency profile
The Bridgwater constituency is located in Somerset and is largely within the Somerset Levels, a coastal plain and wetland area. It is centred on the town of Bridgwater, which has a population of around 41,000. It covers the rural areas around the town and stretches north to include part of the Bristol Channel coast. Other settlements in the constituency include the towns of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge and many other smaller villages. Bridgwater is a historic market town and was traditionally an important inland port. The coastal area of the constituency is popular with tourists and Burnham-on-Sea is a seaside resort.
Compared to national averages, residents of the constituency are older and have low levels of income, education and professional employment. Bridgwater and Highbridge have areas with high levels of deprivation, but the rural areas of the constituency are generally wealthier. White people make up 96% of the population. Bridgwater is one of the few areas in Somerset to be represented by Labour Party councillors at the county council, whilst the rural parts of the constituency have mostly elected Conservatives. Voters strongly supported leaving the European Union at the 2016 Brexit referendum; an estimated 64% voted in favour of Brexit compared to 52% nationally.
With effect from 1 April 2023, the District of Sedgemoor was abolished and absorbed into the new unitary authority of Somerset. Consequently, the constituency now comprises the following electoral divisions of Somerset from the 2024 general election:
- Brent (part); Bridgwater East and Bawdrip; Bridgwater North and Central; Bridgwater South; Bridgwater West; Burnham on Sea North; Cannington; Highbridge and Burnham South; Huntspill (majority); King Alfred (small part); North Petherton.
It comprises:
- The bulk of the parts of the former District of Sedgemoor in the abolished Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency (74% of the electorate), mainly consisting of the town of Bridgwater itself.
- Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge, previously in the now abolished constituency of Wells.
Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1295)
Bridgwater borough, 1295–1870
MPs 1295–1640
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
| 1377|| William Tomer||John Sydenham
|-
| 1380 (Jan)|| William Tomer
|-
| 1510–1523||colspan = "2"| No names known
|-
| 1529|| Henry Thornton|| Hugh Trotter
|-
|1554 (Nov)
|<nowiki>John Newport</nowiki>
|John Chapell
|-
|1555
||Thomas Dyer
|Edmund Lyte
|-
|1558
|<nowiki>John Newport</nowiki>
||Robert Molyns (or Mullens)
|-
|1559
|Sir Thomas Dyer
|Robert Molyns (or Mullens)
|-
|1563–1567
|rowspan="3"|John Edwards
|Nicholas Halswell
|-
|1571
|rowspan="3"|Edward Popham
|-
|1572–1581
|-
|1584–1585
|rowspan="3"|Robert Blake
|-
|Parliament of 1586–1587
|John Court
|-
|Parliament of 1588–1589
|Alexander Popham
|-
|1593
|Robert Bocking
|William Thomas
|-
|1597–1598
|Alexander Jones
|rowspan="2"|Alexander Popham
|-
|1601
|Sir Francis Hastings
|-
|1604–1611
|Sir Nicholas Halswell
|John Povey
|-
|Addled Parliament (1614)
|Robert Halswell
|Thomas Warre
|-
|1621–1622
|rowspan="2"|Roger Warre
|rowspan="4"|Edward Popham
|-
|Happy Parliament (1624–1625)
|-
|Useless Parliament (1625)
|rowspan="2"|Sir Arthur Lake
|-
|1625–1626
|-
|1628
|Thomas Smith
|Sir Thomas Wroth
|-
|1629–1640||colspan="2"|No Parliament summoned
|}
1640–1868
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!!!First member!!First party!!!!Second member||rowspan="2"| Royalist
|-
|November 1640
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"|Sir Peter Wroth||rowspan="3"|Parliamentarian
|-
|February 1641
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|Thomas Smith||Royalist
|-
|August 1642
|rowspan="2" colspan="3"|Smith disabled from sitting — seat vacant
|-
|May 1644
|colspan="3"|Wroth died — seat vacant
|-
|1645
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|Admiral Robert Blake||
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|Sir Thomas Wroth||
|-
|1653
|colspan="6"|Bridgwater was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
|-
|1654
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|Admiral Robert Blake||<!-- party -->
|rowspan="2" colspan="3"| Bridgwater had only one seat in the First and <br />Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
|-
|1656
|rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="4"|Sir Thomas Wroth||rowspan="4"|<!-- party -->
|-
|January 1659
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|John Wroth||<!-- party -->
|-
|May 1659
|colspan="3"|One seat vacant
|-
|April 1660
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Francis Rolle
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1661
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="3"| Edmund Wyndham
|rowspan="3"| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| John Tynte
| <!-- party -->
|-
|November 1669
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Sir Francis Rolle
| <!-- party -->
|-
|December 1669
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Peregrine Palmer
| <!-- party -->
|-
|February 1679
|rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="4"| Sir Halswell Tynte
|rowspan="4"| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Sir Francis Rolle
| <!-- party -->
|-
|September 1679
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Ralph Stawell
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1681
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Sir John Malet
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1685
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| Sir Francis Warre
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
| 1689
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Henry Bull
| Tory
|-
| 1692
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Robert Balch
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1695
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Nathaniel Palmer
| <!-- party -->
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| Roger Hoar
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1698
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| George Crane
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1699
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Sir Francis Warre
| Tory
|-
|January 1701
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| John Gilbert
| <!-- party -->
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| George Balch
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|November 1701
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| Sir Thomas Wroth
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1708
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| George Dodington
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
| 1710
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Nathaniel Palmer
|rowspan="2"| Tory
|-
| 1713
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| John Rolle
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1715
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| George Dodington
| Whig
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| Thomas Palmer
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
| 1720
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| William Pitt
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1722
|rowspan="7" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="7"| George Dodington
|rowspan="7"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1727
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Sir Halswell Tynte
| Tory
|-
| 1731
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Thomas Palmer
| Tory
|-
| 1735
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Charles Wyndham
| Tory
|-
| 1741
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Vere Poulett
| Tory
|-
| 1747
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Peregrine Poulett
| Tory
|-
| 1753
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Robert Balch
|rowspan="2"| Tory
|-
| 1754
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| The Earl of Egmont
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1761
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| Edward Southwell
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1762
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="3"| Viscount Perceval
|rowspan="3"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1763
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| The Lord Coleraine
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1768
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Benjamin Allen
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
| 1769
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| Anne Poulett
|rowspan="3"|Tory
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| Tory
|-
|1832
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|William Tayleur || Whig
|-
|May 1837
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " rowspan="4"|
|rowspan="4"| Henry Broadwood ||rowspan="4"| Conservative
|-
|1852
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|Brent Follett ||Conservative
|-
|1857
|style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|rowspan="5"| Alexander William Kinglake ||Whig
|-
|1859
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " rowspan="4"|
|rowspan="4"| Liberal
|style="color:inherit;background-color: "|
|Liberal
|-
|1865
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|Henry Westropp ||Conservative
|-
|1866
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|George Patton ||Conservative
|-
|1866
|style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
|Philip Vanderbyl ||Liberal
|-
|1869
|colspan="6"|Writ suspended — both seats vacant
|-
|1870
|colspan="6"| Constituency abolished for corruption and incorporated into the West Somerset county division from 4 July 1870
|}
Bridgwater county constituency, 1885–2010; 2024–present
- County division created (1885)
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Year!!Member|
Elections in the 2010s
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" | 2019 notional result
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="130px" colspan="2" | Party
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="50px" | Vote
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="30px" | %
|-
|
| Conservative ||align=right| 26,058 ||align=right| 57.9
|-
|
| Labour ||align=right| 9,334 ||align=right| 20.7
|-
|
| Liberal Democrats ||align=right| 7,932 ||align=right| 17.6
|-
|
| Green ||align=right| 925 ||align=right| 2.1
|-
|
| Others ||align=right| 755 ||align=right| 1.7
|-
|colspan="4" bgcolor="#EAECF0"|
|-
|colspan="2"|Turnout
|align=right|45,004
|align=right|63.0
|-
|colspan="2"|Electorate
|align=right|71,418
|}
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1950s
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Independent Progressive: Vernon Bartlett
- Conservative: Patrick Heathcoat Amery
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1910s
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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Unionist: Robert Sanders
- Liberal: Philip Foale Rowsell
Sanders is appointed Treasurer of the Household, requiring him to seek re-election.
Elections in the 1900s
thumb|120px|Montgomery
thumb|120px|Edward Stanley
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1860s
A Royal Commission found extensive bribery in the seat and, from 4 July 1870, the writ was suspended, both MPs were unseated, and the electorate was absorbed into West Somerset.
Patton was appointed Lord Advocate, requiring a by-election.
Westropp's election was declared void on petition on 25 April 1866, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1830s
Leader resigned, by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, in order to contest a by-election at Westminster, causing a by-election.