Harwich () was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1604 until its abolition for the 2010 general election.
History
The Parliamentary Borough of Harwich had sent two members to the Parliament of England since it was founded in 1604 until 1707, then to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. Under the Reform Act 1867 its representation was reduced to one, and in 1885 the parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced with a division of the County of Essex (later a county constituency) under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
The constituency was abolished for the 2010 general election by the Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, being succeeded by the new constituency of Clacton and part of the new constituency of Harwich and North Essex.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918
- The Municipal Borough of Harwich; and
- Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Lexden and Winstree.
Non-resident freeholders of the Parliamentary Borough of Colchester, which constituted the Municipal Borough thereof, were also entitled to vote.
Formally known as the North Eastern or Harwich Division of Essex, incorporating the abolished Parliamentary Borough of Harwich and extending southwards and westwards to include the towns of Clacton and Brightlingsea and the rural areas surrounding Colchester.thumb|260px|Harwich in Essex, 1918-83
1918–1950
- The Municipal Borough of Harwich;
- The Urban Districts of Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze, and Wivenhoe; and
- The Rural District of Tendring.
Western, rural areas now included in the new Colchester Division of Essex.
1950–1983
- The Municipal Borough of Harwich;
- The Urban Districts of Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton and Walton, and Wivenhoe; and
- The Rural District of Tendring.
No changes. (The Urban Districts of Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze had been merged).
1983–1997
- The District of Tendring wards of Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Bradfield Wrabness and Wix, Frinton, Golf Green, Great and Little Oakley, Harwich East, Harwich East Central, Harwich West, Harwich West Central, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Little Clacton, Ramsey, Rush Green, Southcliff, St Bartholomew's, St James, St John's, St Mary's, St Osyth, Tendring and Weeley, and Walton.
Western parts, including Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe, included in the new constituency of North Colchester.
1997–2010
- The District of Tendring wards of Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Frinton, Golf Green, Great and Little Oakley, Harwich East, Harwich East Central, Harwich West, Harwich West Central, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Little Clacton, Ramsey, Rush Green, St Bartholomew's, St James, St John's, St Mary's, Southcliff, and Walton.
A further western slice, including St Osyth, added to the new constituency of North Essex (which had largely succeeded North Colchester).
Following the Boundary Commission's Fifth periodic review of Westminster constituencies, Parliament radically altered some constituencies and created new ones to allow for changes in population. Consequently, the constituency of Harwich was abolished. The majority of the constituency, including Clacton, Frinton and Walton, formed the new constituency of Clacton, and Harwich and surrounding areas were included in the new constituency of Harwich and North Essex.
Members of Parliament
Constituency founded 1604
1604 to 1660
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
|1604|| Richard Browne || rowspan = "2"|Thomas Trevor
|-
|1605|| John Panton
|-
|1614|| rowspan = "2"|Sir Harbottle Grimston || Sir Robert Mansell
|-
|1614 (Apr) || Sir Charles Montagu
|-
|1620|| Sir Thomas Cheek || Edward Grimston
|-
|1624|| Sir Nathaniel Rich|| Christopher Herrys
|-
|1625|| Sir Edmund Sawyer|| Christopher Herrys
|-
|1626|| Sir Nathaniel Rich|| Christopher Herrys
|-
|1628–1629|| Sir Nathaniel Rich|| Christopher Herrys
|-
|1629–1640|| colspan = "2"|No Parliaments convened
|-
|1640 (Apr)|| Sir Thomas Cheek|| Sir John Jacob, 1st Baronet
|-
|1640 (Nov)|| Sir Harbottle Grimston, 1st Baronet|| Sir Thomas Cheek
|-
|1645|| Sir Harbottle Grimston, 1st Baronet, died <br /> replaced 1647 by Harbottle Grimston, 2nd Baronet <br /> who was secluded Dec 1648 in Pride's Purge||Sir Thomas Cheek
|-
|1648|| Sir Thomas Cheek|| Capel Luckyn
|-
|1653|| colspan = "2"|Harwich not represented in Barebone's Parliament
|-
|1654|| colspan = "2"| Harwich not represented in First Protectorate Parliament
|-
|1656|| colspan = "2"| Harwich not represented in Second Protectorate Parliament
|-
|1659|| John Sicklemore|| Thomas King
|}
1660–1868
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!!!First member!!First party!!!!Second member
|-
|April 1803
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| James Adams
| <!-- party -->
|-
|1806
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| William Fremantle
| Tory
|-
|1841
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2"| John Attwood
| Conservative
| rowspan="7" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="7"| John Bagshaw
| rowspan="7"| Whig
|-
|March 1851 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Henry Thoby Prinsep
| Conservative
|-
|May 1851 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Robert Wigram Crawford
| Whig
|-
| July 1851
|
|colspan="2" | Writ suspended
|-
|April 1852 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Sir Fitzroy Kelly
| Conservative
|-
|May 1852 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Isaac Butt
| Conservative
|-
|July 1852
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| George Peacocke
| Conservative
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2"| David Waddington
| rowspan="2"| Conservative
|-
|1853 by-election
| rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="3"| John Bagshaw
| rowspan="3"| Whig
|-
|March 1857
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| George Drought Warburton
| Independent Whig
|-
|December 1857 by-election
| rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="2"| Robert John Bagshaw
| rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|March 1859 by-election
| rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| rowspan="4"| Henry Jervis-White-Jervis
| rowspan="4"| Conservative
|-
|May 1859
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Hon. William Campbell
| Liberal
|-
|1860 by-election
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| Richard Rowley
| Conservative
|-
|1865
| style="color:inherit;background-color: " |
| John Kelk
|Conservative
|-
|1868 || colspan="6"| Constituency reduced to one member
|}
1868–2010
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Election!!Member
Attwood's election was declared void on petition due to bribery by his agents, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Hobhouse was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Broughton and causing a by-election.