View source for Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

{{Infobox UK constituency
|name       = Bedfordshire
|type       = County
|parliament = uk
|year       = 1290
|abolished  = 1885
|elects_howmany = two
|previous   = 
|next       = 
|}}

'''Bedfordshire''' was a [[United Kingdom]] [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliamentary]] [[constituency]], which elected two [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] from 1295 until 1885, when it was divided into two constituencies under the [[Redistribution of Seats Act 1885]].

==History==
The constituency consisted of the [[historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Bedfordshire]]. (Although Bedfordshire contained the borough of [[Bedford (UK Parliament constituency)|Bedford]], which elected two MPs in its own right, this was not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election.)  

As in other [[county constituency|county constituencies]] the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the [[Forty Shilling Freeholders|Forty Shilling Freeholder Act]], which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed [[Freehold (English law)|freehold]] property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all. 

At the time of the [[Great Reform Act]] in 1832, Bedfordshire had a population of approximately 95,000, but under 4,000 votes were cast at the [[UK general election, 1826|election of 1826]], and under 3,000 in [[UK general election, 1830|election of 1830]], even though each voter could cast two votes. Although local landowners could never control a county the size of Bedfordshire in the way they could own a [[pocket borough]], titled magnates still exercised considerable influence over deferential county voters, and the [[Duke of Bedford]] was regarded as the hereditary "patron" of the constituency.

Elections were held at a single polling place, [[Bedford]], and voters from the rest of the county had to travel to the county town to exercise their franchise. In many other counties this could make the cost of a contested election prohibitive, since it was normal for voters to expect the candidates for whom they voted to meet their expenses in travelling to the poll; but this was less of a factor in a small county like Bedfordshire, and contested elections were not uncommon.

Under the terms of the [[Great Reform Act]] of 1832, the county franchise was extended to occupiers of land worth £50 or more, as well as the forty-shilling freeholders, but Bedfordshire was otherwise left unchanged. Under the new rules, 3,966 were registered and entitled to vote at the [[UK general election, 1832|general election of 1832]]. While Bedford remained the place of election, where nominations were taken and the result declared, polling also took place at [[Luton]], [[Leighton Buzzard]], [[Ampthill]], [[Biggleswade]] and [[Sharnbrook]].

Under the [[Redistribution of Seats Act 1885]], the constituency was abolished and the county divided into two single-member county constituencies, [[Biggleswade (UK Parliament constituency)|Biggleswade]] and [[Luton (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton]].

==Members of Parliament==
===MPs 1290–1640===
{{Expand list|date=August 2008}}
* ''Constituency created'' (1290)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
|Parliament of 1295
|Sir [[David Flitwick (Beds MP 1295)|David Flitwick]]<ref name="MPs">{{Citation |title= Members of Parliament 1213-1702|location=London|publisher=House of Commons|type=hardback|year=1878}}</ref>
|-
|Parliament of 1313 (Jul)
|Peter de Loring||[[David Flitwick (Beds MP 1313)|David Flitwick]], K.B.<ref name="MPs"/>
|-
|Parliament of 1313 (Sep)
|Sir Peter de Loring||Sir [[David Flitwick (Beds MP 1313)|David Flitwick]], K.B.<ref name="MPs"/>
|-
|Parliament of 1316
|[[Roger Dakeney]]
|-
|[[Good Parliament|Good Parliament (1376)]]
|[[Johannes Trayle]]
|-
|Parliament of Jan 1377
|Sir [[Gerard Braybrooke I]]
|-
|Parliament of 1379
|[[William Mordaunt]]
|-
|Parliament of 1381
|[[Johannes Trayle]]
|-
|Parliament of 1385
|[[Reynold Ragon]]
|-
|Parliament of 1386
|[[Ralph Fitzrichard]]
|[[John Hervey (c.1353-c.1411)|John Hervey]]
|-
|Parliament of Feb 1388 
|Sir [[Gerard Braybrooke II]]
|[[Robert Digswell]]
|-
|Parliament of Sep 1388
|rowspan="2" | [[William Terrington]]
|[[Ralph Walton (MP)|Ralph Walton]]
|-
|Parliament of Jan 1390
|[[Baldwin Pigot]]
|-
|Parliament of Nov 1390
|Sir [[Gerard Braybrooke I]]
|[[Thomas Zouche]]
|-
|Parliament of 1391
|rowspan="2" | [[William Terrington]]
|[[Ralph Walton (MP)|Ralph Walton]]
|-
|Parliament of 1393
|rowspan="2" | [[John Worship]]
|-
|Parliament of 1394
|[[Reynold Regan]]
|-
|Parliament of 1395
|[[Philip Walwyn]]
|[[Giles Daubeney, 4th Baron Daubeney|Giles Daubeney]]
|-
|Parliament of Jan 1397
|[[William Terrington]]
|rowspan="2" | [[John Worship]]
|-
|Parliament of Sep 1397
|Sir [[Baldwin Pigot]]
|-
|Parliament of 1399
|Sir [[Gerard Braybrooke II]]
|Sir [[Roger Beauchamp]]
|-
|Parliament of 1401
|Sir [[Baldwin Pigot]]
|[[Giles Daubeney, 4th Baron Daubeney|Giles Daubeney]]
|-
|Parliament of 1402
|rowspan="2" | [[Reynold Ragon]]
|[[John Worship]]
|-
|Parliament of Jan 1404
|[[William Terrington]]
|-
|Parliament of Oct 1404
|rowspan="2" | [[Thomas Durant (15th-century politician)|Thomas Durant]]
|[[William Wenlock]]
|-
|Parliament of 1406
|[[Hugh Hasilden]]
|-
|Parliament of 1407
|[[William Bosom]]
|[[John Worship]]
|-
|Parliament of 1409
|''Returns lost''
|-
|Parliament of 1411
|''Returns lost''
|-
|Parliament of May 1413
|[[William Bosom]]
|rowspan="2" | [[Thomas Walton|Thomas Waweton]]
|-
|Parliament of Apr 1414
|[[John Goldington]]
|-
|Parliament of Nov 1414
|[[John Enderby]]
|rowspan="2" | [[Roger Hunt (speaker)|Roger Hunt]]
|-
|Parliament of Mar 1416
|rowspan="2" | [[William Bosom]]
|-
|Parliament of 1417
|[[Thomas Roxton]]
|-
|Parliament of 1419
|[[John Enderby]]
|[[Thomas Walton|Sir Thomas Waweton]]
|-
|Parliament of 1420
|[[Robert Scott (MP)|Robert Scott]]
|[[Roger Hunt (speaker)|Roger Hunt]]
|-
|Parliament of May 1421
|[[John Goldington II]]
|[[Thomas Mordaunt]]
|-
|Parliament of Dec 1421
|[[Thomas Manningham]]
|[[Henry Cockayne]]
|-
|Parliament of 1424
|rowspan="2" | [[Thomas Walton|Sir Thomas Waweton]]
|-
|Parliament of 1431
|-
|Parliament of 1433
|rowspan="4" | [[John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock|John Wenlock]]
|-
|Parliament of 1436
|-
|Parliament of 1437
|-
|Parliament of 1439
|-
|Parliament of 1455
|[[John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock|Sir John Wenlock]]
|-
|Parliament of 1529
|rowspan="2" | [[William Gascoigne (died 1540)|Sir William Gascoigne]]
|[[George Acworth (MP)|George Acworth]] ''(died 1532)''<br/> [[John St John (MP for Bedfordshire)|John St John]]
|-
|Parliament of 1536
|-
|Parliament of 1539
|rowspan="2" | [[John St John (MP for Bedfordshire)|Sir John St John]]
|[[John Gostwick]]
|-
|Parliament of 1542
|[[John Gascoigne (died 1568)|Sir John Gascoigne]]
|-
|Parliament of 1545
|[[John Gostwick]], died 1545
|[[Edmund Conquest]]
|-
|Parliament of 1547-1552
|[[Oliver St John, 1st Baron St John of Bletso|Oliver St John]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Lewis Dyve]]
|-
|Parliament of March 1553
|[[Humphrey Radclyffe|Sir Humphrey Radclyffe]]
|-
|Parliament of October 1553
|[[John Gascoigne (died 1568)|Sir John Gascoigne]]
|rowspan="4"|[[John Mordaunt, 2nd Baron Mordaunt|Sir John Mordaunt]]
|-
|Parliament of 1554
|rowspan="4"|[[Humphrey Radclyffe|Sir Humphrey Radclyffe]]
|-
|Parliament of 1554-1555
|-
|Parliament of 1555
|-
|Parliament of 1558
|[[John Gascoigne (died 1568)|Sir John Gascoigne]]
|-
|Parliament of 1559
|rowspan="2"|[[John St John, 2nd Baron St John of Bletso|Hon. John St John]]
|[[Thomas Pigott (MP)|Thomas Pigott]]
|-
|Parliament of 1563-1567
|[[Lewis Mordaunt, 3rd Baron Mordaunt|Lewis Mordaunt]]
|-
|Parliament of 1571
|rowspan="4"|[[George Rotherham]]
|[[Thomas Snagge]]
|-
|Parliament of 1572-1583
|[[Henry Cheyne, 1st Baron Cheyne|Sir Henry Cheyne]] ''(1572 - created a peer)''<br/>John Thompson ''(1572-1583)''
|-
|Parliament of 1584-1585
|[[Nicholas Luke]]
|-
|Parliament of 1586-1587
|[[Thomas Snagge]]
|-
|Parliament of 1588-1589
|rowspan="2"|[[Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John of Bletso|Hon. Oliver St John]]
|[[Edward Radclyffe, 6th Earl of Sussex|Edward Radclyffe]]
|-
|Parliament of 1593
|[[George Rotherham]]
|-
|Parliament of 1597-1598
|rowspan="3"|[[Oliver St John, 1st Earl of Bolingbroke|Hon. Oliver St John]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Edward Radclyffe, 6th Earl of Sussex|Sir Edward Radclyffe]]
|-
|Parliament of 1601
|-
|Parliament of 1604-1611
|-
|[[Addled Parliament|Addled Parliament (1614)]]
|[[Henry Grey, 8th Earl of Kent|Sir Henry Grey]]
|rowspan="6"|[[Oliver Luke|Sir Oliver Luke]]
|-
|Parliament of 1621-1622
|[[Beauchamp St John|Sir Beauchamp St John]]
|-
|[[Happy Parliament|Happy Parliament (1624-1625)]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso|Oliver St John]]
|-
|[[Useless Parliament|Useless Parliament (1625)]] 
|-
|Parliament of 1625-1626 
|-
|Parliament of 1628-1629
|[[Oliver St John, 5th Baron St John of Bletso|Oliver St John]] 
|-
|colspan="4"|''No Parliament summoned 1629-1640''
|-
|}

===MPs 1640–1885===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="3"|Year!!First member!!First party!!Second member!!Second party
|-
|style="background-color: {{Cavalier/meta/color}}" | 
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: {{Roundhead/meta/color}}" |
|[[Short Parliament|April 1640]]
|[[Thomas Wentworth, 5th Baron Wentworth|The Lord Wentworth]] <ref>Wentworth was summoned to the House of Lords in his father's barony, by [[writ of acceleration]], before the Long Parliament had met for the first time</ref>||[[Cavaliers|Royalist]] 
|rowspan="2"|[[Oliver Luke|Sir Oliver Luke]] ||rowspan="2"|[[Roundheads|Parliamentarian]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{Roundhead/meta/color}}" |
|1641
|[[Sir Roger Burgoyne, 2nd Baronet|Roger Burgoyne]]||[[Roundheads|Parliamentarian]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|December 1648
|colspan="4"|''Burgoyne and Luke excluded in [[Pride's Purge]] - both seats vacant''
|-
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[Barebones Parliament|1653]] 
|[[Nathaniel Taylor (MP)|Nathaniel Taylor]]  ||<!-- party -->
|[[Edward Cater]] ||<!-- party -->
|}
{|| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="6"|''Representation increased to five members in [[First Protectorate Parliament|First]] and [[Second Protectorate Parliament|Second]] Parliaments of the Protectorate''
|-
!Year!!First member!!Second member!!Third member!!Fourth member!!Fifth member
|-
|[[First Protectorate Parliament|1654]] 
|rowspan="2"|[[William Boteler|Sir William Boteler]] 
|rowspan="2"|[[John Harvey (MP for Bedfordshire)|John Harvey]]
|[[Edmund Wingate]]
|[[John Neale (died 1680)|John Neale]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Samuel Bedford]]
|-
|[[Second Protectorate Parliament|1656]] 
|[[Richard Wagstaffe]]
|[[Richard Edwards (MP for Bedfordshire)|Richard Edwards]] 
|-
|}
{|| class="wikitable"
|-
|colspan="7"|''Representation reverted to two members in [[Third Protectorate Parliament]]'' 
|-
!colspan="3"|Year!!First member!!First party!!Second member!!Second party
|-
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[Third Protectorate Parliament|January 1659]] 
|[[Richard Wagstaffe|Major Richard Wagstaffe]]  ||<!-- party -->
|[[John Okey|Colonel John Okey]]||<!-- party -->
|-
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[Rump Parliament|May 1659]]
|colspan="4"|''Not represented in the restored [[Rump Parliament|Rump]]''
|-
|style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" | || style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1660|9 April 1660]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury|Lord Bruce of Whorlton]] || rowspan="2"|
|[[Samuel Browne (judge)|Samuel Browne]] ||
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" rowspan="2"|
|[[English general election, 1661|10 April 1661]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Baronet|Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Bt]] || rowspan="2"|
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|2 May 1664
|[[Sir John Napier, 4th Baronet|Sir John Napier, 4th Bt]] ||
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="3" | || style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" rowspan="3" |
|[[English general election, 1679 (March)|18 February 1679]]
| rowspan="3" | [[William Russell, Lord Russell|Lord Russell]] || rowspan="3" | [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
| rowspan="3" | [[Sir Humphrey Monoux, 2nd Baronet|Sir Humphrey Monoux, 2nd Bt]] || rowspan="3" |
|-
|[[English general election, 1679 (October)|1 September 1679]]
|-
|[[English general election, 1681|14 February 1681]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" | || style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1685|10 March 1685]]
|[[Sir Villiers Chernock, 2nd Baronet|Sir Villiers Chernock, 2nd Bt]] ||
|[[William Boteler (MP)|William Boteler]] ||
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="7"| || style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1689|11 January 1689]]
|rowspan="7"|[[Lord Edward Russell (1642–1714)|Lord Edward Russell]] || rowspan="7"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|[[William Duncombe (died 1704)|William Duncombe]] || [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1690|27 February 1690]]
|[[Thomas Browne (MP)|Thomas Browne]] ||
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1695|2 November 1695]]
|[[William Duncombe (died 1704)|William Duncombe]] || [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="7"|
|[[English general election, 1698|20 July 1698]]
|rowspan="7"|[[Sir William Gostwick, 4th Baronet|Sir William Gostwick, 4th Bt]] || rowspan="7"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[English general election, January–February 1701|c. January 1701]]
|-
|[[English general election, December 1701|11 December 1701]]
|-
|[[English general election, 1702|22 July 1702]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|[[English general election, 1705|23 May 1705]]
|[[Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Baronet|Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Bt]] || [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" |
|[[British general election, 1708|19 May 1708]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Lord Edward Russell (1642–1714)|Lord Edward Russell]] || rowspan="2" | [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1710|5 October 1710]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" | || style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" rowspan="2"|
|[[British general election, 1713|2 September 1713]]
|[[Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Baronet|Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Bt]] || [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|rowspan="2"|[[John Harvey (MP)|John Harvey]] || rowspan="2"| [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2"|
|[[British general election, 1715|16 February 1715]]
|rowspan="2"|[[William Hillersden]] || rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|19 July 1715
|[[John Cater (MP)|John Cater]]<ref>Declared elected and Harvey unseated on petition</ref> || [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" | || style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="5"|
|[[British general election, 1722|4 April 1722]]
|[[Charles Leigh (1686–1749)|Hon. Charles Leigh]] || [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|rowspan="5"|[[Sir Rowland Alston, 4th Baronet|Sir Rowland Alston, 4th Bt]] || rowspan="5"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[British general election, 1727|1 September 1727]]
|[[Pattee Byng, 2nd Viscount Torrington|Hon. Pattee Byng]] ||
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|16 February 1733
|[[Charles Leigh (1686–1749)|Charles Leigh]] || [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{/meta/color}}" |
|[[British general election, 1734|24 April 1734]]
|''[[John Spencer (British politician)|Hon. John Spencer]]''<ref>Chose to sit for [[Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)|Woodstock]]</ref>
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2"|
|26 February 1735
|rowspan="2"|[[Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Baronet|Sir Roger Burgoyne, 6th Bt]] || rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|[[British general election, 1741|18 May 1741]]
|[[Sir John Chester, 6th Baronet|Sir John Chester, 6th Bt]] || [[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | || style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="4"|
|[[British general election, 1747|6 July 1747]]
|[[Danvers Osborn|Sir Danvers Osborn, 3rd Bt]] ||[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|rowspan="4"|[[Sir Thomas Alston, 5th Baronet|Thomas Alston]]<ref>Succeeded as 5th baronet in 1759</ref> || rowspan="4"|[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" |
|5 December 1753
| rowspan="2" | [[John FitzPatrick, 1st Earl of Upper Ossory|The Earl of Upper Ossory]] || rowspan="2" | [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1754|24 April 1754]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|13 December 1758
|[[Henry Osborn (governor)|Henry Osborn]] ||[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" | || style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" rowspan="4"|
|[[British general election, 1761|1 April 1761]]
|[[Francis Russell, Marquess of Tavistock|Marquess of Tavistock]] || [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|rowspan="4"|[[Robert Henley-Ongley, 1st Baron Ongley|Robert Henley-Ongley]]<ref>Created Lord Ongley in 1776</ref> || rowspan="4"|[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="8"|
|7 April 1767
|rowspan="8"|[[John FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory|The Earl of Upper Ossory]] || rowspan="8"|[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1768|28 March 1768]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1774|21 October 1774]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" |
|[[British general election, 1780|27 September 1780]]
| rowspan="2" | [[St Andrew St John, 14th Baron St John of Bletso|Hon. St Andrew St John]] || rowspan="2" | [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1784|19 April 1784]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|1 July 1784
|[[Robert Henley-Ongley, 1st Baron Ongley|The Lord Ongley]]<ref>Declared elected and St John unseated on petition</ref> ||[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="5" |
|19 May 1785
|rowspan="5"|[[St Andrew St John, 14th Baron St John of Bletso|Hon. St Andrew St John]]<ref>Declared elected and Ongley unseated on petition</ref> || rowspan="5"|[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1790|28 June 1790]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" rowspan="4"|
|15 September 1794
|rowspan="4"|[[Sir John Osborn, 5th Baronet|John Osborn]] || rowspan="4"|[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
|[[British general election, 1796|31 May 1796]]
|-
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1802|10 July 1802]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="3"|
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1806|4 November 1806]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Francis Pym (1756-1833)|Francis Pym]] || rowspan="3"|[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1807|11 May 1807]]
|[[Richard FitzPatrick|Hon. Richard FitzPatrick]]||[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="6"|
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1812|14 October 1812]]
|rowspan="6"|[[Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford|Marquess of Tavistock]] || rowspan="6"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1818|23 June 1818]]
|[[Sir John Osborn, 5th Baronet|Sir John Osborn, 5th Bt]] ||[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1820|21 March 1820]]
|[[Francis Pym (1756-1833)|Francis Pym]] ||[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1826|15 June 1826]]
|[[Thomas Potter Macqueen]] ||[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Tory/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1830|9 August 1830]]
|[[William Stuart (1798–1874)|William Stuart]] ||[[British Tory Party|Tory]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" |
|[[United Kingdom general election, 1831|5 May 1831]]
|[[Peter Payne (MP)|Peter Payne]] ||[[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{British Whig Party/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" | || style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}"|
|1832
|rowspan="2"|[[Lord Charles Russell]] || rowspan="2"| [[British Whig Party|Whig]]
|[[William Stuart (1798–1874)|William Stuart]] ||[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" rowspan="4"|
|1835
|rowspan="4"|[[John Egerton, Viscount Alford|Viscount Alford]] || rowspan="4"|[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" |
|1841
|[[William Astell|William Thornton Astell]] ||[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" |
|March 1847
|[[Lord Charles Russell]] || [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" |
|August 1847
|rowspan="2"|[[Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford|Francis Russell]] || rowspan="2"|[[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color}}" rowspan="3"|
|1851
|rowspan="3"|[[Sir Richard Gilpin, 1st Baronet|Sir Richard Gilpin, 1st Bt]] <ref>Sir Richard Gilpin: Obituary in ''The Times'', Monday, Apr 10, 1882; pg. 7; Issue 30477; col F: Died "on Saturday", No issue, Baronetcy extinct.</ref> || rowspan="3"| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" |
|[[Bedfordshire by-election, 1872|1872]]
|[[Francis Bassett (MP)|Francis Bassett]] ||[[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" rowspan="2" |
|[[Bedfordshire by-election, 1875|1875]]
|rowspan="2"|[[George Russell, 10th Duke of Bedford|Marquess of Tavistock]] || rowspan="2"| [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
| style="background-color: {{Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color}}" |
|1880
|[[James Howard (agriculturalist)|James Howard]] ||[[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]]
|-
|colspan="3" align="center"| [[United Kingdom general election, 1885|1885]]
|colspan="4"| ''constituency divided: see [[Luton (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton]] and [[Biggleswade (UK Parliament constituency)|Biggleswade]]''
|}

== Election results==
{{Expand list|date=August 2008}}

===Notes===
<references />

==See also==
*[[List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies]]
*[[Unreformed House of Commons]]

==References==
*{{cite book | first=Robert | last=Beatson | title=A chronological register of both houses of the British Parliament, Volume II | year=1807 | url=http://books.google.com/books?vid=LCCN06016349&id=XiDFKwjKZZ4C}}
*D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
*John Cannon, ''Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973)
*''Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803'' (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
*F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
*Robert H O'Byrne, ''The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland, Part I - Bedfordshire'' (London: John Ollivier, 1848)
*J Holladay Philbin, ''Parliamentary Reform 1640-1832'' (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
*Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, ''The Unreformed House of Commons'' (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
*Henry Stooks Smith, ''The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847'' (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
*{{Rayment-hc|b|2|date=March 2012}}

[[Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Bedfordshire (historic)]]
[[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1290]]
[[Category:United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies disestablished in 1885]]