Monmouthshire (constituency)
UK Parliament constituency (1801–1885, 2024 onwards)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament, and was first contested at the 2024 general election, following the 2023 review of Westminster constituencies. Its current MP is Catherine Fookes, a member of the Labour Party.
| Monmouthshire | |
|---|---|
| constituency for the House of Commons | |
  Interactive map of the constituency. | |
Location of the constituency within Wales | |
| Electorate | 72,681 (March 2020)[1] |
| Major settlements | Abergavenny, Monmouth, Chepstow, Caldicot, Usk |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2024 |
| Member of Parliament | Catherine Fookes (Labour) |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Monmouth and Newport East |
| 1536–1885 | |
| Seats | one |
| Type of constituency | County constituency |
| Replaced by | North Monmouthshire, South Monmouthshire, West Monmouthshire |
It previously existed as a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1536 until 1707, of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs).
In 1885 the Monmouthshire constituency was divided to create North Monmouthshire, South Monmouthshire and West Monmouthshire.
History and boundaries
Monmouthshire was given representation in the Parliament of England by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. This was later a key point in the long-standing argument about whether the county was or was not part of Wales.
Until the Great Reform Act of 1832, the historic Monmouthshire county constituency covered almost the whole of the county of Monmouth, but not the county town of Monmouth, which was a separate borough constituency. In 1832 this was expanded into the Monmouth Boroughs, taking in more towns to give it more electors.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 split the county constituency into three, North, South, and West Monmouthshire, and then the Representation of the People Act 1918 abolished these, with most of the county joining a new seat called Monmouth. This included the towns of Chepstow, Monmouth, and Abergavenny.
The Monmouthshire constituency was re-established as part of the 2023 review for the 2024 general election under the June 2023 final proposals of the Boundary Commission for Wales.[2] The boundaries were defined as being coterminous with the unitary authority of the County of Monmouthshire,[3] so it does not now include those parts of the county in the area of the Newport City Council.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1542–1885
| Year | First member | Second member |
|---|---|---|
| 1542 | No names known | |
| 1545 | Walter Herbert | Charles Herbert[4] |
| 1547 | Sir Thomas Morgan | William Herbert[4] |
| 1553 (Mar) | ||
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir Charles Herbert | Thomas Somerset[4] |
| 1554 (Apr) | Thomas Herbert | James Gunter[4] |
| 1554 (Nov) | Thomas Somerset | David Lewis[4] |
| 1555 | William Herbert | William Morgan[4] |
| 1558 | Francis Somerset | William Morgan [4] |
| 1559 (Jan) | William Morgan I | Thomas Herbert[5] |
| 1562–1563 | Matthew Herbert | George Herbert[5] |
| 1571 | Charles Somerset | William Morgan[5] |
| 1572 (May) | Charles Somerset | Henry Herbert[5] |
| 1584 (Sep) | Sir William Herbert | Edward Morgan[5] |
| 1586 (Sep) | Sir William Herbert | Edward Morgan[5] |
| 1588 (Oct) | Thomas Morgan II | William John Proger[5] |
| 1593 | Sir William Herbert (died in office, 1593) | Edward Kemeys[5] |
| 1597 (Sep) | Henry Herbert | John Arnold[5] |
| 1601 (Oct) | Thomas Somerset | Henry Morgan[5] |
| 1604 | Thomas Somerset | Sir John Herbert |
| 1614 | Walter Montagu | William Jones |
| 1621 | Sir Edmund Morgan | Charles Williams |
| 1624 | Robert Viscount Lisle | Sir William Morgan |
| 1625 | Robert Viscount Lisle | Sir William Morgan |
| 1626 | Nicholas Arnold | William Herbert |
| 1628 | Nicholas Arnold | Nicholas Kemeys |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened | |
| Apr 1640 | William Morgan | Walter Rumsey |
| Nov 1640 | Sir Charles Williams repl. 1642 by Henry Herbert | William Herbert, disabled 1644 |
| 1645 | John Herbert | Henry Herbert |
| 1648 | John Herbert | Henry Herbert |
| 1653 | Philip Jones | |
MPs 1654–1660
| Year | First member | Second member | Third member |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1654 | Richard Cromwell, sat for Hampshire repl. by Thomas Morgan | Philip Jones sat for Glamorgan repl. by Thomas Hughes | Henry Herbert |
| 1656 | Major General James Berry, sat for Worcestershire repl. by Nathaniel Waterhouse | John Nicholas | Edward Herbert |
| 1659 | William Morgan | John Nicholas | |
MPs 1660–1885
MPs since 2024
Monmouth and Newport East prior to 2024
| Election | Member[7] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Catherine Fookes | Labour | |
Election results
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Catherine Fookes | 21,010 | 41.3 | +9.7 | |
| Conservative | David TC Davies | 17,672 | 34.8 | −17.3 | |
| Reform | Max Windsor-Peplow | 5,438 | 10.7 | +9.8 | |
| Green | Ian Chandler | 2,357 | 4.6 | +2.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | William Powell | 2,279 | 4.5 | −5.1 | |
| Plaid Cymru | Ioan Rhys Bellin | 1,273 | 2.5 | +0.1 | |
| Independent | Owen Lewis | 457 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| True & Fair | June Davies | 255 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Heritage | Emma Meredith | 103 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,338 | 6.5 | |||
| Turnout | 50,844 | 68.0 | |||
| Registered electors | 74,823 | ||||
| Labour win (new seat) | |||||
Elections in the 2010s
| 2019 notional result [a] [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Conservative | 27,568 | 52.1 | |
| Labour | 16,731 | 31.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 5,071 | 9.6 | |
| Green Party | 1,333 | 2.5 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 1,283 | 2.4 | |
| Brexit Party | 451 | 0.9 | |
| Independent | 435 | 0.8 | |
| Majority | 10,837 | 20.5 | |
| Turnout | 52,872 | 72.7 | |
| Electorate | 72,681 | ||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Frederick Courtenay Morgan | 3,529 | 27.6 | N/A | |
| Conservative | John Rolls | 3,294 | 25.8 | N/A | |
| Liberal | George Charles Brodrick | 3,019 | 23.6 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Marshall Warmington | 2,927 | 22.9 | N/A | |
| Majority | 275 | 2.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 6,385 (est) | 75.0 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 8,518 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1870s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Henry Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,630 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Somerset was appointed Comptroller of the Household, triggering a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Frederick Courtenay Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Henry Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,630 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lord Henry Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Somerset resigned, triggering a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | 3,761 | 39.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Poulett Somerset | 3,525 | 36.6 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Henry Morgan-Clifford | 2,338 | 24.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,187 | 12.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,981 (est) | 75.0 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 7,971 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Poulett Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,909 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1850s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Poulett Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Somerset resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Manor of Hempholme, triggering a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Edward Arthur Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,073 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Edward Arthur Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 5,099 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Edward Arthur Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,973 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Arthur Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Somerset's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | 2,334 | 34.6 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Granville Somerset | 2,230 | 33.0 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Edward Arthur Somerset | 2,187 | 32.4 | N/A | |
| Majority | 43 | 0.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,376 (est) | 63.9 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,286 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Somerset was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, triggering a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,393 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Octavius Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | |||||
Williams resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, triggering a by-election
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | William Addams Williams | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,347 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | William Addams Williams | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,714 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | William Addams Williams | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,738 | ||||
| Tory hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | William Addams Williams | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | c. 2,000 | ||||
| Tory hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | Granville Somerset | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | Charles Morgan | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | c. 2,000 | ||||
| Tory hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Notes
- Estimate of the 2019 general election result as if the revised boundaries recommended under the 2023 boundary review were in place