Bradford (UK Parliament constituency)

Boundaries

The constituency was based upon the town of Bradford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was enfranchised as a two-member parliamentary borough from 1832. Before 1832 the area was only represented as part of the county constituency of Yorkshire. After 1832 the non-resident Forty Shilling Freeholders of the area continued to qualify for a county vote (initially in the West Riding of Yorkshire seat, and from 1865 in a division of the West Riding).

Bradford, as a new parliamentary borough, had no voters enfranchised under the ancient rights preserved by the Reform Act 1832. All voters qualified under the new uniform, borough householder franchise.

The area was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1847, covering the parishes of Bradford, Horton and Manningham. Bradford was expanded in 1882 to include Allerton, Bolton, Bowling, Heaton, Thornbury and Tyersall. However the parliamentary boundaries were not affected until the redistribution of 1885.

After the expanded borough was divided into three single member seats in 1885, Bradford became a county borough with the passing of the Local Government Act 1888. The county borough was granted city status by Letters Patent in 1897.

Members of Parliament

Two MPs were elected at each general election. The table below shows the election years in which one or both of the MPs changed.

Elections in the 1860s

At the 1865 General Election, William Edward Forster and Henry Wickham Wickham were elected unopposed.At the Bradford by-election, 1861 following the resignation of Titus Salt, William Edward Forster was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1850s

At the 1857 General Election, Thomas Perronet Thompson and Henry Wickham Wickham were elected unopposed.At the Bradford by-election, 1851 following the death of William Busfeild, Robert Milligan was elected unopposed..

Elections in the 1830s

Note

¹ F. W. S. Craig classified Whig, Radical and similar candidates, as Liberals from 1832. Other sources may classify all these groups as Whigs. Use of the term Liberal gradually developed, as a description for the Whigs and allies, until the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the United Kingdom general election, 1859.