Knight of the shire (Latin:milites comitatus)[1] was the formal title for amember of parliament (MP) representing acounty constituency in theBritish House of Commons, from its origins in the medievalParliament of England until theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885 ended the practice of eachcounty (orshire) forming a singleconstituency. The corresponding titles for other MPs wereburgess in aborough constituency (orcitizen if the borough hadcity status) andbaron for aCinque Ports constituency. Knights of the shire had more prestige than burgesses, and sitting burgesses often stood for election for the shire in the hope of increasing their standing in Parliament.
The name "knight of the shire" originally implied that the representative had to be aknight, and thewrit of election referred to abelted knight until the 19th century;[1] but by the 14th century men who were not knights were commonly elected.[2] An act ofHenry VI (23 Hen. 6. c. 14) stipulated that those eligible for election were knights and "such notableesquires andgentlemen as haveestates sufficient to be knights, and by no means of the degree ofyeoman".[3]
So that the Knights of the Shires for the Parliament hereafter to be chosen, shall be notable Knights of the same Counties for the which they shall [so] be chosen, or otherwise such notable Esquires, Gentlemen [of birth] of the same Counties, as shall be able to be Knights; and no Man to be such Knight which standeth in the Degree of a Yeoman and under.
— Parliamentary Elections Act 1444 (23 Hen. 6. c. 14)
FromSimon de Montfort's Parliament in 1265, each shire sent two knights, and the number was standard until 1826 whenYorkshire gained two additional knights after the disfranchisement ofGrampound borough. Under theRepresentation of the People Act 1832 counties with larger populations sent more knights than smaller ones. TheRedistribution of Seats Act 1885 split each multiple-seat shire into multiple single-seat divisions. This change, together with theconcomitant standardisation of the franchise, means that county and borough constituencies now differ only slightly, as toelection expenses and their type ofreturning officer.
The term "knight of the shire" has been used more recently in atongue-in-cheek manner for seniorConservative Partybackbenchers representing rural constituencies inEngland and Wales.[4]
The precursor to the English parliamentary system was aMagnum Concilium or great council, an advice chamber to the king consisting ofpeers, ecclesiastics, and knights of the shire (with the king summoning two of these from each county). In 1264, this council evolved to include representatives from theboroughs (burgesses), requiring that all members be elected (Montfort's Parliament). The parliament gained legislative powers in 1295 (theModel Parliament). In the following century, in 1341,Edward III split Parliament into its current bicameral structure, which includes theHouse of Commons and theHouse of Lords. It opted in 1376 to appoint SirPeter de la Mare to convey to the Lords complaints about heavy taxes, demands for an accounting of the royal expenditures, and criticism of the king's management of the military. Although de la Mare was imprisoned for his actions, many recognised the value of a single representative voice for the Commons. Accordingly, an office ofSpeaker of the House of Commons was created.[5][6] Mare was soon released after the death of Edward III and became the Speaker of the House again in 1377.
Before 1430, the franchise (electorate) for elections of knights of the shire was not restricted toforty-shilling freeholders.[7] Discussing the original county franchise, historianCharles Seymour suggested, "It is probable that all free inhabitant householders voted and that the parliamentary qualification was, like that which compelled attendance in thecounty court, merely a 'resiance' or residence qualification." He goes on to explain why Parliament decided to legislate about the county franchise. "The Act of 1430," he said, "after declaring that elections had been crowded by many persons of low estate, and that confusion had thereby resulted, accordingly enacted that thesuffrage should be limited to persons qualified by a freehold of 40s".[8]
TheParliament of England legislated the new uniform county franchise, in theElectors of Knights of the Shires Act 1429 (8 Hen. 6. c. 7). It was included as a recital in theElectors of Knights of the Shire Act 1432 (10 Hen. 6. c. 2), which amended and re-enacted the 1430 law to make clear that the resident of a county had to have a forty-shilling freehold in that county in order to be a voter there.
Over the course of time, authorities began to consider a great number of different types of property asforty-shilling freeholds. Subsequently, the residence requirement disappeared.
Until theRepresentation of the People Act 1832, each county continued to send two knights (apart fromYorkshire, which had its number of knights increased to four in 1826). How these knights were chosen varied from one county to the next and evolved over time. The 1832 Act increased the number of knights sent by some populous counties to as many as six.
The term became obsolete due to the final destruction of counties mentioned by theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885 and widened structure of electorate in theReform Act of 1884 (the Third Great Reform Act), and in theRepresentation of the People Act 1918. The term rapidly died out during the 20th century in reference toMembers of Parliament who representcounty constituencies; for they no longer represented a whole county.
The term occasionally features asjournalese to describe elderly Members of Parliament, usually any Conservativebackbenchers with long service who possess aknighthood.[4]
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)