County

Returns for Hertfordshire are available for 28 of the 32 Parliaments which met during the period under review. No information appears to have survived about the elections of 1410, 1413 (Feb.), 1415 and 1416 (Oct.), so consequently some doubt must remain as to the relative parliamentary experience of at least half of the 25 men who are known to have sat for the county between 1386 and 1421. An analysis of the existing returns reveals a strong preference on the part of the electors, particularly during the 14th century, for a degree of representative continuity.

The Herefordshire county elections were invariably held at Hereford castle. After 1406 the return took the form of an indenture between the sheriff and some of the electors, those named varying in number between seven (in 1417) and 17 (in 1420). Early in the reign of Henry VI the number of participants recorded showed a tendency to increase, and in 1429 fifty were listed, while in 1432 the exceptionally large number of 179 attested the indenture.C219/12/2-4, 14/1, 3.

The returns for Hampshire are missing for three of the 32 Parliaments of the period (those of 1410, 1413 (Feb.) and 1416 (Oct.)), and the name of only one of the knights of the shire for the Parliament of 1404 (Oct.) is known. From the surviving evidence, it is clear that parliamentary experience was more concentrated in the first half of the period; thus, although in ten out of the 29 Parliaments for which returns are extant both Members had already been tried, all but three of these Parliaments assembled before 1399.

The names are known of 26 knights of the shire who represented Gloucestershire between 1386 and 1421, inclusive, although gaps remain for one of the Members of 1410 and for both those of 1413 (Feb.), 1416 (Mar.) and 1416 (Oct.). So far as may be ascertained, ten of the 26 only sat for the shire once, and a further six but twice. However, a few were returned quite frequently: William Heyberer represented Gloucestershire five times, Robert Whittington six, and John Greville seven, while Sir Thomas Fitznichol, with no fewer than 15 Parliaments to his credit, was clearly outstanding.

Returns for Essex are extant for 27 of the 32 Parliaments of the period under review, and Prynne supplies the names of the Members of that of 1416 (Mar.), an assembly for which the returns have been lost since his time. Gaps remain for the Parliaments of 1410, 1413 (Feb.), 1415 and 1416 (Oct.). Twenty-four individuals are known to have represented the shire between 1386 and 1421 (Dec.), 17 of them (over two-thirds) doing so on more than one occasion. Indeed, half of them sat for Essex three or more times.

Returns for Dorset are missing for five of the 32 Parliaments of the period. From those which survive it appears that two men who had sat before either for this county or for some other constituency were elected on 13 occasions, and on 12 more one such tried Member accompanied a newcomer, but both the shire knights in the Parliaments of 1397 (Sept.) and 1404 (Oct.) would appear to have been novices. Immediate re-election of both Members occurred twice (1401 and 1407) and of one Member a further ten times.

Since returns for the county of Devon to the Parliaments of 1413 (Feb.), 1415 and 1416 (Oct.) are missing, only the names of Members in 29 of the 32 Parliaments of the period under review are now known. There were 17 occasions when both shire knights were men with previous parliamentary experience, and a further eight when an experienced Member accompanied an apparent newcomer.

We know who represented Derbyshire in the House of Commons in 28 of the 32 Parliaments which met between 1386 and 1421 (inclusive), the returns having been lost for the rest. Allowing for these gaps in the evidence, 31 men at least were elected, the majority being without much experience of parliamentary affairs.

Returns survive for Cumberland for 28 of the 32 Parliaments which met between 1386 and 1421 (inclusive), those for 1411, 1413 (Feb.), 1415 and 1416 (Oct.) having been lost. The names of 29 shire knights are known, of whom the great majority—20 in all—sat in the Lower House more than once, albeit sometimes for other constituencies. On the whole, however, the general level of parliamentary experience was still not particularly high.

Twenty-nine returns for Cornwall have survived from 32 Parliaments, with only those of 1413 (Feb.), 1415 and 1416 (Oct.) remaining untraced. To 14 of these Parliaments there were elected two men who both had previous experience of the workings of the Commons, and in a further ten one of the Members had sat before. So, in perhaps no more than five Parliaments—1388 (Feb.), 1391, 1402, 1413 (May) and 1420—were both knights of the shire newcomers to the House.