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North Devon
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of North Devon in South West England
County	Devon
Electorate	76,455 (2023)
Major settlements	Barnstaple and Ilfracombe
Current constituency
Created	1950
Member of Parliament	Ian Roome (Liberal Democrats)
Seats	One
Created from	Barnstaple and South Molton
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Devon
Replaced by	South Molton Barnstaple Tiverton Honiton

North Devon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Ian Roome from the Liberal Democrats. Before that it was represented since 2019 by Selaine Saxby of the Conservative Party.

Boundaries

1832–1868: The Hundreds of Bampton, Black Torrington, Braunton, Crediton, Fremington, Halberton, Hartland, Hayridge, Hemyock, North Tawton and Winkleigh, Shebbear, Sherwill, South Molton, Tiverton, Witheridge, and West Budleigh.

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Bampton, Braunton, Crediton, Fremington, Halberton, Hartland, Hayridge, Hemyock, North Tawton, Shebbear, Sherwill, South Molton, Tiverton, Winkleigh, Witheridge, and West Budleigh.

1950–1974: The Boroughs of Barnstaple and South Molton, the Urban Districts of Ilfracombe and Lynton, and the Rural Districts of Barnstaple and South Molton.

1974–1983: The Boroughs of Barnstaple and Bideford, the Urban Districts of Ilfracombe, Lynton, and Northam, and the Rural Districts of Barnstaple, Bideford, and South Molton.

1983–2010: The District of North Devon, and the District of Mid Devon wards of Taw, Taw Vale, and West Creedy.

2010–present: The District of North Devon.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies left the boundaries unchanged.

History

A two-seat constituency of the same name existed from 1832 to 1885, formally titled the 'Northern Division of Devon'.

This began at the 1832 general election, when the Reform Act 1832 divided the former two-seat Devon into Northern and Southern divisions, each of which elected two MPs using the bloc vote system of election. The constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, when the Redistribution of Seats Act split the county into smaller single-seat divisions. Its second creation is current, and began at the 1950 general election (covering a smaller area than before). Prior to 1950, its territory was split between the old constituencies of Barnstaple and South Molton.

In the 20th century this area had a prominent national MP, Jeremy Thorpe, who led a Liberal Party revival countrywide, with particular strength in the south-west. The Liberal Democrats and its predecessor the Liberal Party have, since the Second World War, performed strongly in this seat; it was held for twenty years by Thorpe as the Liberal leader. He lost it in the 1979 general election, amid a scandal as a married man in love with Norman Scott and Thorpe's alleged involvement in a plot to murder him, of which he was found not guilty the same year.

At the 1992 general election Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey regained the seat from the Conservatives. He held the seat for 23 years until he lost it at the 2015 general election. Conservatives Peter Heaton-Jones, then Selaine Saxby held the seat for the next nine years, until it switched back to the Liberal Democrats in 2024, with the election of Ian Roome.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

MPs since 1950

The Member of Parliament for the constituency is Ian Roome of the Liberal Democrats who succeeded the previous Conservative MP Selaine Saxby at the 2024 general election.

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: North Devon

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Roome	21,820	42.4	+12.4
	Conservative	Selaine Saxby	15,076	29.3	−27.3
	Reform UK	Nigel James	8,137	15.8	N/A
	Labour	Nicky Edwards	3,216	6.3	−2.9
	Green	Cassius Lay	2,348	4.6	+1.4
	Independent	Steve Cotten	820	1.6	+0.6
Majority			6,744	13.1	N/A
Turnout			51,417	65.0	−7.7
Registered electors			79,068
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	19.9

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1880s

• Caused by Northcote's appointment as First Lord of the Treasury and elevation to the peerage, becoming Earl of Iddesleigh.

Elections in the 1870s

• Caused by Northcote's appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Elections in the 1860s

• Caused by Northcote's appointment as Secretary of State for India

• Caused by Northcote's appointment as President of the Board of Trade

• Caused by Trefusis' elevation to the peerage, becoming Lord Clinton.

• Caused by Buller's death.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

• Caused by Fortescue's succession to the peerage as 2nd Earl Fortescue

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Devon

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. This was in 2001 the largest two-party swing locally, (LD-UKIP)

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
2. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
3. "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
4. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
6. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) . Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 62, 70. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
7. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 80. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via Google Books.
8. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 68–69. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via Google Books.
9. Beckett, Ian F. W. (3 January 2008) . "Buller, Sir Redvers Henry (1839–1908)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32165. Retrieved 31 July 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
10. North Devon constituency
11. "Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates". Mark Pack. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
12. Selaine Saxby (18 February 2023). "I am delighted to have been readopted to be the parliamentary candidate, for the next General Election (when we get there) to represent lovely #NDevon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
13. "North Devon Constituency". Reform UK. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
14. "Our Candidates". Green Party of England and Wales. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
15. "Parliamentary election 12 December 2019". www.northdevon.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
16. "Parliamentary election 8 June 2017". North Devon Council. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
17. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
18. ^ "Ricky is Green's 2015 candidate". North Devon Journal. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
19. "UK ELECTION RESULTS". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk.
20. "Steve Crowther to stand for UKIP in North Devon at 2015 general election". North Devon Journal. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
21. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
22. Pratt, D J (20 April 2010). "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (MS Word). Acting Returning Officer, North Devon Council. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
23. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
24. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
25. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
26. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
27. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
28. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
29. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
30. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1955.
31. ^ Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 376–377. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
32. "North Devon Election". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 30 June 1885. p. 1. Retrieved 19 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

• The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945.
• The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950.
• The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955.

External links

• North Devon UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• North Devon UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• North Devon UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

• North Devon
• Parliamentary constituencies in Devon
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1832
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1950