MPs who have represented Chesham and Amersham

First MPs for Buckinghamshire

Chesham and Amersham were historically represented in Parliament via the MPs for Buckinghamshire. From 1265 to 1832 the county was represented by 2 MPs at a time, and some boroughs could also send MPs (see BFP Nostalgia June 6, 2021). The first recorded MPs for Buckinghamshire were Sir John Chetwode and Sir Thomas Sackville in 1386.

Amersham

In the early 1600s a London solicitor, called William Hakewill, discovered some ancient documents which proved that the boroughs of Amersham, Marlow, and Wendover had all sent members to Parliament in thirteenth century, a practice which had lapsed. He succeeded in re-enfranchising them with financial support from John Hampden. Hakewell then became MP for Amersham in 1624. Later the position was usually filled by members of the Drake (later Tyrwhitt-Drake) family of Shardeloes, until 1832 when the so called “rotten borough” system was abolished.

John Hampden

Timothy Raison MP who represented Chesham as MP for Mid-Bucks from 1970 to 1974

The most famous local MP is probably John Hampden. He represented the newly re-enfranchised Borough of Wendover, from 1624 until 1629, and represented Buckinghamshire from 1640. In 1636 he opposed ship tax, on the principle that it was being imposed by King Charles I without parliamentary approval. This was one of triggers for the English Civil War, which started in 1642. On June 18, 1643, Hampden was shot at the Battle of Chalgrove, near Thame. He died of his wounds and is buried in Great Hampden church. There is a statue to him in Aylesbury Market Square, where he is pointing in the direction of his home at Great Hampden, near Great Missenden.

Local MPs

From 1885 the constituency system was changed and Buckinghamshire had 3 MPs for South, Mid and North Bucks. Chesham and Amersham were represented by the Mid-Bucks MP from 1918 when Amersham came under the South Bucks (Wycombe) MP, whilst the Mid-Bucks (Aylesbury) MP continued to represent Chesham.

The Liberal Rothschilds

The first Mid-Bucks MP was Ferdinand de Rothschild, who built Waddesdon Manor, then from 1899 his cousin Walter Rothschild, and from 1910 another of his cousins Lionel de Rothschild. The Rothschilds had been Liberal, until Lionel switched to the Conservatives in 1912. The Liberals were not happy about this, and in 1923 the seat was won back for the Liberal Party by Thomas Keens from Luton, whose wife was from Great Missenden.

Mid-Bucks Conservative MPs

Thomas Keens in 1924, Liberal MP for Mid-Bucks 1923 to 1924

The Mid-Bucks seat was then consistently held by Conservatives from 1924, when it was won by Col. Sir Alan Hughes Burgoyne of Holmer Green. From 1929 the MP was Captain Michael W. Beaumont, JP, who lived at Wotton Underwood near Aylesbury and was Justice of Peace for Bucks. In 1938 when he resigned, a by-election was called. The new MP was Sir Stanley Reed, who lived then at Wendover, but had spent most of his life in India. From 1950 the MP was Spencer Summers, who lived in Northamptonshire. In the 1950, 1951 and 1955 elections his main rival was Chesham farmer Tony Harman who stood for the Labour Party. Summers was knighted in 1956, and remained MP until 1970, when Timothy Raison was elected with a majority of 10,000. He had spent much of his childhood in the Aylesbury area and remained Mid-Bucks MP until 1992. However he only represented Chesham upto 1974, when the new Chesham and Amersham constituency came into being. He died in 2011, aged 82.

Chesham and Amersham constituency

In those 47 years since 1974 the Chesham and Amersham constituency had only 2 MPs. Both held senior positions in the Conservative government.

Spencer Summers MP for Mid-Bucks 1950 to 1970

They were both forthright people who held their own minds, supported local causes, and did not always vote with the government.

Ian Gilmour

Ian Gilmour was first elected MP for Central Norfolk in 1962, winning by just 220 votes. He held this seat until 1974, when his seat was abolished due to boundary changes. He was adopted as local Conservative candidate at a meeting at Lowndes School in Chesham. He stood for Chesham and Amersham, becoming its first MP. In 1974 he served in Edward Heath’s government as Secretary of State for Defence, and then as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary.

Ian Gilmour being interviewed outside the Houses of Parliament in 1986, the first MP for Chesham and Amersham 1974 to 1992

In 1979 when the Conservatives were re-elected under Margaret Thatcher, Gilmour was made Lord Privy Seal, as the chief spokesman for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs working with Lord Carrington. Amongst his achievements were the Lancaster House talks, which led to the creation of an independent Zimbabwe. He also negotiated with the EEC to reduce Britain’s financial contribution to create the rebate. He did not agree with Margaret Thatcher on many things and she dismissed him in 1981, and he did not stand in the 1992 election. In 1992 after the Conservatives won again under John Major, he was given a life peerage as Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar. In 2001 he switched to join the Liberal Democrats. Lord Gilmour died on September 21, 2007, aged 81.

Cheryl Gillan

In the 1992 election Cheryl Gillan stood as Conservative candidate in the constituency. She was elected and held the seat for 29 years. From 1995, she was a junior minister for Education and Employment, under John Major, until 1997. Then she served as a Conservative whip and as spokesperson for Trade and Industry, Foreign Affairs, and Home Affairs.

She had been born and brought up in south Wales, and she was the Shadow Welsh Secretary from 2005. From 2010 she became Secretary of State for Wales under David Cameron until 2012. In 2018 she was made a Dame. She opposed HS2 and supported Brexit, which were the two biggest issues in her latter years. Dame Cheryl Gillan tragically died aged 68 this year, which triggered the latest by-election.

By-election

The Chesham and Amersham by-election was held on Thursday, June 17. National coverage included a visit to Chesham by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.