From the creation of the
Parliament of England in
mediaeval times until 1826 each
county of England and Wales sent two
Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four. With the
Great Reform Act of 1832 different counties sent different numbers of knights to Parliament until the abolition of the seats in the
Reform Act of 1884.
The term is now used informally for
English and Welsh members of parliament representing rural rather than urban areas.
Middle ages
The precursor to the English parliamentary system was a council of advisers to the King, consisting of noblemen and members of the aristocracy, and Knights of the Shire. Two Knights of the Shire were sent from each county. In 1264 this council evolved to include representatives from the
boroughs (burgesses) and require that all members be
elected (
de Montfort's Parliament). The parliament gained legislative powers in 1295 (the
Model Parliament). In the reign of
Edward III parliament split into its current day format of two houses—the
House of Commons and the
House of Lords. The Knights of the Shire, together with the representatives from the boroughs, formed the House of Commons.
Until legislation in the fifteenth century the franchise for elections of
knights of the shire to serve as the representatives of counties in the
Parliament of England was not restricted to
forty shilling freeholders.
Seymour, discussing...
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