Chiltern Hundreds
The Chiltern Hundreds is an ancient administrative area in
Three Chiltern Hundreds
A
Steward and bailiff
Original role
Through the
Resignation from the House of Commons
In the 17th century Members of Parliament (MPs) were often elected against their will.[citation needed] On 2 March 1623, a resolution was passed by the House of Commons making it illegal for an MP to quit or wilfully give up his seat.[2] Believing that officers of the Crown could not remain impartial, the House passed a resolution on 30 December 1680 stating that an MP who "shall accept any Office, or Place of Profit, from the Crown, without the Leave of this House ... shall be expelled [from] this House." However, MPs were able to hold Crown Stewardships until 1740, when Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn was deemed to have vacated his Commons seat after becoming Steward of the Lordship and Manor of Bromfield and Yale.[1]
The post of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham remained a nominal office of profit under the Crown, even though it had lost its original significance. It became the first office to be used for resignation when
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "The Chiltern Hundreds" (PDF). Factsheet P11 Procedure Series. House of Commons Information Office. August 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Tompkins, Sam (21 June 2023). "Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1880". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 7 September 2023.