Lewis, N. B., 'Re-Election to Parliament in the Reign of Richard II', The English Historical Review 48 (1933), 364-394

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Quick Summary

Re-election to parliament became more common throughout the fourteenth century but had little impact on parliamentary business

  • Proportion of experienced MPs increased between 1295 and 1397
  • No policy of electing MPs to successive parliaments
  • The re-election of MPs had little impact on the political agenda discussed in parliament
Key Conclusion

Lewis provides a statistical analysis of the re-election of members of parliament during the reign of Richard II. The proportion of MPs who had previously attended at least one parliamentary assembly rose from around 36% during the period November 1295 – October 1307 to around 67% in the period September 1388 – September 1397.  However, despite the increase in the proportion of experienced MPs, Lewis concludes that ‘re-election and repeated election were neither very greatly valued nor of very much influence at the end of the fourteenth century’ (p. 394).

Content Overview

The first half of the article provides statistics for the re-election to parliament in 1295-1397. The proportion of MPs who attended two assemblies in succession remained at around 20% throughout the entire period. Lewis also observes that it was rare for a county to re-elect the same two knights (to serve as MPs) to a second parliament, and there doesn’t appear to have been a definite policy of having at least one of the two knights re-elected. The second half of the article explores the effect of re-election on parliamentary business, concluding that the the influence of re-election was negligible compared to more general factors referred to by Lewis as ‘the force of circumstances’ (p. 390).

Further Findings

The article also explores in depth three instances whereby there was notable continuity or discontinuity of parliamentary membership – (1) April 1376 to October 1377; (2) November 1381 and May 1382; (3) May and October 1382. Lewis suggests that the vital factor in continuity of the issues raised by the commons in parliament was tied to ‘continuity of public opinion’, rather than a high proportion of MP re-election (p. 385). Lewis also observes that the commons paid little attention to parliamentary experience when electing their speaker (chief representative). Ultimately: ‘although to the modern mind it seems axiomatic that continuity of representation was desirable, there are indications that in the fourteenth century it was not rated highly’ (p. 391).

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