Page "Sudbury, Suffolk" Paragraph 14

From 1559 until 1844 the parliamentary constituency of Sudbury returned two Members of Parliament, before it was disenfranchised for corruption.

The Sudbury election of 1835, which Charles Dickens reported for the Morning Chronicle, is thought by many experts to be the inspiration for the famous Eatanswill election in his novel Pickwick Papers.

In the previous year's by-election a dead heat of 263 votes each was recorded for the two candidates, Edward Barnes and J. Bagshaw.

The mayor of Sudbury gave a casting vote to Barnes despite having already voted, and the decision led to serious riots in the town.

A county constituency of the same name was established by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, electing one MP by the first past the post voting system.

It was abolished for the 1950 general election when it was merged with the Woodbridge constituency to form Sudbury and Woodbridge.

In 1983 this constituency was abolished, and Sudbury formed part of the new South Suffolk constituency.

Since South Suffolk's formation it has been represented by the Conservative, Tim Yeo.