Post by bluelabour on Apr 16, 2020 15:25:18 GMT
Richmond (Yorks) is a geographically large seat spanning about three-quarters of the length of North Yorkshire. It includes a great deal more than the eponymous town, which is uniquely named alongside its county in order to differentiate it from the former seat of Richmond (Surrey), now Richmond Park.
In wake of the Norman Conquest, a Breton nobleman named Alan Rufus was gifted the expanse of land covered by the medieval wapentakes of Gilling and Hang. This is roughly covered by the district of Richmondshire today, which in turn makes up the majority of Richmond constituency. Rufus went on to establish the town of Richmond, named after Richemont in Normandy, as well as its famous sandstone castle. Over the centuries, the town and its castle achieved new prominence under increasing royal control, even becoming the namesake of Henry VII’s palace at Sheen in Surrey. Indeed, for some reason or another Richmond is the UK’s most frequently copied place name, the capital city of Virginia being the most famous example. Meanwhile, the original Richmond became especially affluent in the 18th Century, with its impressive Georgian architecture exemplified by Frenchgate and the Theatre Royal and making it such an attractive place to visit today.
Of course, tourism in this constituency is not confined to the historic town of Richmond, with a large section of the Yorkshire Dales National Park lying within Richmondshire. This includes Wensleydale, the upper valley of the River Ure, characterised by its rolling green hills, picturesque towns such as Leyburn and impressive natural features like Aysgarth Falls. Other tourist destinations include Middleham Castle in the small tributary valley of Coverdale, Semerwater, the largest lake in the constituency, and the small isolated town of Hawes in the extreme west of the constituency, where the famous Wensleydale cheese is produced. Moving north via Buttertubs Pass, one finds the dale of the River Swale, the fastest flowing river in England. Though less green and more rugged than its neighbour, Swaledale competes in natural beauty and gives host to such charming Norse place names as Gunnerside, Thwaite, Muker, Satron, Smarber and Crackpot. Swaledale sheep, bred for their thick wool and flavoursome meat, as well as lead mined from Arkengarthdale near Reeth, once provided Richmond with much of its prosperity.
Apart from agriculture and tourism, much of Richmondshire’s economy relies on Catterick Garrison, the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population expected to reach 25,000. Contrasting vividly with nearby Richmond and the Dales, this is a sprawling military town engulfing the once rural villages of Hipswell and Scotton and adjoins a large area of social housing at Colburn. The rural land around Richmond and Catterick is comparatively flat and featureless, and many of the villages, especially those in the close vicinity of Darlington, are very wealthy.
Richmond constituency, however, is not coterminous with Richmondshire district – it also includes the northern part of Hambleton district, centring around the market town of Northallerton.
Though less impressive and historic than Richmond, Northallerton is larger in terms of both population and area and has benefitted from sitting on the main route from London to Edinburgh. It is a mixed town; the south is well-off and the houses large and detached, especially in the contiguous village of Romanby, while the north is somewhat grittier, with social housing and pockets of light industry. Northallerton’s role in transport and trade has diminished since the 19th Century, though many upmarket businesses such as the independent Lewis and Cooper food hall, Barker’s department store and a branch of Betty’s tearoom have survived as relics of bygone affluence. Nonetheless, the town remains comfortable in economic terms and the headquarters of both North Yorkshire County Council and Hambleton District Council are a major source of employment here. Surrounding Northallerton is a flat, fertile expanse of arable land called the Vale of Mowbray; this is home to the small market town of Bedale, the RAF base at Leeming and a scattering of moneyed villages and large farmsteads. As one reaches the eastern frontier of the constituency, the fringes of the North York Moors mark yet another change in landscape. The bleak valleys of Scugdale and Bilsdale offer scenery quite as dramatic as the Dales in the west, while the remote village of Chop Gate (pronounced Chop Yat) features an obscure German-themed pub. Finally, nestled alongside the Cleveland Hills in the far north east of the constituency, the elegant market towns of Stokesley and Great Ayton (the latter being the birthplace of Captain Cook) house the wealthier of Middlesbrough’s commuters and retirees.
Though the Richmond constituency offers exceptional diversity in terms of its natural environment, its political history is much less varied. It has been safely Conservative since 1910, subsequently undergoing only minor boundary changes that have removed the areas around Yarm, Masham and Startforth. The constituency’s true-blue status – a result of its deeply rural character, agricultural economy and homogenous, moderately affluent electorate – has provided a base for a series of high-profile Tory MPs. The first of these was Thomas Dugdale, MP from 1929 to 1959, who rose to the post of Minister for Agriculture before becoming embroiled in the Crichel Down affair, a scandal involving the compulsory purchase of land in Dorset. His successor Timothy Kitson was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Edward Heath, followed by Leon Brittan, the Home Secretary from 1983-85 who was pushed to resign as a result of the Westland Affair. In 1989, Brittan reluctantly accepted a role in the European Commission and the resulting by-election was the closest the Conservatives have come to losing this seat in recent times. William Hague, a young Yorkshireman who had gained notoriety as a result of his speech to Conservative Party conference aged just 16, held the seat with a mere 2,634 majority. Had the opposition vote not been split between the candidate of the continuing SDP, local farmer Mike Potter, and the newly formed ‘Social and Liberal Democrats’ then Hague would have been defeated; the Tories would go on to lose every by-election for the next eight years.
In spite of this inauspicious start, Hague rose through the Tory ranks to become leader after the disastrous nationwide defeat to Labour in 1997; while he failed to produce a different result in the ‘quiet landslide’ election of 2001, he did manage to make Richmond the safest Tory seat in the country. After a term as Foreign Secretary in the coalition, Hague made way for another young, ambitious politician much in his own image. Initial disquiet among locals around the Conservatives’ selection of Hampshire businessman Rishi Sunak over Richmondshire councillor Wendy Morton (now MP for Aldridge-Brownhills) has subsided and Sunak was elected with a staggering majority of over 27,000 at the 2019 election. The seat is now as safe as ever; while there is Lib Dem strength in the towns of Richmond and Stokesley, Northallerton intermittently returns Labour councillors and there is a tendency towards local independents in the rural Dales, this has failed to translate into any single opposition party exceeding 25% this century. Sunak’s subsequent rise to become Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his ensuing popularity as the face of the Tories’ new big-spending agenda, suggests he will be safe for years to come.
In wake of the Norman Conquest, a Breton nobleman named Alan Rufus was gifted the expanse of land covered by the medieval wapentakes of Gilling and Hang. This is roughly covered by the district of Richmondshire today, which in turn makes up the majority of Richmond constituency. Rufus went on to establish the town of Richmond, named after Richemont in Normandy, as well as its famous sandstone castle. Over the centuries, the town and its castle achieved new prominence under increasing royal control, even becoming the namesake of Henry VII’s palace at Sheen in Surrey. Indeed, for some reason or another Richmond is the UK’s most frequently copied place name, the capital city of Virginia being the most famous example. Meanwhile, the original Richmond became especially affluent in the 18th Century, with its impressive Georgian architecture exemplified by Frenchgate and the Theatre Royal and making it such an attractive place to visit today.
Of course, tourism in this constituency is not confined to the historic town of Richmond, with a large section of the Yorkshire Dales National Park lying within Richmondshire. This includes Wensleydale, the upper valley of the River Ure, characterised by its rolling green hills, picturesque towns such as Leyburn and impressive natural features like Aysgarth Falls. Other tourist destinations include Middleham Castle in the small tributary valley of Coverdale, Semerwater, the largest lake in the constituency, and the small isolated town of Hawes in the extreme west of the constituency, where the famous Wensleydale cheese is produced. Moving north via Buttertubs Pass, one finds the dale of the River Swale, the fastest flowing river in England. Though less green and more rugged than its neighbour, Swaledale competes in natural beauty and gives host to such charming Norse place names as Gunnerside, Thwaite, Muker, Satron, Smarber and Crackpot. Swaledale sheep, bred for their thick wool and flavoursome meat, as well as lead mined from Arkengarthdale near Reeth, once provided Richmond with much of its prosperity.
Apart from agriculture and tourism, much of Richmondshire’s economy relies on Catterick Garrison, the largest British Army garrison in the world with a population expected to reach 25,000. Contrasting vividly with nearby Richmond and the Dales, this is a sprawling military town engulfing the once rural villages of Hipswell and Scotton and adjoins a large area of social housing at Colburn. The rural land around Richmond and Catterick is comparatively flat and featureless, and many of the villages, especially those in the close vicinity of Darlington, are very wealthy.
Richmond constituency, however, is not coterminous with Richmondshire district – it also includes the northern part of Hambleton district, centring around the market town of Northallerton.
Though less impressive and historic than Richmond, Northallerton is larger in terms of both population and area and has benefitted from sitting on the main route from London to Edinburgh. It is a mixed town; the south is well-off and the houses large and detached, especially in the contiguous village of Romanby, while the north is somewhat grittier, with social housing and pockets of light industry. Northallerton’s role in transport and trade has diminished since the 19th Century, though many upmarket businesses such as the independent Lewis and Cooper food hall, Barker’s department store and a branch of Betty’s tearoom have survived as relics of bygone affluence. Nonetheless, the town remains comfortable in economic terms and the headquarters of both North Yorkshire County Council and Hambleton District Council are a major source of employment here. Surrounding Northallerton is a flat, fertile expanse of arable land called the Vale of Mowbray; this is home to the small market town of Bedale, the RAF base at Leeming and a scattering of moneyed villages and large farmsteads. As one reaches the eastern frontier of the constituency, the fringes of the North York Moors mark yet another change in landscape. The bleak valleys of Scugdale and Bilsdale offer scenery quite as dramatic as the Dales in the west, while the remote village of Chop Gate (pronounced Chop Yat) features an obscure German-themed pub. Finally, nestled alongside the Cleveland Hills in the far north east of the constituency, the elegant market towns of Stokesley and Great Ayton (the latter being the birthplace of Captain Cook) house the wealthier of Middlesbrough’s commuters and retirees.
Though the Richmond constituency offers exceptional diversity in terms of its natural environment, its political history is much less varied. It has been safely Conservative since 1910, subsequently undergoing only minor boundary changes that have removed the areas around Yarm, Masham and Startforth. The constituency’s true-blue status – a result of its deeply rural character, agricultural economy and homogenous, moderately affluent electorate – has provided a base for a series of high-profile Tory MPs. The first of these was Thomas Dugdale, MP from 1929 to 1959, who rose to the post of Minister for Agriculture before becoming embroiled in the Crichel Down affair, a scandal involving the compulsory purchase of land in Dorset. His successor Timothy Kitson was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Edward Heath, followed by Leon Brittan, the Home Secretary from 1983-85 who was pushed to resign as a result of the Westland Affair. In 1989, Brittan reluctantly accepted a role in the European Commission and the resulting by-election was the closest the Conservatives have come to losing this seat in recent times. William Hague, a young Yorkshireman who had gained notoriety as a result of his speech to Conservative Party conference aged just 16, held the seat with a mere 2,634 majority. Had the opposition vote not been split between the candidate of the continuing SDP, local farmer Mike Potter, and the newly formed ‘Social and Liberal Democrats’ then Hague would have been defeated; the Tories would go on to lose every by-election for the next eight years.
In spite of this inauspicious start, Hague rose through the Tory ranks to become leader after the disastrous nationwide defeat to Labour in 1997; while he failed to produce a different result in the ‘quiet landslide’ election of 2001, he did manage to make Richmond the safest Tory seat in the country. After a term as Foreign Secretary in the coalition, Hague made way for another young, ambitious politician much in his own image. Initial disquiet among locals around the Conservatives’ selection of Hampshire businessman Rishi Sunak over Richmondshire councillor Wendy Morton (now MP for Aldridge-Brownhills) has subsided and Sunak was elected with a staggering majority of over 27,000 at the 2019 election. The seat is now as safe as ever; while there is Lib Dem strength in the towns of Richmond and Stokesley, Northallerton intermittently returns Labour councillors and there is a tendency towards local independents in the rural Dales, this has failed to translate into any single opposition party exceeding 25% this century. Sunak’s subsequent rise to become Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his ensuing popularity as the face of the Tories’ new big-spending agenda, suggests he will be safe for years to come.
