Knight of the shire

Knight of the shire (Latin: milites comitatus)[1] was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ended the practice of each county (or shire) forming a single constituency.This change, together with the concomitant standardisation of the franchise, means that county and borough constituencies now differ only slightly, as to election expenses and their type of returning officer.The term "knight of the shire" has been used more recently in a tongue-in-cheek manner for senior Conservative Party backbenchers representing rural constituencies in England and Wales.It opted in 1376 to appoint Sir Peter de la Mare to convey to the Lords complaints about heavy taxes, demands for an accounting of the royal expenditures, and criticism of the king's management of the military.The term occasionally features as journalese to describe elderly Members of Parliament, usually any Conservative backbenchers with long service who possess a knighthood.
member of parliamentcounty constituencyBritish House of CommonsParliament of EnglandRedistribution of Seats Act 1885countyconstituencyburgessborough constituencycitizencity statusCinque Ports constituencyknightwrit of electionHenry VI23 Hen. 6esquiresgentlemenestatesyeomanSimon de Montfort's ParliamentYorkshireGrampound boroughRepresentation of the People Act 1832concomitant standardisation of the franchiseelection expensesreturning officertongue-in-cheekConservative PartybackbenchersEngland and WalesMagnum ConciliumboroughsMontfort's ParliamentModel ParliamentEdward IIIHouse of CommonsHouse of LordsPeter de la MareSpeaker of the House of Commonsforty-shilling freeholdersCharles Seymourcounty courtsuffrageElectors of Knights of the Shires Act 14298 Hen. 6Electors of Knights of the Shire Act 143210 Hen. 6Reform Act of 1884 (the Third Great Reform Act)Representation of the People Act 1918Members of Parliamentcounty constituenciesjournaleseknighthoodHouse of Commons of EnglandParliament of ScotlandKnights of BuckinghamshireContinuum International Publishing GroupManchester University PressSchama, SimonBBC WorldwideSeymour, CharlesYale University Press