Where Are The Chiltern Hundreds?

The Chiltern Hundreds comprising of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham are located in Buckinghamshire; the important towns that fall in the Hundreds are Eton, Beaconsfield, Marlow, Chesham, Amersham and High Wycombe. They lie west to the counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire extending up to the river Thames.

A hundred is a division of a county as was done traditionally. The Chiltern Hundreds were a part of the monarchial domain from the 13th century and were administered by a Crown Steward and a Deputy Steward whose duty it was to maintain law and order in the Hundreds.

The offices ceased to become functional in the 17th century but were retained due to a law which prohibited the direct resignation of a member of the House of Commons. Hence along with the offices of Steward and Deputy Steward of the Manor of Northstead in Yorkshire the offices of the Chiltern Hundreds were retained as a formal procedure to enable members to resign from the House as they would be then considered as office holders under the Crown which would disqualify from the membership of the House.