Chiltern Hundreds

A nominal office under the Crown, used since the eighteenth century as a means by which a Member of Parliament could resign, since MPs were not otherwise permitted simply to relinquish their seats. The office is that of Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds, an area in Buckinghamshire. In the nineteenth century, appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds became the standard mechanism for MPs wishing to leave the House of Commons. The device remains in use today.