History
The Rochester constituency is an old one, going back to the 16th century, but it saw many changes in the 20th century. From 1885-1918 the wider area was split between Chatham, Gillingham and the "old", rural, Medway constituency. The Chatham seat joined Rochester to form Rochester and Chatham in 1950, which formed the core of Medway in 1983.
When the boroughs of Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham merged to form, then confusingly, a unitary authority named Medway in 1998, the Parliamentary constituency of Medway only covered part of the new borough, so from the 2010 election the seat was renamed to the more precise and narrow division it covered and now covers, Rochester and Strood.
Read more about this topic: Rochester And Strood (UK Parliament Constituency)
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