The constituency was created when the two-member West Riding of Yorkshire constituency was divided for the 1865 general election by the Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 into two new constituencies, each returning two members: Northern West Riding of Yorkshire and Southern West Riding of Yorkshire.
The constituency was established when the existing West Riding of Yorkshire electoral area was divided by the Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 into two separate constituencies, each with two representatives: Northern West Riding of Yorkshire and Southern West Riding of Yorkshire, which would compete in the 1865 general election.