Dorries appointed to Three Hundreds of Chiltern - but what is it?
By Lewis Denison, Westminster Producer
The process for Nadine Dorries to leave Parliament is finally underway, 80 days after she said she was resigning with immediate effect.
So some people may be curious why Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has just appointed her to the prestigious-sounding role of Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern.
Well, that's because of a 1624 rule which says MPs are technically not allowed to directly resign, with death, disqualification or expulsion the only routes for a seat to be vacated during a parliamentary term.
It means MPs wishing to resign must apply for an office of the Crown, which automatically disqualifies the member from holding a seat in the House of Commons.
Those two offices are the Chiltern Hundreds and the Manor of Northstead.
These were both previously paid offices appointed by the monarch and it was accepted that a member of the House of Commons could not properly scrutinise Crown offices if they were being receiving a salary from one.
Both are now unpaid roles retained for their purpose in allowing an early exit from Parliament and being appointed to one involves no duties or responsibilities.
Since 1850, these have been registered and retained in the Treasury, which is why Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is the person who appointed Ms Dorries to the role.
An appointment can be made during parliamentary recess but a by-election cannot be formally announced until the House returns. The offices are appointed alternately, which allows for two by-elections to be held at once.
Party whips can move for a by-election immediately after a former MP is appointed to either office and this usually happens within three months of the vacancy.
The by-election timetable is between 21 and 27 working days after a whip issues a writ for the new contest.
Until 1919, ministers were disqualified from their seat when accepting office and they had to be re-elected.
Three hundreds of Chiltern
A hundred is an archaic term which used to be used to describe an administrative area, which was run on behalf of the crown to collect taxes. These were replaced by local government districts by the 19th century.
The office of steward of Hundreds of Chiltern became divorced from any former actual duties in the 17th century and it ceased to enjoy any revenues from the area.
It was first used as a means of resignation from the House of Commons on in 1751.
Its official name is the Three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham.
The Manor of Northstead
The Manor of Northstead consisted of a number of fields and farms in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The manor house for the former estate no longer exists and the land has since been redeveloped as part of modern-day Scarborough.
It was first used as a mechanism for allowing a resignation in 1844.