named after the Chiltern Hundreds, district of Buckinghamshire, England. An MP is not normally allowed to resign before the next General Election, but must do so if he or she accepts an office of profit under the Crown. Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds, while purely nominal, is technically such an office. Once an MP has been appointed to the stewardship and vacated the Parliamentary seat, he or she then resigns the stewardship so that it is available for the next MP who wishes to leave Parliament