One of the most highly regarded constituency M Ps for Bourne in recent times was Kenneth Lewis, the Conservative member for Rutland and Stamford from 1959 to 1983 and, following boundary changes, for Stamford and Spalding from 1983 to 1987. He therefore served Bourne for 28 years during which time he made regular visits to the town, meeting councillors and local officials and attended numerous meetings and functions, always ready to be a guest whenever invited, soon gaining a reputation for personal contact with the people.

Kenneth Lewis was born at Jarrow, County Durham, on 1st July 1916, son of William and Agnes Lewis, and after his education locally, he attended Edinburgh University. He began his career as a labour and personnel executive with the shipbuilders Hawthorn Leslie and Company of Hebburn, and afterwards with the County of London Electricity Supply Company. During the Second World War, he served with the RAF as a staff officer at Allied HQ Europe, the Air Ministry, and with a Pathfinder Squadron and on demobilisation, started his own shipping and travel business.

He was married to Jean Lewis in 1948 and they had two children, Kaye Michie and Christopher Lewis and they lived at Preston, near Uppingham, Rutland.

From 1949 to 1952 he was a member of Middlesex County Council, and contested Parliamentary elections as Conservative candidate in 1945 and 1950 at Newton and at Ashton-under-Lyne in 1951. His parliamentary career included chairmanship of the Conservative Party Parliamentary Labour Committee from 1962 to 1964 and he also served on the Estimates, Expenditure and Selection Committees. He was Chairman of the East Midlands Conservative Members and Candidates Committee and the Area Conservative Political Centre.

Lewis was an active churchman and served as chairman of a Standing Committee of the World Council of Churches. He was also Deputy Lieutenant of Rutland (1973) and was knighted in 1983.

One man who knew him well was Don Fisher who served as a councillor at county, district and town level during Kenneth Lewis' time as M P, and they invariably met whenever he visited Bourne. "Rarely a month went by that he did not come here for some appointment or another", he said, "never in a hurry and usually stopping for lunch at one of the local pubs.

"He was most amenable and would go anywhere to meet anyone who had a problem even to the most remote parts of the parish such as Twenty and on the day we went there someone actually remarked that our M P had never been to Twenty before. This common touch may have emanated from his early years in Jarrow and it was always pointed out that this was the town's first M P from a humble background, our previous representatives always coming from the aristocracy or the landed gentry. But he never made high office at Westminster, he was never given a cabinet post, and perhaps this was because he was not particularly popular with those in power at the time."

Don last met Sir Kenneth during the 1987 election campaign when he came to speak in support of his successor, Quentin Davies, at an eve of poll meeting at the Abbey Primary School. "He was already in failing health and after the meeting I helped him back to his car", said Don. "It was a most poignant moment because he said that this would most likely be the last time we would meet and although I tried to be encouraging about the future, this turned out to be true for although we kept in touch, I never saw him again."

Sir Kenneth died on 2nd July 1997, aged 81. His wife, Jean, who had predeceased him, died on 2nd July 1991.