Dartmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Dartmouth | |
---|---|
Former Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
1351–1868 | |
Seats | two (1351–1832); one (1832–1868) |
Replaced by | South Devon |
Dartmouth, also sometimes called Clifton, Dartmouth and Hardness, was a
History
Clifton, Dartmouth and Hardness were three towns clustered round the mouth of the River Dart in southern Devon; all three are within the modern town of Dartmouth. The borough as first represented in 1298 seems to have included only the town of Dartmouth, but at the next return of members in 1350–1351 it also included Clifton; Hardness is first mentioned in 1553, though may have been included earlier. The boundaries by the 19th century included the whole of Dartmouth St Petrox and St Saviour parishes, and part of Townstall parish.
Dartmouth by the end of the 18th century was a prosperous small port, depending mainly on fishing but also with some shipbuilding interests; but the bulk of the inhabitants had little voice in the choice of its Members of Parliament. After a decision by Parliament that followed a disputed election in 1689, the right to vote in Dartmouth rested with the corporation, which appointed its own successors, and with the
This franchise meant that once control was gained of the borough it was easy to retain indefinitely. Around the turn of the 18th century, the Herne family had almost total control, but in the mid-to-late 18th and early 19th century, control had passed to the government and Dartmouth was considered a safe seat for the party in power, returning one member at the nomination of the
At the time of the
The constituency was abolished at the next boundary revision, which came into effect at the general election of 1868, after which the towns were part of the Southern Devon county division.
Members of Parliament
1351–1640
1640–1832
1832–1868
Year | Member | Party | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1832 | (Sir) John Seale[15] | |||||
1844 | Joseph Somes | Conservative | ||||
1845 | George Moffatt | Radical[17][18][19] | ||||
1852 | Sir Thomas Herbert | Conservative | ||||
1857 | James Caird
|
Peelite[20][21] | ||||
April 1859 | Edward Wyndham Harrington Schenley[22] | Liberal | ||||
August 1859 | John Dunn
|
Conservative | ||||
1860 | John Hardy | Conservative | ||||
1868 | Constituency abolished |
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | John Bastard | 21 | 7.5 | N/A | |
Tory | Arthur Howe Holdsworth | 21 | 7.5 | N/A | |
Whig | Henry Willoughby | 119 | 42.5 | N/A | |
Whig | John Henry Seale | 119 | 42.5 | N/A | |
Majority | −98 | −35.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 21 (eligible) | c. 48.8 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | c. 43 | ||||
Tory hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Tory hold | Swing | N/A |
The 119 votes for Willoughby and Seale were declared void as they were placed by ineligible householders.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | John Bastard | Unopposed | |||
Tory | Arthur Howe Holdsworth | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 43 | ||||
Tory hold | |||||
Tory hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Henry Seale | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 243 | ||||
Whig gain from Tory |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Henry Seale | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 240 | ||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Henry Seale | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 257 | ||||
Whig hold |
Elections in the 1840s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Henry Seale | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 276 | ||||
Whig hold |
Seale's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Joseph Somes | 125 | 51.4 | New | |
Radical | George Moffatt | 118 | 48.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 7 | 2.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 243 | 86.2 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 282 | ||||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A |
Somes' death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | George Moffatt | 125 | 53.0 | N/A | |
Conservative | Henry Thoby Prinsep
|
111 | 47.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 14 | 6.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 236 | 83.7 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 282 | ||||
Radical gain from Whig | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | George Moffatt | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 376 | ||||
Radical gain from Whig |
Elections in the 1850s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Thomas Herbert | 146 | 52.0 | New | |
Whig | William Schaw Lindsay[25][26] | 135 | 48.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 11 | 4.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 281 | 93.0 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 302 | ||||
Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | James Caird | 127 | 57.5 | N/A | |
Whig | Charles Seale-Hayne[27][28] | 94 | 42.5 | −5.5 | |
Majority | 33 | 15.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 221 | 82.2 | −10.8 | ||
Registered electors | 269 | ||||
Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Edward Wyndham Harrington Schenley | 123 | 51.5 | +9.0 | |
Conservative | Thomas Herbert | 116 | 48.5 | -9.0 | |
Majority | 7 | 3.0 | −12.0 | ||
Turnout | 239 | 93.0 | +10.8 | ||
Registered electors | 257 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
The election was declared void on petition due to bribery and corruption, causing a by-election.[29]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Dunn | Unopposed | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal |
Elections in the 1860s
Dunn's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Hardy | 112 | 50.5 | +2.0 | |
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne[30] | 110 | 49.5 | −2.0 | |
Majority | 2 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 222 | 90.2 | −2.8 | ||
Registered electors | 246 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Hardy | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 282 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal |
Notes
- ^ Namier, Lewis (1964). "Dartmouth". In Namier, Sir Lewis; Brooke, John (eds.). The House of Commons 1754-1790. The History of Parliament Trust.
- ^ Page 140, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
- ^ "WHITELEGH, Richard, of Osborn Newton in Churchstow, Devon". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "PASFORD (PAFFORD), John, of Devon". History of Parliament Online. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "RAYMOND, Thomas (d.1418), of Simpson in Holsworthy, Devon". History of Parliament Online. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Dartmouth". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ^ Browne Willis gives Lambert's name with a query against it, and does not list a second member
- ^ Died September 1641
- ^ Booth was originally declared elected, but on petition the House of Commons decided that some of his voters had not validly been made Freemen, and were therefore ineligible to vote; Booth's opponent, Herne, was consequently declared elected in his place. (House of Commons Journal, 28 November 1689 [1])
- ^ Sir Joseph Herne died 26 February 1699. There is apparently no record of a writ for a by-election being issued, and the seat may have remained vacant for the remainder of the Parliament
- ^ Succeeded as the 4th Viscount Howe (in the Peerage of Ireland, July 1758. Rear Admiral 1770, Vice Admiral 1775, Admiral 1782
- ^ ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
- ^ Created a baronet, July 1838
- ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 203. Retrieved 1 November 2018 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 0521400457. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ^ "The New House of Commons". Hull Packet. 9 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 7 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ISBN 978-1-4094-1794-1. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ Leadam, Isaac Saunders (1901). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). Vol. 52. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
- ^ "Election Intelligence". Caledonian Mercury. 21 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ On petition, Schenley's election was declared void and a writ for a by-election issued
- ^ a b Jenkins, Terry. "Dartmouth". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ "Dartmouth". Western Times. 10 July 1852. p. 6. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Election Intelligence". Morning Chronicle. 3 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Dartmouth". Western Times. 18 April 1857. p. 3. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Dartmouth". Royal Cornwall Gazette. 3 April 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Election Petitions". Western Times. 30 July 1859. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Political". Brighton Guardian. 17 October 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
References
- Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [2]
- D. Brunton and D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [3]
- Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
- T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
- J. Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)
- Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. p. 1.
- Frederic A. Youngs Jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol. I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 1)