Dunwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunwich | |
---|---|
Former Borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
1296–1832 | |
Seats | Two |
Replaced by | East Suffolk |
Dunwich was a
History
In 1296, when Dunwich was first accorded representation in Parliament,[1] it was a flourishing port and market town about thirty miles (50 km) from Ipswich. However, by 1670 the sea had encroached upon the town, destroying the port and swallowing up all but a few houses so that nothing was left but a tiny village. The borough had once consisted of eight parishes, but all that was left was part of the parish of All Saints, Dunwich – which by 1831 had a population of 232, and only 44 houses ("and half a church", as Oldfield recorded in 1816).
In fact, this made Dunwich by no means the smallest of England's rotten boroughs, but the symbolism of two Members of Parliament representing a constituency that was essentially underwater captured the imagination and made Dunwich one of the most frequently-mentioned examples of the absurdities of the unreformed system.
The right to vote was exercised by the
Earlier, in the 1760s,
Dunwich was abolished as a constituency in 1832, when what remained of the village became part of the new Eastern Suffolk county division.
Members of Parliament
Before 1660
1640–1832
In popular culture
Dunwich is satirised in an episode of the British television show
References
- 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)
- Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
- Evelyn Wright, Forgotten families of Suffolk (The Book Castle, Dunstable, 2008)
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Clark, Linda; Rawcliffe, Carole; Roskell, J. S., eds. (1993). "Dunwich". The House of Commons 1386-1421. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Page 146, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
- ^ Page 202, Note 14, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
- ^ The registers of the parish of Thorington in the county of Suffolk, with notes of the different acts of Parliament referring to them, and notices of the Bence family, with pedigree, and other families whose names appear therein. p. 28.
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hasler, P. W., ed. (1981). "Dunwich 1558–1603". The House of Commons 1558-1603. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Henning, B. D., ed. (1983). "Dunwich". The House of Commons 1660-1690. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Henning, B. D., ed. (1983). "Aldeburgh". The House of Commons 1660-1690. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Hayton, David; Cruickshanks, Eveline; Handley, Stuart, eds. (2002). "Dunwich". The House of Commons 1690-1715. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "Blackadder III, Episode 1 – Dish and Dishonesty". BlackAdder Scripts. Retrieved 27 December 2019.