Newtown (UK Parliament constituency)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with Newton (UK Parliament constituency).
| Newtown Borough constituency |
|
|---|---|
| Created: | |
| Abolished: | 1832 |
| Type: | House of Commons |
Newtown is a former parliamentary borough located in Newtown, abolished in the great reform act of 1832.
[edit] History
Newtown, located on the large natural harbour on the north-western coast of the Isle of Wight, was the first borough established in the county. A French raid in 1377, that destroyed much of the town as well as other Island settlements, sealed its permanent decline. By the middle of the sixteenth century it was a small settlement long eclipsed by the more easily defended town of Newport. In an attempt to stimulate economic development, Elizabeth I awarded the town two parliamentary seats.
In 1831, the borough was still electing two MPs despite having just fourteen houses and twenty-three voters, making it one of the worst Rotten Boroughs. The Act also disenfranchised the parliamentary boroughs of Newport and Yarmouth and replaced the six lost seats with the first MP for the whole Isle of Wight.
