Portsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Portsmouth
Borough constituency
Created: 1295
Abolished: 1918
Type: House of Commons
Members: two

Portsmouth was a parliamentary constituency in Portsmouth. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Contents

[edit] History

The constituency first elected MPs in 1295. It was abolished at the 1918 general election, when the Representation of the People Act 1918 divided it into three new constituencies; Portsmouth North, Portsmouth South and Portsmouth Central.

According to Namier and Brooke in The House of Commons 1754-1790, the right of election was in the freemen of the borough who numbered about 100. The town was known as an Admiralty borough and at least one MP was usually an Admiral.

The Earl of Sandwich was First Lord of the Admiralty from 1771 to 1782. He imposed tighter Admiralty control over the borough. This change of policy led to an independent element of the local Council supporting challengers to the Admiralty candidates between 1774 and 1780.

[edit] Boundaries

The parliamentary borough of Portsmouth, was (as Portsmouth remains in the 21st century), a major seaport and naval base on the south coast of England. It is situated in the county of Hampshire.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Election Member Party Member Party
1747 Edward Legge Edward Hawke
1754 William Rowley
1761 Matthew Fetherstonhaugh
1774 Peter Taylor
1776 Maurice Suckling
1777 William Gordon
1778 Robert Monckton
1782 Henry Fetherstonhaugh
1783 Thomas Erskine Whig
1784 William Cornwallis
1790 Thomas Erskine Whig
1796 Hugh Seymour-Conway
1801 John Markham
1806 David Montague Erskine
1806 Thomas Miller
1816 John Bonham Carter
1818 George Cockburn Tory
1820 John Markham
1826 Francis Thornhill Baring Whig
1838 George Thomas Staunton
1852 Charles Stanley Monck Whig
1857 James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone
1865 William Henry Stone Stephen Gaselee
1868 James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone
1874 Thomas Charles Bruce
1880 Henry Drummond Wolff Conservative
1885 William Crossman Philip Vanderbyl
1886 Samuel Wilson
1892 Walter Owen Clough Liberal John Baker Liberal
1900 Thomas Arthur Bramsdon Liberal
1900 James Henry Alexander Majendie Reginald Jaffray Lucas
1906 Thomas Arthur Bramsdon Liberal John Baker Liberal
January 1910 Charles William de la Poer Bertram Godfrey Falle
1916 Hedworth Meux
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Election results

The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Namier and Brooke 1754-1790, Stooks Smith 1790-1832 general election and from Craig thereafter. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information or differs from the other sources this is indicated in a note after the result.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
1750s –

1760s – 1770s – 1780s

[edit] Elections in the 1750s

General Election 18 April 1754: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir William Rowley Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Sir Edward Hawke Unopposed N/A N/A
By-Election 25 April 1757: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir William Rowley Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1760s

General Election 31 March 1761: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Edward Hawke Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh Unopposed N/A N/A
By-Election 10 December 1766: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Edward Hawke Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A
General Election 22 March 1768: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Edward Hawke Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh Unopposed N/A N/A
  • Death of Fetherstonhaugh

[edit] Elections in the 1770s

By-Election 29 March 1774: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Peter Taylor 39 61.90 N/A
Non Partisan Joshua Iremonger 24 38.10 N/A
Majority 15 23.81 N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A
General Election 10 October 1774: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Edward Hawke 65 47.79 N/A
Non Partisan Peter Taylor 37 27.21 N/A
Non Partisan Joshua Iremonger 34 25.00 N/A
  • Creation of Hawke as a peer
By-Election 18 May 1776: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Maurice Suckling Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A
  • Death of Taylor
By-Election 26 November 1777: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir William Gordon 23 N/A
Non Partisan Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh Bt 12 N/A
Majority 9 N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A
  • Death of Suckling
By-Election 10 August 1778: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Robert Monckton Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1780s

General Election 9 September 1780: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Robert Monckton 34 52.31 N/A
Non Partisan Sir William Gordon 20 30.77 N/A
Non Partisan Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh Bt 11 16.92 N/A
  • Death of Monckton
By-Election 5 June 1782: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan hold Swing N/A
  • Seat vacated on the grant of a pension, at the pleasure of the Crown, to Gordon
By-Election 28 July 1783: Portsmouth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Hon. Thomas Erskine Unopposed N/A N/A
Whig gain from Non Partisan Swing N/A
General Election 1 April 1784: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh Bt Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan William Cornwallis Unopposed N/A N/A

[edit] References

 This United Kingdom constituency article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../p/o/r/Portsmouth_%28UK_Parliament_constituency%29_ab7d.html"