| Bodmin |
|---|
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons |
| 1295–1885 |
|---|
| Number of members |
1295–1868: two
1868–1885: one |
|---|
| Replaced by |
Bodmin |
|---|
Bodmin was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall from 1295 until 1983. Initially, it was a parliamentary borough, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England and later the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1868 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member.
The old borough was abolished with effect from the 1885 general election, but the name was transferred to a county constituency, which elected a single member until the constituency was abolished with effect from the 1983 general election, when the area it then covered was divided between the existing North Cornwall and the new Cornwall South East.
History
Borough constituency (1295–1885)
The borough which was represented from the time of the Model Parliament consisted of the town of Bodmin though not the whole of the parish. Unlike many of the boroughs in Cornwall which were represented in the Unreformed House of Commons, Bodmin was a town of reasonable size and retained some importance; for most purposes, indeed, it was considered the county town of Cornwall. In 1831, the population of the borough was 3,375, and contained 596 houses.
The right to vote, however, was held not by the residents at large but by the town's corporation, consisting of a Mayor, 11 aldermen and 24 common councilmen. Contested elections were quite unknown before the Reform Act, the choice of the two MPs being left entirely to the "patron". However, this power did not arise, as in many rotten boroughs, from the patron being able to coerce the voters; in Bodmin, the patron was expected to meet the public and private expenses of the corporation and its members in return for their acquiescence at election time.
Early in the 18th century, the Robartes family (Earls of Radnor) were the accepted patrons. Their interest was inherited by George Hunt, whose mother was the Robartes heiress, but he ran into difficulties and could not afford to retain complete control. By the 1760s another local magnate, Sir William Irby, secured enough of the town's goodwill to have a say in the choice of one member, while Hunt continued to select the other. In 1816, the patron was Lord de Dunstanville, nominating both MPs, but he found himself so overburdened with debts that he was forced to give it up, and The Marquess of Hertford was induced to take over the patronage, and the corporation's debts.
While the MP was not expected to assume the same financial obligations as the patron, nor to attend to the needs of his constituents in the manner of a modern MP, they were expected to attend the election ball, a high point in the social calendar for the wives and daughters of the otherwise undistinguished corporation members. John Wilson Croker, elected in 1820, described the Bodmin ball as "tumultuous and merry " but "at once tiresome and foolish".
Bodmin retained both its MPs under the Reform Act, but its boundaries were extended to bring in more of Bodmin parish and the whole of the neighbouring parishes of Lanivet, Lanhydrock and Helland. This increased the population to 5,258, although only 252 were qualified to vote.
By the time of the second Reform Act in 1867, Bodmin's electorate was still below 400, and consequently its representation was halved with effect from the 1868 general election. The extension of the franchise more than doubled the electorate, but Bodmin was still far too small to survive as a borough, and was abolished in 1885.
County constituency (1885–1983)
The Bodmin constituency shown within Cornwall and Devon, 1918-1945.
The Bodmin constituency from 1885 until 1918, strictly called The South-Eastern or Bodmin Division of Cornwall, covered the whole of the south-east corner of the county, including as well as Bodmin itself the towns of Liskeard, Fowey, Lostwithiel and Saltash. Although predominantly rural, the string of small ports along its coast gave it a maritime as well as agricultural character. Through most of this period the constituency was marginal, the Unionists being helped by the popularity of their candidate Leonard Courtney, who had been Liberal MP for Liskeard when it was still a separate borough before joining the Liberal Unionists when the party split in 1886. Looe and the other fishing ports were predominantly Liberal and Fowey a Unionist stronghold, while the areas within the ambit of Plymouth's dockyards tended to vote against whichever was the sitting government. Another factor was the strength of non-conformist religion, as elsewhere in Cornwall, and this was thought to be the explanation for the Liberal gain in 1906, when agricultural seats elsewhere mostly remained with the Tories.
The boundary changes at the 1918 general election, which established what was now called Cornwall, Bodmin Division and later Bodmin County Constituency, extended the constituency somewhat towards the centre of the county, taking in Callington and the surrounding district. These boundaries remained essentially unchanged for the remainder of the constituency's existence, except that Fowey was moved into the Truro constituency in 1974. As elsewhere in Cornwall, Labour never established a foothold in Bodmin, and the Liberals remained the main challengers to the Conservatives. The Conservatives held it continuously from 1945 to 1964, and at one point might have considered it a safe seat, but by the mid-1960s the Liberal revival had established it as a Liberal-Conservative marginal, which it remained until its abolition.
The Bodmin constituency ceased to exist as a result of the boundary changes implemented in 1983. Although the bulk of the constituency survived, Bodmin itself had been moved, enforcing a change of name: Bodmin joined North Cornwall, while the rest of the constituency was reunited with Fowey to become South East Cornwall. Bodmin's last Member, Robert Hicks, stood and was elected for the latter constituency.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1640
| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| Parliament of 1386 |
John Breton II |
Henry Baudyn |
| First Parliament of 1388 (Feb) |
Stephen Bant |
John Syreston |
| Second Parliament of 1388 (Sep) |
John Breton I |
Henry Baudyn |
| First Parliament of 1390 (Jan) |
John Breton I |
Henry Baudyn |
| Second Parliament of 1390 (Nov) |
? |
? |
| Parliament of 1391 |
John Breton I |
Thomas Bere |
| Parliament of 1393 |
John Breton I |
John Drewe |
| Parliament of 1394 |
? |
? |
| Parliament of 1395 |
John Tregoose |
Thomas Bere |
| First Parliament of 1397 (Jan) |
Stephen Trenewith |
Thomas Bere |
| Second Parliament of 1397 (Sep) |
John Trelawny I |
John Breton I |
| Parliament of 1399 |
John Burgh I |
James Halappe |
| Parliament of 1401 |
? |
? |
| Parliament of 1402 |
John Nicoll |
William Slingsby |
| First Parliament of 1404 (Jan) |
|
|
| Second Parliament of 1404 (Oct) |
|
|
| Parliament of 1406 |
Richard Allet |
Benedict Burgess |
| Parliament of 1407 |
Michael Froden |
Michael Hoge |
| Parliament of 1410 |
Otto Tregonan |
William Moyle |
| Parliament of 1411 |
Otto Tregonan |
John Wyse |
| First Parliament of 1413 (Feb) |
|
|
| Second Parliament of 1413 (May) |
John But |
Robert Treage |
| First Parliament of 1414 (Apr) |
John But |
Otto Tregonan |
| Second Parliament of 1414 (Nov) |
John Clink |
John Baker |
| Parliament of 1415 or 1416 (Mar) |
Nicholas Jop |
Otto Tregonan |
| Parliament of 1416 (Oct) |
|
|
| Parliament of 1417 |
Otto Tregonan |
John Trewoofe |
| Parliament of 1419 |
Nicholas Bouy |
John Trewoofe |
| Parliament of 1420 |
John Lawhire |
Robert Treage |
| First Parliament of 1421 (May) |
Otto Tregonan |
David Urban |
| Second Parliament of 1421 (Dec) |
William Chentleyn |
Philip Motty |
| Parliament of 1515 |
John Flamank |
Thomas Trott |
| Parliament of 1529 |
Thomas Treffry I |
Gilbert Flamank |
| Parliament of 1545 |
Thomas Treffry II |
Henry Chiverton |
| Parliament of 1547 |
Henry Chiverton |
John Caplyn |
| First Parliament of 1553 (Mar) |
John Caplyn |
Ralph Cholmley |
| Second Parliament of 1553 |
Henry Chiverton |
Thomas Mildmay |
| First Parliament of 1554 (Apr) |
John Sulyard |
| Second Parliament of 1554 (Nov) |
John Courtney |
Ralph Mitchell |
| Parliament of 1555 |
Thomas Williams |
Humphrey Cavill |
| Parliament of 1558 |
Walter Hungerford |
John Norreys |
| Parliament of 1558/9 |
Nicholas Carminowe |
Digory Chamond |
| Parliament of 1562 |
John Mallett |
Francis Browne |
| Parliament of 1563-1567 |
| Parliament of 1571 |
Humphrey Smith |
John Kestall |
| Parliament of 1572-1581 |
Thomas Cromwell |
Edmund Pooley |
| Parliament of 1584-1585 |
John Awdeley |
Gilbert Mitchell |
| Parliament of 1586-1587 |
Emmanuel Chamond |
Brutus Browne |
| Parliament of 1588-1589 |
Hugh Beeston |
| Parliament of 1593 |
Anthony Bennet |
Richard Cannock |
| Parliament of 1597-1598 |
Sir Bernard Grenville |
John Herbert |
| Parliament of 1601 |
William Lower |
John Pigot |
| Parliament of 1604-1611 |
John Stone |
Richard Spray |
| Addled Parliament (1614) |
Christopher Spray |
Richard Edgecumbe |
| Parliament of 1621-1622 |
Sir John Trevor |
James Bagge, junior |
| Happy Parliament (1624-1625) |
Sir Thomas Stafford |
Charles Berkeley |
| Useless Parliament (1625) |
Henry Jermyn |
Robert Caesar |
| Parliament of 1625-1626 |
Sir Richard Weston |
| Parliament of 1628-1629 |
Sir Robert Killigrew |
Humphrey Nicholls |
| No Parliament summoned 1629-1640 |
|
MPs 1640–1868
MPs 1868–1983
Elections
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Thomas Agar-Robartes
Elections in the 1910s
Cecil Grenfell
Isaac Foot
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- endorsed by the Coalition Government
Elections in the 1920s
Isaac Foot
Elections in the 1930s
General Election 1939/40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: John Rathbone
- Liberal: John Foot
- Labour: R H Baker [withdrew]
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
References
- ↑ Wynn was also elected for Andover, which he apparently chose to represent.
- ↑ Nicholl was disabled from sitting by an order in January 1648, but this was revoked in June 1648
- ↑ This John Trevanion was NOT John Trevanion, the Civil War hero, who died in 1643.
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ↑ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949, p310
Sources
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)
- D Brunton & 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)
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- Michael Kinnear, The British Voter (London: BH Batsford, Ltd, 1968)
- Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1961)
- Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967)
- 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)
- 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)