Portsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)

Portsmouth
Former Borough constituency for the House of Commons
County	Hampshire
Major settlements	Portsmouth
1295–1918
Number of members	Two
Replaced by	Portsmouth North, Portsmouth South and Portsmouth Central

Portsmouth was a borough constituency based upon the borough of Portsmouth in Hampshire. It returned two members of parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

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.

When party politics re-emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Portsmouth was a predominantly Whig constituency. It only once elected a Tory Member of Parliament between 1790 and 1832.

The Reform Act 1832 considerably expanded the electorate of the borough. The freemen retained their ancient right franchise, but were outnumbered by the new occupier voters amongst the 1,295 electors registered in 1832. As a result of the expanded electorate the borough became more competitive. Contested elections became the norm rather than the exception, as they had been before the Reform Act.

Candidates with naval connections continued to be frequent in Portsmouth, after the Reform Act. The borough developed into a marginal constituency, particularly in the last half century of its existence.

Boundaries

The parliamentary borough of Portsmouth was (as the area 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.

From the 1885 general election until the dissolution before the 1918 election the constituency was surrounded (on the landward side) by the Fareham seat.

Members of Parliament

1295–1640

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

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	William Bristowe	Richard Mautravers[1]
1388 (Feb)	John atte Mede	?[1]
1388 (Sep)	Richard Gay	William Bristowe[1]
1390 (Jan)	Richard Robust	William atte Pury[1]
1390 (Nov)
1391	William atte Pury	Henry Seys[1]
1393	William atte Pury	Richard Whiliare[1]
1394	William Hicche I	Henry Seys[1]
1395	Richard Gay	Stephen Agulon[1]
1397 (Jan)	William Hicche II	Henry Seys[1]
1397 (Sep)	William Hicche II	Henry Seys[1]
1399	William atte Pury	William Balchief[1]
1401
1402	Richard Spicer alias Newport	William Hicche II[1]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	William atte Pury	Richard Gay[1]
1407
1410	Henry Abraham[1]
1411	William Balchief	William atte Pury[1]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	William atte Pury	William Balchief[1]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	William Balchief	William atte Pury[1]
1415	William atte Pury	Henry Abraham[1]
1416 (Mar)	William atte Pury	Thomas Robust[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417	William atte Pury	Richard Gay[1]
1419	William Balchief	John Serle[1]
1420	William Balchief	John Versy[1]
1421 (May)	Simon Stubbere	Henry Abraham[1]
1421 (Dec)	William Balchief	Richard Hert[1]
1510–1523	No names known[2]
1529	Geoffrey Lee	Francis Dignely[2]
1536	?
1539	?John Chaderton	?[2]
1542	Christopher Staverton	?John Chaderton[2]
1545	John Fryer	Michael Gore[2]
1547	Robert Blount	Henry Knollys[2]
1553 (Mar)	Sir Richard Wingfield	John Chaderton[2]
1553 (Oct)	John Chaderton	Henry Bickley[2]
1554 (Apr)	Richard Sackville	William Cooke[2]
1554 (Nov)	Edmund Cockerell	John de Vic[2]
1555	Ralph Henslowe	Edmund Cockerell[2]
1558	Edward Cordell	Edmund Cockerell[2]
1559	William Wynter	George Brooke alias Cobham[3]
1563	William Wynter	Thomas Smythe[3]
1571	Lawrence Blundestone	Henry Slater[3]
1572	Sir Henry Radclyffe	Robert Colshill[3]
1584	Thomas Bodley	Thomas Radcliffe[3]
1586	Thomas Harris	Thomas Thorney[3]
1588	Thomas Harris	Thomas Thorney[3]
1593	Edward Radclyffe	Thomas Thorney[3]
1597	William Greene	Thomas Thorney[3]
1601	John Moore	Edward Jones[3]
1604	Sir Oliver St John	Sir Richard Jenvoy
1614	John Griffith	George Thorpe
1621–1622	Sir Daniel Norton	Sir Benjamin Rudyerd
1624	Sir William Uvedale	Sir Benjamin Rudyerd
1625	Sir Benjamin Rudyerd	Sir Daniel Norton
1626	Sir James Fullerton	Thomas Whiteman
1628	Owen Jennens	William Towerson
1629–1640	colspan – "2"|No Parliaments summoned

1640–1918

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640		The Earl of Lanark			Hon. Henry Percy[4]	Royalist
November 1640		Hon. George Goring	Royalist
1640 (?)					Edward Dowse[5]	Parliamentarian
August 1642	Goring disabled from sitting – seat vacant
1646		Edward Boote
December 1648	Boote not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge			Dowce died late 1648 – seat left vacant
1653	Portsmouth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1654		Nathaniel Whetham		Portsmouth had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656		Thomas Smith
January 1659		Francis Willoughby			John Child
May 1659	Portsmouth was not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660		Richard Norton			Henry Whithed
May 1660		Andrew Henley
1661		Richard Norton			Sir George Carteret, Bt
February 1679		George Legge			Sir John Kempthorne
August 1679					Richard Norton
1685		William Legge			Henry Slingsby
1689		Richard Norton
1690		Edward Russell			Nicholas Hedger
1695		Matthew Aylmer
1696		John Gibson
1698		Thomas Erle			Sir George Rooke
January 1702		John Gibson
July 1702		Thomas Erle[6]
December 1702		William Gifford
May 1708		Thomas Erle[6]			George Churchill	Tory
December 1708		Sir Thomas Littleton, Bt
January 1710[7]		Sir Charles Wager
October 1710					Sir John Jennings
1711		Admiral Sir James Wishart			Sir William Gifford
1713					Sir Thomas Mackworth, Bt
1715		Sir Charles Wager			Sir Edward Ernle, Bt
1722					Sir John Norris
1734		Thomas Lewis			Philip Cavendish
1737		Charles Stewart
February 1741		Edward Vernon
May 1741		Martin Bladen
1743					Sir Charles Hardy
1744					Isaac Townsend
1746		Thomas Gore[8]
15 December 1747		Hon. Edward Legge[9]	Whig
28 December 1747		Sir Edward Hawke[10]
1754					Sir William Rowley
1761					Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, Bt
1774					Peter Taylor
1776		Maurice Suckling
1777					Sir William Gordon
1778		Hon. Robert Monckton
1782		Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, Bt
1783					Hon. Thomas Erskine	Whig
1784					Hon. William Cornwallis
1790					Hon. Thomas Erskine	Whig
1796		Lord Hugh Seymour
1801		John Markham	Whig
February 1806					Hon. David Erskine
November 1806					Sir Thomas Miller, Bt	Whig
1816					John Bonham Carter	Whig
1818		Sir George Cockburn, Bt	Tory
1820		John Markham	Whig
1826		Francis Baring	Whig
1838					Sir George Thomas Staunton	Whig
1852					The Viscount Monck	Whig
1857					Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	Conservative
1865		William Henry Stone	Liberal		Stephen Gaselee	Liberal
1868					Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	Conservative
1874		Thomas Charles Bruce	Conservative
1880					Sir Henry Drummond Wolff	Conservative
1885		Sir William Crossman	Liberal		Philip Vanderbyl	Liberal
1886			Liberal Unionist		Sir Samuel Wilson	Conservative
1892		Sir John Baker	Liberal		Walter Owen Clough	Liberal
May 1900 by-election					Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	Liberal
October 1900		James Henry Alexander Majendie	Conservative		Reginald Jaffray Lucas	Conservative
1906		Sir John Baker	Liberal		Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	Liberal
January 1910		Lord Charles Beresford	Conservative		Sir Bertram Falle[11]	Liberal Unionist
1912						Conservative
1916 by-election		Sir Hedworth Meux	Conservative
1918	Constituency abolished

Notes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2011. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2011. 
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 31 October 2011. 
4. ↑ Percy was re-elected to serve in the Long Parliament but was also elected for Northumberland, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Portsmouth
5. ↑ This list follows that given by Brunton & Pennington. Cobbett lists Dowse as elected after the Civil War to replace Nicholas Weston, disabled from sitting in 1642, but Brunton & Pennington's more recent research records Weston as MP for Newtown (Isle of Wight).
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Erle was also elected for Wareham, which he chose to represent, and did not for Portsmouth in this Parliament
7. ↑ On petition, the result of the 1710 election was overturned, and Wager and Jennings were declared not to have been duly elected
8. ↑ Gore was re-elected in 1747, but had also been elected for Bedford, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Portsmouth
9. ↑ It was afterwards discovered that Legge, who had been elected in his absence, had been dead some days before his election, which was declared void
10. ↑ Admiral from 1757
11. ↑ Falle was a Liberal Unionist, until that party formally merged with the Conservative Party in 1912

Election notes

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 Sedgwick 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790, Stooks Smith 1790–1832 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.

Election results 1715–1800

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s

Elections in the 1710s

General Election 31 January 1715: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir Edward Ernle	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Wager	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Wager was appointed to an office

By-Election 7 April 1715: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Wager	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated when Wager was appointed to an office

By-Election 28 March 1718: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Wager	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1720s

General Election 24 March 1722: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir John Norris	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Wager	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 19 August 1727: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir John Norris	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Wager	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1730s

General Election 24 April 1734: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Thomas Lewis	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Philip Cavendish	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Lewis

By-Election 10 February 1737: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Charles Stewart	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1740s

• Death of Stewart

By-Election 21 February 1741: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Edward Vernon	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 6 May 1741: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Philip Cavendish	60	48.78	N/A
	Non Partisan	Martin Bladen	54	43.90	N/A
	Non Partisan	Edward Vernon	9	7.32	N/A
Turnout			123	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Cavendish was appointed to an office

By-Election 23 March 1742: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Philip Cavendish	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Cavendish

By-Election 14 December 1743: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir Charles Hardy	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Hardy

By-Election 28 December 1744: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Isaac Townsend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Bladen

By-Election 3 March 1746: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Thomas Gore	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1 July 1747: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Isaac Townsend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Thomas Gore	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Gore chose to sit for Bedford

By-Election 15 December 1747: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. Edward Legge	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Election declared void on 19 December 1747 as, unknown to anyone in England on 15 December, Legge had died on 19 September 1747.

By-Election 28 December 1747: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Sir Edward Hawke	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

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

• Seat vacated when Rowley was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty

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

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

• Seat vacated when Hawke was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty

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

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	65.71	N/A
	Non Partisan	Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh Bt	12	34.29	N/A
Majority			11	31.43	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

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

• Source for party: Stooks Smith

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

Elections in the 1790s

General Election 1790: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Sir Henry Fetherstonhaugh, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Erskine	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1796: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Erskine	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Lord Hugh Seymour	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seymour is referred to as Hugh Seymour-Conway in the above list of members of parliament

Election results 1801–1918

1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s

Elections in the 1800s

• Death of Seymour

By-Election November 1801: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Markham	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Non Partisan		Swing	N/A

General Election 1802: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Erskine	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Markham	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• The above list of members of parliament includes David Montagu Erskine as an MP in 1806, in succession to his father the Hon. Thomas Erskine (who became Lord Chancellor and was elevated to the peerage as the 1st Baron Erskine in 1806). Stooks Smith does not record this election

General Election 1806: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Markham	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Sir Thomas Miller Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1807: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Markham	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Sir Thomas Miller Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1810s

General Election 1812: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Markham	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Sir Thomas Miller Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Miller

By-Election February 1817: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1818: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Sir George Cockburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1820s

General Election 1820: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	53	48.62	N/A
	Whig	John Markham	34	31.19	N/A
	Tory	Sir George Cockburn	22	20.18	N/A

General Election 1826: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1830: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Baring as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

By-Election November 1830: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1831: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Bonham Carter	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1832: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Bonham Carter	826	46.12	N/A
	Liberal	Francis Thornhill Baring	707	39.48	N/A
	Liberal	Charles Napier	258	14.41	N/A
Turnout			1,791 (983 voted)	75.91	N/A
Registered electors			1,295

Note (1832): Stooks Smith was the source for the number of electors voting and classified Carter and Baring as Whigs and Napier as a Radical candidate.

General Election 1835: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Bonham Carter	643	30.53	-15.59
	Liberal	Francis Thornhill Baring	571	27.11	-12.37
	Conservative	Sir C. Rowley	557	26.45	N/A
	Liberal	Charles Napier	335	15.9	+1.50
Turnout			2,106 (1,143 voted)	85.30	+9.39
Registered electors			1,340

Note (1835): Stooks Smith was the source for the number of electors voting. He classified Carter and Baring as Whigs, Rowley as a Tory and Napier as a Radical candidate.

General Election 1837: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Francis Thornhill Baring	635	28.59	+1.48
	Liberal	John Bonham Carter	630	28.37	-2.16
	Conservative	Sir George Cockburn	518	23.32	N/A
	Conservative	Viscount FitzHarris	438	19.72	N/A
Turnout			2,221 (1,118 voted)	71.62	-13.68
Registered electors			1,561

Note (1837): Stooks Smith gives a registered electorate figure of 1,517; but Craig's figure is used to calculate turnout. Stooks Smith was the source for the number of electors voting. He classified Carter and Baring as Whigs, with Cockburn and Fitzharris as Tories.

• Death of Carter

By-Election 26 February 1838: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

• Note (1838): Stooks Smith classifies Staunton as a Whig. Dr Daniel Quarrier (Tory) was a candidate for this by-election, but retired before the poll.
• Seat vacated on the appointment of Baring as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

By-Election 30 August 1839: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1840s

General Election 1841: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal	Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			1,834

General Election 1847: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal	Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			2,068

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Baring as First Lord of the Admiralty..

By-Election 6 February 1849: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Francis Thornhill Baring	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal	The 4th Viscount Monck	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			3,332

• Note (1852): Monck was a peer in the peerage of Ireland.
• Seat vacated on the appointment of Monck as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

By-Election 14 March 1855: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	The 4th Viscount Monck	1,478	75.76	N/A
	Liberal	Stephen Gaselee	473	24.24	N/A
Majority			1,005	51.51	N/A
Turnout			1,951	56.73	N/A
Registered electors			3,439
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1857: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	1,522	33.87	N/A
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Sir Francis Thornhill Baring, Bt	1,496	33.29	N/A
	Liberal	The 4th Viscount Monck	1,476	32.84	N/A
Turnout			4,494	61.21	N/A
Registered electors			3,671

• Note (1857): Number of voters unknown. The turnout is estimated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that electors did not use both their votes, the figure given will be an underestimate of actual turnout.

General Election 1859: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	1,640	27.12	-6.75
	Liberal	Rt Hon. Sir Francis Thornhill Baring, Bt	1,574	26.03	-7.26
	Conservative	Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce	1,447	23.93	N/A
	Liberal	Hon. Sir Henry Keppel	1,386	22.92	N/A
Turnout			6,047	79.13	+17.92
Registered electors			3,821

• Note (1859): Estimated turnout, see the 1857 note.

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1865: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Henry Stone	2,164	28.84	N/A
	Liberal	Stephen Gaselee	2,103	28.03	N/A
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	1,677	22.35	-4.77
	Conservative	Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce	1,559	20.78	-3.15
Turnout			7,503	80.33	+1.20
Registered electors			4,670

• Note (1865): Estimated turnout, see the 1857 note.
• Expansion of the electorate provided for by the Reform Act 1867

General Election 1868: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	5,306	41.52	+19.17
	Liberal	William Henry Stone	3,785	29.62	+0.78
	Liberal	Stephen Gaselee	3,687	28.85	+0.82
Turnout			12,778	55.09	-25.24
Registered electors			11,597

• Note (1868): Estimated turnout, see the 1857 note.

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	5,927	28.17	-13.35
	Conservative	Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce	5,879	27.94	N/A
	Liberal	William Henry Stone	4,644	22.07	-7.55
	Liberal	W.S. Portal	4,588	21.81	N/A
Turnout			21,038	70.45	+14.64
Registered electors			14,931

• Note (1874): Estimated turnout, see the 1857 note.
• Seat vacated on the appointment of Elphinstone as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

By-Election 16 March 1874: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce	6,683	26.37	-1.57
	Conservative	Sir Henry Drummond Wolff	6,593	26.02	N/A
	Liberal	J.F. Norris	6,040	23.84	N/A
	Liberal	Edmund Hope Verney	6,023	23.77	N/A
Turnout			25,339	76.96	+6.51
Registered electors			16,463

• Note (1880): Estimated turnout, see the 1857 note.
• Electorate expanded by the Representation of the People Act 1884

General Election 1885: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir William Crossman	8,367	26.29	N/A
	Liberal	Philip Vanderbyl	8,214	25.81	N/A
	Conservative	Hon. Thomas Charles Bruce	7,650	24.04	-2.33
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir Henry Drummond Wolff	7,595	23.86	-2.16
Turnout			31,826 (16,068 voted)	79.23	+6.51
Registered electors			20,279

• Crossman became a Liberal Unionist when the party was formed shortly before the dissolution of Parliament in 1886

General Election 1886: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Sir William Crossman	8,482	27.30	+1.01
	Conservative	Sir Samuel Wilson	8,325	26.79	N/A
	Liberal	Philip Vanderbyl	7,196	23.16	-2.65
	Liberal	John Baker	7,069	22.75	N/A
Turnout			31,072 (15,722 voted)	77.53	-1.70
Registered electors			20,279

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Baker	9,643	25.90	+3.15
	Liberal	Walter Owen Clough	9,448	25.38	N/A
	Conservative	Sir G.H.S. Willis	9,135	24.54	-2.25
	Liberal Unionist	Rt Hon. Anthony E.M. Ashley	9,000	24.18	-3.12
Turnout			37,226 (18,731 voted)	80.61	+3.08
Registered electors			23,237

• Ashley's middle names were Evelyn Melbourne

General Election 1895: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir John Baker	10,451	26.13	+0.23
	Liberal	Walter Owen Clough	10,255	25.64	+0.26
	Conservative	ACW Harmsworth	9,717	24.30	-0.24
	Liberal Unionist	Rt Hon. Anthony E.M. Ashley	9,567	23.92	-0.26
Turnout			39,990 (20,129 voted)	83.67	+3.06
Registered electors			24,057

Elections in the 1900s

• Resignation of Clough in April 1900

By-Election 3 May 1900: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	10,287	51.45	N/A
	Conservative	James H.A. Majendie	9,708	48.55	N/A
Majority			579	2.90	N/A
Turnout			19,995	74.89	N/A
Registered electors			26,698
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1900: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James H.A. Majendie	10,818	26.10	N/A
	Conservative	Reginald Jaffray Lucas	10,383	25.05	N/A
	Liberal	Sir John Baker	10,214	24.64	-1.49
	Liberal	Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	10,031	24.20	N/A
Turnout			41,446 (21,072 voted)	78.93	-4.74
Registered electors			26,698

General Election 1906: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	10,500	22.59	-1.61
	Liberal	Sir John Baker	10,236	22.02	-2.62
	Labour	William Sanders	8,172	17.58	N/A
	Conservative	E.W. Hills	7,970	17.14	N/A
	Conservative	A. Whitelaw	7,752	16.67	N/A
	Independent	F.T. Jane	1,859	4.00	N/A
Turnout			46,489 (25,478 voted)	82.84	+3.91
Registered electors			30,754

Elections in the 1910s

• Death of Baker – seat vacant at dissolution

General Election January 1910: Portsmouth (2 seats) Electorate 33,666
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	YLord Charles Beresford	16,777	28.80	N/A
	Liberal Unionist	YBertram Godfrey Falle	15,592	26.76	N/A
	Liberal	Sir Thomas Arthur Bramsdon	12,397	21.28	-1.31
	Liberal	Richard Cornthwaite Lambert	9,965	17.10	N/A
	Labour	William Sanders	3,529	6.06	-11.52
Turnout			58,260 (30,100 voted)	89.41	+6.59

General Election December 1910: Portsmouth (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lord Charles Beresford	15,125	26.94	-1.86
	Liberal Unionist	Bertram Godfrey Falle	14,856	26.46	-0.30
	Liberal	Edward George Hemmerde	13,146	23.42	N/A
	Liberal	Henry Devenish Harben	13,013	23.18	N/A
Turnout			56,140 (28,236 voted)	83.87	-5.54
Registered electors			33,666

• Falle became a Conservative, when the Conservative and Liberal Unionist parties formally merged in 1912
• Elevation to the peerage of Beresford, as the 1st Baron Beresford

By-Election 15 January 1916: Portsmouth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Sir Hedworth Meux	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Constituency divided in (1918)

References

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
• The House of Commons 1715–1754, by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970)
• The House of Commons 1754–1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973))
• Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
• Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
• Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
• 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)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 2)

External links

• The Representation Of Portsmouth In Parliament