East Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

East Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election.

East Cornwall
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Context of 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the middle, striped area.
CountyCornwall
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromCornwall, Bossiney, Callington, Camelford, East Looe, Lostwithiel, St Germans, Saltash and West Looe
Replaced byBodmin, Launceston and St Austell

Boundaries

In 1832 the county of Cornwall, in south west England, was split for parliamentary purposes into two county divisions. These were the East division (with a place of election at Bodmin) and West Cornwall (where voting took place at Truro). Each division returned two members to Parliament.[1]

The parliamentary boroughs included in the East division, from 1832 to 1885 (whose non-resident 40 shilling freeholders voted in the county constituency), were Bodmin, Launceston and Liskeard.[2]

1832–1885: The Hundreds of East, West, Lesnewth, Stratton, and Trigg, and in the hundred of Powder, the eastern division, i.e. the parishes of St Austell, St Blazey, St Dennis, St Ewe, Fowey, Gorran, Ladock, Lanlivery, Lostwithiel, Luxulyan, Mevagissey, St Mewan, St Michael Caerhays, Roche, St Sampson's, St Stephen-in-Brannel, and Tywardreath, and in the hundred of Pydar, the parishes of St Breock, Colan, St Columb Minor and St Columb Major, St Ervan, St Eval, St Issey, Lanhydrock, Lanivet, Mawgan, St Merryn, Padstow, Little Petherick, St Wenn, and Withiel.[3]

History

In 1885 this division was abolished, when the East and West Cornwall county divisions were replaced by six new single-member county constituencies. These were Bodmin (the South-Eastern division), Camborne (North-Western division), Launceston (North-Eastern division), St Austell (Mid division), St Ives (the Western division) and Truro. In addition the last remaining Cornish borough constituency was Penryn and Falmouth.

Members of Parliament
ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1832 Sir William Molesworth, BtRadical[4][5][6][7][8] Sir William Salusbury-Trelawny, BtWhig[4]
1837 Lord EliotConservative[4] Sir Hussey Vivian, BtWhig[4][9]
1841 William RashleighConservative[4]
1845 by-election William Pole-CarewConservative
1847 Thomas Agar-RobartesWhig[10][11]
1852 Nicholas KendallConservative
1859 Liberal
1868 Sir John Salusbury-Trelawney, BtLiberal Edward Brydges WillyamsLiberal
1874 Sir Colman Rashleigh, BtLiberal John TremayneConservative
1880 Hon. Thomas Agar-RobartesLiberal William Copeland BorlaseLiberal
1882 by-election Thomas Dyke AclandLiberal
1885 Constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1832: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Radical William Molesworth Unopposed
Whig William Salusbury-Trelawny Unopposed
Registered electors 4,462
Radical win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Radical William Molesworth Unopposed
Whig William Salusbury-Trelawny Unopposed
Registered electors 4,392
Radical hold
Whig hold
General election 1837: East Cornwall (2 seats)[13][12][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Edward Eliot 2,430 34.8
Whig Hussey Vivian 2,294 32.9
Whig William Salusbury-Trelawny 2,250 32.3
Turnout 4,648 85.0
Registered electors 5,469
Majority 136 1.9
Conservative gain from Radical
Majority 44 0.6
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: East Cornwall (2 seats)[13][12][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Eliot 3,006 40.3 +22.9
Conservative William Rashleigh 2,807 37.6 +20.2
Radical John Trelawny[14] 1,647 22.1 New
Majority 1,160 15.5 +13.6
Turnout 4,549 74.9 −10.1
Registered electors 6,076
Conservative hold Swing +22.9
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +20.2

Eliot was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 22 September 1841: East Cornwall[12][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Eliot Unopposed
Conservative hold

Eliot was elevated to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of St Germans and causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 February 1845: East Cornwall[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pole-Carew Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pole-Carew Unopposed
Whig Thomas Agar-Robartes Unopposed
Registered electors 6,270
Conservative hold
Whig gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: East Cornwall (2 seats)[13][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Agar-Robartes 2,609 39.6 N/A
Conservative Nicholas Kendall 1,996 30.3 N/A
Conservative William Pole-Carew 1,979 30.1 N/A
Majority 613 9.3 N/A
Turnout 4,597 (est) 80.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,694
Whig hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1857: East Cornwall (2 seats) [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Agar-Robartes Unopposed
Conservative Nicholas Kendall Unopposed
Registered electors 6,261
Whig hold
Conservative hold
General election 1859: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Agar-Robartes Unopposed
Conservative Nicholas Kendall Unopposed
Registered electors 6,240
Liberal gain from Whig
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Kendall Unopposed
Liberal Thomas Agar-Robartes Unopposed
Registered electors 5,781
Conservative hold
Liberal hold
General election 1868: East Cornwall (2 seats)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Salusbury-Trelawny Unopposed
Liberal Edward Brydges Willyams Unopposed
Registered electors 8,701
Liberal hold
Liberal gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: East Cornwall (2 seats)[13][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Colman Rashleigh 3,395 26.6 N/A
Conservative John Tremayne 3,276 25.7 New
Conservative William Pole-Carew 3,099 24.3 New
Liberal Reginald Kelly 2,978 23.4 N/A
Turnout 6,374 (est) 71.0 (est) N/A
Registered electors 8,982
Majority 119 0.9 N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Majority 177 1.4 N/A
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: East Cornwall (2 seats)[13][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Agar-Robartes 4,018 30.1 +3.5
Liberal William Copeland Borlase 3,883 29.1 +5.7
Conservative John Tremayne 3,033 22.7 -3.0
Conservative Digby Collins[15] 2,403 18.0 -6.3
Majority 850 6.4 N/A
Turnout 6,669 (est) 72.9 (est) +1.9
Registered electors 9,150
Liberal hold Swing
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing

Robartes was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Robartes.

By-election, 3 Apr 1882: East Cornwall (1 seat)[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland 3,720 51.4 −7.8
Conservative John Tremayne 3,520 48.6 +7.9
Majority 200 2.8 −3.6
Turnout 7,240 76.3 +3.4 (est)
Registered electors 9,484
Liberal hold Swing −7.9

There were 86 spoiled papers, which was considered an unusually high number.[16]

See also

References
  1. Writing about differences in dialects within Cornwall Thomas Q. Couch wrote in 1880: "If asked to define roughly a boundary, I know none better than the Parliamentary line from Crantock Bay, on St. George's Channel, to Veryan Bay, on the English Channel, which bisects the county."
  2. Smith (1844) The Parliaments of England
  3. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  5. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 161. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via Google Books.
  6. Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 209. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. "Newcastle Journal". 6 September 1845. p. 2. Retrieved 23 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "The Elections—Sunderland and Southwark". Coventry Herald. 5 September 1845. p. 4. Retrieved 23 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "Election Intelligence". Bristol Mirror. 15 July 1837. p. 1. Retrieved 25 March 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Election Movements". The Examiner. 24 July 1847. pp. 8–10. Retrieved 29 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "The General Election". Morning Post. 24 July 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 29 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 364–365. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  13. "East Cornwall Election". The Cornishman. No. 92. 15 April 1880. p. 6.
  14. "General Election". London Evening Standard. 9 July 1841. p. 4. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Cornwall". Cornish & Devon Post. 3 April 1880. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 19 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "East Cornwall Election". The Cornishman. Vol. 195, no. 185. 6 April 1882. p. 7.
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
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