Ashburton (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashburton (also known as Mid Devon) was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament at Westminster, for the Parliaments of 1295 and 1407,[1][2] and regularly from 1640 until it was abolished for the 1868 general election. It was one of three Devon borough constituencies newly enfranchised (or re-enfranchised after a gap of centuries) in the Long Parliament. It returned two Members of Parliament until the 1832 general election when the number was reduced to one MP.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Ashburton | |
---|---|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Devon |
Major settlements | Ashburton |
1885–1918 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | East Devon |
Replaced by | Parts of Totnes, South Molton and Tiverton |
1640–1868 | |
Seats | Two (1640–1832); One (1832–1868) |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Replaced by | East Devon |
From the 1885 general election Ashburton was revived as a county division of Devon. It returned one member until it was abolished from the 1918 general election.
Boundaries
1885-1918
The Sessional Divisions of Crockernwell and Teignbridge.[10]
Members of Parliament
Ashburton borough 1398–1868
- 1407 Richard Hurston, Walter Denys[2]
Ashburton re-enfranchised by Parliament in Nov 1640
MPs 1640–1832
MPs 1832–1868
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1832 | William Stephen Poyntz | Whig[15][19] | |
1835 | Charles Lushington | Whig[15][21][22] | |
1841 | William Jardine | Whig[15][23][24] | |
1843 by-election | James Matheson[25] | Whig[15][26][27] | |
1847 | Thomas Matheson | Whig[28] | |
1852 | George Moffatt | Radical[29][30] | |
1859 | John Harvey Astell | Conservative | |
1865 | Robert Jardine | Liberal | |
1868 | Constituency abolished |
Mid or Ashburton division of Devon 1885–1918
Election | Member | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Charles Seale-Hayne | Liberal | |
1904 by-election | Harry Eve | Liberal | |
1908 by-election | Ernest Morrison-Bell | Liberal Unionist | |
January 1910 | Charles Buxton | Liberal | |
December 1910 | Ernest Morrison-Bell | Conservative | |
1918 | Constituency abolished |
Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Lawrence Vaughan Palk | Unopposed | |||
Tory | Charles Arbuthnot | Unopposed | |||
Tory hold | |||||
Tory hold | |||||
Arbuthnot resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Stephen Poyntz | Unopposed | |||
Whig gain from Tory |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Stephen Poyntz | 74 | 45.7 | N/A | |
Whig | Robert Torrens | 47 | 29.0 | N/A | |
Tory | Lawrence Vaughan Palk | 41 | 25.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 6 | 3.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 81 (est) | 80.2 (est) | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 101 | ||||
Whig gain from Tory | Swing | N/A | |||
Whig gain from Tory | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Stephen Poyntz | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 198 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Charles Lushington | 89 | 55.6 | N/A | |
Conservative | John Horsley Palmer[33] | 71 | 44.4 | New | |
Majority | 18 | 11.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 160 | 84.2 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 190 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Charles Lushington | 98 | 53.0 | −2.6 | |
Conservative | William John Utten Browne[34] | 87 | 47.0 | +2.6 | |
Majority | 11 | 6.0 | −5.2 | ||
Turnout | 185 | 81.9 | −2.3 | ||
Registered electors | 226 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | −2.6 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Jardine | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 280 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Jardine's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Matheson | 141 | 59.5 | N/A | |
Conservative | John Horsley Palmer[35] | 96 | 40.5 | New | |
Majority | 45 | 19.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 237 | 87.8 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 270 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Thomas Matheson | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 262 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Elections in the 1850s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | George Moffatt | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 236 | ||||
Radical gain from Whig |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | George Moffatt | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 182 | ||||
Radical hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Harvey Astell | 91 | 50.3 | New | |
Liberal | George Moffatt | 90 | 49.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 1 | 0.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 181 | 92.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 196 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1860s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Jardine | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 350 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative |
Elections in the 1880s
![](../I/Charles_Seale-Hayne.jpg.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne | 4,433 | 58.2 | N/A | |
Conservative | William James Harris | 3,182 | 41.8 | New | |
Majority | 1,251 | 16.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 7,615 | 81.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 9,300 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) |
![](../I/Sir_Richard_Martin%252C_1st_Baronet%252C_of_Overbury_Court.jpg.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne | 3,413 | 53.2 | -5.0 | |
Liberal Unionist | Richard Martin | 3,007 | 46.8 | +5.0 | |
Majority | 406 | 6.4 | -10.0 | ||
Turnout | 6,420 | 69.0 | -12.9 | ||
Registered electors | 9,300 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -5.0 | |||
Elections in the 1890s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne | 4,361 | 54.4 | +1.2 | |
Conservative | Charles Robert Collins | 3,650 | 45.6 | -1.2 | |
Majority | 711 | 8.8 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 8,011 | 85.3 | +16.3 | ||
Registered electors | 9,392 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +1.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne | 4,380 | 52.4 | -2.0 | |
Conservative | John A Nix | 3,976 | 47.6 | +2.0 | |
Majority | 4.4 | 4.8 | -4.0 | ||
Turnout | 8,356 | 85.9 | +0.6 | ||
Registered electors | 9,726 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -2.0 | |||
Elections in the 1900s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Seale-Hayne | 4,487 | 54.7 | +2.3 | |
Conservative | John A Nix | 3,716 | 45.3 | −2.3 | |
Majority | 771 | 9.4 | +4.6 | ||
Turnout | 8,203 | 83.9 | -2.0 | ||
Registered electors | 9,777 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +2.3 | |||
![](../I/1904_Harry_Eve.jpg.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Harry Eve | 5,034 | 58.6 | +3.9 | |
Conservative | Richard Harrison | 3,558 | 41.4 | −3.9 | |
Majority | 1,476 | 17.2 | +7.8 | ||
Turnout | 8,592 | 85.1 | +1.2 | ||
Registered electors | 10,097 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Harry Eve | 5,079 | 57.3 | +2.6 | |
Conservative | Ernest Morrison-Bell | 3,790 | 42.7 | −2.6 | |
Majority | 1,289 | 14.6 | +5.2 | ||
Turnout | 8,869 | 85.0 | +1.1 | ||
Registered electors | 10,429 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +2.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ernest Morrison-Bell | 5,191 | 52.8 | +10.1 | |
Liberal | Charles Buxton | 4,632 | 47.2 | −10.1 | |
Majority | 559 | 5.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 9,823 | 89.5 | +4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 10,976 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.1 | |||
Elections in the 1910s
![](../I/Charles_Roden_Buxton.jpg.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Buxton | 5,668 | 51.1 | +3.9 | |
Conservative | Ernest Morrison-Bell | 5,421 | 48.9 | -3.9 | |
Majority | 247 | 2.2 | 7.8 | ||
Turnout | 11,089 | 92.6 | +3.1 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ernest Morrison-Bell | 5,579 | 51.6 | +2.7 | |
Liberal | Charles Buxton | 5,225 | 48.4 | -2.7 | |
Majority | 354 | 3.2 | +5.4 | ||
Turnout | 10,804 | 90.2 | -2.4 | ||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.7 | |||
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;
- Unionist: Ernest Morrison-Bell
- Liberal:
References
- Hannes Kleineke (2008). "The Widening Gap: The Practice of Parliamentary Borough Elections in Devon and Cornwall in the Fifteenth Century". Parliamentary History. 23 (1): 124. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1386-1421). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1640-1660). Retrieved 27 March 2019.(currently unavailable )
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1660-1690). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- "Ashburton". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
- Succeeded as 2nd Baronet, 1674
- At the election of 1710, Lloyd and Tuckfield were returned but on petition both were found not to have been duly elected (in a dispute over the franchise), and Reynell and Courtenay were declared elected in their place
- Courtenay had also been elected for Newport (Cornwall), which he chose to represent; on his being declared duly elected for Ashburton a new writ for a by-election was immediately issued, and Courtenay never sat for Ashburton
- Yonge was also elected for Honiton, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Ashburton
- Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 63–64. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
- Created a baronet, May 1782
- Knighted, May 1795
- Palk was re-elected in 1796 but was also elected for Devon, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Ashburton again
- Disraeli, Benjamin (1982). Gunn, John A. W.; Matthews, John P.; Schurman, Donald M.; Wiebe, Melvin G. (eds.). Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1835-1837. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442639546.
- Jenkins, Terry (2009). "TORRENS, Robert (1780–1864), of Stonehouse, Devon and 12 Fludyer Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- Seaber, Luke (2017). Brant, Clare; Saunders, Max (eds.). Incognito Social Investigation in British Literature: Certainties in Degradation (eBook ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. p. 3. ISBN 9783319509624.
- Waddams, S. M. (2004). "Lushington, Stephen (1782–1873)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17213. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Neal, Stan (2015). Jardine Matheson and Chinese Migration in the British Empire, 1833–1853 (PDF) (PhD). Northumbria University. p. 101. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
- "Borough of Ashburton (Devonshire)". Morning Post. 3 July 1841. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Created a baronet, 1850
- "Ashburton Election". Freeman's Journal. 11 March 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Royal Cornwall Gazette". 10 March 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Political". Norfolk News. 31 July 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Steele, E. D. (1991). "At home". Palmerston and Liberalism: 1855–1865. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0521400457. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "The New House of Commons". Hull Packet. 9 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 7 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
- Jenkins, Terry (2009). "Ashburton". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "The Elections". The Scotsman. 10 January 1835. p. 4. Retrieved 6 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Mackie, Charles (1901). Norfolk Annals: A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteenth Century, Vol. 2. Norwich: Norfolk Chronicle. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- "County Intelligence". North Devon Journal. 9 March 1843. p. 3. Retrieved 26 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1896
- Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
- 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)
- F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- British History Online – list of speakers in the Parliaments of 1656 and 1658-9
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 3)