Newport (Isle of Wight) (UK Parliament constituency)

Newport was a parliamentary borough located in Newport (Isle of Wight), which was abolished in for the 1885 general election. It was occasionally referred to by the alternative name of Medina.

Newport
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyIsle of Wight
Major settlementsNewport
1584–1885
Seats1584–1868: Two
1868–1885: One
Created fromHampshire
Replaced byIsle of Wight
1295–1298
SeatsTwo
Type of constituencyBorough constituency
Replaced byHampshire

(Prior to the Great Reform Act of 1832 there was also a separate Newport parliamentary borough in Cornwall.)

History edit

The borough was first represented in the parliament of 1295, and returned two members of parliament (MPs) from 1584 to 1868. At the 1868 election the Second Reform Act reduced its representation to a single seat, and under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the constituency was abolished altogether with effect from the 1885 general election. Newport's re-enfranchisement in 1584, like that of the other Isle of Wight boroughs (Newtown and Yarmouth) seems to have been at the urging of the new Governor of the island, Sir George Carey, a relative of the Queen. In token of thanks, the borough granted him for life the right to nominate one of the two MPs – which seems to have been the reward he expected and the motive for his petition to the Queen in the first place.

Between 1807 and 1811 its two seats were held by two future Prime Ministers: Arthur Wellesley, later to become the Duke of Wellington (who also found himself elected to two other seats at the same time), and Henry Temple (later Lord Palmerston), who would go on to become one of the United Kingdom's most notable Prime Ministers. Palmerston's late father had been unable to convert his Irish title into a United Kingdom peerage, therefore the young politician was able to enter the Commons. The local patron arranging the deal was Sir Leonard Holmes, who made it a condition that they never visited the borough!

The borough was also represented by two other future Prime Ministers in the 1820s. George Canning was MP for Newport when appointed Prime Minister in 1827; however, under the law as it then stood a minister accepting office automatically vacated his seat and had to stand for re-election to the Commons, and Canning chose to stand at Seaford, a government pocket borough in Sussex, rather than fight Newport again. In the by-election that followed at Newport, the vacancy was filled by the election of the Honourable William Lamb, later 2nd Viscount Melbourne, whose father had also represented the borough in the 1790s. However, Lamb remained MP for Newport for only two weeks before also being elected for Bletchingley, which he preferred to represent.

Before the Great Reform Act of 1832, the right to vote was vested in the Mayor and Corporation (consisting of 11 aldermen and 12 burgesses). For much of the previous century the borough was "managed" for the government by the Holmes family,[1] meaning that ministers could generally secure the election of their favoured candidates, but often only at the expense of considerable "gratuities" to the voters – in 1754, this apparently amounted to a payment of £600 for each candidate. The borough consisted of the parish of Newport and of Castle Hold in the parish of St Nicholas, thereby excluding that part of the town which extended over the boundary into Carisbrooke parish; this gave the borough a population of 4,398 in 1831. The 1832 reforms extended the borough to take in the rest of the town, raising the population to 6,700, though the electorate was still only 421.

Newport's representation was reduced from two members to one by the second Reform Act for the 1868 general election, and abolished altogether in 1885, leaving the town represented as part of the Isle of Wight county constituency.

Members of Parliament edit

MPs 1584–1660 edit

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1584Sir Ralph BourchierEdmund Carey[2]
1586Richard SuttonRichard Hardy[2]
1588Sir Edmund CareyRichard Hardy[2]
1593William CottonRichard Huyshe[2]
1597William CottonRichard James[2]
1601Thomas CromptonRichard James[2]
1604Richard JamesJohn Ashdell
1614Sir Richard Worsley, 1st BaronetJohn Searle
1621–1622Sir Richard Worsley, 1st Baronet died 1621 and replaced by Philip FlemingSir William Uvedale
1624Philip FlemingChristopher Brooke, sat for York
and replaced by
John Danvers
1625Sir Nathaniel RichPhilip Fleming
1626Christopher YelvertonPhilip Fleming
1628–1629Christopher YelvertonPhilip Fleming
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned
1640 (Apr)The Viscount FalklandSir Henry Worsley, 2nd Baronet
1640 (Nov)The Viscount Falkland
disabled to sit, Sep 1642
Sir Henry Worsley, 2nd Baronet
1645Sir Henry Worsley, 2nd Baronet
excluded in Pride's Purge, Dec 1648
William Stephens
1653–1659Newport was unrepresented in the Barebones and First and Second Protectorate Parliaments
1659Thomas Boreman (of Broke)Sir Robert Dillington, 2nd Baronet
1659–1660Sir Henry Worsley, 2nd BaronetWilliam Stephens

MPs 1660–1868 edit

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1660Robert DillingtonWilliam Oglander[3]
1661William Glascock
1670Sir Robert Dillington
February 1679Admiral Sir Robert Holmes
August 1679John Leigh
1685Admiral Sir Robert HolmesSir William Stephens
January 1689Sir Robert Dillington
June 1689Edward Dillington
1690Admiral Sir Robert Holmes
1692Brigadier Richard Leveson
November 1695Brigadier The Lord CuttsSir Robert Cotton
December 1695Sir Henry Colt
1698Major-General The Lord Cutts
1699Henry Greenhill
January 1701Major-General The Lord CuttsSamuel Shepheard
March 1701Henry Greenhill
December 1701Major-General The Lord CuttsEdward Richards
March 1702Colonel James StanhopeWhig
July 1702Major-General The Lord Cutts[4]William Stephens
1707Sir Tristram Dillington
October 1710Lieutenant-General John Richmond Webb[5]Tory
December 1710Lieutenant-General William Seymour
1713General John Richmond WebbTory
1715Anthony Morgan[6]
April 1717Lieutenant-General James StanhopeWhig
July 1717Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Tristram Dillington
1721Thomas Stanwix
March 1722Earl of March[7]The Lord Whitworth
October 1722Colonel Charles Cadogan
1726George Huxley
January 1727Sir William Willys
August 1727William Fortescue
1736The Viscount Boyne
May 1741Anthony ChuteMonoux Cope
July 1747Captain Bluett WallopThomas Lee Dummer
1749Ralph Jenison
1758Rear-Admiral Charles Holmes
1762William Rawlinson Earle
1765Thomas Dummer
1768John EamesHans Sloane
1773Hon. John St. John
1774Sir Richard Worsley
1780Hon. John St. John
1784Edward RushworthCaptain the Hon. Hugh Seymour-Conway
1786Hon. John Townshend
January 1790George Byng
June 1790The Viscount PalmerstonThe Viscount Melbourne
1793Peniston Lamb
May 1796Jervoise Clarke Jervoise[8]Edward Rushworth[9]
November 1796William Hamilton NisbetAndrew Strahan
1800Sir George Dallas
1802John BlackburnRichard Gervas Ker
1806Isaac CorryMajor General Sir John Doyle
1807The Viscount PalmerstonTorySir Arthur WellesleyTory
1809Sir Leonard Worsley-Holmes
1811Cecil Bisshopp
1812Richard Worsley-Holmes
1814John Delgarno
1816George Watson-Taylor
1818Charles Duncombe
1825Hon. John Stuart
1826George CanningTory[10]Hon. William ScottTory[10]
April 1827Hon. William Lamb[11]Whig
May 1827Spencer PercevalTory[10]
1830Horace TwissTory[10]
1831William MountTory[10]James Joseph Hope-VereTory[10]
1832John Heywood HawkinsWhig[10][12][13][14]William Henry OrdWhig[10]
1837William John BlakeWhig[10][12][13]
1841Charles Wykeham MartinConservative[10]William HamiltonConservative[10]
1847Peelite[15][16]William PlowdenPeelite[15][16]
1852William BiggsRadical[17][18][19]William Nathaniel MasseyRadical[18][19]
February 1857Robert KennardConservative
March 1857Charles Edward ManglesWhig[20]Charles BuxtonWhig[20]
1859Robert KennardConservativePhilip Lybbe PowysConservative
1865Charles Wykeham MartinLiberal
1868Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1868–1885 edit

ElectionMemberParty
1868Charles Wykeham MartinLiberal
1870Charles CliffordLiberal
1885constituency abolished

Election results edit

Elections in the 1830s edit

General election 1830: Newport[10][21]
PartyCandidateVotes%
TorySpencer PercevalUnopposed
ToryHorace TwissUnopposed
Registered electors24
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 1831: Newport[10][21]
PartyCandidateVotes%
ToryWilliam MountUnopposed
ToryJames Joseph Hope-VereUnopposed
Registered electors24
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 1832: Newport[10][22]
PartyCandidateVotes%
WhigJohn Heywood Hawkins 216 36.4
WhigWilliam Henry Ord 216 36.4
ToryJames Willoughby Gordon16127.2
Majority559.2
Turnout36586.7
Registered electors421
Whig gain from Tory
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1835: Newport[10][22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigWilliam Henry Ord 233 26.0 −10.4
WhigJohn Heywood Hawkins 230 25.6 −10.8
ConservativeJames Willoughby Gordon22925.5+11.9
ConservativeWilliam Hamilton20522.9+9.3
Majority10.1−9.1
Turnoutc. 449c. 89.7c. +3.0
Registered electors500
Whig holdSwing−10.5
Whig holdSwing−10.7

Ord was appointed as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 27 April 1835: Newport[10][22]
PartyCandidateVotes%
WhigWilliam Henry OrdUnopposed
Whig hold
General election 1837: Newport[10][22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigJohn Heywood Hawkins 265 26.3 +0.7
WhigWilliam John Blake 263 26.1 +0.1
ConservativeCharles Wykeham Martin24424.2−1.3
ConservativeWilliam Hamilton23623.4+0.5
Majority191.9+1.8
Turnout50679.9c. −9.8
Registered electors633
Whig holdSwing+0.6
Whig holdSwing+0.3

Elections in the 1840s edit

General election 1841: Newport[22][10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeCharles Wykeham Martin 254 26.4 +2.2
ConservativeWilliam Hamilton 252 26.2 +2.8
WhigThomas Gisborne22923.8−2.5
WhigWilliam John Blake22623.5−2.6
Majority232.4N/A
Turnout48564.7−15.2
Registered electors750
Conservative gain from WhigSwing+2.4
Conservative gain from WhigSwing+2.7
General election 1847: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PeeliteWilliam Plowden 262 26.1 −0.1
PeeliteCharles Wykeham Martin 252 25.1 −1.3
WhigWilliam John Blake25025.0+1.5
WhigCharles Crompton[23][24]23823.8
Majority20.1−2.3
Turnout501 (est)77.6 (est)+12.9
Registered electors646
Peelite gain from ConservativeSwing−0.4
Peelite gain from ConservativeSwing−1.0

Elections in the 1850s edit

General election 1852: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RadicalWilliam Biggs 310 27.4 +2.4
RadicalWilliam Nathaniel Massey 306 27.1 +3.3
PeeliteCharles Wykeham Martin25722.7−2.4
PeeliteWilliam Plowden25722.7−3.4
Majority494.4N/A
Turnout565 (est)79.9 (est)+2.3
Registered electors707
Radical gain from PeeliteSwing+2.7
Radical gain from PeeliteSwing+3.1

Biggs resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 11 February 1857: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRobert Kennard 289 54.3 +8.9
RadicalCharles Seely[25][26][27][28][29]24345.7−8.8
Majority468.6N/A
Turnout53281.3+1.4
Registered electors654
Conservative gain from RadicalSwing+8.9
General election 1857: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigCharles Edward Mangles 305 26.8 −0.6
WhigCharles Buxton 294 25.8 −1.3
ConservativeRobert Kennard28324.8+2.1
ConservativeWilliam Anderson Rose[30]25722.6−0.1
Majority111.0N/A
Turnout570 (est)87.1 (est)+7.2
Registered electors654
Whig gain from RadicalSwing−0.8
Whig gain from RadicalSwing−1.2
General election 1859: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeRobert Kennard 319 37.1 +12.3
ConservativePhilip Lybbe Powys 312 36.3 +13.7
LiberalRobert Charles[31]22826.5−26.1
Majority849.8N/A
Turnout544 (est)84.0 (est)−3.1
Registered electors647
Conservative gain from LiberalSwing+12.7
Conservative gain from LiberalSwing+13.4

Elections in the 1860s edit

General election 1865: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalCharles Wykeham Martin 309 36.5 +10.0
ConservativeRobert Kennard 307 36.3 −0.8
ConservativeAuberon Herbert23027.2−9.1
Majority799.3N/A
Turnout578 (est)89.8 (est)+5.8
Registered electors643
Liberal gain from ConservativeSwing+10.0
Conservative holdSwing−2.9

Seat reduced to one member

General election 1868: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalCharles Wykeham MartinUnopposed
Registered electors965
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s edit

Martin's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 23 Nov 1870: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalCharles Clifford 437 55.5 N/A
ConservativeHenry Martyn Kennard[32]35144.5New
Majority8611.0N/A
Turnout78881.7N/A
Registered electors965
Liberal holdSwingN/A
General election 1874: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalCharles Clifford 522 52.4 N/A
ConservativeHenry Robert Twyford47547.6N/A
Majority474.8N/A
Turnout99785.5N/A
Registered electors1,166
Liberal holdSwingN/A

Elections in the 1880s edit

General election 1880: Newport[22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalCharles Clifford 618 52.5 +0.1
ConservativeHenry Robert Twyford56047.5−0.1
Majority585.0+0.2
Turnout1,17886.5+1.0
Registered electors1,362
Liberal holdSwing+0.1

See also edit

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ Page 25, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
  2. ^ a b c d e f "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  3. ^ Created a baronet as Sir William Oglander, December 1665
  4. ^ Lieutenant-General from 1703
  5. ^ Webb was also elected for Ludgershall, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Newport in this Parliament
  6. ^ Morgan was also a candidate for Yarmouth, but the election result there was disputed. He sat for Newport until the Yarmouth election was decided in his favour, then chose to represent Yarmouth for the remainder of the Parliament
  7. ^ March was also elected for Chichester, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  8. ^ Jervoise was also elected for Yarmouth, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  9. ^ Rushworth was also elected for Yarmouth, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Newport
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 153–156. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  11. ^ Lamb was elected at a by-election for Bletchingley two weeks after his election for Newport. He chose to represent Bletchingley.
  12. ^ a b Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. pp. 137, 175.
  13. ^ a b "John Bull". 14 August 1837. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ Dickens, Charles (2015) [1843]. Caswall, Edward (ed.). Sketches of Young Ladies, Young Gentleman and Young Couples. Richmond: Alma Books. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-84749-491-7.
  15. ^ a b "Newport". Portsmouth Times and Naval Gazette. 3 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ a b "The Elections". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 28 July 1852. p. 8. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ Wigley, John (1980). The Rise and Fall of the Victorian Sunday. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 94. ISBN 0-7190-0794-1. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Newport Borough Election". Hampshire Advertiser. 10 July 1852. p. 7. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ a b "Shipping and Mercantile Gazette". 9 July 1852. p. 8. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ a b "Glasgow Sentinel". 21 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ a b Salmon, Philip; Spencer, Howard. "Newport I.o.W." The History of Parliament. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 221–222. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  23. ^ "The General Election". Morning Post. 24 July 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ "General Election". London Evening Standard. 30 July 1847. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 26 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. ^ "Election Intelligence". Kentish Independent. 14 February 1857. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. ^ Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 232. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  27. ^ Hill, Francis (1974). Victorian Lincoln. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 17, 74. ISBN 0-521-20334-1. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  28. ^ Seely, Bob. "About Bob Seely". Bob Seely MP. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  29. ^ "Pratt to Seely". It's About Lincoln. Angelic Aromas. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  30. ^ "Newport Election". Hampshire Advertiser. 4 April 1857. pp. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. ^ "Newport (Isle of Wight)". Morning Advertiser. 26 April 1859. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  32. ^ "Press Association Telegrams". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 2 November 1870. p. 5. Retrieved 11 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  • Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
  • D Brunton & D H Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
  • Michael Brock, The Great Reform Act (London: Hutchinson, 1973)
  • F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd Ed) (Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
  • D Englefield, J Seaton & I White, Facts About the British Prime Ministers (London: Mansell, 1995)
  • J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
  • J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
  • Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
  • Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)
  • Frederic A Youngs, Jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume I (London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society, 1979)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)