Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bridgnorth
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyShropshire
Major settlementsBridgnorth
1295–1885
Seats1295–1868:Two
1868–1885: One
Replaced byLudlow

Bridgnorth was a parliamentary borough in Shropshire which was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1295 until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until its abolition in 1885.

It was represented by two burgesses until 1868, when it was reduced to one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries[edit]

According to the 1881 census, the borough of Bridgnorth comprised the parishes of Quatford, part of Quatt, St. Leonard and St Mary (in Bridgnorth town), Astley Abbotts, Eardingdon, Oldbury, Romsley and Tasley. This was smaller than the municipal borough, which only contained the first four.[1]

History[edit]

By the eighteenth century Bridgnorth had one of the widest franchises in England, consisting of "the burgesses and freement within and without the borough".[2] There were more than a thousand voters in the contested elections of 1727, 1734 and 1741[3] although in 1920 it was noted as 700.[2] Between 1661 and 1870 at least one of the MPs for Bridgnorth came from the Whitmore family.[3]

Members of Parliament[edit]

MPs 1295–1640[edit]

MPs 1295-1640 — MPs 1640-1868 — MPs 1868-1885 — Elections — See also — Notes and references — Sources

Parliament First member Second member
1388 (Feb) John Farnales William Palmer I[4]
1388 (Sep) William Palmer I William Goldsmith[4]
1390 (Jan) William Palmer I John Farnales[4]
1390 (Nov)
1391 William Palmer I Thomas Horde[4]
1393 William Palmer I John Farnales[4]
1394 William Palmer I John Farnales[4]
1395 William Palmer I John Farnales[4]
1397 (Jan) William Palmer I John Blockley[4]
1397 (Sep)
1399 William Palmer I Thomas Horde[4]
1402 Hugh Harnage John Bruyn[4]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406 Hugh Harnage Walter Green[4]
1407 Walter Green John Cook[4]
1410 ... Lange [4]
1411 Thomas Hopton Hugh Stanford[4]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Hugh Stanford Thomas Green [4]
1414 (Apr) Richard Parlour Thomas Odyes[4]
1414 (Nov) Richard Horde Richard Parlour[4]
1415
1416 (Mar) Richard Horde Richard Parlour[4]
1416 (Oct)
1417 Richard Horde Richard Parlour[4]
1419 Richard Horde Richard Parlour[4]
1420 Richard Horde William Stapeley[4]
1421 (May) Thomas Green Robert Aylesbury[4]
1421 (Dec) Thomas Green Richard Parlour[4]
1425 John Bruyn[5]
1510-1523 No names known[6]
1529 Humphrey Goldston George Hayward[6]
1536 ?
1539 ?
1542 Edward Hall William Grey[6]
1545 Edward Hall Henry Blount [6]
1547 Roger Smith John Pulley[6]
1553 (Mar) Ambrose Gilberd Roger Smith [6]
1553 (Oct) Sir George Blount Jerome Horde[6]
1554 (Apr) Jerome Horde William Acton[6]
1554 (Nov) John Horde Jerome Horde[6]
1555 Jerome Horde William Acton [6]
1558 John Broke Thomas Bromley[6]
1559 Sir George Blount Richard Prince[7]
1562–3 John Broke Edward Cordell[7]
1571 Henry Townshend Thomas Otley[7]
1572 Henry Townshend Thomas Seckford, died
and replaced in 1580 by Edmund Molyneux [7]
1584 Jerome Corbet Walter Lee [7]
1586 Edward Bromley John Lutwich[7]
1588 Edward Bromley John Lutwich[7]
1593 Edward Bromley John Lutwich[7]
1597 Edward Bromley John Lutwich[7]
1601 Thomas Horde Edward Bromley[7]
1604 Sir Lewis Lewknor Edward Bromley,
replaced by Francis Lacon
1614 John Pierse Richard Singe
1621-1622 Sir John Hayward William Whitmore
1624 Sir William Whitmore George Smith
1625 Sir William Whitmore George Vernon
1626 Sir Richard Shelton George Vernon
1628-1629 Sir Richard Shelton Sir George Paule
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

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MPs 1640–1868[edit]

Elected First member First party Second member Second party
April 1640 Edward Acton Royalist (Sir) Thomas Whitmore
November 1640 (Sir) Thomas Whitmore[8] Royalist
February 1644 Acton and Whitmore disabled to sit - both seats vacant
1646 Robert Clive Robert Charlton
December 1648 Clive and Charlton not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Bridgnorth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 William Crown Bridgnorth had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656 Edmund Waring
January 1659 Edmund Waring John Humphrys
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Sir Walter Acton John Bennet
1661 Sir William Whitmore, Bt
1663 Sir Thomas Whitmore
1685 Roger Pope
1689 Sir Edward Acton, Bt Tory
1694 Roger Pope
1702 Sir Humphrey Brigges, Bt
1705 William Whitmore
1710 Whitmore Acton Richard Cresswell Tory
1713 William Whitmore John Weaver
1725 St John Charlton
1734 Thomas Whitmore Grey James Grove
1741 William Whitmore
1747 Arthur Weaver
1754 Hon. John Grey William Whitmore[9]
1768 The Lord Pigot
1771 Thomas Whitmore Tory[10]
1778 Hugh Pigot[11] Whig[10]
1784 Isaac Hawkins Browne Tory[10]
1795 John Whitmore Tory[10]
1806 Thomas Whitmore Tory[10]
1812 Hon. Charles Jenkinson Tory[10]
1818 Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt Jones Tory[10]
1820 William Wolryche-Whitmore Whig[10][12]
1831 James Foster Whig[10][13]
1832 Robert Pigot Tory[10] Thomas Charlton Whitmore Tory[10]
1834 Conservative[10] Conservative[10]
1837 Henry Hanbury-Tracy Whig[10][14]
1838 by-election Sir Robert Pigot Conservative[10]
1852 Henry Whitmore Conservative
1853 by-election[15] John Pritchard Conservative
1865[16] Sir John Dalberg-Acton, Bt Liberal
1866[16] Henry Whitmore Conservative
1868 Representation reduced to one Member

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MPs 1868–1885[edit]

Election Member Party
1868 Henry Whitmore Conservative
1870 by-election William Henry Foster Liberal
1880 Conservative
1885 Constituency abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act

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Elections[edit]

1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – See also – Notes and references – Sources

Elections in the 1830s[edit]

General election 1830: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Thomas Whitmore 721 41.0
Whig William Wolryche-Whitmore 669 38.0
Tory Richard Arkwright 369 21.0
Turnout 986 1,759
Majority 52 3.0
Tory hold Swing
Majority 300 17.0
Whig hold Swing
General election 1831: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Wolryche-Whitmore Unopposed
Whig James Foster Unopposed
Whig hold
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1832: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Robert Pigot Unopposed
Tory Thomas Charlton Whitmore Unopposed
Registered electors 746
Tory gain from Whig
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1835: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charlton Whitmore 490 38.7 N/A
Conservative Robert Pigot 423 33.4 N/A
Whig Henry Hanbury-Tracy 353 27.9 New
Majority 70 5.5 N/A
Turnout 698 88.2 N/A
Registered electors 791
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1837: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charlton Whitmore 429 36.8 −1.9
Whig Henry Hanbury-Tracy 371 31.8 +3.9
Conservative Robert Pigot 367 31.4 −2.0
Turnout 727 92.0 +3.8
Registered electors 790
Majority 58 5.0 −0.5
Conservative hold Swing −1.9
Majority 4 0.4 N/A
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +3.9

Hanbury-Tracy resigned, by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, after a petition was lodged against his election.

By-election, 20 February 1838: Bridgnorth[10][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Pigot Unopposed
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1840s[edit]

General election 1841: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[10][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charlton Whitmore 496 39.3 +2.5
Conservative Robert Pigot 475 37.6 +6.2
Whig Frederick John Howard[18] 225 17.8 +1.9
Whig Nicholas Throckmorton[19] 66 5.2 −10.7
Majority 250 19.8 +14.8
Turnout 703 86.8 −5.2
Registered electors 810
Conservative hold Swing +3.5
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +5.3
General election 1847: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charlton Whitmore 611 44.7 +8.4
Conservative Robert Pigot 388 28.4 −9.2
Radical John Easthope[20] 368 26.9 +3.9
Majority 20 1.5 −18.3
Turnout 684 (est) 81.6 (est) −5.2
Registered electors 838
Conservative hold Swing +3.2
Conservative hold Swing −5.6

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Elections in the 1850s[edit]

General election 1852: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore 443 40.8 −3.9
Conservative Robert Pigot 360 33.1 +4.7
Whig Frederick William Cadogan[21] 283 26.1 −0.8
Majority 77 7.0 +5.5
Turnout 685 (est) 95.5 (est) +13.9
Registered electors 717
Conservative hold Swing −1.8
Conservative hold Swing +2.6

Pigot's election was declared void on petition due to bribery, causing a by-election.[22]

By-election, 22 March 1853: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Pritchard Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore Unopposed
Conservative John Pritchard Unopposed
Registered electors 678
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 3 March 1858: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore Unopposed
Conservative John Pritchard Unopposed
Registered electors 708
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

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Elections in the 1860s[edit]

General election 1865: Bridgnorth (2 seats)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Pritchard 299 34.1 N/A
Liberal John Dalberg-Acton 289 33.0 New
Conservative Henry Whitmore 288 32.9 N/A
Turnout 583 (est) 94.9 (est) N/A
Registered electors 614
Majority 10 1.1 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 1 0.1 N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

On 22 March 1866, after scrutiny, Dalberg-Acton was unseated and Whitmore was duly elected in his place.

Whitmore was then appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 21 Jul 1866: Bridgnorth (1 seat)[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore Unopposed
Conservative hold

The seat was reduced to one member for the 1868 election.

General election 1868: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Whitmore 548 52.4 −14.6
Liberal John Dalberg-Acton 497 47.6 +14.6
Majority 51 4.8 +3.7
Turnout 1,045 81.7 −13.2
Registered electors 1,279
Conservative hold Swing −14.6

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Elections in the 1870s[edit]

Whitmore resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 16 Feb 1870: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Henry Foster Unopposed
Liberal gain from Conservative
General election 1874: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Henry Foster 701 71.8 +24.2
Conservative George Barbour[23] 275 28.2 −24.2
Majority 426 43.6 N/A
Turnout 976 77.0 −4.7
Registered electors 1,267
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +24.2

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Elections in the 1880s[edit]

General election 1880: Bridgnorth[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Henry Foster 641 66.6 +38.4
Liberal Edward Reid Vyvyan[24] 321 33.4 −38.4
Majority 320 33.2 N/A
Turnout 962 78.6 +1.6
Registered electors 1,224
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +38.4

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See also[edit]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ "Browse > Census > 1881". Histpop.Org. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b Oldfield, Thomas (1820). "Bridgnorth". A Key to the House of Commons. p. 119.
  3. ^ a b Pages 242 to 243,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  5. ^ "BRUYN, John (d.c.1437), of Bridgnorth, Salop". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  8. ^ Created a baronet, June 1641
  9. ^ Later Lieutenant-General
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 16–18. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Later Admiral
  12. ^ Hyman, Anthony (1982). Charles Babbage: Pioneer of the Computer. Princeton University Press. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-691-08303-2. LCCN 81-48078 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Escott, Margaret (2009). "FOSTER, James (1786–1853), of Coton Hall, nr. Stourbridge, Worcs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  14. ^ "State of Polls, & Member Returned". Worcester Journal. 27 July 1837. p. 3. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ The re-election of Sir Robert Pigot at the 1852 general election was voided on petition, triggering the 1853 by-election. A petition was also lodged against Henry Whitmore, but was dismissed.
  16. ^ a b The election in 1865 of Sir John Dalberg-Acton, Bt was overturned on petition in 1866, and in 1866 the seat was awarded instead to Henry Whitmore
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  18. ^ "Gloucestershire Chronicle". 12 June 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "Bridgnorth". Sheffield Independent. 3 July 1841. p. 5. Retrieved 28 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "Election News". Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser. 10 July 1841. p. 23. Retrieved 15 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ "Miscellaneous News". Coventry Herald. 2 July 1852. p. 6. Retrieved 18 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. ^ "The Parliamentary Election Inquiries". Leeds Times. 5 March 1853. p. 8. Retrieved 18 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^ "Bridgnorth Election". Eddowes's Journal, and General Advertiser for Shropshire, and the Principality of Wales. 11 February 1874. p. 7. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ "The General Election". Leicester Chronicle. 3 April 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources[edit]

  • 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)
  • Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2]
  • David Hayton, 'The Country Party in the House of Commons 1698-1699', Parliamentary History, volume 6 (1987), 141-63
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 59–60. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 5)
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