Kent_West_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
West Kent (formally known as "Kent, Western") was a county constituency in Kent in South East England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.
The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election, and abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election.
All three two-member constituencies in Kent were abolished in 1885: East Kent, Mid Kent and West Kent. They were replaced by eight new single-member constituencies: Ashford, Dartford, Faversham, Isle of Thanet, Medway, St Augustine's, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge.
1832–1868: The Lathes of Sutton-at-Hone and Aylesford, and the Lower Division of the Lathe of Scray.[1]
1868–1885: The Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone.[2]
More information Election, 1st Member ...
| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig[3][4][5][6][7] | Thomas Rider | Whig[4] | ||
| 1835 | Sir William Geary, Bt | Conservative[4] | ||||
| 1838 by-election | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative[4] | ||||
| 1841 | Viscount Marsham | Conservative[4] | ||||
| 1845 by-election | Thomas Austen | Conservative | ||||
| 1847 | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig[3][4][5][6][7] | ||||
| 1852 | William Masters Smith | Conservative | ||||
| Feb 1857 by-election | Charles Wykeham Martin | Peelite[8][9] | ||||
| Apr 1857 | James Whatman | Radical[10][11][12] | ||||
| 1859 | Viscount Holmesdale | Conservative | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative | ||
| 1865 | William Hart Dyke | Conservative | ||||
| 1868 | Sir Charles Mills, Bt | Conservative | John Gilbert Talbot | Conservative | ||
| 1878 by-election | Viscount Lewisham | Conservative | ||||
| 1885 | constituency abolished | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1830s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,364 | 37.5 | ||
| Whig | Thomas Rider | 3,100 | 34.5 | ||
| Tory | William Geary | 2,518 | 28.0 | ||
| Majority | 582 | 6.5 | |||
| Turnout | 5,562 | 83.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 6,678 | ||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Geary | 2,558 | 38.4 | +10.4 | |
| Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 2,092 | 31.4 | −6.1 | |
| Whig | Thomas Rider | 2,007 | 30.1 | −4.4 | |
| Turnout | 4,549 | 66.4 | −16.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 6,850 | ||||
| Majority | 551 | 8.3 | N/A | ||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +10.5 | |||
| Majority | 85 | 1.3 | −5.2 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | −5.7 | |||
Close
- Rider retired at the close of the first day's poll
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Geary | 3,584 | 35.3 | +16.1 | |
| Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,334 | 32.9 | −28.6 | |
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,229 | 31.8 | +12.6 | |
| Turnout | 6,641 | 78.8 | +12.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,432 | ||||
| Majority | 250 | 2.4 | −5.9 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +15.2 | |||
| Majority | 105 | 1.1 | −0.2 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | −28.7 | |||
Close
Geary resigned, causing a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1840s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Charles Marsham | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 9,089 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | |||||
Close
Marsham succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Romney and causing a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Thomas Austen | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,219 | 34.1 | N/A | |
| Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,127 | 33.2 | New | |
| Conservative | Thomas Austen | 3,082 | 32.7 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 6,278 (est) | 66.2 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 9,489 | ||||
| Majority | 92 | 0.9 | N/A | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Majority | 45 | 0.5 | N/A | ||
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
Elections in the 1850s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,247 | 35.7 | +1.6 | |
| Conservative | William Masters Smith | 3,193 | 35.1 | +2.4 | |
| Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 2,652 | 29.2 | −4.0 | |
| Majority | 595 | 6.5 | +5.6 | ||
| Majority | 541 | 5.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,872 (est) | 62.6 (est) | −3.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,379 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.6 | |||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +1.5 | |||
Close
Filmer's death caused a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peelite | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,557 | 53.0 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Sir Walter Buchanan Riddell, 10th Baronet | 3,149 | 47.0 | −23.8 | |
| Majority | 408 | 6.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 6,706 | 74.9 | +12.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,949 | ||||
| Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peelite | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,896 | 36.6 | N/A | |
| Radical | James Whatman | 3,578 | 33.6 | +4.4 | |
| Conservative | William Masters Smith | 3,171 | 29.8 | −41.0 | |
| Turnout | 5,323 (est) | 59.5 (est) | −3.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,949 | ||||
| Majority | 725 | 6.8 | N/A | ||
| Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
| Majority | 407 | 3.8 | N/A | ||
| Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.5 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Amherst | 3,769 | 26.0 | +11.1 | |
| Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,684 | 25.4 | +10.5 | |
| Liberal | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,584 | 24.7 | −11.9 | |
| Liberal | James Whatman | 3,460 | 23.9 | −9.7 | |
| Majority | 309 | 2.1 | N/A | ||
| Majority | 100 | 0.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,249 (est) | 81.0 (est) | +21.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,949 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Peelite | Swing | +11.0 | |||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.7 | |||
Close
Elections in the 1860s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Amherst | 4,133 | 25.9 | −0.1 | |
| Conservative | William Hart Dyke | 4,054 | 25.4 | 0.0 | |
| Liberal | John Lubbock | 3,896 | 24.4 | −0.3 | |
| Liberal | William Angerstein[14] | 3,861 | 24.2 | +0.3 | |
| Majority | 158 | 1.0 | +0.3 | ||
| Turnout | 7,972 (est) | 81.3 (est) | +0.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,811 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.0 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Mills | 3,440 | 25.8 | −0.1 | |
| Conservative | John Gilbert Talbot | 3,378 | 25.3 | −0.1 | |
| Liberal | John Lubbock | 3,323 | 24.9 | +0.5 | |
| Liberal | William Angerstein[14] | 3,196 | 24.0 | −0.2 | |
| Majority | 55 | 0.4 | −0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 6,669 (est) | 75.5 (est) | −5.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,828 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |||
Close
Elections in the 1870s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Mills | 5,295 | 30.7 | +4.9 | |
| Conservative | John Gilbert Talbot | 5,227 | 30.3 | +5.0 | |
| Liberal | Archibald Hamilton | 3,391 | 19.6 | −5.3 | |
| Liberal | Edward Marjoribanks | 3,346 | 19.4 | −4.6 | |
| Majority | 1,836 | 10.6 | +10.2 | ||
| Turnout | 8,630 (est) | 72.1 (est) | −3.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,973 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |||
Close
Talbot resigned in order to contest the 1878 Oxford University by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Legge | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1880s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Mills | 6,413 | 35.2 | +4.5 | |
| Conservative | William Legge | 5,986 | 32.8 | +2.5 | |
| Liberal | Henry Mason Bompas[16] | 4,857 | 26.6 | −12.4 | |
| Conservative Tenant Farmers | John May[17] | 977 | 5.4 | New | |
| Majority | 1,129 | 6.2 | −4.4 | ||
| Turnout | 11,270 (est) | 75.8 (est) | +3.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 14,873 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.4 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.4 | |||
Close
Legge was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Legge | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Close
- "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 27 July 2017.
- "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
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- "Liberal Candidate for West Kent". Kentish Mercury. 3 April 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Mr John May - The Tenant Farmer's Candidate". Woolwich Gazette. 3 April 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 1)
- Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 406–407. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.