West_Somerset_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1832–1885
West Somerset or Somerset Western (formally The Western division of Somerset) was the name of a parliamentary constituency in the county of Somerset between 1832 and 1885. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.
| West Somerset | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | Somerset |
| 1832–1885 | |
| Seats | Two |
| Created from | Somerset |
| Replaced by | Bridgwater, South Somerset and Wellington |
1832–1868
1832–1868: The Hundreds of Abdick and Bulstone, Andersfield, Cannington, Carhampton, Crewkerne, North Curry, Houndsborough, Berwick and Coker, Huntspill and Puriton, Kingsbury East, Kingsbury West, Martock, Milverton, North Petherton, South Petherton, Pitney, Somerton, Stone, Taunton and Taunton Dean, Tintinhull, Whitley, and Williton and Freemanors.[1]
The constituency was created for the 1832 general election, when the former Somerset constituency was divided into new East and West divisions. It also absorbed the voters from the abolished boroughs of Ilchester and Minehead. The constituency might have been better described as South-Western Somerset, since it stretched to the southern as well as the western extremities of the county. It surrounded the county town of Taunton (although Taunton was a borough electing MPs in its own right, freeholders within the borough who met the property-owning qualifications for the county franchise could vote in West Somerset as well, as could those in Bridgwater); otherwise, the largest town was Yeovil, but the division also included Chard, Crewkerne, Minehead, Wellington, Ilminster, Street, Watchet and Wiveliscombe; nevertheless, the majority of voters were in the rural areas.
1868–1885
The Second Reform Act changed the limits greatly for the 1868 general election. It gave the county a third division, Mid Somerset into which were moved the eastern end of this seat (including Yeovil, Street and Crewkerne).
The West gained a new main town, Bridgwater, its seats abolished partly for corruption.
Abolition
The constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, when those parts of Somerset outside its boroughs were divided into seven single-member county constituencies. West Somerset's voters were divided between the new Bridgwater, South Somerset and Wellington divisions. (The Wellington division, which lasted until 1918, had the alternative name of Western Somerset.)
| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Edward Ayshford Sanford[2][3] | Whig[4][5] | Charles Kemeys-Tynte | Whig[4][5] | ||
| 1837 | Thomas Dyke Acland | Conservative[4] | ||||
| 1841 | Francis Dickinson | Conservative[4] | ||||
| 1847 | Charles Moody | Conservative | Sir Alexander Hood, Bt | Conservative | ||
| 1851 by-election | William Gore-Langton | Conservative | ||||
| 1859 | Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, Bt | Conservative | ||||
| 1863 by-election | William Gore-Langton | Conservative | ||||
| 1868 | Hon. Arthur Hood | Conservative | ||||
| 1874 | Vaughan Lee[n 1] | Conservative | ||||
| 1880 | Mordaunt Bisset | Conservative | ||||
| 1882 by-election | Edward Stanley | Conservative | ||||
| 1884 by-election | Charles Elton | Conservative | ||||
| 1885 | constituency abolished | |||||
Notes
- Later adopted the surname Vaughan-Lee
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Edward Ayshford Sanford | 4,815 | 45.6 | ||
| Whig | Charles Kemeys-Tynte | 4,299 | 40.7 | ||
| Tory | Bickham Escott | 1,449 | 13.7 | ||
| Majority | 2,850 | 27.0 | |||
| Turnout | 5,812 | 73.7 | |||
| Registered electors | 7,884 | ||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Edward Ayshford Sanford | 3,770 | 37.2 | −8.4 | |
| Whig | Charles Kemeys-Tynte | 3,586 | 35.4 | −5.3 | |
| Conservative | Bickham Escott | 2,766 | 27.3 | +13.6 | |
| Majority | 820 | 8.1 | −18.9 | ||
| Turnout | 6,323 | 82.6 | +8.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,658 | ||||
| Whig hold | Swing | −7.6 | |||
| Whig hold | Swing | −6.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Thomas Dyke Acland | 3,883 | 26.9 | +13.3 | |
| Whig | Edward Ayshford Sanford | 3,556 | 24.7 | −12.5 | |
| Conservative | Francis Dickinson | 3,524 | 24.4 | +10.8 | |
| Whig | Charles Kemeys-Tynte | 3,458 | 24.0 | −11.4 | |
| Turnout | 7,349 | 83.0 | +0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 8,854 | ||||
| Majority | 425 | 2.9 | N/A | ||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +12.6 | |||
| Majority | 32 | 0.3 | −7.8 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | −12.3 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Thomas Dyke Acland | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Francis Dickinson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 9,024 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | |||||
12321
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Moody | 3,603 | 29.2 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Alexander Hood | 3,311 | 26.9 | N/A | |
| Whig | Philip Pleydell-Bouverie[7][8] | 2,783 | 22.6 | New | |
| Radical | Bickham Escott[9] | 2,624 | 21.3 | New | |
| Majority | 528 | 4.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 6,161 (est) | 73.1 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 8,433 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1850s
Hood's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Charles Moody | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 8,210 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Charles Moody | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,323 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Charles Moody | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,750 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1860s
Moody's resignation caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 8,632 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Gore-Langton | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Arthur Hood | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 8,632 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1870s
Langton's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Vaughan Lee | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Vaughan Lee | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Arthur Hood | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,774 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Vaughan Vaughan-Lee | 3,186 | 34.3 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Mordaunt Bisset | 3,136 | 33.8 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Thomas Dyke Acland[10] | 2,967 | 31.9 | New | |
| Majority | 169 | 1.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 6,128 (est) | 73.9 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 8,291 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Lee resigned, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Stanley | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Bisset resigned, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charles Elton | 3,757 | 55.6 | −12.5 | |
| Liberal | Frederick Lambart | 2,995 | 44.4 | +12.5 | |
| Majority | 762 | 11.2 | +9.3 | ||
| Turnout | 6,752 | 71.6 | −2.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,431 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −12.5 | |||
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
- "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 23 May 2020.
- Jenekins, Terry. "Somerset". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- Jenkins, Terry. "SANFORD, Edward Ayshford (1794-1871), of Nynehead Court, Wellington, Som. and 41 Grosvenor Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- 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. 25–26. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
- Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 156, 174. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
- Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
- "Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette". 15 July 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Progress of the Elections". Hampshire Advertiser. 21 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "District News". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 21 August 1847. p. 8. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "West Somerset Liberal Association Luncheon at Bridgwater". West Somerset Free Press. 22 May 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 22 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.