Much Wenlock
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1885
Replaced byLudlow

Much Wenlock, often called simply Wenlock, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885, when it was abolished. It was named after the town of that name in Shropshire.

The seat was founded in 1468 as a borough constituency and was represented throughout its history by two burgesses.

Boundaries

Much Wenlock's constituency boundaries ran from Leighton to just west of Dawley, to Ironbridge, and finally to just east of Madeley along the northern border; travelling eastwards, the boundaries ran from just east of Madeley to the bend in the River Severn, following the river thereafter. The far southern border, commencing in the east, travelled along the southern part of the Severn across to Easthope; the western border, running northwards, going from Easthope through to Benthall, and onwards back to Leighton.

Members of Parliament

  • Constituency created (1468)
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1510–1523No names known[1]
1529John FosterEdward Hall[1]
1536 ?
1539 ?
1542William BlountReginald Corbet[1]
1545Richard CornwallRichard Lawley[1]
1547Richard LawleyThomas Lawley[1]
1553 (Mar)John HerbertThomas Lawley[1]
1553 (Oct)Richard LeeRobert Eyton[1]
1554 (Apr)Thomas FosterEdward Lacon[1]
1554 (Nov)Sir George BlountJohn Evans[1]
1555Sir George BlountThomas Ridley[1]
1558Sir George BlountGeorge Bromley[1]
1558–9Roland LaconGeorge Bromley[2]
1562–3Sir George BlountCharles Foxe[2]
1571William LaconThomas Eyton[2]
1572Sir George BlountThomas Lawley[2]
1584Thomas LawleyWilliam Baynham[2]
1586Thomas LawleyWilliam Baynham[2]
1588William BaynhamRobert Lawley[2]
1593William BaynhamSir John Poole[2]
1597William Baynham, died
and replaced by Thomas Fanshawe		William Lacon[2]
1601John BrettWilliam Leighton[2]
1604Robert LawleyGeorge Lawley
1614Rowland LaconEdward Lawley
1621Sir Edward LawleyThomas Wolryche
1624Henry MyttonThomas Wolryche
1625Thomas LawleyThomas Wolryche
1626Thomas LawleyFrancis Smallman
1628Thomas LawleyGeorge Bridgmant
1629–1640No Parliaments summoned
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1640 (Apr) Sir Thomas Littleton Richard Cresset
1640 (Nov) William Pierrepont Sir Thomas Littleton
1645 William Pierrepont Humphrey Bridges
1653, 1654, 1656 Much Wenlock excluded from Barebones and 1st & 2nd Protectorate Parliaments
1659 Thomas Whitmore Sir Francis Lawley
1660 Sir Francis Lawley Thomas Whitmore
1661 Sir Thomas Littleton, Bt George Weld
Feb 1679 Sir John Weld William Forester
Aug 1679 John Wolryche
1685 Thomas Lawley George Weld
1689 Sir William Forester
1701 George Weld
1708 Thomas Weld
1710 George Weld
1713 William Whitmore
1714 Richard Newport
1715 Thomas Newport William Forester II
1716 Sir Humphrey Briggs
1722 Samuel Edwards
1727 John Sambrooke
1734 William Forester II
1739 Brooke Forester
1741 Sir Brian Broughton-Delves, Bt
1744 Isaac Hawkins Browne
1754 William Forester II
1758 George Forester
1761 Cecil Forester
1768 Sir Henry BridgemanTory[3] George ForesterTory[3]
Sept. 1780 Thomas WhitmoreTory[3]
Dec. 1780 George ForesterTory[3]
1784 John Bridgeman (later Simpson)Tory[3]
1785 George ForesterTory[3]
1790 Cecil Forester
(from 1811 Weld-Forester)		Tory[3]
1794 John SimpsonTory[3]
1820 Francis ForesterTory[3] William Lacon ChildeTory[3]
1826 John Weld-ForesterTory[3] Paul ThompsonWhig[3]
1828 George Weld-ForesterTory[3]
1832 James Milnes GaskellTory[3]
1834 Conservative[3] Conservative[3]
1868 Alexander BrownLiberal
1874 Cecil Weld-ForesterConservative
  • Constituency abolished (1885)

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

Weld-Forester was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to William IV, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 20 February 1830: Wenlock[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Tory hold
General election 1830: Wenlock[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Whig Paul Thompson Unopposed
Registered electors c. 500
Tory hold
Whig hold
General election 1831: Wenlock[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Whig Paul Thompson Unopposed
Registered electors c. 500
Tory hold
Whig hold
General election 1832: Wenlock[3][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Weld-Forester 448 41.3
Tory James Milnes Gaskell 330 30.4
Radical Matthew Bridges 308 28.4
Majority 22 2.0
Turnout 635 91.9
Registered electors 691
Tory hold
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1835: Wenlock[3][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester 519 41.1 −0.2
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell 422 33.4 +3.0
Whig William Somerville 323 25.6 −2.8
Majority 99 7.8 +5.8
Turnout c. 632 c. 78.1 c. −13.8
Registered electors 809
Conservative hold Swing +0.6
Conservative hold Swing +2.2
General election 1837: Wenlock[5][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 906
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Wenlock[5][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 961
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 14 September 1841: Wenlock[5][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 949
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 857
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

Weld-Forester was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 3 March 1852: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1852: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 905
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 871
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Gaskell was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 3 March 1858: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 881
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Conservative James Milnes Gaskell Unopposed
Registered electors 961
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1868: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester Unopposed
Liberal Alexander Brown Unopposed
Registered electors 3,445
Conservative hold
Liberal gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Weld-Forester 1,708 41.4 N/A
Liberal Alexander Brown 1,575 38.1 N/A
Conservative Charles Milnes Gaskell[6] 846 20.5 N/A
Turnout 3,283 (est) 92.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,541
Majority 133 3.3 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 729 17.6 N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Forester succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Forester and causing a by-election.

1874 Wenlock by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cecil Weld-Forester 1,720 55.1 -6.8
Liberal Beilby Lawley 1,401 44.9 +6.8
Majority 319 10.2 +6.9
Turnout 3,121 88.1 -4.6
Registered electors 3,541
Conservative hold Swing -6.8

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Wenlock[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alexander Brown 2,058 46.5 +8.4
Conservative Cecil Weld-Forester 1,358 30.7 −10.7
Conservative Ralph Augustus Benson[7] 1,013 22.9 +2.4
Majority 700 15.8 −1.8
Turnout 3,244 (est) 93.2 (est) +0.5
Registered electors 3,481
Liberal hold Swing +1.5
Conservative hold Swing −7.5

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Much Wenlock (1559–1603)". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 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. 22–24.
  4. 1 2 3 Escott, Margaret. "Wenlock". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1 ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 324–325. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  6. ↑ "To the Electors of Wenlock". Eddowes's Journal, and General Advertiser for Shropshire, and the Principality of Wales. 28 January 1874. p. 4. Retrieved 22 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Wenlock". Dudley Herald. 3 April 1880. p. 5. Retrieved 23 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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