South Devon
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Context of 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the largest blue area.
CountyDevon
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromDevon
Replaced byTotnes
Tavistock

South Devon, formerly known as the Southern Division of Devon, was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Devon in England. From 1832 to 1885 it returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be re-established for the next general election.[1] It will be formed from the current seat of Totnes, with only minor changes to its boundaries.

Boundaries

In 1832 the county of Devon, in south western England, was divided for Parliamentary purposes between this constituency and North Devon. In 1868 the Devon county constituencies were re-arranged into North, South and East Devon divisions. Each of these divisions returned two members of Parliament.

In 1885 the three constituencies were again redrawn, so that Devon was represented by eight single member County constituencies (there were also three borough constituencies, two of which returned two members and the third one member). The county was split between the new smaller constituencies of Ashburton (alternatively the Mid Division), Barnstaple (the North-Western Division), Honiton (the Eastern Division), South Molton (the Northern Division), Tavistock (the Western Division), Tiverton (the North-Eastern Division), Torquay and Totnes (the Southern Division). The constituencies in this redistribution are normally referred to by the distinctive place name rather than the alternative compass point designation, so the South Devon division is considered to have been abolished in 1885.

1832–1868: The Hundreds of Axminster, Clyston, Colyton, Ottery St. Mary, East Budleigh, Lifton, Exminster, Teignbridge, Haytor, Coleridge, Stanborough, Ermington, Plympton, Roborough, and Tavistock, and Exeter Castle, and the parts of the hundred of Wonford that are not included in the city of Exeter.[2]

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Black Torrington, Ermington, Lifton, Plympton, Roborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, and Tavistock.[3]

Members of Parliament

ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1832 Lord John RussellWhig[4][5] John Crocker BulteelWhig[4][5]
1835 Sir John Yarde-Buller, BtConservative
May 1835 by-election Montague ParkerConservative
1841 Lord CourtenayConservative
1849 by-election Sir Ralph Lopes, BtConservative
1854 by-election Sir Lawrence Palk, BtConservative
1858 by-election Samuel Trehawke KekewichConservative
1868 Sir Massey Lopes, BtConservative
1873 by-election John Carpenter GarnierConservative
1884 by-election John TremayneConservative
1885 Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: South Devon[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Russell 3,782 35.4
Whig John Crocker Bulteel 3,684 34.5
Tory John Yarde-Buller 3,217 30.1
Majority 467 4.4
Turnout 6,660 89.4
Registered electors 7,453
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: South Devon[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Russell Unopposed
Conservative John Yarde-Buller Unopposed
Registered electors 8,160
Whig hold
Conservative gain from Whig

Russell was appointed Home Secretary, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 7 May 1835: South Devon[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Montagu Parker 3,755 54.6
Whig John Russell 3,128 45.4
Majority 627 9.2
Turnout 6,883 84.4
Registered electors 8,160
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1837: South Devon[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative John Yarde-Buller 4,974 37.1
Conservative Montagu Parker 4,671 34.9
Whig John Crocker Bulteel 3,744 28.0
Majority 927 6.9
Turnout 8,449 78.4
Registered electors 10,775
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: South Devon[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Yarde-Buller Unopposed
Conservative William Courtenay Unopposed
Registered electors 10,783
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1847: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Yarde-Buller Unopposed
Conservative William Courtenay Unopposed
Registered electors 10,411
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Courtenay resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 February 1849: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ralph Lopes Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Yarde-Buller Unopposed
Conservative Ralph Lopes Unopposed
Registered electors 9,569
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Lopes' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 14 February 1854: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lawrence Palk Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Yarde-Buller Unopposed
Conservative Lawrence Palk Unopposed
Registered electors 9,625
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Buller was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Churston and causing a by-election.

By-election, 6 August 1858: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Trehawke Kekewich Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Trehawke Kekewich Unopposed
Conservative Lawrence Palk Unopposed
Registered electors 9,466
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Trehawke Kekewich Unopposed
Conservative Lawrence Palk Unopposed
Registered electors 9,592
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1868: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Massey Lopes 3,234 35.3 N/A
Conservative Samuel Trehawke Kekewich 3,233 35.3 N/A
Liberal John Russell 2,694 29.4 New
Majority 539 5.9 N/A
Turnout 5,928 (est) 73.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 8,047
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

Kekewich's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 Jun 1873: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Carpenter Garnier Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1874: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Carpenter Garnier Unopposed
Conservative Massey Lopes Unopposed
Registered electors 8,350
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Lopes was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 19 Mar 1874: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Massey Lopes Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Carpenter Garnier Unopposed
Conservative Massey Lopes Unopposed
Registered electors 7,982
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Garnier resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 Aug 1884: South Devon[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Tremayne Unopposed
Conservative hold

See also

References

  1. ↑ "South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "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 22 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 62. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  5. 1 2 Gash, Norman (2013). Politics in the Age of Peel: A Study in the Technique of Parliamentary Representation, 1830–1850. Faber & Faber. p. 247. ISBN 9780571302901. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 378–379. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.