West Suffolk
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
CountySuffolk
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromSuffolk
Replaced byStowmarket , Sudbury and Eye

The Western Division of Suffolk was a county constituency in Suffolk, England. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the bloc vote system of election.

History

The seat was created under the Reform Act 1832 as one of two divisions, together with the Eastern Division, of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk. This resulted in a more representative allocation, with a total of four MPs instead of two for the former entire county at large, which still allowed for double voting (or more) of those Forty Shilling Freeholders who also were householders or landlords of any particular boroughs within the county. This Act retained the four largest boroughs of the seven before 1832.

With two heirs to their title serving the seat, the Marquesses of Bristol, the Hervey family, were major landowners in the county. The modern seat is at Ickworth, with part of its grand house now being a luxury hotel.

Further sweeping changes took place as a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which saw the 2 two-member Suffolk divisions being replaced by five single-member constituencies. The Western Division was largely replaced by the North-Western or Stowmarket Division and the Southern or Sudbury Division. A small area in the east was included in the North-Eastern or Eye Division.

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Liberty of Bury St. Edmund's, and the Hundreds of Hartesmere, and Stow.[1]

MPs

ElectionMember[2] PartyMemberParty [3]
1832 Charles Tyrell Whig[4] Sir Hyde Parker, Bt Whig[4]
1835 Henry Wilson Whig[4][5] Robert Rushbrooke Conservative[4]
1837 Robert Hart Logan Conservative[4]
1838 by-election Harry Spencer Waddington Conservative[4]
1845 by-election Philip Bennet Conservative
1859 Frederick Hervey[n 1] Conservative William Parker Conservative
1864 by-election Lord Augustus Hervey Conservative
June 1875 by-election Fuller Maitland Wilson Conservative
October 1875 by-election Thomas Thornhill Conservative
1880 William Biddell Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: West Suffolk[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Charles Tyrell 1,832 38.4
Whig Hyde Parker 1,664 34.9
Tory Harry Spencer Waddington 1,272 26.7
Majority 392 8.2
Turnout 2,920 87.8
Registered electors 3,326
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: West Suffolk[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Wilson 1,723 27.6 −10.8
Conservative Robert Rushbrooke 1,655 26.5 +13.2
Conservative Robert Hart Logan 1,509 24.2 +10.9
Whig John Turner Hales 1,350 21.6 −13.3
Turnout 3,256 87.3 −0.5
Registered electors 3,731
Majority 68 1.1 −7.1
Whig hold Swing −11.4
Majority 146 2.3 N/A
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +12.6
General election 1837: West Suffolk[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Hart Logan 2,217 29.7 +5.5
Conservative Robert Rushbrooke 2,173 29.1 +2.6
Whig Henry Bunbury 1,560 20.9 −0.7
Whig Henry Wilson 1,505 20.2 −7.4
Majority 613 8.2 +5.9
Turnout 3,810 76.8 −10.5
Registered electors 4,959
Conservative hold Swing +4.8
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +3.3

Logan's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 7 May 1838: West Suffolk[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Harry Spencer Waddington Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: West Suffolk[6][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Spencer Waddington Unopposed
Conservative Robert Rushbrooke Unopposed
Registered electors 5,091
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Rushbrooke's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 7 July 1845: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Bennet Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Spencer Waddington Unopposed
Conservative Philip Bennet Unopposed
Registered electors 4,913
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Spencer Waddington Unopposed
Conservative Philip Bennet Unopposed
Registered electors 4,379
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1857: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Spencer Waddington Unopposed
Conservative Philip Bennet Unopposed
Registered electors 4,084
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1859: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Hervey 1,958 42.2 N/A
Conservative William Parker 1,379 29.7 N/A
Conservative Philip Bennet 1,300 28.0 N/A
Majority 79 1.7 N/A
Turnout 2,319 (est) 55.6 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,172
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

Hervey succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Marquess of Bristol and causing a by-election.

By-election, 8 December 1864: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Augustus Hervey Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1865: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Augustus Hervey Unopposed
Conservative William Parker Unopposed
Registered electors 4,269
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1868: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Parker 2,500 37.9 N/A
Conservative Augustus Hervey 2,389 36.2 N/A
Liberal Charles Lamport[7] 1,705 25.9 New
Majority 684 10.3 N/A
Turnout 4,150 (est) 74.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,583
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Augustus Hervey Unopposed
Conservative William Parker Unopposed
Registered electors 5,949
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Hervey's death caused a by-election.

June 1875 West Suffolk by-election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fuller Maitland Wilson 2,780 72.4 N/A
Liberal Charles Easton[8] 1,061 27.6 New
Majority 1,719 44.8 N/A
Turnout 3,841 66.1 N/A
Registered electors 5,811
Conservative hold

Wilson's death caused a by-election.

October 1875 West Suffolk by-election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Thornhill Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Suffolk[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Biddell Unopposed
Conservative Thomas Thornhill Unopposed
Registered electors 5,700
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

References

  1. ↑ This is the courtesy title given to the eldest son of the Marquess of Bristol as his main subsidiary title.
  1. ↑ "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.
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
  3. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 464–364. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 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. p. 53. Retrieved 28 May 2019 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 185–186. Retrieved 28 May 2019 – via Google Books.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 463–464. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  7. ↑ "West Suffolk Election". Bury Free Press. 14 November 1868. p. 5. Retrieved 18 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Election News". Bradford Observer. 8 June 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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