Ashburton (UK Parliament constituency)

Ashburton
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Devon
Major settlements Ashburton
1885–1918
Number of members One
Replaced by Parts of Totnes, South Molton and Tiverton
Created from East Devon
1640–1868
Number of members Two (1640–1832); One (1832–1868)
Type of constituency Borough constituency
Replaced by East Devon

Ashburton was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament at Westminster, for one Parliament in 1298 and regularly from 1640 until it was abolished for the 1868 general election. It was one of three Devon borough constituencies newly enfranchised (or re-enfranchised after a gap of centuries) in the Long Parliament. It returned two Members of Parliament until the 1832–33 general election when the number was reduced to one MP.

From the 1885 general election Ashburton was revived as a county division of Devon. It returned one member until it was abolished from the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

1885-1918

The Sessional Divisions of Crockernwell and Teignbridge.[1]

Members of Parliament

Ashburton borough 1398–1868

Ashburton re-enfranchised by Parliament in Nov 1640

MPs 1640–1832

ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
November 1640 Sir John NorthcoteParliamentarian Sir Edmund FowellParliamentarian
December 1648 Northcote and Fowell excluded in Pride's Purge – both seats vacant
1653 Ashburton was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Thomas Reynell John Fowell
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Sir William Courtenay John Fowell[2]
1661 Sir George Sondes
1677 William Stawell Rawlin Mallock
February 1679 Thomas Reynell
September 1679 Richard Duke of Otterton
1681 William Stawell
1685 Edward Yarde
1689 Sir Walter Yonge Thomas Reynell
1690 William Stawell Sir Richard Reynell
1695 Richard Duke of Otterton
1701 Sir Thomas Lear
1702 Richard Reynell
1705 Gilbert Yarde
January 1708 Roger Tuckfield
May 1708 Robert Balle
1710[3] Richard Lloyd
March 1711 Richard Reynell George Courtenay[4]
March 1711 Andrew Quick
1713 Roger Tuckfield
1734 Sir William Yonge[5] Whig
1735 Thomas Bladen
1739 Joseph Taylor
1741 John Harris John Arscott
1754 The Viscount Midleton
1761 Hon. Thomas Walpole
1767 Robert Palk
1768 Laurence Sulivan Charles Boone
1774 Robert Palk[6]
1784 Robert Mackreth[7]
1787 Lawrence Palk[8]
1796 Walter Palk
1802 Sir Hugh Inglis
1806 Hon. Gilbert Elliot Whig
1807 Lord Charles Bentinck
1811 John Sullivan
1812 Richard Preston
1818 Sir Lawrence Vaughan Palk Sir John Singleton Copley Tory
1826 William Sturges Bourne Tory
1830 Charles Arbuthnot Tory
February 1831 William Stephen Poyntz
May 1831 Robert Torrens
1832 Representation reduced to one Member

MPs 1832–1868

ElectionMemberParty
1832 William Stephen Poyntz Whig
1835 Charles Lushington Whig
1841 William Jardine Whig
1843 by-election James Matheson[9] Whig
1847 Thomas Matheson Whig
1852 George Moffatt Radical[10][11]
1859 John Harvey Astell Conservative
1865 Robert Jardine Liberal
1868 Constituency abolished

Mid or Ashburton division of Devon 1885–1918

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Charles Seale-Hayne Liberal
1904 by-election Harry Trelawney Eve Liberal
1908 by-election Ernest Morrison-Bell Liberal Unionist
January 1910 Charles Roden Buxton Liberal
December 1910 Ernest Morrison-Bell Conservative
1918 Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: Ashburton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Radical George Moffatt Unopposed
Registered electors 236
Radical gain from Whig
General Election 1857: Ashburton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Radical George Moffatt Unopposed
Registered electors 182
Radical hold
General Election 1859: Ashburton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Harvey Astell 91 50.3 N/A
Liberal George Moffatt 90 49.7 N/A
Majority 1 0.6 N/A
Turnout 181 92.3 N/A
Registered electors 196
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1865: Ashburton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Robert Jardine Unopposed
Registered electors 350
Liberal gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1880s

Seale-Hayne
General Election 1885: Ashburton[13][14][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Seale-Hayne 4,433 58.2 N/A
Conservative William James Harris 3,182 41.8 N/A
Majority 1,251 16.4 N/A
Turnout 7,615 81.9 N/A
Registered electors 9,300
Liberal win (new seat)
Martin
General Election 1886: Ashburton[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Seale-Hayne 3,413 53.2 -5.0
Liberal Unionist Richard Martin 3,007 46.8 +5.0
Majority 406 6.4 -10.0
Turnout 6,420 69.0 -12.9
Registered electors 9,300
Liberal hold Swing -5.0

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Ashburton[13][14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Seale-Hayne 4,361 54.4 +1.2
Conservative Charles Robert Collins 3,650 45.6 -1.2
Majority 711 8.8 +2.4
Turnout 8,011 85.3 +16.3
Registered electors 9,392
Liberal hold Swing +1.2
General Election 1895: Ashburton[13][14][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Seale-Hayne 4,380 52.4 -2.0
Conservative John A Nix 3,976 47.6 +2.0
Majority 4.4 4.8 -4.0
Turnout 8,356 85.9 +0.6
Registered electors 9,726
Liberal hold Swing -2.0

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Ashburton[13][14][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Seale-Hayne 4,487 54.7 +2.3
Conservative John A Nix 3,716 45.3 −2.3
Majority 771 9.4 +4.6
Turnout 8,203 83.9 -2.0
Registered electors 9,777
Liberal hold Swing +2.3
Eve
Ashburton by-election, 1904[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Harry Trelawney Eve 5,034 58.6 +3.9
Conservative Richard Harrison 3,558 41.4 −3.9
Majority 1,476 17.2 +7.8
Turnout 8,592 85.1 +1.2
Registered electors 10,097
Liberal hold Swing +3.9
General Election 1906: Ashburton[13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Harry Trelawney Eve 5,079 57.3 +2.6
Conservative Ernest Morrison-Bell 3,790 42.7 −2.6
Majority 1,289 14.6 +5.2
Turnout 8,869 85.0 +1.1
Registered electors 10,429
Liberal hold Swing +2.6
Ashburton by-election, 1908[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Ernest Morrison-Bell 5,191 52.8 +10.1
Liberal Charles Roden Buxton 4,632 47.2 −10.1
Majority 559 5.7 20.2
Turnout 9,823 89.5 +4.5
Registered electors 10,976
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +10.1

Elections in the 1910s

Buxton
General Election January 1910: Ashburton[13][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Roden Buxton 5,668 51.1 +3.9
Conservative Ernest Morrison-Bell 5,421 48.9 -3.9
Majority 247 2.2 7.8
Turnout 92.6 +3.1
Liberal hold Swing +3.9
General Election December 1910: Ashburton[13][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Ernest Morrison-Bell 5,579 51.6 +2.7
Liberal Charles Roden Buxton 5,225 48.4 -2.7
Majority 354 3.2 +5.4
Turnout 90.2 -2.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.7

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

References

  1. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  2. ↑ Succeeded as 2nd Baronet, 1674
  3. ↑ At the election of 1710, Lloyd and Tuckfield were returned but on petition both were found not to have been duly elected (in a dispute over the franchise), and Reynell and Courtenay were declared elected in their place
  4. ↑ Courtenay had also been elected for Newport (Cornwall), which he chose to represent; on his being declared duly elected for Ashburton a new writ for a by-election was immediately issued, and Courtenay never sat for Ashburton
  5. ↑ Yonge was also elected for Honiton, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Ashburton
  6. ↑ Created a baronet, May 1782
  7. ↑ Knighted, May 1795
  8. ↑ Palk was re-elected in 1796 but was also elected for Devon, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Ashburton again
  9. ↑ Created a baronet, 1850
  10. ↑ Steele, E. D. (1991). "At home". Palmerston and Liberalism: 1855–1865. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0521400457. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  11. ↑ "The New House of Commons". Hull Packet. 9 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 7 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  12. 1 2 3 4 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  15. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1896
  16. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  17. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
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