West Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)

West Surrey
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Surrey
1832–1885
Number of members Two
Replaced by Mid Surrey (part in 1868)
Chertsey, Guildford (remainder in 1885)
Created from Haslemere and Surrey

West Surrey (formally the Western division of Surrey) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Surrey, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832–33 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.

Boundaries

1832-1885: The Hundreds of Blackheath, Copthorne, Effingham, Elmbridge, Farnham, Godalming, Godley and Chertsey, Woking and Wotton.[1]

The constituency was therefore the more extensive and more rural of the two divisions of Surrey established in 1832; Its main existing towns were urbanising with railway stations: Woking became a town towards the end of its existence. Elections were conducted at Guildford; other most populous towns comprised Leatherhead, Dorking, Epsom, Ewell, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Chertsey, Egham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Woking. (Guildford was a borough returning Members of Parliament in its own right, but freeholders within the borough boundaries could, nevertheless, vote for the county division if they did not qualify for a vote in the borough.)

Subdivision in 1885

On its abolition in 1885, what remained of West Surrey, land and populations having been taken away to contribute over half of Mid Surrey in 1868, was divided into two new single-member constituencies:

Members of Parliament

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1832 William Denison Whig[2][3] John Leach Whig[2]
1835 Charles Barclay Conservative
1837 Hon. George Perceval Conservative
1840 by-election John Trotter Conservative
1847 Henry Drummond Conservative
1849 by-election William Evelyn Conservative
1857 John Ivatt Briscoe Whig[4][5][2][3]
1859 Liberal
1860 by-election George Cubitt Conservative
1870 by-election Lee Steere Conservative
1880 Hon. St John Brodrick Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William John Evelyn 1,646 35.5 N/A
Conservative William Drummond 1,610 34.7 N/A
Whig Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner[7] 1,385 29.8 N/A
Majority 225 4.8 N/A
Turnout 3,013 (est) 77.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,081
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative gain from Whig Swing N/A
General Election 1857: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig John Ivatt Briscoe 1,439 35.7 +5.9
Conservative William Drummond 1,386 34.4 −0.3
Conservative Henry Currie[8] 1,204 29.9 −5.6
Majority 53 1.3 N/A
Turnout 2,734 (est) 69.7 (est) −7.6
Registered electors 3,920
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +5.9
Conservative hold Swing −1.6
General Election 1859: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Ivatt Briscoe Unopposed
Conservative William Drummond Unopposed
Registered electors 3,958
Liberal hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

Drummond's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 10 March 1860: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Cubitt Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1865: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Ivatt Briscoe Unopposed
Conservative George Cubitt Unopposed
Registered electors 4,081
Liberal hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1868: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Cubitt 3,000 39.6 N/A
Liberal John Ivatt Briscoe 2,826 37.3 N/A
Liberal Frederick Pennington 1,757 23.2 N/A
Majority 174 2.3 N/A
Turnout 5,292 (est) 78.9 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,708
Liberal hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

Briscoe's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 8 Sep 1870: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Lee Steere Unopposed
Conservative gain from Liberal
General Election 1874: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Lee Steere Unopposed
Conservative George Cubitt Unopposed
Registered electors 7,314
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: West Surrey[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Brodrick Unopposed
Conservative George Cubitt Unopposed
Registered electors 7,779
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

References

  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 2017-07-27.
  2. 1 2 3 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. 65. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 A Member of the Middle Temple (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: With An Abstract of the Law of Election, and the Usages of Parliament. London: Scott, Webster, and Geary. pp. 38, 70 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "John Ivatt Briscoe". Legacies of British Slave-ownership. University College London. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Pamphlet: A Letter on the Nature and Effects of the Tread-Wheel". British Library. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)|format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 468–469. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  7. ↑ "Staffordshire Advertiser". 24 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ "Mr. Currie at Guildford". Sussex Agricultural Express. 21 March 1857. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).


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