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.
Much Wenlock | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
1290–1885 | |
Replaced by | Ludlow |
The seat was founded in 1468 as a borough constituency and was represented throughout its history by two burgesses.
Boundaries
editMuch 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
edit- Constituency created (1468)
- Constituency abolished (1885)
Election results
editElections in the 1830s
editWeld-Forester was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to William IV, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Tory hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Whig | Paul Thompson | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | c. 500 | ||||
Tory hold | |||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Whig | Paul Thompson | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | c. 500 | ||||
Tory hold | |||||
Whig hold |
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 |
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 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 906 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1840s
editParty | 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.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 949 | ||||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 857 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1850s
editWeld-Forester was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 905 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
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.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 881 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1860s
editParty | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Weld-Forester | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | James Milnes Gaskell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 961 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
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
editParty | 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.
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
editParty | 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
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Much Wenlock (1559–1603)". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x 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.
- ^ a b c Escott, Margaret. "Wenlock". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Wenlock". Dudley Herald. 3 April 1880. p. 5. Retrieved 23 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.