Pembroke (UK Parliament constituency)

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Not to be confused with Pembrokeshire (UK Parliament constituency) or Dublin Pembroke (UK Parliament constituency).

Pembroke
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1542–1885
Seatsone
Replaced byPembroke and Haverfordwest

Pembroke (or Pembroke Boroughs) was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Pembroke in West Wales. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

History[edit]

For the creation and early history of the seat, see the Boundaries section below.

The constituency was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when it was replaced by the new Pembroke and Haverfordwest constituency.

For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the constituency was dominated by the Owen family of Orielton, the last of whom, Sir Hugh Owen, was defeated at the 1868 general election.

Boundaries[edit]

From its first known general election in 1542 until 1885, the constituency consisted of a number of boroughs within the historic county of Pembrokeshire in Wales.

Pembroke 1535–1832[edit]

On the basis of information from several volumes of the History of Parliament, it is apparent that the history of the borough representation from Wales and Monmouthshire is more complicated than that of the English boroughs.

The Laws in Wales Act 1535 (26 Hen. 8. c. 26) provided for a single borough seat for each of 11 of the 12 Welsh counties and Monmouthshire. The legislation was ambiguous as to which communities were enfranchised. The county towns were awarded a seat, but this in some fashion represented all the ancient boroughs of the county, as the other boroughs were required to contribute to the member's wages. It was not clear if the burgesses of the contributing boroughs could take part in the election. The only election under the original scheme was for the 1542 parliament. It seems that only burgesses from the county towns actually took part. The Parliament Act 1543 (35 Hen. 8. c. 11) confirmed that the contributing boroughs could send representatives to take part in the election at the county town. As far as can be told from surviving indentures of returns, the degree to which the "out boroughs" participated varied, but by the end of the sixteenth century all the seats had some participation from them, at some elections at least.

The original scheme was modified by later legislation and decisions of the House of Commons (which were sometimes made with no regard to precedent or evidence: for example in 1728 it was decided that only the freemen of the borough of Montgomery could participate in the election for that seat, thus disenfranchising the freemen of Llanidloes, Welshpool and Llanfyllin).

In the case of Pembrokeshire, the number of boroughs involved gradually decreased. The county town was Pembroke. The out boroughs which continued to participate were Tenby and Wiston. Haverfordwest was involved in 1542 only, as it became a separate constituency in 1545. Narberth, New Moat, and Templeton had dropped out by 1558. Newport, Cilgerran, and Llawhaden ceased to participate between 1603 and 1690.

In 1690–1832 the freemen of the three remaining boroughs of Pembroke, Tenby, and Wiston were entitled to vote. There was a dispute in 1702–1712 about the right of the Wiston freemen to vote. The Whig family of Owen of Orielton, which had the dominant influence in Pembroke, had the Pembroke Corporation bar the participation of the Wiston men (who were influenced by the Tory Wogan family). In 1712 Parliament upheld the rights of the freemen of Wiston.

There were 331 electors in 1710 (including non-resident freemen). The electorate increased to about 500 in the 1754–1790 period.

Pembroke Boroughs 1832–1885[edit]

This was a district of boroughs constituency, which grouped a number of parliamentary boroughs in Pembrokeshire into one single member constituency. The voters from each participating borough cast ballots, which were added together over the whole district to decide the result of the poll. In addition to the ancient right freemen voters, who retained the franchise after 1832, there was a new householder franchise applicable to all boroughs. The enfranchised communities in this district, from 1832, were the four boroughs of Pembroke, Milford, Tenby, and Wiston.

Members of Parliament[edit]

The Roman numerals after some names are to distinguish different members for this constituency, with the same name. It is not suggested this use of Roman numerals was applied at the time.

MPs in the Parliament of England 1542–1707[edit]

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or (before 1558) is not recorded in a surviving document, unknown is entered in the table.

Elected Assembled Dissolved Member Note
1542 16 January 1542 28 March 1544 John Adams
1545 23 November 1545 31 January 1547 Lewis Watkins
1547 4 November 1547 15 April 1552 John Harington II
1553 1 March 1553 31 March 1553 Henry Adams
1553 5 October 1553 5 December 1553 Henry Adams
1554 2 April 1554 3 May 1554 John Herle
1554 12 November 1554 16 January 1555 John Garnons
1555 21 October 1555 9 December 1555 Richard Philipps
1558 20 January 1558 17 November 1558 William Watkin
1559 23 January 1559 8 May 1559 Henry Dodds
1562 or 1563 11 January 1563 2 January 1567 William Revell
1571 2 April 1571 29 May 1571 Robert Davy
1572 8 May 1572 19 April 1583 Robert Lougher
1584 23 November 1584 14 September 1585 John Vaughan III
1586 13 October 1586 23 March 1587 John Vaughan III
1588 4 February 1589 29 March 1589 Nicholas Adams
1593 18 February 1593 10 April 1593 Sir Conyers Clifford[1]
1597 24 October 1597 9 February 1598 Edward Burton
1601 27 October 1601 19 December 1601 John Lougher
1604 19 March 1604 9 February 1611 Richard Cuney
1614 5 April 1614 7 June 1614 Sir Walter Devereux
1620 or 1621 16 January 1621 8 February 1622 Lewis Powell
1623 or 1624 12 February 1624 27 March 1625 Sir Walter Devereux
1625 17 May 1625 12 August 1625 Lewis Powell
1626 6 February 1626 15 June 1626 Hugh Owen
1628 17 March 1628 10 March 1629 Hugh Owen
1640 13 April 1640 5 May 1640 Sir John Stepney, 3rd Baronet
3 November 1640 5 December 1648 Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet [2] Parliamentarian
— 6 December 1648[3] 20 April 1653[4] vacant
1653[5] 4 July 1653 12 December 1653 unrepresented
1654[6] 3 September 1654 22 January 1655 unrepresented
1656[7] 17 September 1656 4 February 1658 unrepresented
1658 or 1659 27 January 1659 22 April 1659 Sampson Lort
Arthur Owen
N/A[8] 7 May 1659 20 February 1660 vacant
21 February 1660 16 March 1660
c. April 1660 25 April 1660 29 December 1660 Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet
22 April 1661 8 May 1661 24 January 1679 Rowland Laugharne Died 16 November 1675
2 October 1676 Sir Hugh Owen, 2nd Baronet By-election
3 March 1679 6 March 1679 12 July 1679 Arthur Owen
1679 21 October 1680 18 January 1681 Arthur Owen
1681 21 March 1681 28 March 1681 Arthur Owen
1685 19 May 1685 2 June 1687 Arthur Owen
1689 22 January 1689 6 February 1690 Arthur Owen
1690 20 March 1690 11 October 1695 Arthur Owen
1695 22 November 1695 6 July 1698 Arthur Owen Ceased to be MP
30 December 1695 Sir John Philipps, 4th Baronet By-election
1698 24 August 1698 19 December 1700 Sir John Philipps, 4th Baronet
16 January 1701 6 February 1701 11 November 1701 Sir John Philipps, 4th Baronet
1 December 1701 30 December 1701 2 July 1702 Sir John Philipps, 4th Baronet
24 July 1702 20 August 1702 5 April 1705 John Meyrick Tory
21 May 1705 14 June 1705 1707[9] John Meyrick Tory

MPs 1707–1885[edit]

Election Member Party Note
1707, 23 October John Meyrick Tory Co-opted, not elected, to the Parliament of Great Britain
1708, 17 May Sir Arthur Owen, Bt [II] Whig Unseated, on petition, 23 February 1712
1712, 23 February Lewis Wogan Tory Declared duly elected on petition; died 28 November 1714
1715, 14 February Thomas Ferrers Whig
1722, 27 November William Owen By-election; 1747: Chose to sit for Pembrokeshire
1747, 21 December Hugh Barlow [I] By-election
1761, 2 April Sir William Owen, Bt
1774, 14 October Hugh Owen [III] (later Hugh Barlow [II]) Whig[10] Changed name 1789; died 23 January 1809
1809, 9 February Sir Hugh Owen, 6th Bt [IV] Tory[10] By-election; died 8 August 1809
1809, 13 September John Owen Tory[10] By-election; 1812: Chose to sit for Pembrokeshire
1813, 19 March Sir Thomas Picton Whig[10] By-election; died in action, at the Battle of Waterloo
1815, 3 July John Jones Tory[10] By-election
1818, 19 June John Hensleigh Allen Whig[10]
1826, 13 June Hugh Owen Owen Tory[10] Re-elected as a Conservative candidate
1834 Conservative[10]
1838, 20 February Sir James Graham, Bt Conservative[10] By-election
1841, 3 July Sir John Owen, Bt Conservative[10]
1846 Peelite[11][12]
1859 Liberal
1861, 22 February Sir Hugh Owen, Bt Liberal By-election
1868, 18 November Thomas Meyrick Conservative
1874, 12 February Edward Reed Liberal
1880, 7 April Henry George Allen Liberal
1885 constituency abolished: see Pembroke & Haverfordwest

Elections[edit]

Elections in the 1830s[edit]

General election 1830: Pembroke[10][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Hugh Owen Owen Unopposed
Tory hold
General election 1831: Pembroke[10][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Hugh Owen Owen Unopposed
Registered electors c. 1,400
Tory hold
General election 1832: Pembroke[10][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Hugh Owen Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 1,208
Tory hold
General election 1835: Pembroke[10][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Hugh Owen Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 1,168
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Pembroke[10][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Hugh Owen Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 1,152
Conservative hold

Owen resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 February 1838: Pembroke[10][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative James Graham Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s[edit]

General election 1841: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Owen 282 50.3 N/A
Conservative Hugh Owen Owen 184 32.8 N/A
Radical James Mark Child[15] 95 16.9 New
Majority 98 17.5 N/A
Turnout 561 49.5 N/A
Registered electors 1,134
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1847: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite John Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 952
Peelite gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s[edit]

General election 1852: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite John Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 951
Peelite hold
General election 1857: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite John Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 810
Peelite hold
General election 1859: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Owen Unopposed
Registered electors 914
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s[edit]

Owen's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 22 February 1861: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Owen Owen 342 57.1 N/A
Conservative Thomas Meyrick 257 42.9 New
Majority 85 14.2 N/A
Turnout 599 66.9 N/A
Registered electors 896
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1865: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Owen Owen 668 68.7 N/A
Conservative Benjamin Hardwicke[16] 304 31.3 N/A
Majority 364 37.4 N/A
Turnout 972 67.8 N/A
Registered electors 1,433
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Meyrick 1,419 57.5 +26.2
Liberal Hugh Owen Owen 1,049 42.5 −26.2
Majority 370 15.0 N/A
Turnout 2,468 81.5 +13.7
Registered electors 3,028
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +26.2

Elections in the 1870s[edit]

General election 1874: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Reed 1,339 50.5 +8.0
Conservative Thomas Meyrick 1,310 49.5 −8.0
Majority 29 1.0 N/A
Turnout 2,649 84.2 +2.7
Registered electors 3,146
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.0

Elections in the 1880s[edit]

General election 1880: Pembroke[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry George Allen 1,462 50.6 +0.1
Conservative Thomas Meyrick 1,429 49.4 −0.1
Majority 33 1.2 +0.2
Turnout 2,891 86.6 +2.4
Registered electors 3,338
Liberal hold Swing +0.1

References[edit]

  1. ^ s:Clifford, Sir Conyers (DNB00)
  2. ^ Excluded in Pride's Purge
  3. ^ Date of Pride's Purge, which converted the Long Parliament into the Rump Parliament.
  4. ^ Date when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament by force.
  5. ^ Date when the members of the nominated or Barebones Parliament were selected. Pembroke was not represented in this body.
  6. ^ Date when the members of the First Protectorate Parliament were elected. Pembroke was not represented in this body. Pembroke formed part of the county constituency of Pembrokeshire for this Parliament.
  7. ^ Date when the members of the Second Protectorate Parliament were elected. Pembroke was not represented in this body. Pembroke formed part of the county constituency of Pembrokeshire for this Parliament.
  8. ^ The Rump Parliament was recalled and subsequently Pride's Purge was reversed, allowing the full Long Parliament to meet until it agreed to dissolve itself.
  9. ^ The MPs of the last Parliament of England and 45 members co-opted from the former Parliament of Scotland, became the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain which assembled on 23 October 1707 (see below for the members in that Parliament).
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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. 199–200. Retrieved 5 May 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ^ "Election Talk". The Spectator. 6 March 1852. p. 6. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Pembrokeshire (Boroughs)". Evening Mail. 9 July 1852. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ a b Escott, Margaret. "Pembroke Boroughs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 511. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  15. ^ "Pembroke, July 2". Evening Mail. 5 July 1841. p. 6. Retrieved 13 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "The General Election". The Examiner. 15 July 1865. pp. 7–11. Retrieved 14 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources[edit]

  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
  • The House of Commons 1690–1715, by Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley and D.W. Hayton (Cambridge University Press 2002)
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
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