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West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

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For the constituency sometimes called Western Somerset between 1885 and 1918, see Wellington (Somerset).
West Somerset
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountySomerset
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromSomerset
Replaced byBridgwater, South Somerset and Wellington

West Somerset or Somerset Western (formally The Western division of Somerset) was the name of a parliamentary constituency in the county of Somerset between 1832 and 1885. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

Boundaries

1832–1868

The constituency was created for the 1832–33 general election, when the former Somerset constituency was divided into new East and West divisions. It also absorbed the voters from the abolished boroughs of Ilchester and Minehead. The constituency might have been better described as South-Western Somerset, since it stretched to the southern as well as the western extremities of the county. It surrounded the county town of Taunton (although Taunton was a borough electing MPs in its own right, freeholders within the borough who met the property-owning qualifications for the county franchise could vote in West Somerset as well, as could those in Bridgwater); otherwise, the largest town was Yeovil, but the division also included Chard, Crewkerne, Minehead, Wellington, Ilminster, Street, Watchet and Wiveliscombe; nevertheless, the majority of voters were in the rural areas.

1868–1885

The Second Reform Act brought about significant boundary changes, which came into effect at the 1868 general election, as Somerset was given a third county constituency. The eastern end of West Somerset (including Yeovil, Street and Crewkerne) was moved into the new Mid Somerset division, but in their place the constituency absorbed the borough of Bridgwater, which had been abolished as a borough because of its history of corruption; the town of Bridgwater was much the largest in the revised constituency.

Abolition

The constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, when those parts of Somerset outside its boroughs were divided into seven single-member county constituencies. West Somerset's voters were divided between the new Bridgwater, South Somerset and Wellington divisions. (The Wellington division, which lasted until 1918, had the alternative name of Western Somerset.)

Members of Parliament

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1832 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Whigs (British political party)/meta/color" | Edward Ayshford Sanford[1][2] Whig style="background-color: Template:Whigs (British political party)/meta/color" | Charles Kemeys-Tynte Whig
1837 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Thomas Dyke Acland Conservative
1841 style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Francis Dickinson Conservative
1847 rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Charles Moody Conservative style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Alexander Hood, Bt Conservative
1851 by-election style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | William Gore-Langton Conservative
1859 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, Bt Conservative
1863 by-election rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | William Gore-Langton Conservative
1868 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Hon. Arthur Hood Conservative
1874 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Vaughan Lee [3] Conservative
1880 rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Mordaunt Bisset Conservative
1882 by-election rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Edward Stanley Conservative
1884 by-election style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Charles Isaac Elton Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Notes

  1. ^ Jenekins, Terry. "Somerset". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  2. ^ Jenkins, Terry. "SANFORD, Edward Ayshford (1794-1871), of Nynehead Court, Wellington, Som. and 41 Grosvenor Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. ^ Later adopted the surname Vaughan-Lee

Election Results

Elections in the 1850s

Hood's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 10 April 1851: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1852: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative Charles Moody Unopposed
Registered electors 8,210
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1857: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative Charles Moody Unopposed
Registered electors 7,323
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1859: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood Unopposed
Conservative Charles Moody Unopposed
Registered electors 7,750
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

Moody's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 February 1863: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1865: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood Unopposed
Registered electors 8,632
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1868: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gore-Langton Unopposed
Conservative Arthur Hood Unopposed
Registered electors 8,632
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

Langton's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 12 Jan 1874: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vaughan Lee Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1874: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vaughan Lee Unopposed
Conservative Arthur Hood Unopposed
Registered electors 7,774
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Vaughan Vaughan-Lee 3,186 34.3 N/A
Conservative Mordaunt Bisset 3,136 33.8 N/A
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland[2] 2,967 31.9 N/A
Majority 169 1.8 N/A
Turnout 6,128 (est) 73.9 (est) N/A
Registered electors 8,291
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Lee resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 26 Apr 1882: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Stanley Unopposed
Conservative hold

Bisset resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 Feb 1884: West Somerset[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Isaac Elton 3,757 55.6 −12.5
Liberal Frederick Lambart 2,995 44.4 +12.5
Majority 762 11.3 +9.5
Turnout 6,752 71.6 −2.3
Registered electors 9,431
Conservative hold Swing −12.5

References

  • F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
  • Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  2. ^ "West Somerset Liberal Association Luncheon at Bridgwater". West Somerset Free Press. 22 May 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 22 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
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