West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

For the constituency sometimes called Western Somerset between 1885 and 1918, see Wellington (Somerset).

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.

West Somerset
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Context: 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the main striped area at centre
County	Somerset
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Created from	Somerset
Replaced by	Bridgwater, South Somerset and Wellington

Boundaries

1832–1868

1832–1868: The Hundreds of Abdick and Bulstone, Andersfield, Cannington, Carhampton, Crewkerne, North Curry, Houndsborough, Berwick and Coker, Huntspill and Puriton, Kingsbury East, Kingsbury West, Martock, Milverton, North Petherton, South Petherton, Pitney, Somerton, Stone, Taunton and Taunton Deane, Tintinhull, Whitley, and Williton and Freemanors.^[1]

The constituency was created for the 1832 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 changed the limits greatly for the 1868 general election. It gave the county a third division, Mid Somerset into which were moved the eastern end of this seat (including Yeovil, Street and Crewkerne).

The West gained a new main town, Bridgwater, its seats abolished partly for corruption.

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		Edward Ayshford Sanford[2][3]	Whig[4][5]		Charles Kemeys-Tynte	Whig[4][5]
1837					Thomas Dyke Acland	Conservative[4]
1841		Francis Dickinson	Conservative[4]
1847		Charles Moody	Conservative		Sir Alexander Hood, Bt	Conservative
1851 by-election					William Gore-Langton	Conservative
1859					Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, Bt	Conservative
1863 by-election		William Gore-Langton	Conservative
1868					Hon. Arthur Hood	Conservative
1874		Vaughan Lee[n 1]	Conservative
1880					Mordaunt Bisset	Conservative
1882 by-election		Edward Stanley	Conservative
1884 by-election					Charles Elton	Conservative
1885	constituency abolished

Notes

1. Later adopted the surname Vaughan-Lee

Election Results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: West Somerset^[6][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Edward Ayshford Sanford	4,815	45.6
	Whig	Charles Kemeys-Tynte	4,299	40.7
	Tory	Bickham Escott	1,449	13.7
Majority			2,850	27.0
Turnout			5,812	73.7
Registered electors			7,884
	Whig win (new seat)
	Whig win (new seat)

General election 1835: West Somerset^[6][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Ayshford Sanford	3,770	37.2	−8.4
	Whig	Charles Kemeys-Tynte	3,586	35.4	−5.3
	Conservative	Bickham Escott	2,766	27.3	+13.6
Majority			820	8.1	−18.9
Turnout			6,323	82.6	+8.9
Registered electors			7,658
	Whig hold		Swing	−7.6
	Whig hold		Swing	−6.1

General election 1837: West Somerset^[6][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dyke Acland	3,883	26.9	+13.3
	Whig	Edward Ayshford Sanford	3,556	24.7	−12.5
	Conservative	Francis Dickinson	3,524	24.4	+10.8
	Whig	Charles Kemeys-Tynte	3,458	24.0	−11.4
Turnout			7,349	83.0	+0.4
Registered electors			8,854
Majority			425	2.9	N/A
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+12.6
Majority			32	0.3	−7.8
	Whig hold		Swing	−12.3

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: West Somerset^[6][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dyke Acland	Unopposed
	Conservative	Francis Dickinson	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,024
	Conservative hold
	Conservative gain from Whig

12321

General election 1847: West Somerset^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Moody	3,603	29.2	N/A
	Conservative	Alexander Hood	3,311	26.9	N/A
	Whig	Philip Pleydell-Bouverie[7][8]	2,783	22.6	New
	Radical	Bickham Escott[9]	2,624	21.3	New
Majority			528	4.3	N/A
Turnout			6,161 (est)	73.1 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			8,433
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

Hood's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 10 April 1851: West Somerset^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Gore-Langton	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1852: West Somerset^[6]

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^[6]

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^[6]

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^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Gore-Langton	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1865: West Somerset^[6]

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^[6]

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^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Vaughan Lee	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1874: West Somerset^[6]

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^[6]

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[10]	2,967	31.9	New
Majority			169	1.9	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^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Stanley	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Bisset resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 Feb 1884: West Somerset^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Elton	3,757	55.6	−12.5
	Liberal	Frederick Lambart	2,995	44.4	+12.5
Majority			762	11.2	+9.3
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. "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 23 May 2020.
2. Jenekins, Terry. "Somerset". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
3. 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.
4. 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. 25–26. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
5. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 156, 174. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
6. 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.
7. "Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette". 15 July 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "Progress of the Elections". Hampshire Advertiser. 21 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "District News". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 21 August 1847. p. 8. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. "West Somerset Liberal Association Luncheon at Bridgwater". West Somerset Free Press. 22 May 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 22 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.