East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

East Somerset was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1832 and 1918.

East Somerset
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Context: 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the main eastern striped area at centre
County	Somerset
1885–1918
Seats	One
Replaced by	Wells and Yeovil
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Somerset

From 1832 to 1885, it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system of election. From 1885 to 1918, a different constituency of the same name returned one MP, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

1832–1868: The Hundreds or Liberties of Bath Forum, Bempstone, Brent and Wrington, Bruton, Catsash, Chew and Chewton, Norton Ferris, Frome, Glaston Twelve Hides, Hampton and Claverton, Horethorne, Keynsham, Kilmersdon, Mells and Leigh, Portbury, Wellow, Wells Forum, Whitstone, Winterstoke, and Witham Friary, and the parts of the Hundred of Hartcliffe with Bedminster excluded from the limits of the City of Bristol.^[1]

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Somerton and Wincanton, and part of the Sessional Divisions of Shepton Mallet and Wells.

History

1832–1868

The constituency, formally called The Eastern Division of Somerset, 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 borough of Milborne Port. The constituency might have been better described as North-Eastern Somerset, since its limits stopped well short of the southern extremities of the county. It surrounded the cities of Bath and Wells (although both were boroughs electing MPs in their own right, freeholders within these boroughs who met the property-owning qualifications for the county franchise could vote in East Somerset as well, as could those in Frome); other towns in the division were Glastonbury, Burnham-on-Sea, Clevedon, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Portishead, Radstock, Shepton Mallet, Somerton and Weston-super-Mare.

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 southern end of East Somerset (including Glastonbury, Radstock, Shepton Mallet and Somerton as well as the area round Frome and Wells) was moved into the new Mid Somerset division. The revised East Somerset constituency was now defined as consisting of the Long Ashton, Axbridge, Keynsham, Temple Cloud and Weston Petty Sessional Divisions.

1885–1918

At the 1885 general election, there were further radical boundary changes, Somerset's three two-member county divisions together with one abolished borough being reorganised into seven single-member county constituencies. One of these took the name of Eastern Somerset, but this included none of the voters from the 1867-85 East Somerset constituency, who were divided between the new Frome, Northern Somerset and Wells divisions.

The new Eastern division was carved out of the previous Mid Somerset division, with Shepton Mallet being its largest town; it also included Somerton, Street and Wincanton. This was a predominantly rural constituency, though with some industry in the towns (notably brewing and bootmaking), and a strong Nonconformist religious tradition. It would probably have been a safe Liberal seat, but when its sitting Liberal MP joined the Liberal Unionists when the party split in 1886, he had no difficulty holding his seat until he retired.

Abolition

The constituency was abolished for the 1918 general election, when Somerset's number of county members was reduced by one. It was mostly replaced by the revised Wells county constituency, but the town of Somerton was transferred to Yeovil.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Election	1st Member		1st Party	2nd Member		2nd Party
1832		William Gore-Langton[2]	Whig[3][4][5]		William Papwell Brigstocke[6]	Whig[3]
Feb. 1834 by-election					William Miles[6]1	Tory[3]
Dec. 1834						Conservative[3]
1847 by-election		William Pinney	Whig[7][8][9][10][11]
1852		William Knatchbull[6]	Conservative
1865		Ralph Neville-Grenville[6]	Conservative		Richard Paget	Conservative
1868		Ralph Shuttleworth Allen[6]	Conservative		Richard Bright	Conservative
1878 by-election					Sir Philip Miles, Bt[6]	Conservative
1879 by-election		Lord Brooke[6]	Conservative
1885	Redistribution of Seats Act: Name transferred to a different constituency, electing only one member

Notes
¹ Miles was created a Baronet in 1859.

MPs 1885–1918

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Henry Hobhouse[6]	Liberal
	1886		Liberal Unionist
	1906	John Thompson[6]	Liberal
	1910	Ernest Jardine[6]	Liberal Unionist
	1912		Conservative
	1918	constituency abolished

Election results

Decades:

1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: East Somerset ^[12][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Gore-Langton	4,249	35.8
	Whig	William Papwell Brigstock	4,003	33.8
	Tory	William Miles	3,603	30.4
Majority			400	3.4
Turnout			7,694	85.5
Registered electors			8,996
	Whig win (new seat)
	Whig win (new seat)

Brigstock's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 3 February 1834: East Somerset ^[12][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Tory	William Miles	Unopposed
	Tory gain from Whig

General election 1835: East Somerset ^[12][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Gore-Langton	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,107
	Whig hold
	Conservative gain from Whig

General election 1837: East Somerset ^[12][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Gore-Langton	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,561
	Whig hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: East Somerset ^[12][3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
	Whig	William Gore-Langton	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,759
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

Gore-Langton's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 10 April 1847: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Pinney	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1847: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
	Whig	William Pinney	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,655
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Miles	4,643	38.9	N/A
	Conservative	William Knatchbull	4,309	36.1	N/A
	Whig	Arthur Elton[13]	2,984	25.0	N/A
Majority			1,325	11.1	N/A
Turnout			7,460 (est)	73.6 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			10,140
	Conservative hold
	Conservative gain from Whig

General election 1857: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Knatchbull	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
Registered electors			10,592
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1859: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Knatchbull	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Miles	Unopposed
Registered electors			10,644
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Paget	Unopposed
	Conservative	Ralph Neville-Grenville	Unopposed
Registered electors			11,867
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1868: East Somerset ^[12][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ralph Shuttleworth Allen	3,887	29.7	N/A
	Conservative	Richard Bright	3,848	29.4	N/A
	Liberal	Arthur Hayter	2,704	20.6	New
	Liberal	William Pinney	2,656	20.3	New
Majority			1,144	8.8	N/A
Turnout			6,548 (est)	74.4 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			8,795
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ralph Shuttleworth Allen	Unopposed
	Conservative	Richard Bright	Unopposed
Registered electors			8,435
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Bright's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 20 Mar 1878: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip Miles	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Allen resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 19 Mar 1879: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Greville	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: East Somerset ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Greville	Unopposed
	Conservative	Philip Miles	Unopposed
Registered electors			8,360
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Hobhouse

General election 1885: East Somerset ^[15][16][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry Hobhouse	4,732	59.1	New
	Conservative	Henry Hoare	3,280	40.9	N/A
Majority			1,452	18.2	N/A
Turnout			8,012	85.7	N/A
Registered electors			9,344
	Liberal gain from Conservative

General election 1886: East Somerset ^[15][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Hobhouse	Unopposed
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

Morley

General election 1892: East Somerset ^[15][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Hobhouse	4,330	54.8	N/A
	Liberal	Charles Morley	3,575	45.2	New
Majority			755	9.6	N/A
Turnout			7,905	85.8	N/A
Registered electors			9,208
	Liberal Unionist hold

General election 1895: East Somerset ^[15][18][17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Hobhouse	4,408	56.9	+2.1
	Liberal	John Swinburne-Hanham	3,334	43.1	−2.1
Majority			1,074	13.8	+4.2
Turnout			7,742	83.5	−2.3
Registered electors			9,268
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+2.1

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: East Somerset ^[15][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Hobhouse	Unopposed
	Liberal Unionist hold

General election 1906: East Somerset ^[19][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Thompson	4,553	53.9	New
	Liberal Unionist	Bertram Falle	3,890	46.1	N/A
Majority			663	7.8	N/A
Turnout			8,443	86.9	N/A
Registered electors			9,717
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: East Somerset ^[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Ernest Jardine	4,997	55.7	+9.6
	Liberal	John Thompson	3,970	44.3	−9.6
Majority			1,027	11.4	N/A
Turnout			8,967
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+9.6

General election December 1910: East Somerset ^[19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Ernest Jardine	4,748	55.1	−0.6
	Liberal	John Thompson	3,875	44.9	+0.6
Majority			873	10.2	−1.2
Turnout			8,623
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	-0.6

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Ernest Jardine
• Liberal: John Thompson

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 23 May 2020.
2. Jenkins, Terry. "Somerset: Background information". The History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
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. 25. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via Google Books.
4. Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. p. 186. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
5. "North Devon Journal". 27 December 1832. p. 3. Retrieved 27 May 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Somerset Eastern 1832-1918". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 5 October 2012.
7. "Election Talk". The Spectator. 13 December 1834. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "The General Election". Sherborne Mercury. 27 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "To the Editor of the Sherborne and Yeovil Mercury". Sherborne Mercury. 28 August 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 19 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
10. Elvins, Brian. "Somerset County M.P.s 1832–1885—A Profile" (PDF). Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society. p. 152. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
11. "The Provinces". The Spectator. 3 April 1847. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
12. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 450–451. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
13. "To the Electors of the Eastern Division of Somerset". Bristol Times and Mirror. 24 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 13 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. "East Somerset Election". Frome Times. 2 December 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
16. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
17. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
18. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
19. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
20. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916

Further reading

• The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Michael Kinnear, The British Voter (London: BH Batsford, Ltd, 1968)
• Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967)
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)