South Essex (UK Parliament constituency)

South Essex
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyEssex
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromEssex
Replaced bySouth East Essex
Romford
West Ham North
West Ham South
Walthamstow
Epping
Chelmsford
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:East Essex, West Essex

South Essex (formally the Southern division of Essex) was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) using the bloc vote system.

History

The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832, with effect from the general election in December 1832, when the former Essex constituency was divided into Northern and Southern divisions. From 1868, it was reduced in size when Essex was redivided into the Eastern, Southern and Western divisions. It was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the county was divided into eight single-member divisions.

Boundaries

1832–1868

  • The Hundreds of Barstable, Becontree, Chafford, Chelmsford, Dengie, Harlow, Ongar, Rochford, and Waltham; and
  • The Liberty of Havering.[1]

See map on Vision of Britain website.[2]

1868–1885

  • The Hundreds of Becontree, Chafford, Barstable, and Rochford; and
  • The Liberty of Havering.[3]

See map on Vision of Britain website.[4]

Areas covered

Hundred/Liberty 1832 1868 After 1885 (post-abolition)[5]
Becontree (West Ham, Plaistow etc.) South Essex South Essex West Ham North and West Ham South
Becontree (Barking, Dagenham, East Ham, Wanstead etc.) Romford
Becontree (Walthamstow, Low Leyton and Woodford) Walthamstow
Chafford (Brentwood end) [6] Chelmsford
Chafford (Aveley, Grays and Thurrock end)[6] South East Essex
Barstable (Billericay and Shenfield etc.) [6] Chelmsford
Barstable (Orsett, Tilbury and Canvey Island)[6] South East Essex
Rochford South East Essex
Liberty of Havering/Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower Romford
Dengie (Maldon (burgage of town excluded) to Burnham and Tillingham) East Essex South East Essex
Chelmsford West Essex Chelmsford
Harlow Epping
Ongar
Waltham (Nazeing to Chingford)

[7][8] The place for "holding of courts for election of members" from 1867 became Brentwood under the 1867 Act.[8]

Members of Parliament

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1832 Robert Westley Hall-Dare Tory[9] Sir Thomas Barrett-Lennard, Bt Whig[9][10]
1834 Conservative[9]
1835 Thomas William Bramston Conservative[9]
1836 by-election George Palmer Conservative[9]
1847 Sir Edward Buxton, Bt Whig[11][12][13]
1852 Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, Bt Conservative
1857 Richard Wingfield-Baker Whig[14][15][16]
1859 John Perry-Watlington Conservative
1865 Henry Selwin-Ibbetson Conservative Lord Eustace Cecil Conservative
1868 Richard Wingfield-Baker Liberal Andrew Johnston Liberal
1874 Thomas Charles Baring Conservative William Makins Conservative
1885 Constituency divided

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: South Essex[17][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Robert Westley Hall-Dare 2,088 41.3
Whig Thomas Barrett-Lennard 1,538 30.4
Whig William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley 1,432 28.3
Turnout 3,592 80.0
Registered electors 4,488
Majority 550 10.9
Tory win (new seat)
Majority 106 2.1
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: South Essex[17][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Westley Hall-Dare 2,212 41.4 +20.8
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,118 39.7 +19.1
Whig Champion Edward Branfill[18] 1,010 18.9 −39.8
Majority 1,108 20.8 N/A
Turnout 3,151 67.7 −12.3
Registered electors 4,655
Conservative hold Swing +20.4
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +19.5

Dare's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 9 June 1836: South Essex[17][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Palmer 2,103 57.9 −23.2
Whig Champion Edward Branfill[18] 1,527 42.1 +23.2
Majority 576 15.8 −4.9
Turnout 3,630 68.7 +1.0
Registered electors 5,286
Conservative hold Swing −23.2
General election 1837: South Essex[17][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,511 39.7 ±0.0
Conservative George Palmer 2,260 35.8 −5.6
Whig Champion Edward Branfill[18] 1,550 24.5 +5.6
Majority 710 11.3 −9.5
Turnout 3,933 70.9 +3.2
Registered electors 5,547
Conservative hold Swing −1.4
Conservative hold Swing −4.2

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: South Essex[17][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,310 45.1 +5.4
Conservative George Palmer 2,230 43.5 +7.7
Whig Rowland Gardner Alston[19] 583 11.4 −13.1
Majority 1,647 32.1 +20.8
Turnout c. 2,853 c. 50.7 c. −20.2
Registered electors 5,632
Conservative hold Swing +6.0
Conservative hold Swing +7.1
General election 1847: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,158 38.7 −6.4
Whig Edward Buxton 1,729 31.0 +19.6
Conservative William Bowyer-Smijth 1,694 30.4 −13.1
Turnout 2,791 (est) 52.4 (est) +1.7
Registered electors 5,326
Majority 429 7.7 −24.4
Conservative hold Swing −8.1
Majority 35 0.6 N/A
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +19.6

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,651 38.4 −0.3
Conservative William Bowyer-Smijth 2,457 35.6 +5.2
Whig Edward Buxton 1,803 26.1 −4.9
Majority 654 9.5 N/A
Turnout 4,357 (est) 74.9 (est) +22.5
Registered electors 5,819
Conservative hold Swing +1.1
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +3.8
General election 1857: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,332 35.6 −2.8
Whig Richard Wingfield 2,119 32.3 +6.2
Conservative William Bowyer-Smijth 2,102 32.1 −3.5
Turnout 4,336 (est) 70.3 (est) −4.6
Registered electors 6,169
Majority 213 3.3 −6.2
Conservative hold Swing −3.0
Majority 17 0.2 N/A
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +6.2
General election 1859: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas William Bramston 2,896 36.9 +1.3
Conservative John Perry-Watlington 2,704 34.5 +2.4
Liberal Richard Wingfield-Baker 2,245 28.6 −3.7
Majority 459 5.9 N/A
Turnout 5,045 (est) 75.6 (est) +5.3
Registered electors 6,669
Conservative hold Swing +1.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.1

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Selwin 2,817 35.6 −1.3
Conservative Eustace Cecil 2,710 34.3 −0.2
Liberal Richard Wingfield-Baker 2,382 30.1 +1.5
Majority 328 4.2 −1.7
Turnout 5,146 (est) 70.1 (est) −5.5
Registered electors 7,338
Conservative hold Swing −1.0
Conservative hold Swing −0.5
General election 1868: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Wingfield-Baker Unopposed
Liberal Andrew Johnston Unopposed
Registered electors 7,127
Liberal gain from Conservative
Liberal gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charles Baring 3,646 28.9 New
Conservative William Makins 3,528 27.9 New
Liberal Richard Wingfield-Baker 2,735 21.6 N/A
Liberal Andrew Johnston 2,728 21.6 N/A
Majority 793 6.3 N/A
Turnout 6,319 (est) 72.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 8,713
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Essex[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Charles Baring 4,841 26.8 −2.1
Conservative William Makins 4,726 26.2 −1.7
Liberal Edward Buxton 4,324 24.0 +2.4
Liberal Leonard Lyell[20] 4,147 23.0 +1.4
Majority 402 2.2 −4.1
Turnout 9,019 (est) 75.5 (est) +3.0
Registered electors 11,950
Conservative hold Swing −2.3
Conservative hold Swing −1.6

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 22 May 2020.
  2. ^ "HMSO Boundary Commission 1832, Essex".
  3. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ "HMSO Boundary Commission Report 1868, Essex".
  5. ^ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. https://archive.org/stream/publicgeneralac01walegoog#page/n155/mode/2up
  6. ^ a b c d 'Map of Essex', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Essex, Volume 1, North West (London, 1916), p. xxxvii. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/essex/vol1/xxxvii [accessed 18 August 2017].
  7. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Anni 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 27 July 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Representation of the People Act 1867, Schedule D at scanned page 26 of 36 of the Act" (PDF). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 105. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  10. ^ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 161. Retrieved 9 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Essex (South)". Bell's Weekly Messenger. 14 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "Essex Standard". 13 August 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ Barrell, Helen (2016). Poison Panic: Arsenic Deaths in 1840s Essex. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-47385-207-5. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ "South Essex". The Ipswich Journal. 4 April 1857. p. 3. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. ^ "The Elections". Herts Guardian, Agricultural Journal, and General Advertiser. 4 April 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "Essex (South)". Coventry Standard. 3 April 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 3 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 387. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  18. ^ a b c Newlin, George, ed. (1995). "General Elections in the Metropolis". Everyone in Dickens: Volume I. London: Greenwood Press. p. 139. ISBN 0-313-29580-8. LCCN 95-2453. Retrieved 1 May 2020 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "The Elections". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 10 July 1841. p. 4. Retrieved 9 April 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "Representation of South Essex". Bury and Norwich Post. 27 January 1880. p. 7. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

Preceded by UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by
UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by
UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by
UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by
UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by
UK Parliament constituency
1832–1885 		Succeeded by