THE HOUSE OF COMMONS | |||||
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "T" | |||||
Last updated 07/09/2017 (4 Sep 2024) | |||||
Date | Name | Born | Died | Age | |
Dates in italics in the first column denote that the election held on that date was a by-election or, in some instances, the date of a successful petition against a previous election result. Dates shown in normal type were general elections. | |||||
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the MP was baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the MP was buried on that date. | |||||
TAIN (NORTHERN) BURGHS | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
comprising Tain and Dingwall (Ross-shire), Dornoch (Sutherland), Wick (Caithness) and Kirkwall (Orkney) | |||||
26 May 1708 | William Sutherland, styled Lord Strathnaver | 19 Dec 1683 | 13 Jul 1720 | 36 | |
5 May 1709 | Robert Douglas, later [1715] 12th Earl of Morton | by 1662 | 22 Jan 1730 | ||
27 Oct 1710 | Robert Munro, later [1729] 6th baronet | 24 Aug 1684 | 17 Jan 1746 | 61 | |
28 May 1741 | Charles Areskine | 1680 | 5 Apr 1763 | 82 | |
Election declared void 1 Mar 1742 | |||||
2 Apr 1742 | Robert Craigie | c 1685 | 10 Mar 1760 | ||
22 Jul 1747 | Sir Harry Munro, 7th baronet | c 1720 | 12 Jun 1781 | ||
20 Apr 1761 | John Scott | 1725 | 7 Dec 1775 | 50 | |
11 Apr 1768 | Alexander Mackay | 1717 | 31 May 1789 | 71 | |
26 Apr 1773 | James Grant | 1720 | 13 Apr 1806 | 85 | |
2 Oct 1780 | Charles Ross | c 1729 | 5 Mar 1797 | ||
26 Apr 1784 | Charles James Fox [he was also returned for Westminster, for which he chose to sit] | 24 Jan 1749 | 13 Sep 1806 | 57 | |
15 Mar 1786 | George Ross | 1700 | 7 Apr 1786 | 85 | |
30 Jun 1786 | Charles Lockhart-Ross, later [1790] 7th baronet | 15 Aug 1763 | 8 Feb 1814 | 50 | |
20 Jun 1796 | William Dundas | 1762 | 14 Nov 1845 | 83 | |
30 Jul 1802 | John Charles Villiers, later [1824] 3rd Earl of Clarendon | 14 Nov 1757 | 22 Dec 1838 | 81 | |
26 Jun 1805 | James MacDonald, later [1826] 2nd baronet | 14 Feb 1784 | 29 Jun 1832 | 48 | |
24 Nov 1806 | John Randoll Mackenzie | c 1763 | 28 Jul 1809 | ||
7 May 1808 | William Henry Fremantle | 28 Dec 1766 | 19 Oct 1850 | 83 | |
30 Oct 1812 | Hugh Innes, later [1819] 1st baronet | c 1764 | 16 Aug 1831 | ||
23 Aug 1830 | James Loch | 7 May 1780 | 28 Jun 1855 | 75 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1832 | |||||
TAMWORTH (STAFFORDSHIRE) | |||||
30 Apr 1660 | Richard Newdigate, later [1677] 1st baronet | 17 Sep 1602 | 14 Oct 1678 | 76 | |
Thomas Fox | 4 Mar 1622 | 1666 | 44 | ||
8 Apr 1661 | Amos Walrond | c 1623 | 11 Nov 1668 | ||
John Swinfen (to Aug 1679) | 19 Mar 1613 | 12 Apr 1694 | 81 | ||
26 Nov 1669 | John Ferrers [he was unseated on petition in favour of Charles Boyle, Lord Clifford 26 Mar 1670] | 26 Jul 1629 | 14 Aug 1680 | 51 | |
26 Mar 1670 | Charles Boyle, Viscount Dungarvan [I], later [1689] 1st Baron Clifford of Lanesborough | 17 Nov 1639 | 12 Oct 1694 | 54 | |
25 Feb 1679 | Sir Thomas Thynne, 2nd baronet, later [1682] 1st Viscount Weymouth (to 1685) | 8 Sep 1640 | 28 Jul 1714 | 73 | |
11 Aug 1679 | Sir Andrew Hacket | c 1632 | 19 Mar 1709 | ||
28 Feb 1681 | John Swinfen | 19 Mar 1613 | 12 Apr 1694 | 81 | |
Sir Thomas Thynne, 2nd baronet, later [1682] 1st Viscount Weymouth | 8 Sep 1640 | 28 Jul 1714 | 73 | ||
John Turton | |||||
Double return of Thynne and Turton which was not resolved before the Parliament ended | |||||
31 Mar 1685 | Richard Grobham Howe, later [1703] 3rd baronet | c 1652 | 3 Jul 1730 | ||
Sir Henry Gough (to 1698) | 3 Jan 1650 | 24 Jan 1725 | 75 | ||
11 Jan 1689 | Henry Sydney, later [Sep 1689] 1st Viscount Sydney and [1694] 1st Earl of Romney | c Mar 1641 | 8 Apr 1704 | 63 | |
8 May 1689 | Henry Boyle, later [1714] 1st Baron Carleton | 12 Jul 1669 | 14 Mar 1725 | 55 | |
28 Feb 1690 | Michael Biddulph | 19 Nov 1661 | 26 Jul 1697 | 35 | |
1 Nov 1695 | Thomas Guy (to 1708) | c 1644 | 27 Dec 1724 | ||
28 Jul 1698 | John Chetwynd [he was unseated on petition in favour of Sir Henry Gough 17 Mar 1699] | 1643 | 9 Dec 1702 | 59 | |
17 Mar 1699 | Sir Henry Gough | 3 Jan 1650 | 24 Jan 1725 | 75 | |
27 Nov 1701 | Henry Thynne [at the general election in Jul 1702, Thynne was also returned for Weymouth & Melcombe Regis, for which he chose to sit] | 8 Feb 1675 | 20 Dec 1708 | 33 | |
14 Dec 1702 | Joseph Girdler (to 1715) | 15 May 1642 | 16 Nov 1724 | 82 | |
5 May 1708 | Richard Swinfen | 11 Apr 1677 | 22 Jul 1726 | 49 | |
9 Oct 1710 | Samuel Bracebridge (to 1723) [after the general election in Mar 1722, Bracebridge was unseated on petition in favour of Richard Swinfen 23 Jan 1723] | 4 Apr 1673 | 11 Nov 1735 | 62 | |
31 Jan 1715 | William Inge | 28 Sep 1669 | 3 Jul 1731 | 61 | |
24 Mar 1722 | Francis Willoughby, later [1729] 2nd Baron Middleton (to Aug 1727) | 29 Sep 1692 | 31 Jul 1758 | 65 | |
23 Jan 1723 | Richard Swinfen | 11 Apr 1677 | 22 Jul 1726 | 49 | |
30 Jan 1727 | George Compton, later [1754] 6th Earl of Northampton | 1692 | 6 Dec 1758 | 66 | |
21 Aug 1727 | William O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin [I] | c 1700 | 18 Jul 1777 | ||
Thomas Willoughby | 11 Jun 1694 | 2 Dec 1742 | 48 | ||
29 Apr 1734 | Lord John Philip Sackville (to 1747) | 22 Jun 1713 | 3 Dec 1765 | 52 | |
George Compton, later [1754] 6th Earl of Northampton [he was also returned for Northampton, for which he chose to sit] | 1692 | 6 Dec 1758 | 66 | ||
3 Apr 1735 | Charles Cotes | c 1703 | 21 Mar 1748 | ||
6 May 1741 | John Floyer [he was unseated on petition in favour of Charles Cotes 22 Mar 1742] | c 1681 | 4 Jun 1762 | ||
22 Mar 1742 | Charles Cotes | c 1703 | 21 Mar 1748 | ||
3 Jul 1747 | Thomas Villiers, later [1776] 1st Earl of Clarendon (to 1756) | 1709 | 11 Dec 1786 | 77 | |
Sir Henry Harpur, 5th baronet | c 1708 | 7 Jun 1748 | |||
12 Dec 1748 | Sir Robert Burdett, 4th baronet (to 1768) | 28 May 1716 | 13 Feb 1797 | 80 | |
28 Jun 1756 | George Bussy Villiers, styled Viscount Villiers, later [1769] 4th Earl of Jersey | 9 Jun 1735 | 22 Aug 1805 | 70 | |
23 Dec 1765 | Edward Thurlow, later [1778] 1st Baron Thurlow (to 1778) | 9 Dec 1731 | 12 Sep 1806 | 74 | |
18 Mar 1768 | William de Grey, later [1780] 1st Baron Walsingham [he was also returned for Newport, for which he chose to sit] | 7 Jul 1719 | 9 May 1781 | 61 | |
30 Nov 1768 | Charles Vernon | 1719 | 3 Aug 1810 | 91 | |
10 Oct 1774 | Thomas de Grey, later [1781] 2nd Baron Walsingham (to 1780) | 14 Jul 1748 | 16 Jan 1818 | 69 | |
10 Jun 1778 | Anthony Chamier (to Nov 1780) | 6 Oct 1725 | 12 Oct 1780 | 55 | |
11 Sep 1780 | John Courtenay (to 1796) | 22 Aug 1738 | 24 Mar 1816 | 77 | |
27 Nov 1780 | John Calvert | 6 May 1726 | 22 Feb 1804 | 77 | |
5 Apr 1784 | John Calvert | c 1758 | 2 Jun 1844 | ||
18 Jun 1790 | Sir Robert Peel (to 1820) | 25 Apr 1750 | 3 May 1830 | 80 | |
27 May 1796 | Thomas Carter | c 1761 | 10 Jun 1835 | ||
6 Jul 1802 | William Loftus | 1752 | 15 Jun 1831 | 78 | |
7 Oct 1812 | Lord Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend | 16 Sep 1785 | 5 Nov 1853 | 68 | |
19 Jun 1818 | William Yates Peel (to 1830) | 3 Aug 1789 | 1 Jun 1858 | 68 | |
9 Mar 1820 | Lord Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend (to 1835) | 16 Sep 1785 | 5 Nov 1853 | 68 | |
30 Jul 1830 | Sir Robert Peel, 2nd baronet (to 1850) | 5 Feb 1788 | 2 Jul 1850 | 62 | |
5 Jan 1835 | William Yates Peel | 3 Aug 1789 | 1 Jun 1858 | 68 | |
25 Aug 1837 | Edward Henry A'Court | 10 Dec 1783 | 22 Sep 1855 | 71 | |
28 Jul 1847 | William Yates Peel | 3 Aug 1789 | 1 Jun 1858 | 68 | |
18 Dec 1847 | John Townshend, later [1855] 4th Marquess Townshend (to 1856) | 28 Mar 1798 | 10 Sep 1863 | 65 | |
19 Jul 1850 | Sir Robert Peel, 3rd baronet (to 1880) | 4 May 1822 | 9 May 1895 | 73 | |
7 Feb 1856 | John Villiers Stuart Townshend, Viscount Raynham, later [1863] 5th Marquess Townshend | 10 Apr 1831 | 26 Oct 1899 | 68 | |
12 Oct 1863 | John Peel | 4 Feb 1804 | 2 Apr 1872 | 68 | |
17 Nov 1868 | Sir Henry Lytton Earle Bulwer, later [1871] 1st Baron Dalling & Bulwer | 13 Feb 1801 | 23 May 1872 | 71 | |
28 Mar 1871 | John Peel | 4 Feb 1804 | 2 Apr 1872 | 68 | |
16 Apr 1872 | Robert William Hanbury | 24 Feb 1845 | 28 Apr 1903 | 58 | |
25 Apr 1878 | Hamar Alfred Bass (to 1885) | 30 Jul 1842 | 8 Apr 1898 | 55 | |
3 Apr 1880 | Jabez Spencer Balfour For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
4 Sep 1843 | 23 Feb 1916 | 72 | |
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885 | |||||
3 Dec 1885 | Philip Albert Muntz, later [1902] 1st baronet | 5 Jan 1839 | 21 Dec 1908 | 69 | |
14 Jan 1909 | Francis Alexander Newdigate‑Newdegate [kt 1917] | 31 Dec 1862 | 2 Jan 1936 | 73 | |
23 Feb 1917 | Henry Wilson-Fox | 18 Aug 1863 | 22 Nov 1921 | 58 | |
17 Jan 1922 | Sir Percy Wilson Newson, 1st baronet | 4 Apr 1874 | 17 May 1950 | 76 | |
6 Dec 1923 | Sir Edward Maugar Iliffe, later [1933] 1st Baron Iliffe | 17 May 1877 | 25 Jul 1960 | 83 | |
2 Dec 1929 | Sir Arthur Herbert Drummond Ramsay-Steel-Maitland, 1st baronet | 5 Jul 1876 | 30 Mar 1935 | 58 | |
10 May 1935 | Sir John Serocold Paget Mellor, 2nd baronet | 6 Jul 1893 | 15 Jul 1986 | 93 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1945, BUT REVIVED 1997 | |||||
1 May 1997 | Brian David Jenkins | 19 Sep 1942 | |||
6 May 2010 | Christopher John Pincher | 24 Sep 1969 | |||
19 Oct 2023 | Sarah Siena Edwards | 1988 | |||
TATTON (CHESHIRE) | |||||
9 Jun 1983 | (Mostyn) Neil Hamilton | 9 Mar 1949 | |||
1 May 1997 | Martin Bell | 31 Aug 1938 | |||
7 Jun 2001 | George Gideon Oliver Osborne | 23 May 1971 | |||
8 Jun 2017 | Esther Louise McVey | 24 Oct 1967 | |||
TAUNTON (SOMERSET) | |||||
30 Mar 1660 | Sir William Wyndham, later [1661] 1st baronet (to Feb 1679) | c 1632 | 28 Oct 1683 | ||
Thomas Gorges | c 1618 | 21 Oct 1670 | |||
4 Apr 1661 | Sir William Portman, 6th baronet (to Sep 1679) | 5 Sep 1643 | Mar 1690 | 46 | |
20 Feb 1679 | John Trenchard [kt 1689] (to 1685) | 30 Mar 1649 | 27 Apr 1695 | 46 | |
9 Sep 1679 | Sir John Cutler, 1st baronet [he was unseated on petition in favour of Edmund Prideaux 8 Dec 1680] | c 1608 | 15 Apr 1693 | ||
8 Dec 1680 | Edmund Prideaux | 4 Dec 1634 | 12 Oct 1702 | 67 | |
18 Mar 1685 | Sir William Portman, 6th baronet (to Apr 1690) | 5 Sep 1643 | 18 Mar 1690 | 46 | |
John Sanford | 2 Jan 1640 | 1711 | 71 | ||
10 Mar 1690 | Edward Clarke (to 1710) | 14 Sep 1650 | 1 Oct 1710 | 60 | |
10 Apr 1690 | John Speke | c 1652 | 1728 | ||
10 Aug 1698 | Henry Portman [at the general election in Jan 1701, Portman was also returned for Wells, for which he chose to sit] | c 1637 | 23 Feb 1728 | ||
17 Mar 1701 | Sir Francis Warre, 1st baronet (to 1715) | c 1659 | 1 Dec 1718 | ||
12 Oct 1710 | Henry Seymour Portman | c 1637 | 23 Feb 1728 | ||
Both sitting members (Warre and Portman) were again returned at the general election in Feb 1715. Both members were subsequently unseated on petition in favour of Sir William Pynsent and James Smith 30 Aug 1715 | |||||
30 Aug 1715 | William Pynsent, later [1719] 2nd baronet | c 1679 | 8 Jan 1765 | ||
James Smith (to 1727) | c 1681 | c 1734 | |||
21 Mar 1722 | John Trenchard | c 1668 | 16 Dec 1723 | ||
18 Jan 1724 | Abraham Elton, later [1728] 2nd baronet | 30 Jun 1679 | 20 Oct 1742 | 63 | |
19 Aug 1727 | George Speke | c 1686 | 2 Jan 1753 | ||
Francis Fane (to 1741) | c 1698 | 27 May 1757 | |||
26 Apr 1734 | Henry William Portman | c 1709 | 19 Jan 1761 | ||
13 May 1741 | Sir John Chapman, 2nd baronet (to 1747) | c 1710 | 29 Jan 1781 | ||
John Buck | 30 Dec 1703 | 3 Apr 1745 | 41 | ||
16 Apr 1745 | Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, later [1756] 1st Earl of Thomond [I] | c 1723 | 21 Jul 1774 | ||
29 Jun 1747 | Sir Charles Wyndham, 4th baronet, later [1750] 2nd Earl of Egremont | 19 Aug 1710 | 21 Aug 1763 | 53 | |
Robert Webb (to 1754) | c 1719 | 9 Sep 1765 | |||
27 Feb 1750 | William Rowley [kt 1753] | c 1690 | 1 Jan 1768 | ||
15 Apr 1754 | George Carpenter, 3rd Baron Carpenter, later [1761] 1st Earl of Tyrconnel (to 1762) | 26 Aug 1723 | 9 Mar 1762 | 38 | |
John Halliday | c 1709 | 8 Jun 1754 | |||
24 Dec 1754 | Robert Maxwell, later [1759] 2nd Baron Farnham [I], [1760] 1st Viscount Farnham [I] and [1763] 1st Earl of Farnham [I] (to 1768) | c 1720 | 16 Nov 1779 | ||
24 Mar 1762 | Laurence Sulivan | c 1713 | Feb 1786 | ||
18 Mar 1768 | Alexander Popham | c 1729 | 13 Oct 1810 | ||
Nathaniel Webb (to 1775) | 21 Aug 1725 | Nov 1786 | 61 | ||
18 Oct 1774 | Edward Augustus Stratford, later [1777] 2nd Earl of Aldborough | 1734 | 2 Jan 1801 | 66 | |
Both sitting members (Webb and Stratford) were unseated on petition in favour of John Halliday and Alexander Popham 16 Mar 1775 | |||||
16 Mar 1775 | John Halliday (to 1784) | c 1737 | 21 Apr 1805 | ||
Alexander Popham | c 1729 | 13 Oct 1810 | |||
12 Sep 1780 | John Roberts | 9 Feb 1782 | |||
20 Mar 1782 | Benjamin Hammet (to 1800) | c 1736 | 22 Jul 1800 | ||
5 Apr 1784 | Alexander Popham | c 1729 | 13 Oct 1810 | ||
27 May 1796 | William Morland (to 1806) | c Apr 1739 | 14 Jul 1815 | 76 | |
7 Aug 1800 | John Hammet (to 1811) | 20 Nov 1767 | 16 Apr 1811 | 43 | |
4 Nov 1806 | Alexander Baring, later [1835] 1st Baron Ashburton (to 1826) | 27 Oct 1774 | 12 May 1848 | 73 | |
1 May 1811 | Henry Powell Collins | 1776 | 22 Aug 1854 | 78 | |
24 Jun 1818 | Sir William Burroughs, 1st baronet [he was unseated on petition in favour of Henry Powell Collins 7 May 1819] | c 1753 | 1 Jun 1829 | ||
7 May 1819 | Henry Powell Collins | 1776 | 22 Aug 1854 | 78 | |
6 Apr 1820 | John Ashley Warre | 5 Oct 1787 | 18 Nov 1860 | 73 | |
22 Jun 1826 | Henry Seymour | 10 Nov 1776 | 27 Nov 1849 | 73 | |
William Peachy | c 1763 | 21 Nov 1838 | |||
6 Aug 1830 | Henry Labouchere, later [1859] 1st Baron Taunton (to 1859) | 15 Aug 1798 | 13 Jul 1869 | 70 | |
Edward Thomas Bainbridge | 13 Dec 1798 | 30 Sep 1872 | 73 | ||
11 Feb 1842 | Sir Thomas Edward Colebrooke, 4th baronet | 19 Aug 1813 | 11 Jan 1890 | 76 | |
9 Jul 1852 | Arthur Mills [his election was declared void 18 Apr 1853] | 20 Jul 1816 | 12 Oct 1898 | 82 | |
4 May 1853 | Sir John William Ramsden, 5th baronet | 14 Sep 1831 | 15 Apr 1914 | 82 | |
28 Mar 1857 | Arthur Mills (to 1865) | 20 Jul 1816 | 12 Oct 1898 | 82 | |
9 Aug 1859 | George Augustus Frederick Cavendish‑Bentinck | 9 Jul 1821 | 9 Apr 1891 | 69 | |
12 Jul 1865 | Alexander Charles Barclay (to 1880) | 1823 | 10 Jan 1893 | 69 | |
Lord William Montagu Hay, later [1878] 10th Marquess of Tweeddale | 27 Jan 1826 | 25 Nov 1911 | 85 | ||
18 Nov 1868 | Edward William Cox [He was unseated on petition in favour of Henry James 8 Mar 1869] | 1809 | 24 Nov 1879 | 70 | |
8 Mar 1869 | Sir Henry James, later [1895] 1st Baron James of Hereford (to 1885) | 30 Oct 1828 | 18 Aug 1911 | 82 | |
1 Apr 1880 | Sir William Palliser | 18 Jun 1830 | 4 Feb 1882 | 51 | |
17 Feb 1882 | Samuel Charles Allsopp, later [1887] 2nd Baron Hindlip (to 1887) | 24 Mar 1842 | 12 Jul 1897 | 55 | |
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1885 | |||||
23 Apr 1887 | Alfred Percy Allsopp | 26 Aug 1861 | 22 Feb 1929 | 67 | |
12 Jul 1895 | Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby | 22 Aug 1849 | 18 May 1937 | 87 | |
15 Jan 1906 | Sir Edward Boyle, 1st baronet | 6 Sep 1848 | 19 Mar 1909 | 60 | |
28 Feb 1909 | William Robert Wellesley Peel, later [1912] 2nd Viscount Peel and [1929] 1st Earl Peel | 7 Jan 1867 | 28 Sep 1937 | 70 | |
11 Nov 1912 | Sir Gilbert Alan Hamilton Wills, 2nd baronet, later [1929] 1st Baron Dulverton | 28 Mar 1880 | 1 Dec 1956 | 76 | |
14 Dec 1918 | Dennis Fortescue Boles, later [1922] 1st baronet | 6 Sep 1861 | 26 Jul 1935 | 74 | |
8 Apr 1921 | Sir Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith‑Boscawen | 18 Oct 1865 | 1 Jun 1946 | 80 | |
15 Nov 1922 | John Hope Simpson [kt 1925] | 23 Jul 1868 | 10 Apr 1961 | 92 | |
29 Oct 1924 | Andrew Hamilton Gault | 18 Aug 1882 | 28 Nov 1958 | 76 | |
14 Nov 1935 | Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham | 4 May 1890 | 25 Aug 1957 | 67 | |
26 Jul 1945 | Victor John Collins, later [1958] Baron Stonham [L] | 1 Jul 1903 | 22 Dec 1971 | 68 | |
23 Feb 1950 | Henry Lennox d'Aubigne Hopkinson, later [1956] 1st Baron Colyton | 3 Jan 1902 | 6 Jan 1996 | 94 | |
14 Feb 1956 | Edward Dillon Lott du Cann [kt 1984] | 28 May 1924 | 31 Aug 2017 | 93 | |
11 Jun 1987 | David John Nicholson | 17 Aug 1944 | |||
1 May 1997 | Jacqueline Margaret Ballard | 4 Jan 1953 | |||
7 Jun 2001 | Adrian John Flook | 9 Jul 1963 | |||
5 May 2005 | Jeremy Richard Browne | 17 May 1970 | |||
NAME ALTERED TO "TAUNTON DEANE" 2010 | |||||
TAUNTON DEANE (SOMERSET) | |||||
6 May 2010 | Jeremy Richard Browne | 17 May 1970 | |||
7 May 2015 | Rebecca Faye Pow | 10 Oct 1960 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024 | |||||
TAUNTON AND WELLINGTON | |||||
4 Jul 2024 | Gideon John Amos | 16 Jan 1965 | |||
TAVISTOCK (DEVON) | |||||
5 Apr 1660 | William Russell, styled Lord Russell from 1678 | 29 Sep 1639 | 21 Jul 1683 | 43 | |
George Howard (to 1673) | Feb 1622 | 17 Sep 1671 | 49 | ||
Elizeus Crymes | |||||
Double return between Howard and Crymes. Howard seated 27 Apr 1660 | |||||
5 Apr 1661 | Sir John Davie, 2nd baronet [unseated on petition in favour of Russell 17 Dec 1661] | 6 Dec 1612 | 31 Jul 1678 | 65 | |
George Howard (to 1673) | Feb 1622 | 17 Sep 1671 | 49 | ||
William Russell, styled Lord Russell from 1678 | 29 Sep 1639 | 21 Jul 1683 | 43 | ||
Double return between Howard and Russell. Howard seated 16 May 1661 | |||||
17 Dec 1661 | William Russell (to 1679) | 29 Sep 1639 | 21 Jul 1683 | 43 | |
26 Mar 1673 | Sir Francis Drake, 3rd baronet (to 1685) | 1 May 1647 | 15 Jun 1718 | 71 | |
13 Feb 1679 | Edward Russell (Lord Edward from 1694) | c 1642 | 30 Jun 1714 | ||
23 Mar 1685 | Sir James Butler | c 1642 | early 1704 | ||
John Beare | c 1645 | early 1711 | |||
14 Jan 1689 | Robert Russell (Lord Robert from 1694) (to 1703) | c 1644 | 26 Jul 1703 | ||
Sir Francis Drake, 3rd baronet | 1 May 1647 | 15 Jun 1718 | 71 | ||
29 Oct 1695 | Lord James Russell [he was unseated on petition in favour of Ambrose Manaton 12 Mar 1696] | c 1647 | 22 Jun 1712 | ||
12 Mar 1696 | Ambrose Manaton | 17 Jan 1648 | 1 Jun 1696 | 48 | |
10 Nov 1696 | Sir Francis Drake, 3rd baronet | 1 May 1647 | 15 Jun 1718 | 71 | |
9 Jan 1701 | Lord Edward Russell | c 1642 | 30 Jun 1714 | ||
24 Jul 1702 | Lord James Russell (to Dec 1703) [he was unseated on petition in favour of Henry Manaton 21 Dec 1703] | c 1647 | 22 Jun 1712 | ||
26 Nov 1703 | James Bulteel (to 1708) | c 1676 | 1757 | ||
21 Dec 1703 | Henry Manaton (to 1711) [he was unseated on petition in favour of James Bulteel 3 Feb 1711] | 17 Sep 1650 | c May 1716 | 65 | |
10 May 1708 | Sir John Cope, later [1721] 6th baronet (to 1728) [at the general election in Aug 1727, Cope was also returned for Hampshire, for which he chose to sit] | 1 Dec 1673 | 8 Dec 1749 | 76 | |
3 Feb 1711 | James Bulteel | c 1676 | 1757 | ||
1 Feb 1715 | Francis Henry Drake, later [1718] 4th baronet (to 1734) | 2 Mar 1694 | 26 Jan 1740 | 45 | |
24 Feb 1728 | Sir Humphrey Monoux, 4th baronet | c 1702 | 3 Dec 1757 | ||
29 Apr 1734 | Charles Fane, later [1744] 2nd Viscount Fane [I] (to 1747) | after 1708 | 24 Jan 1766 | ||
Sidney Meadows | c 1699 | 15 Nov 1792 | |||
9 May 1741 | Lord Sherard Manners | c 1713 | 13 Jan 1742 | ||
28 Jan 1742 | James Hamilton, 1st Viscount Limerick [I], later [1756] 1st Earl of Clanbrassil [I] | c 1691 | 17 Mar 1758 | ||
4 Jul 1747 | Richard Leveson-Gower [he was also returned for Lichfield, for which he chose to sit] | 30 Apr 1726 | 19 Oct 1753 | 27 | |
Thomas Brand (to 1754) | c 1717 | 22 Aug 1770 | |||
12 Dec 1747 | Sir Richard Wrottesley, 7th baronet | 12 Apr 1721 | 20 Jul 1769 | 48 | |
24 Apr 1754 | Richard Rigby (to 1788) | Feb 1722 | 8 Apr 1788 | 66 | |
Jeffrey French | 14 May 1754 | ||||
10 Dec 1754 | Richard Vernon | 18 Jun 1726 | 16 Sep 1800 | 74 | |
28 Mar 1761 | Richard Neville Aldworth (Neville from 1762) | 3 Nov 1717 | 17 Jul 1793 | 75 | |
8 Oct 1774 | Richard Fitzpatrick (to Jul 1807) [at the general election in May 1807, he was also returned for Bedfordshire, for which he chose to sit] | 24 Jan 1748 | 25 Apr 1813 | 65 | |
24 Apr 1788 | Lord John Russell, later [1802] 6th Duke of Bedford | 6 Jul 1766 | 20 Oct 1839 | 73 | |
19 Jun 1790 | Charles William Wyndham [he was also returned for Midhurst, for which he chose to sit] | 8 Oct 1760 | 1 Jul 1828 | 67 | |
27 Dec 1790 | Lord John Russell, later [1802] 6th Duke of Bedford | 6 Jul 1766 | 20 Oct 1839 | 73 | |
25 Mar 1802 | Lord Robert Spencer | 8 May 1747 | 23 Jun 1831 | 84 | |
11 May 1807 | Lord William Russell (to 1819) For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
20 Aug 1767 | 6 May 1840 | 72 | |
20 Jul 1807 | Charles Grey, styled Viscount Howick, later [Nov 1807] 2nd Earl Grey | 13 Mar 1764 | 17 Jul 1845 | 81 | |
19 Jan 1808 | George Ponsonby | 4 Mar 1755 | 8 Jul 1817 | 62 | |
8 Oct 1812 | Richard Fitzpatrick | 24 Jan 1748 | 25 Apr 1813 | 65 | |
4 May 1813 | Lord John Russell, later [1861] 1st Earl Russell | 18 Aug 1792 | 28 May 1878 | 85 | |
12 Mar 1817 | Lord Robert Spencer | 8 May 1747 | 23 Jun 1831 | 84 | |
18 Jun 1818 | Lord John Russell, later [1861] 1st Earl Russell (to 1820) | 18 Aug 1792 | 28 May 1878 | 85 | |
27 Mar 1819 | John Peter Grant (to 1826) | 21 Sep 1774 | 17 May 1848 | 73 | |
11 Mar 1820 | John Nicholas Fazakerley | 7 Mar 1787 | 16 Jul 1852 | 65 | |
22 May 1820 | Hugh Fortescue, styled Viscount Ebrington, later [1841] 2nd Earl Fortescue (to Nov 1830) [at the general election in Aug 1830, he was also returned for Devon, for which he chose to sit] | 13 Feb 1783 | 14 Sep 1861 | 78 | |
12 Jun 1826 | Lord William Russell For further information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
20 Aug 1767 | 6 May 1840 | 72 | |
2 Aug 1830 | William Russell, styled Baron Russell until 1839 and Marquess of Tavistock from 1839, later [1861] 8th Duke of Bedford (to Oct 1831) | 1 Jul 1809 | 26 May 1872 | 62 | |
27 Nov 1830 | Lord John Russell, later [1861] 1st Earl Russell [at the general election held in May 1831, he was also returned for Devon, for which he chose to sit] | 18 Aug 1792 | 28 May 1878 | 85 | |
13 Jul 1831 | John Heywood Hawkins (to 1832) | 21 May 1802 | 27 Jun 1877 | 75 | |
25 Oct 1831 | Francis Russell | 7 Mar 1793 | 24 Nov 1832 | 39 | |
10 Dec 1832 | William Russell, styled Baron Russell until 1839 and Marquess of Tavistock from 1839, later [1861] 8th Duke of Bedford (to 1841) | 1 Jul 1809 | 26 May 1872 | 62 | |
Charles Richard Fox | 6 Nov 1796 | 13 Apr 1873 | 76 | ||
8 Jan 1835 | John Rundle (to 1843) | 1791 | 4 Jan 1864 | 72 | |
30 Jun 1841 | Lord Edward Russell (to 1847) | 24 Apr 1805 | 21 May 1887 | 82 | |
16 Mar 1843 | John Salusbury Trelawney, later [1856] 9th baronet (to Apr 1852) | 2 Jun 1816 | 4 Aug 1885 | 69 | |
2 Aug 1847 | Edward Southwell Russell, later [1874] 23rd Lord de Clifford (to Jul 1852) | 30 Apr 1824 | 6 Aug 1877 | 53 | |
28 Apr 1852 | Samuel Carter (to 1853) [he was unseated on petition in favour of Robert Joseph Phillimore 21 Feb 1853] | 1814 | 31 Jan 1878 | 63 | |
8 Jul 1852 | George Henry Charles Byng, later [1886] 3rd Earl of Strafford (to Sep 1857) | 22 Feb 1830 | 28 Mar 1898 | 68 | |
21 Feb 1853 | Robert Joseph Phillimore [kt 1862], later [1881] 1st baronet | 5 Nov 1810 | 4 Feb 1885 | 74 | |
28 Mar 1857 | Sir John Salusbury Trelawney, 9th baronet (to 1865) | 2 Jun 1816 | 4 Aug 1885 | 69 | |
4 Sep 1857 | Lord Arthur John Edward Russell (to 1885) | 13 Jun 1825 | 4 Apr 1892 | 66 | |
12 Jul 1865 | Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda | 21 May 1813 | 27 Apr 1885 | 71 | |
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1868 | |||||
7 Dec 1885 | Hugh Fortescue, styled Viscount Ebrington, later [1905] 4th Earl Fortescue | 16 Apr 1854 | 29 Oct 1932 | 78 | |
Jul 1892 | Hugh Courtenay Fownes Luttrell | 10 Feb 1857 | 14 Jan 1918 | 60 | |
11 Oct 1900 | John Ward Spear [kt 1911] | 1848 | 27 Apr 1921 | 72 | |
24 Jan 1906 | Hugh Courtenay Fownes Luttrell | 10 Feb 1857 | 14 Jan 1918 | 60 | |
Dec 1910 | John Ward Spear [kt 1911] | 1848 | 27 Apr 1921 | 72 | |
14 Dec 1918 | Charles Williams | 21 Apr 1886 | 28 Oct 1955 | 69 | |
15 Nov 1922 | Maxwell Ruthven Thornton | 11 Jul 1878 | 30 Aug 1950 | 72 | |
29 Oct 1924 | Philip Percy Kenyon‑Slaney | 12 Feb 1896 | 9 Sep 1928 | 32 | |
11 Oct 1928 | Wallace Duffield Wright VC For further information on this MP and VC winner, see the note at the foot of this page |
20 Sep 1875 | 25 Mar 1953 | 77 | |
27 Oct 1931 | Colin Mark Patrick | 21 Oct 1893 | 7 Jan 1942 | 48 | |
2 Apr 1942 | Henry Gray Studholme, later [1956] 1st baronet | 13 Jun 1899 | 9 Oct 1987 | 88 | |
31 Mar 1966 | Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, later [2001] Baron Heseltine [L] | 21 Mar 1933 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974 | |||||
TAYSIDE NORTH | |||||
9 Jun 1983 | William Connoll Walker | 20 Feb 1929 | 6 Jun 2017 | 88 | |
1 May 1997 | John Ramsay Swinney | 13 Apr 1964 | |||
7 Jun 2001 | Peter Wishart | 9 Mar 1962 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2005 | |||||
TEIGNBRIDGE (DEVON) | |||||
9 Jun 1983 | Patrick Charles Martyn Nicholls | 14 Nov 1948 | |||
7 Jun 2001 | Richard Alan Younger‑Ross | 29 Jan 1953 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2010 | |||||
TELFORD | |||||
1 May 1997 | Bruce Joseph Grocott, later [2001] Baron Grocott [L] | 1 Nov 1940 | |||
7 Jun 2001 | David Wright | 22 Dec 1966 | |||
7 May 2015 | Lucy Elizabeth Allan | 2 Oct 1964 | |||
4 Jul 2024 | Shaun Davies | ||||
TEST (SOUTHAMPTON) | |||||
23 Feb 1950 | Horace Maybray King, later [1971] Baron Maybray‑King [L] | 25 May 1901 | 3 Sep 1986 | 85 | |
26 May 1955 | John Melbourne Howard | 1913 | 10 Aug 1982 | 69 | |
15 Oct 1964 | Sir John Fletcher-Cooke | 8 Aug 1911 | 19 May 1989 | 77 | |
31 Mar 1966 | Richard Charles Mitchell | 22 Aug 1927 | 18 Sep 2003 | 76 | |
18 Jun 1970 | Stanley James Allen Hill | 21 Dec 1926 | 16 Feb 1999 | 72 | |
10 Oct 1974 | Bryan Charles Gould | 11 Feb 1939 | |||
3 May 1979 | Stanley James Allen Hill [kt 1996] | 21 Dec 1926 | 16 Feb 1999 | 72 | |
1 May 1997 | Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead | 15 Sep 1950 | |||
4 Jul 2024 | Satvir Kaur | ||||
TEWKESBURY (GLOUCESTERSHIRE) | |||||
12 Apr 1660 | Sir Henry Capell, later [1692] 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury (to 1685) | 6 Mar 1638 | 30 May 1696 | 58 | |
Richard Dowdeswell | 24 Feb 1601 | 25 Mar 1673 | 72 | ||
11 Nov 1673 | Sir Francis Russell, 2nd baronet (to 1690) | c 1638 | 25 Jan 1706 | ||
23 Mar 1685 | Richard Dowdeswell (to 1710) | c 1653 | 7 Oct 1711 | ||
18 Feb 1690 | Sir Henry Capell, later [1692] 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury | 6 Mar 1638 | 30 May 1696 | 58 | |
14 Nov 1692 | Sir Francis Winnington | 7 Nov 1634 | 1 May 1700 | 65 | |
26 Jul 1698 | Charles Hancock | 13 Mar 1643 | 29 Mar 1717 | 74 | |
10 Jan 1701 | Edmund Bray | 7 Sep 1678 | 6 Sep 1725 | 46 | |
6 May 1708 | Henry Ireton (to 1712) | c 1652 | 14 Dec 1711 | ||
10 Oct 1710 | William Bromley (to 1713) | 28 Apr 1685 | 7 Feb 1756 | 70 | |
1 Jan 1712 | William Dowdeswell (to 1722) | 18 Aug 1682 | 5 Sep 1728 | 46 | |
5 Sep 1713 | Charles Dowdeswell | c 1688 | c Jun 1714 | ||
18 Jun 1714 | Anthony Lechmere | 17 Jun 1674 | 8 Feb 1720 | 45 | |
25 Jun 1717 | Nicholas Lechmere, later [1721] 1st Baron Lechmere | 5 Aug 1675 | 18 Jun 1727 | 51 | |
25 Oct 1721 | Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage [I] (to 1754) | c 1695 | 21 Dec 1754 | ||
20 Mar 1722 | George Reade | 1687 | 28 Mar 1756 | 68 | |
29 Apr 1734 | Robert Tracy | c 1706 | 28 Sep 1767 | ||
5 May 1741 | John Martin | 8 Jul 1692 | 7 Mar 1767 | 74 | |
30 Jun 1747 | William Dowdeswell | 12 Mar 1721 | 6 Feb 1775 | 53 | |
16 Apr 1754 | Nicolson Calvert (to 1774) | c 1724 | 4 May 1793 | ||
John Martin | 1724 | 28 May 1794 | 69 | ||
26 Mar 1761 | Sir William Codrington, 2nd baronet (to 1792) | 26 Oct 1719 | 11 Mar 1792 | 72 | |
8 Oct 1774 | Joseph Martin | 19 Jan 1726 | 30 Mar 1776 | 50 | |
8 Apr 1776 | James Martin (to 1807) | 4 Jun 1738 | 26 Jan 1810 | 71 | |
19 Mar 1792 | William Dowdeswell | 27 Feb 1760 | 1 Dec 1828 | 68 | |
18 Dec 1797 | Christopher Bethell‑Codrington (to 1812) | Oct 1764 | 4 Feb 1843 | 78 | |
5 May 1807 | Charles Hanbury-Tracy, later [1838] 1st Baron Sudeley | 28 Dec 1778 | 10 Feb 1858 | 79 | |
5 Oct 1812 | John Edmund Dowdeswell (to Dec 1832) | 3 Mar 1772 | 11 Nov 1851 | 79 | |
John Martin | 27 Nov 1774 | 4 Jan 1832 | 57 | ||
23 Jan 1832 | Charles Hanbury-Tracy, later [1838] 1st Baron Sudeley (to 1837) | 28 Dec 1778 | 16 Feb 1858 | 80 | |
12 Dec 1832 | John Martin | 1805 | 7 Mar 1880 | 74 | |
6 Jan 1835 | William Dowdeswell (to 1847) | Oct 1804 | 5 Feb 1870 | 65 | |
25 Jul 1837 | John Martin (to 1859) | 1805 | 7 Mar 1880 | 74 | |
28 Jul 1847 | Humphrey Brown | 1803 | 6 Jun 1860 | 56 | |
28 Mar 1857 | Frederick Lygon, later [1866] 6th Earl Beauchamp (to 1864) | 10 Nov 1830 | 19 Feb 1891 | 60 | |
29 Apr 1859 | James Martin (to 1865) | 18 May 1807 | 1878 | ||
9 Feb 1864 | John Reginald Yorke (to 1868) | 25 Jan 1836 | 2 Mar 1912 | 76 | |
12 Jul 1865 | William Edward Dowdeswell | Jun 1841 | 12 Jul 1893 | 52 | |
20 Mar 1866 | Sir Edmund Anthony Harley Lechmere, 3rd baronet | 8 Dec 1826 | 18 Dec 1894 | 68 | |
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1868 | |||||
17 Nov 1868 | William Edwin Price [following the general election in Apr 1880, his election was declared void 29 Jun 1880] | 1841 | 10 Feb 1886 | 44 | |
10 Jul 1880 | Richard Biddulph Martin, later [1905] 1st baronet | 12 May 1838 | 23 Aug 1916 | 78 | |
5 Dec 1885 | John Reginald Yorke | 25 Jan 1836 | 2 Mar 1912 | 76 | |
2 Jul 1886 | Sir John Edward Dorington, 1st baronet | 24 Jul 1832 | 5 Apr 1911 | 78 | |
23 Jan 1906 | Michael Hugh Hicks-Beach, styled Viscount Quenington from 1915 | 19 Jan 1877 | 23 Apr 1916 | 39 | |
17 May 1916 | William Frederick Hicks‑Beach | 14 Jul 1841 | 7 Sep 1923 | 82 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1918, BUT REVIVED 1997 | |||||
1 May 1997 | Laurence Anthony Robertson | 29 Mar 1958 | |||
4 Jul 2024 | (Aaron) Cameron Thomas | ||||
THANET EAST (KENT) | |||||
28 Feb 1974 | Jonathan William Patrick Aitken For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
30 Aug 1942 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983, BUT REVIVED 2024 | |||||
4 Jul 2024 | Polly Jane Billington | ||||
THANET NORTH (KENT) | |||||
9 Jun 1983 | Roger James Gale [kt 2012] | 20 Aug 1943 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024 | |||||
THANET SOUTH (KENT) | |||||
9 Jun 1983 | Jonathan William Patrick Aitken For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
30 Aug 1942 | |||
1 May 1997 | Stephen John Ladyman | 6 Nov 1952 | |||
6 May 2010 | Laura Jane Sandys | 5 Jun 1964 | |||
7 May 2015 | Craig Mackinlay, later [2024] Baron Mackinlay of Richborough [L] | 7 Oct 1966 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 2024 | |||||
THANET WEST (KENT) | |||||
28 Feb 1974 | William Rupert Rees‑Davies | 19 Nov 1916 | 12 Jan 1992 | 75 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983 | |||||
THETFORD (NORFOLK) | |||||
Apr 1660 | Sir Philip Wodehouse, 3rd baronet | 24 Jul 1608 | 6 May 1681 | 72 | |
Robert Paston, later [1663] 2nd baronet, [1673] 1st Viscount Yarmouth and [1679] 1st Earl of Yarmouth | 29 May 1631 | 8 Mar 1683 | 51 | ||
25 Mar 1661 | Sir Allen Apsley (to 1679) | 28 Aug 1616 | 15 Oct 1683 | 67 | |
William Gawdy, later [1663] 1st baronet | 24 Sep 1612 | 18 Aug 1669 | 56 | ||
22 Oct 1669 | Joseph Williamson [kt 1672] (to Mar 1685) | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | |
24 Feb 1679 | William Harbord [at the 1681 general election, he was also returned for Launceston, but the Parliament was dissolved before he chose which seat to represent] | 25 Apr 1635 | 31 Jul 1692 | 57 | |
26 Mar 1685 | Henry Heveningham [unseated on petition in favour of Sir Joseph Williamson 17 Jun 1685] | 5 Jan 1651 | 26 Nov 1700 | 49 | |
William de Grey (to 1689) | 21 Oct 1652 | 27 Feb 1687 | 34 | ||
17 Jun 1685 | Sir Joseph Williamson | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | |
15 Jan 1689 | Sir Henry Hobart, 4th baronet [he was also returned for Norfolk for which he chose to sit] | c 1657 | 21 Aug 1698 | ||
William Harbord (to Jun 1689) [he was also returned for Scarborough and for Launceston, for which he chose to sit] | 25 Apr 1635 | 31 Jul 1692 | 57 | ||
14 Feb 1689 | Sir Francis Guybon (to 1695) | c 1638 | 23 Jan 1705 | ||
20 Jun 1689 | John Trenchard [kt Oct 1689] | 30 Mar 1649 | 27 Apr 1695 | 46 | |
28 Feb 1690 | William Harbord [he was also returned for Launceston, for which he chose to sit] | 25 Apr 1635 | 31 Jul 1692 | 57 | |
Sir Francis Guybon (to 1695) | c 1638 | 23 Jan 1705 | |||
Sir Joseph Williamson | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | ||
Adam Felton | |||||
Double return. Harbord and Guybon declared elected 3 May 1690 | |||||
26 May 1690 | Baptist May | 4 Nov 1628 | 2 Mar 1697 | 68 | |
13 Nov 1695 | Sir Joseph Williamson [he was also returned for Rochester, for which he chose to sit] | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | |
Sir John Wodehouse, 4th baronet (to 1698) | 23 Mar 1669 | 9 Oct 1754 | 85 | ||
10 Jan 1696 | James Sloane [his election was declared void 27 Jan 1700] | 1655 | 5 Nov 1704 | 49 | |
26 Jul 1698 | Sir Joseph Williamson [he was also returned for Rochester, for which he chose to sit] | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | |
16 Jan 1699 | Charles Paston, styled Baron Paston (to Jan 1701) | 29 May 1673 | 15 Dec 1718 | 45 | |
8 Feb 1700 | James Sloane | 1655 | 5 Nov 1704 | 49 | |
10 Jan 1701 | Sir Joseph Williamson [he was also returned for Rochester, for which he chose to sit] | 25 Jul 1633 | 3 Oct 1701 | 68 | |
Edmund Soame (to Nov 1701) | c 1669 | 8 Sep 1706 | |||
19 Mar 1701 | Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th baronet (to 1702) | 24 Sep 1677 | 7 May 1746 | 68 | |
29 Nov 1701 | Sir John Wodehouse, 4th baronet | 23 Mar 1669 | 9 Oct 1754 | 85 | |
20 Jul 1702 | Robert Benson, later [1713] 1st Baron Bingley | 25 Mar 1676 | 9 Apr 1731 | 55 | |
Edmund Soame | c 1669 | 8 Sep 1706 | |||
14 May 1705 | Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th baronet | 24 Sep 1677 | 7 May 1746 | 68 | |
Sir John Wodehouse, 4th baronet | 23 Mar 1669 | 9 Oct 1754 | 85 | ||
7 May 1708 | Robert Baylis | 14 Nov 1673 | 21 Nov 1748 | 75 | |
Thomas de Grey | 13 Aug 1680 | 18 Dec 1765 | 85 | ||
7 Oct 1710 | Sir Thomas Hanmer, 4th baronet [he was also returned for Suffolk, for which he chose to sit] | 24 Sep 1677 | 7 May 1746 | 68 | |
Dudley North (to 1722) | 23 Aug 1684 | 4 Feb 1730 | 45 | ||
12 Dec 1710 | Sir Edmund Bacon, 6th baronet | c 1680 | 30 Apr 1755 | ||
21 Aug 1713 | Sir William Barker, 5th baronet | c 1685 | 23 Jul 1731 | ||
29 Jan 1715 | John Ward | 13 Jun 1670 | 17 Mar 1749 | 78 | |
26 Mar 1722 | Sir Edmund Bacon, 5th baronet (to 1739) | 7 Aug 1693 | 4 Oct 1738 | 45 | |
Robert Jacomb | 14 Dec 1732 | ||||
1 Feb 1733 | Charles Fitzroy (Fitzroy-Scudamore from 1749) (to 1754) [at the general election in Apr 1754, he was also returned for Hereford, for which he chose to sit] | c 1713 | 22 Aug 1782 | ||
10 Feb 1739 | Lord Augustus Fitzroy | 16 Oct 1716 | 28 May 1741 | 24 | |
29 Dec 1741 | Lord Henry Beauclerk (to 1761) | 11 Aug 1701 | 6 Jan 1761 | 59 | |
12 Dec 1754 | Herbert Westfaling | c 1699 | 28 Apr 1773 | ||
28 Mar 1761 | Henry Seymour Conway (to Oct 1774) | 12 Aug 1719 | 9 Jul 1795 | 75 | |
Aubrey Beauclerk, later [1781] 2nd Baron Vere of Hanworth and [1787] 5th Duke of St. Albans | 3 Jun 1740 | 9 Feb 1802 | 61 | ||
16 Mar 1768 | John Drummond | 27 Apr 1723 | 25 Jul 1774 | 51 | |
6 Sep 1774 | Charles Stanhope, styled Viscount Petersham, later [1779] 3rd Earl of Harrington | 20 Mar 1753 | 15 Sep 1829 | 76 | |
10 Oct 1774 | Charles Fitzroy, later [1780] 1st Baron Southampton | 25 Jun 1737 | 21 Mar 1797 | 59 | |
Charles Fitzroy-Scudamore (to 1782) | c 1713 | 22 Aug 1782 | |||
11 Sep 1780 | Richard Hopkins (to 1784) | c 1728 | 19 Mar 1799 | ||
6 Apr 1782 | George Henry Fitzroy, styled Earl of Euston, later [1811] 4th Duke of Grafton | 14 Jan 1760 | 28 Sep 1844 | 84 | |
5 Apr 1784 | Sir Charles Kent, 1st baronet | c 1743 | 14 Mar 1811 | ||
George Jennings | c 1721 | 9 Jun 1790 | |||
21 Jun 1790 | Robert John Buxton, later [1800] 1st baronet | 27 Oct 1753 | 3 Jun 1839 | 85 | |
Joseph Randyll Burch (to 1802) | c 1756 | 23 Sep 1826 | |||
27 May 1796 | John Harrison (to 1806) | 1738 | 7 Feb 1811 | 72 | |
8 Jul 1802 | Thomas Creevey | 5 Mar 1768 | 5 Jun 1838 | 70 | |
4 Nov 1806 | Lord William FitzRoy (to 1812) | 1 Jun 1782 | 13 May 1857 | 74 | |
James Mingay [he was unseated on petition in favour of Thomas Creevey 4 Feb 1807] | 9 Mar 1752 | 9 Jul 1812 | 60 | ||
4 Feb 1807 | Thomas Creevey (to 1818) | 5 Mar 1768 | 5 Jun 1838 | 70 | |
8 Oct 1812 | Lord John Edward Fitzroy | 24 Sep 1785 | 28 Dec 1856 | 71 | |
19 Jun 1818 | Lord Charles Augustus Fitzroy (to 1830) | 28 Feb 1791 | 13 Jun 1865 | 74 | |
Nicholas William Ridley-Colborne, later [1839] 1st Baron Colborne | 14 Apr 1779 | 3 May 1854 | 75 | ||
12 Jun 1826 | William Bingham Baring, later [1848] 2nd Baron Ashburton | Jun 1799 | 23 Mar 1864 | 64 | |
2 Aug 1830 | Lord James Henry Fitzroy (to 1834) | 19 Apr 1804 | 26 Jul 1834 | 30 | |
Francis Baring, later [1864] 3rd Baron Ashburton | 20 May 1800 | 6 Sep 1868 | 68 | ||
2 May 1831 | Alexander Baring, later [1835] 1st Baron Ashburton | 27 Oct 1774 | 12 May 1848 | 73 | |
10 Dec 1832 | Francis Baring, later [1864] 3rd Baron Ashburton (to 1841) | 20 May 1800 | 6 Sep 1868 | 68 | |
8 Aug 1834 | Henry Fitzroy, styled Earl of Euston, later [1844] 5th Duke of Grafton (to 1842) [at the general election on 30 Jun 1841, William Bingham Baring received 86 votes and the Earl of Euston and Sir James Flower each received 71 votes. On scrutiny, Euston's vote was reduced by 1 and he was declared unduly elected on 4 May 1842] | 10 Feb 1790 | 26 Mar 1863 | 73 | |
30 Jun 1841 | William Bingham Baring, later [1848] 2nd Baron Ashburton (to 1848) | Jun 1799 | 23 Mar 1864 | 64 | |
4 May 1842 | Sir James Flower, 2nd baronet | 14 Dec 1794 | 17 May 1850 | 55 | |
28 Jul 1847 | William Henry Fitzroy, styled Earl of Euston, later [1863] 6th Duke of Grafton (to 1863) | 5 Aug 1819 | 21 May 1882 | 62 | |
3 Aug 1848 | Francis Baring, later [1864] 3rd Baron Ashburton | 20 May 1800 | 6 Sep 1868 | 68 | |
9 Dec 1857 | Alexander Hugh Baring, later [1868] 4th Baron Ashburton (to 1867) | 4 May 1835 | 18 Jul 1889 | 54 | |
21 Apr 1863 | Lord Frederick John Fitzroy | 4 Apr 1823 | 12 Feb 1919 | 95 | |
12 Jul 1865 | Robert John Harvey Harvey, later [1868] 1st baronet (to 1868) For information on the death of this MP, see the note at the foot of the page containing details of his baronetcy |
16 Apr 1817 | 19 Jul 1870 | 53 | |
2 Dec 1867 | Edward Strathearn Gordon, later [1876] Baron Gordon of Drumearn [L] | 10 Apr 1814 | 21 Aug 1879 | 65 | |
CONSTITUENCY DISENFRANCHISED 1868 | |||||
THIRSK (YORKSHIRE) | |||||
16 Apr 1660 | Barrington Bourchier (to 1661) | c 1627 | 29 Oct 1695 | ||
William Stanley [he was also returned for Liverpool, for which he chose to sit] | 18 Oct 1640 | 25 Oct 1670 | 30 | ||
Thomas Harrison | |||||
Double return between Stanley and Harrison. Stanley seated 3 May 1660 | |||||
13 Jul 1660 | Charles Kerr, 2nd Earl of Ancram [S] | 6 Aug 1624 | 10 Sep 1690 | 66 | |
c Apr 1661 | Sir Thomas Ingram (to 1673) | 23 Jun 1614 | 13 Feb 1672 | 57 | |
Walter Strickland | c 1623 | 1670 | |||
8 Feb 1671 | Sir William Frankland, 1st baronet (to 1685) | c 1640 | 2 Aug 1697 | ||
c Jan 1673 | Sir William Wentworth | c 1636 | Jun 1692 | ||
Election declared void 6 Feb 1673 | |||||
18 Feb 1673 | Sir William Wentworth | c 1636 | Jun 1692 | ||
Robert Wharton | |||||
Double return. Wentworth seated 30 Oct 1673 | |||||
15 Feb 1679 | Nicholas Saunderson | c 1657 | Dec 1692 | ||
15 Feb 1681 | Sir William Ayscough | 31 Jul 1614 | 12 Oct 1695 | 81 | |
26 Mar 1685 | Sir Hugh Cholmeley, 4th baronet | 21 Jul 1632 | 9 Jan 1689 | 56 | |
Thomas Frankland, later [1697] 2nd baronet (to 1695) | Sep 1665 | 30 Oct 1726 | 61 | ||
11 Jan 1689 | Richard Staines (to 1698) | 4 Jul 1650 | 28 Jan 1705 | 54 | |
29 Oct 1695 | Sir Godfrey Copley, 2nd baronet (to 1709) | c 1653 | 9 Apr 1709 | ||
26 Jul 1698 | Sir Thomas Frankland, 2nd baronet (to 1711) | Sep 1665 | 30 Oct 1726 | 61 | |
6 May 1709 | Leonard Smelt | c 1683 | 30 May 1740 | ||
10 Oct 1710 | Ralph Bell (to 1717) | 3 Nov 1733 | |||
21 Jun 1711 | Thomas Worsley | 16 Nov 1686 | 2 Mar 1751 | 64 | |
1 Sep 1713 | Thomas Frankland, later [1726] 3rd baronet (to 1747) | c 1685 | 17 Apr 1747 | ||
30 Jul 1717 | Thomas Pitt | 5 Jul 1653 | 28 Apr 1726 | 72 | |
28 Mar 1722 | William St. Quintin, later [1723] 4th baronet | c 1699 | 9 May 1770 | ||
17 Aug 1727 | Thomas Robinson, later [1761] 1st Baron Grantham | 24 Apr 1695 | 30 Sep 1770 | 75 | |
25 Apr 1734 | Frederick Meinhardt Frankland (to 1749) | c 1694 | 8 Mar 1768 | ||
12 May 1747 | Thomas Frankland, later [1768] 5th baronet (to 1780) | 26 Jun 1718 | 21 Nov 1784 | 66 | |
1 Apr 1749 | William Monckton, later [1751] 2nd Viscount Galway [I] | c 1725 | 18 Nov 1772 | ||
16 Apr 1754 | Roger Talbot | 14 Aug 1713 | 7 Mar 1777 | 63 | |
30 Mar 1761 | Henry Grenville | 15 Sep 1717 | 22 Apr 1784 | 66 | |
26 Dec 1765 | James Grenville, later [1797] 1st Baron Glastonbury | 6 Jul 1742 | 26 Apr 1825 | 82 | |
19 Mar 1768 | William Frankland | 1720 | 28 Dec 1805 | 85 | |
12 Oct 1774 | Thomas Frankland, later [1784] 6th baronet | 18 Sep 1750 | 4 Jan 1831 | 80 | |
12 Sep 1780 | Sir Thomas Gascoigne, 8th baronet | 7 Mar 1745 | 11 Feb 1810 | 64 | |
Beilby Thompson | 17 Apr 1742 | 10 Jun 1799 | 57 | ||
3 Apr 1784 | Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th baronet | 26 Jun 1718 | 21 Nov 1784 | 66 | |
Sir Gregory Page-Turner, 3rd baronet (to 1805) | 16 Feb 1748 | 4 Jan 1805 | 56 | ||
11 Jan 1785 | Robert Vyner | 27 Jun 1717 | 19 Jul 1799 | 82 | |
28 May 1796 | Sir Thomas Frankland, 6th baronet | 18 Sep 1750 | 4 Jan 1831 | 80 | |
7 Nov 1801 | William Frankland (to 1806) | 26 Jul 1761 | 10 Jun 1816 | 54 | |
6 Feb 1805 | Richard Neville, later [1825] 3rd Baron Braybrooke | 26 Sep 1783 | 13 Mar 1858 | 74 | |
4 Nov 1806 | Robert Greenhill (Greenhill‑Russell from 1815), later [1831] 1st baronet (to 1832) | 1763 | 12 Dec 1836 | 73 | |
James Topping | 26 Apr 1756 | 12 Jan 1821 | 64 | ||
9 May 1807 | William Frankland | 26 Jul 1761 | 10 Jun 1816 | 54 | |
31 Mar 1815 | Sir Robert Frankland, 7th baronet (to 1834) | 16 Jul 1784 | 11 Mar 1849 | 64 | |
REPRESENTATION REDUCED TO ONE MEMBER 1832 | |||||
21 Mar 1834 | Sir Samuel Crompton, 1st baronet | 8 Jul 1785 | 27 Dec 1848 | 63 | |
1 Jun 1841 | John Bell For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
6 Aug 1809 | 5 Mar 1851 | 41 | |
21 Mar 1851 | Sir William Payne-Gallwey, 2nd baronet | 1807 | 19 Dec 1881 | 74 | |
5 Apr 1880 | Lewis Payn Dawnay | 1 Apr 1846 | 30 Jul 1910 | 64 | |
NAME ALTERED TO "THIRSK AND MALTON" 1885 | |||||
THIRSK AND MALTON (YORKSHIRE) | |||||
4 Dec 1885 | Lewis Payn Dawnay | 1 Apr 1846 | 30 Jul 1910 | 64 | |
Jul 1892 | John Grant Lawson, later [1905] 1st baronet | 28 Jul 1856 | 27 May 1919 | 62 | |
23 Jan 1906 | Charles William Reginald Duncombe, styled Viscount Helmsley, later [1915] 2nd Earl of Feversham | 8 May 1879 | 15 Sep 1916 | 37 | |
12 Feb 1915 | Edmund Russborough Turton, later [1926] 1st baronet | 1 Nov 1857 | 9 May 1929 | 71 | |
30 May 1929 | Robert Hugh Turton, later [1974] Baron Tranmire [L] | 8 Aug 1903 | 17 Jan 1994 | 90 | |
28 Feb 1974 | John Deane Spence | 7 Dec 1920 | 4 Mar 1986 | 65 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983, BUT RE-CREATED 2010 | |||||
27 May 2010 | Anne Caroline Ballingall McIntosh, later [2015] Baroness McIntosh of Pickering [L] | 20 Sep 1954 | |||
The poll was delayed following the death of one of the candidates | |||||
7 May 2015 | Kevin Paul Hollinrake | 28 Sep 1963 | |||
THORNABY | |||||
28 Feb 1974 | Ian William Wrigglesworth [kt 1991], later [2013] Baron Wrigglesworth [L] | 8 Dec 1939 | |||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983 | |||||
THORNBURY (GLOUCESTERSHIRE) | |||||
4 Dec 1885 | Edward Stafford Howard [kt 1909] | 28 Nov 1851 | 8 Apr 1916 | 64 | |
14 Jul 1886 | John William Plunkett, later [1889] 17th Baron Dunsany | 31 Aug 1853 | 16 Jan 1899 | 45 | |
Jul 1892 | Charles Edward Hungerford Atholl Colston, later [1916] 1st Baron Roundway | 16 May 1854 | 17 Jun 1925 | 71 | |
26 Jan 1906 | Athelstan Rendall | 16 Nov 1871 | 12 Jul 1948 | 76 | |
15 Nov 1922 | Herbert Charles Woodcock | 2 Jun 1871 | 18 Jan 1950 | 78 | |
6 Dec 1923 | Athelstan Rendall | 16 Nov 1871 | 12 Jul 1948 | 76 | |
29 Oct 1924 | Derrick Wellesley Gunston, later [1938] 1st baronet | 26 Feb 1891 | 13 Jul 1985 | 94 | |
26 Jul 1945 | Joseph Herbert Alpass | 2 Feb 1873 | 31 May 1969 | 96 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950 | |||||
THORNBURY AND YATE (AVON) | |||||
6 May 2010 | Steven John Webb [kt 2016] | 18 Jul 1965 | |||
7 May 2015 | Luke Anthony Hall | 8 Jul 1986 | |||
4 Jul 2024 | Claire Louise Young | 16 Mar 1974 | |||
THURROCK | |||||
26 Jul 1945 | Leslie Judah Solley | 15 Dec 1905 | 8 Jan 1968 | 62 | |
23 Feb 1950 | Hugh James Delargy | 26 Sep 1908 | 4 May 1976 | 67 | |
15 Jul 1976 | Oonagh Anne McDonald | 21 Feb 1938 | |||
11 Jun 1987 | Timothy Simon Janman | 9 Sep 1956 | |||
9 Apr 1992 | Andrew Stuart MacKinlay | 24 Apr 1949 | |||
6 May 2010 | Jacqueline Doyle-Price | 5 Aug 1969 | |||
4 Jul 2024 | Jennifer Craft | ||||
TIPPERARY | |||||
1801 | Francis James Mathew, styled Viscount Mathew, later [1806] 2nd Earl of Landaff [I] | 2 Jan 1768 | 12 Mar 1833 | 65 | |
John Bagwell | c 1752 | 21 Dec 1816 | |||
17 Nov 1806 | Montague James Mathew (to Apr 1819) | 18 Aug 1773 | 20 Mar 1819 | 45 | |
Francis Aldborough Prittie | 4 Jun 1779 | 8 Mar 1853 | 73 | ||
17 Jul 1818 | Richard Butler, styled Viscount Caher, later [1819] 2nd Earl of Glengall | 17 May 1794 | 22 Jun 1858 | 64 | |
2 Mar 1819 | William Bagwell (to 1826) | c 1776 | 4 Nov 1826 | ||
8 Apr 1819 | Francis Aldborough Prittie (to 1831) | 4 Jun 1779 | 8 Mar 1853 | 73 | |
28 Jun 1826 | John Hely Hutchinson, later [1832] 3rd Earl of Donoughmore [I] | 1787 | 14 Sep 1851 | 64 | |
21 Aug 1830 | Thomas Wyse (to 1832) | 9 Dec 1791 | 15 Apr 1862 | 70 | |
12 May 1831 | John Hely Hutchinson, later [1832] 3rd Earl of Donoughmore [I] | 1787 | 14 Sep 1851 | 64 | |
8 Aug 1832 | Robert Otway-Cave | 1 Mar 1796 | 29 Nov 1844 | 48 | |
17 Dec 1832 | Cornelius O'Callaghan | 1809 | 16 Aug 1849 | 40 | |
Richard Lalor Sheil (to 1841) | 17 Aug 1791 | 25 May 1851 | 59 | ||
21 Jan 1835 | Robert Otway Cave (to 1845) | c 1796 | 30 Nov 1844 | ||
14 Jul 1841 | Valentine Maher | 1780 | Jan 1844 | 63 | |
10 Feb 1844 | Nicholas Maher (to 1852) | 18 Oct 1851 | |||
21 Feb 1845 | Richard Albert Fitzgerald | 1806 | c Jun 1847 | 40 | |
11 Aug 1847 | Francis Scully (to Apr 1857) | 1820 | 18 Aug 1864 | 44 | |
26 Jul 1852 | James Sadleir [expelled 16 Feb 1857] For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
c 1815 | 4 Jun 1881 | ||
16 Mar 1857 | Daniel O'Donoghue (to Feb 1865) | c 1824 | 7 Oct 1889 | ||
14 Apr 1857 | Laurence Waldron (to Jul 1865) | 1811 | 3 Apr 1875 | 63 | |
24 Feb 1865 | Charles Moore (to 1869) | 1804 | 15 Aug 1869 | 65 | |
24 Jul 1865 | John Blake Dillon | 5 May 1814 | 15 Sep 1866 | 52 | |
17 Oct 1866 | Charles William White (to 1875) | 9 Sep 1838 | 15 Oct 1890 | 52 | |
27 Nov 1869 | Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa [as a convicted felon, he was declared ineligible to sit 10 Feb 1870] For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
Sep 1831 | 29 Jun 1915 | 83 | |
23 Feb 1870 | Denis Caulfield Heron | 1824 | 15 Apr 1881 | 56 | |
14 Feb 1874 | William Frederick Ormond O'Callaghan (to 1877) | 14 Nov 1852 | 20 Apr 1877 | 24 | |
16 Feb 1875 | John Mitchel [he was adjudged to be a convicted felon and thus ineligible to be elected 18 Feb 1875. At the subsequent by-election held on 13 Mar 1875, he was again returned. He died a week later and the seat was assigned to Stephen Moore (the defeated candidate at the 13 Mar by‑election) on 27 May 1875] For further information on this MP, see the note at the foot of this page |
3 Nov 1815 | 20 Mar 1875 | 59 | |
27 May 1875 | Stephen Moore (to 1880) | 1836 | 1897 | ||
16 May 1877 | Edmund Dwyer Gray | 29 Dec 1845 | 27 Mar 1888 | 42 | |
8 Apr 1880 | Patrick James Smyth (to Jan 1885) For further information on this MP, see the note regarding John Mitchel at the foot of this page |
1823 | 12 Jan 1885 | 61 | |
John Dillon | 4 Sep 1851 | 4 Aug 1927 | 75 | ||
23 Mar 1883 | Thomas Mayne (to 1885) | 1832 | 1915 | ||
12 Jan 1885 | John O'Connor | 10 Oct 1850 | 27 Oct 1928 | 78 | |
SPLIT INTO 4 DIVISIONS 1885, SEE BELOW | |||||
TIPPERARY EAST | |||||
2 Dec 1885 | Thomas Joseph Condon | 1850 | Jul 1943 | 93 | |
14 Dec 1918 | Pierce McCann | 2 Aug 1882 | 6 Mar 1919 | 36 | |
6 Mar 1919 | vacant | ||||
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922 | |||||
TIPPERARY MID | |||||
8 Dec 1885 | Thomas Mayne | 1832 | 1915 | ||
15 May 1890 | Henry Harrison | 17 Dec 1867 | 20 Feb 1954 | 86 | |
Jul 1892 | John McCarthy | 1862 | 8 Feb 1893 | 30 | |
24 Feb 1893 | James Francis Hogan | 29 Dec 1855 | 9 Nov 1924 | 68 | |
15 Oct 1900 | Kendal Edmund O'Brien | 1849 | 21 Nov 1909 | 60 | |
22 Jan 1910 | John Hackett | 5 Nov 1865 | 2 Oct 1940 | 74 | |
14 Dec 1918 | James Aloysius Burke | 14 Jun 1893 | 10 Jun 1967 | 73 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922 | |||||
TIPPERARY NORTH | |||||
Dec 1885 | Patrick Joseph O'Brien | 1855 | 10 Jan 1911 | 55 | |
17 Jan 1906 | Michael Hogan | 1853 | 6 Dec 1935 | ||
Dec 1910 | John Joseph Esmonde | 27 Jan 1862 | 17 Apr 1915 | 53 | |
18 Jun 1915 | John Lymbrick Esmonde, later [1943] 14th baronet | 15 Dec 1893 | 6 Jul 1958 | 64 | |
14 Dec 1918 | Joseph McDonagh | 18 May 1883 | 25 Dec 1922 | 39 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922 | |||||
TIPPERARY SOUTH | |||||
4 Dec 1885 | John O'Connor | 10 Oct 1850 | 27 Oct 1928 | 78 | |
Jul 1892 | Francis Mandeville | 1850 | 2 Jan 1905 | 54 | |
1 Oct 1900 | John Cullinan | 1857 | 17 Dec 1920 | 63 | |
14 Dec 1918 | Patrick James Maloney | 20 Mar 1869 | 4 Sep 1947 | 78 | |
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1922 | |||||
TIPTON AND WEDNESBURY | |||||
4 Jul 2024 | Antonia Kay Bance | ||||
Wallace Duffield Wright VC | ||
MP for Tavistock 1928‑1931 | ||
Wright was a Lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, present during the Kano-Sokoto Expedition in Nigeria, when, on 24 March 1903, his actions won him the Victoria Cross. The citation in the London Gazette of 11 September 1903 reads:- | ||
On March 24, 1903, Lieutenant Wright, with only one officer and 44 men, took up a position in the path of the advancing enemy, and sustained the determined charges of 1,000 horse and 2,000 foot for two hours, and when the enemy, after heavy losses, fell back in good order, Lieutenant Wright continued to follow them up till they were in full retreat. The personal example of this officer, as well as his skilful leadership, contributed largely to the brilliant success of this affair. He in no way infringed his orders by his daring initiative, as, though warned of the possibility of meeting large bodies of the enemy, he had purposely been left a free hand. | ||
Wright was elected to the House of Commons for the constituency of Tavistock in 1928 and sat until he retired at the 1931 general election. | ||
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken | ||
MP for Thanet East 1974‑1983 and Thanet South 1983‑1997 | ||
Before his downfall, Aitken was once considered to be a candidate for high political office. | ||
At one stage he had a relationship with Margaret Thatcher's daughter, Carol, but upset Mrs Thatcher when he ended the relationship. Mrs Thatcher was further upset when Aitken suggested to an Egyptian newspaper that Mrs Thatcher "probably thinks that Sinai is the plural of Sinus". As a result, Aitken languished on the backbenches during Thatcher's premiership. | ||
His political career took off under John Major, being appointed Minister of State for Defence Procurement in 1992 and he entered the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 1994. He resigned from Cabinet in 1995 in order to defend himself against accusations that while serving as Minister of State for Defence Procurement he had violated ministerial rules by allowing an Arab businessman, Said Ayas, to pay for his stay at the Paris Ritz. | ||
The Guardian newspaper reported on this story in its edition of 10 April 1995. Aitken then took the fatal step of suing the Guardian for libel. In June 1997, just after Aitken had lost his seat at the general election, Aitken's action collapsed. His explanation was that his wife had paid for the hotel, but it was shown that, at the time, his wife been in Switzerland. | ||
Aitken was then charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice and received an 18 month jail sentence, of which he served 7 months. He was unable to pay for his legal costs and was, as a result, declared bankrupt. He is one of the few people to resign from membership of the Privy Council, along with John Profumo and John Stonehouse. | ||
According to Brewer's Rogues, Villains Eccentrics by William Donaldson (Cassell, London 2002), on his release he became a born-again Christian under the influence of the Reverend Nicky Gumbel, a charismatic preacher practising at the Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, London. At Gumbel's so-called Alpha courses participants make animal noises and then fall over backwards. Other converts include Samantha Fox, the former topless model. | ||
For further reading see the Guardian's webpage at http://www.guardian.co. uk/aitken and also refer to The Liar by Luke Harding, Davie Leigh and David Palister (Penguin 1997) | ||
Jabez Spencer Balfour | ||
MP for Tamworth 1880‑1885 and Burnley 1889‑1893 | ||
The following is extracted from an article by David McKie titled House of Scandal which was published in The Guardian on 13 March 2004. | ||
… Jabez Spencer Balfour [was] Liberal member for Tamworth from 1880 to 1885 and for Burnley from 1889 until things came badly unstuck. The institution that made him was the Liberator Building Society - a name designed to entice nonconformist England and Wales, since it echoed that of the Liberation Society, the principal voice of nonconformity against the established church. That appeal was compounded by employing nonconformist ministers desperate to augment their pitiful wages as agents of Balfour's Society. Exuding this odour of sanctity, the Liberator soon became the biggest building society in the land, ringed with satellite companies, and in time its own bank. | ||
Increasingly, Balfour turned his hand to big prestige projects in central London, including the building of what he intended to be the biggest hotel in Europe. His reputation in the City rose to a point where companies eager to better themselves were glad to take this man with the golden touch on board. In his home town, Croydon, his reputation as its leading citizen was confirmed when in 1883 the place achieved borough status. Though not a councillor, Balfour was invited to accept nomination as mayor - a choice he repaid with lavish banquets and parties at his fine house in Wellesley Road and in its handsome garden. Though he modestly disclaimed any such ambition, his real aim was to be MP for Croydon - so much handier for his interests at Westminster and in the City than Tamworth, a constituency that in any case was destined to disappear in a redistribution of seats. [This is not strictly correct - Tamworth was to lose one of its two members under the Reform Act of 1884]. But he lost in the General Election of 1885; and to add to his humiliation, local Tories arranged to have the Dead March From Saul played outside his house. Thereafter, he gave up on Croydon, installing himself at grand addresses in London and buying most of the village of Burcot near Abingdon, where he entertained on a lavish scale and lorded it as squire. | ||
But his empire's apparent success was built on illusion. The profits Balfour's companies signalled at the close of each year with handsome dividends and bonuses for the directors, were almost entirely fictitious. Very few of his schemes made any money; his real gift was in cooking the books. And as the 1890s progressed, suspicions began to grow. The 'Financial Times' and 'The Economist' warned investors against him. But too late. In September 1892, the portrait of Jabez Spencer JP MP that hung in an honoured place on the wall of the Croydon Liberal Club inexplicably crashed to the floor. Within days, his bank, and thereafter all the companies with which it was linked, met the same fate. | ||
Resigning his seat at Burnley, Balfour pledged himself to a reconstruction which he promised would largely avert the catastrophe that shareholders and investors feared. But it soon became clear that the scale of his debts made rescue impossible. Thousands were ruined; suicides were regularly reported; people who had saved for old age in the hope of avoiding the workhouse found themselves now condemned to it. When the police arrested two of his main subordinates, Balfour vanished. Claims to have seen him came in from around the world. In fact, he was 7,000 miles away in Argentina - a country, he had established, with which Britain had no arrangements for extradition. | ||
Eventually, Balfour was traced to the town of Salta, not far from the border with Chile. Here he had set up house with the daughter, half his age, of a business colleague called Henry Freeman. After Freeman's death, this daughter had been regarded as Balfour's ward; now they were living together as Mr and Mrs Samuel Butler. The great champion of temperance was engaged in buying a brewery. Though the Argentinean government was sympathetic to British attempts to recapture the fugitive, nothing could be done except through an extradition treaty. But here Balfour had read things wrongly. Though no treaty existed, one had been agreed, and was waiting for ratification. And in due course the Argentinean parliament made it law. | ||
Balfour and his supporters now hit on a new and ingenious tactic. It was stipulated in Argentinean law that no one could leave the country if litigation was pending against him. Very well: the friends of Balfour would organise themselves into a rota and sue him one by one. | ||
At this point, some of London's men in Buenos Aires despaired of ever getting Balfour back. Better, perhaps, they said, to forget the whole thing. But the extradition expert at Scotland Yard, Inspector Frank Froest, had other ideas. Dispatched by the police commissioner with instructions not to come back until he had Balfour in handcuffs - he should expect, he was told, a stay of around five years - he soon found a way of breaking the deadlock. | ||
What had happened before was that judgments given in Buenos Aires in favour of Balfour's return were consistently blocked by local officials in Salta, not least because local people believed that having this famous English financier among them was set to bring them prosperity. The answer Froest devised, as he boasted to his family later, amounted to kidnap. He commissioned a train, concealed it in sidings not far from Salta, waited until the federal courts had given their latest ruling in favour of extradition - and then had Balfour aboard the train before Salta officials knew what was happening. | ||
They were hardly out of town before a posse on horseback set off in pursuit, armed with a warrant for the return of Balfour and the arrest of Inspector Froest. As the train thundered southwards, the inspector, who had stationed himself on the footplate to prevent any delay, saw the horsemen approaching. One detached himself and rode his horse on to the track ahead of the train, waving his warrant and calling on the driver to stop. But Froest obstructed the driver by throwing himself across the controls. The train surged on at undiminished speed and struck down and killed both the horse and the rider. Later, the British government offered $50 as compensation, stipulating that this must cover both the man and the horse. | ||
Back in Buenos Aires, there were further foiled attempts at a rescue before Balfour was taken home, in handcuffs, on the boat Tartar Prince. In November 1895, he was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment with hard labour. Released in 1906, he began a new career as a journalist, writing a series of prison memoirs that led page one of Lord Northcliffe's 'Weekly Dispatch' for 26 consecutive weeks. Later, he set up as a mining engineer; later still, at the age of 71, Balfour took a post in Burma, but was ordered back to London on the grounds that he would not survive in such heat. He returned to a bitter winter, which probably killed him. | ||
He died in February 1916 on a train taking him, at 72, to south Wales to begin a new job at Morriston Colliery. Twenty years earlier, Balfour had been the most notorious man in the land, burned in effigy on bonfire night after his companies crashed. Now, until they examined his papers, no one knew who he was. | ||
For further reading see Jabez; the Rise and Fall of a Victorian Rogue by David McKie (Atlantic Books, London, 2004) | ||
Lord William Russell | ||
MP for Surrey 1789‑1807 and Tavistock 1807‑1819 and 1826‑1830 | ||
Lord William Russell was murdered in his bed by his valet, Francois Benjamin Courvoisier on 6 May 1840. The following is Courvoisier's entry in The Newgate Calendar:- | ||
On the morning of Wednesday, the 6th of May, 1840, Lord William Russell, an aged member of the illustrious house of Bedford, was discovered to have been murdered in his bed, at his house, No. 14 Norfolk Street, Park Lane. The deceased was the posthumous child of Francis, Marquis of Tavistock, eldest son of the fourth Duke of Bedford, by Lady Elizabeth Keppel, daughter of the second Earl of Albemarle. He was the third and youngest brother of the two late Dukes of Bedford, and uncle of the existing duke, who was the seventh of the family of the family who had succeeded to the title. He was uncle also to the noble and highly talented Lord John Russell, who at the time of this most melancholy catastrophe held the office of Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs. By his marriage with Lady Charlotte Villiers, eldest daughter of the fourth Earl of Jersey, his lordship had seven children, several of whom were still alive and were married into other noble families; but at the time of his death he was a widower, his wife having died in the year 1806. His lordship was born in August, 1767, and was consequently in the seventy-third year of his age. | ||
Lord William Russell resided, attended only by his servants, at the house in Norfolk Street, Park Lane. His household consisted of two female servants - a housemaid, Sarah Mancer, and a cook, Mary Hannell - his valet, Francois Benjamin Courvoisier, and a coachman and groom, all of whom lived in the house, with the exception of the two latter individuals. The house was small, and consisted of only two rooms on a floor. On the basement storey were the kitchen and the usual offices, and a room used by Courvoisier as a pantry. On the ground floor were two parlours, used as dining-rooms; on the first floor were the bedroom and dressing-room of his lordship, and in the storey above were the sleeping apartments of the servants. His lordship was a member of Brooks's Club, in St. James's Street, and usually spent a considerable portion of the day there, but he generally dined at home, and then, having passed several hours in reading, commonly retired to rest at about twelve o'clock. The valet had been in his lordship's service for a period of only five weeks, and in the course of that time had been heard by his fellow-servants to express himself in terms of dislike to his master, whom he described as testy and dissatisfied, and to declare that if he only had his money he should soon return to Switzerland, of which country he was a native. | ||
On the 5th of May his lordship rose at nine o'clock, and breakfasted at the usual hour, and at about noon he went out to go to Brooks's, in accordance with his usual habit. Before he quitted the house, however, he called his valet, and gave him several messages to deliver, amongst which was one to the coachman to prepare his carriage and be in readiness to take him home from his club at five o'clock. Upon Courvoisier going into the kitchen after this, he declared his fears that he should forget some of his errands, and when he recounted them he omitted that to the coachman. At half-past five his lordship returned home to dinner in a cab, and showed some dissatisfaction at the neglect of his servant; but it does not appear that he exhibited any such anger as could well excite a feeling of hatred or ill-will. Dinner was served at about seven o'clock; coffee was subsequently handed to his lordship, and at about nine o'clock he retired to his library. At this time the three house-servants only were at home. Some other persons had called in the course of the day, but they had all left and now Courvoisier, Sarah Mancer and Mary Hannell only were in the house. Hannell had been out, but upon her return Courvoisier admitted her, and it was observed that he locked and chained the street door after her entrance. Supper was, at about ten o'clock, prepared in the kitchen, and some beer was fetched by Courvoisier, but he quitted the house and returned by way of the area, and the gate and kitchen door were fastened by Hannell upon his readmission. The means of access to the house from the street, therefore, were closed, and the only entrance from the back, on the basement storey, was through the pantry. | ||
At about half-past ten the women-servants went to bed, leaving Courvoisier to attend upon his master, and it was not until half-past twelve o'clock that his lordship rang his bell for him to assist him in retiring to his apartment. | ||
On the following morning, at about half-past six o'clock, Sarah Mancer, the housemaid, rose from her bed, and, having dressed herself, quitted her bedroom. As she passed the door of the valet's room she knocked, in order to awake him, and then proceeded downstairs. Upon reaching the lower floors of the house she found everything in such a state of confusion as to excite a suspicion in her mind that thieves had entered the house with a view to the commission of a robbery. She hurried through the drawing-room, the parlour and the passage on the ground floor; and there she found the furniture strewed about, the drawers and boxes open, and a bundle lying on the ground, as if ready packed up to be carried off, while the street door had been unfastened, and was only upon the latch. A momentary examination of these matters was sufficient to excite alarm in her mind, and, hurrying upstairs again, she repaired to the cook to inform her of what she had seen, by whose directions she at once proceeded to the apartment of the valet. Ten minutes had scarcely elapsed since she had previously knocked at his door, and half-an-hour was ordinarily occupied by him in dressing, but, to her surprise, she now found him dressed and ready to descend. Hastily she informed him of what she had witnessed below, and he accompanied her downstairs. Upon his seeing the state in which the lower part of the house appeared to be, he exclaimed "Oh God! Somebody has robbed us". Mancer now suggested the propriety of ascertaining whether anything had occurred to his lordship, and they went together to his bedroom. | ||
Immediately upon their entrance Courvoisier proceeded to the window to open the shutters, but Mancer went to the bedside, and saw the pillow saturated with blood, and his lordship lying in bed, dead, with his throat cut. The woman screamed and ran out of the room, then rushed from the house and obtained the aid of some neighbours and of the police, by whom a surgeon was called in. Upon the entrance of these persons, Courvoisier, whose conduct throughout the whole transaction had been of the most singular description, was found dreadfully agitated, leaning on the bed where the body of his master lay; and although questions were asked him he made no answer, and took no part in the proceedings which succeeded. In a few minutes he appeared to recover, and at his suggestion an intimation of the occurrence was conveyed to the son of the deceased nobleman, who resided in Belgrave Square. When Courvoisier went downstairs he immediately took Sarah Mancer into his pantry, pointed to some marks of violence which were perceptible upon the door which was open, and remarked: "It was here they entered". | ||
The police now took possession of the house, and a minute examination of the premises was made, the result of which was a firm conviction in their minds that the murder had been perpetrated by an inmate of the house, and that a simulated robbery had been got up. A parcel was found to contain many articles of his lordship's property. A cloth cloak, which had been hanging up in the hall, was found rolled up, and within it were his lordship's gold opera-glass, his gold toothpick, a silver sugar-dredger, a pair of spectacles, a caddy-spoon, and a thimble belonging to the cook, but it was remarked that the latter articles were of a nature which a thief would rather have put into his pocket than have packed up in so large a parcel, and although the drawers of the sideboard in the parlour and of the writing-desk in the drawing-room were pulled open, nothing was found to have been extracted. In his lordship's bedroom a state of things presented itself which tended to confirm the suspicions of the police, and to supply a motive for the crime. His lordship had been in possession of a case containing ivory rouleau, which were usually employed to hold gold coins. The boxes which belonged to his lordship would hold about five hundred sovereigns, and it had been remarked by Courvoisier that although he was entrusted with the keys of his master's drawers, his lordship would never permit him to go to this case. Upon examination by the police the rouleau case was found to have been opened, and the rouleaux having been searched, fruitlessly, for money, they had been placed on one side. The jewel-box and the note-case of the deceased had also been opened, and while from the former several articles of small value had been taken, from the latter a ten-pound note, known to have been in the possession of his lordship, had been carried off. A purse which contained gold had also disappeared. These circumstances induced a strong suspicion against Courvoisier, and his boxes were searched, but nothing was discovered which tended to fix upon him the guilt of the crime, but it was nevertheless thought advisable that he should remain under surveillance. | ||
On Friday, the 8th of May, a police officer examined the floor, the skirting-board and the sink, and behind the skirting board he found five gold rings, the property of his lordship. In the same place were also found five pieces of gold coin and a piece of wax. Behind another part of the skirting-board was found a Waterloo medal, which was known to have been in the possession of his lordship, with a ribbon attached to it; and there was also found the ten-pound note which has been mentioned before. The fact of the discovery of this note was a most important feature of the case. If it had been removed from the note-case, in which it had been placed, by any ordinary thief, it would undoubtedly have been carried off by him. Found as it was, however, concealed behind the skirting-board of the pantry, it was taken as almost conclusive proof of the guilt of the valet, because no hand but his could have placed it in that position; for it was proved that, from the moment of the discovery of the murder, he was placed under surveillance, and could not therefore, have conveyed away anything from the house. A further search was subsequently made, and a split gold ring, on which his lordship kept his keys, and which had been attached to his watch by a ribbon, was found, and then, on the evening of the next day, a locket was taken from Courvoisier's pocket; it contained a small portion of the hair of the nobleman's deceased lady. A short time before his murder he had missed this relic, to which he attached great value. Upon this the police thought fit to take Courvoisier into custody, and, after he had been taken off, still further discoveries were made. On the 11th of May a chased gold key was discovered, and on Wednesday, the 13th, it was determined to examine the sink in the pantry. A part of the sink was covered with lead, and when that portion had been removed in the course of the investigation, it occurred to the police officer that there was something extraordinary in the appearance of the lead. He turned it up, and there he found the watch which had been placed at the noble lord's bed-head on the night of the murder, but which, the next morning, was discovered to have been removed. | ||
These were the material facts adduced in evidence against Courvoisier upon his various examinations before the magistrates; but strong as were the suspicions excited against him, it was felt that there was still good reason to believe that he would escape conviction. An experienced attorney, Mr. Flower, was engaged to conduct his defence, and so strong a feeling had been excited in his behalf that a liberal subscription was raised among the foreign servants in London to defray the expenses of employing the necessary counsel to to appear for him at his trial. Mr. Hobler, an attorney, was engaged on behalf of the prosecution, and at length, on Thursday, the 18th of June, the trial of the prisoner came on at the Central Criminal Court, before Lord Chief Justice Tindal and Mr. Baron Parke. The prisoner, who was an alien, elected to be tried by a jury of Englishmen, and when the indictment was read he pleaded not guilty. | ||
Evidence in proof of the circumstances which we have detailed was then produced, and the first day's proceedings had closed when new and important testimony, affording conclusive proof of the guilt of the prisoner, was discovered. | ||
In the course of inquiries which had been made subsequent to the murder, some articles of plate were found to have been removed from the house of his lordship, but after the minute examination of the house which took place, there was good reason to believe that this portion of the transaction had occurred long before, and not after, the murder. All the efforts of the police to discover this stolen property had proved ineffectual; and, although large rewards had been offered for its production, it was not until the evening of the first day's trial that it was brought forward. An intimation was then conveyed to Mr. Hobler of the fact of its being in the possession of Madame Piolaine, the keeper of a French hotel in Leicester Place, Leicester Square, and when it was inspected by persons who were competent to speak to its identity, they at once most positively proved that it was the same which had been formerly in the possession of his lordship. The circumstances of this most extraordinary discovery was directly notified to the prisoner's attorney; and when Courvoisier was by him consulted as to the truth of the allegations made, he at once admitted his guilt. | ||
At this stage of the proceedings it was felt that such a confession placed the advocates who had been employed on his behalf in a condition of the greatest difficulty. For them to have thrown up their briefs would have been at once to admit the uselessness of any efforts to save their client from an ignominious death - a duty to the performance of which they had pledged themselves; and it was therefore determined that they should continue their defence of the prisoner; although the line of conduct which it became proper to pursue was necessarily much altered by the discovery which had been made to them. The instructions which they had originally received went to the extent of calling upon to endeavour to procure the implication of the female servants of his lordship, and of the police, who were to be charged as their companions and associates in crime in the murder of Lord [William] Russell, and in a conspiracy to secure the conviction and execution of the valet; but although the former portion of this defence was of course deemed fit to be withdrawn, a considerable degree of abuse was heaped upon the police by Mr. C. Phillips in his speech for the defence of the prisoner, in consequence of some improper conduct of which, he alleged, they had been guilty, tending to prejudice his case, and even going to the length of fabricating evidence to excite suspicion in the minds of the jury against him. | ||
Mr. C. Phillips addressed the jury at very great length on the part of the prisoner; he contended with great talent that the evidence was that of suspicion only. Lord Chief Justice Tindal having summed up, a verdict of guilty was returned, and the learned judge passed upon the prisoner the sentence of death. | ||
On the following day the wretched man made a confession, in which he said, "His lordship was very cross with me and told me I must quit his service. As I was coming upstairs from the kitchen I thought it was all up with me; my character was gone, and I thought it was the only way I could cover my faults by murdering him. This was the first moment of any idea of the sort entering my head. I went into the dining-room and took a knife from the sideboard. I do not remember whether it was a carving-knife or not. I then went upstairs. I opened his bedroom door and heard him snoring in his sleep; there was a rushlight in his room burning at this time. I went near the bed by the side of the window, and then I murdered him. He just moved his arm a little; he never spoke a word." | ||
The execution was carried out at Newgate, on the 6th of July, 1840. | ||
John Bell | ||
MP for Thirsk 1841‑1851 | ||
In July 1849, a commission was held to determine the state of mind of John Bell, the sitting MP for Thirsk. The following account of the proceedings is taken from the Daily News of 10 July 1849, having been reprinted from the Yorkshire Gazette. | ||
After the jury had been sworn in and the Commissioner had explained the nature of the inquiry, 'Mr Blanshard, who appeared as counsel on behalf of the petitioners, stated the case. The petitioners, he said, were Mrs McBean and Mrs Dainton, sisters and co-heiresses of Mr Bell, who had for some time represented the borough of Thirsk in parliament. He was a gentleman who had enjoyed in Thirsk and the neighbourhood great consideration and popularity, and he was sure that the jury would all feel that the object of this inquiry was for his comfort. It would be perfectly clear that this investigation had been originated for the purpose of protecting Mr Bell and his property, and that he might be surrounded by those comforts which he had hitherto enjoyed. The law was perfectly clear, too. It was different to what it was fifty years ago. The same power by which this commission issued was able to remove it, if, as was not very likely, Mr Bell should be restored to full health, so that he could again enjoy his property and have unbounded liberty; the same power which imposed could take away the restriction. He should not only adduce medical evidence respecting the untoward and unfortunate circumstance which called the together, but also the testimony of parties who had been about Mr Bell's person. He should first call a gentle man of high consideration in this neighbourhood - Mr Serjeantson, of Kirby Knowle, who would speak to the delusions under which Mr Bell laboured and to his state of health generally up to a late period. He should also call Mr Bell's butler, and Mr Milligan, a person who had been accustomed to the care of lunatics, and who had been about the person of Mr Bell, under an assumed guise. The jury would also have before them Dr Ryott, and two physicians from York, Dr Belcombe and Dr Simpson, all professional gentlemen of considerable eminence. From these sources the jury would find that Mr Bell did labour under extraordinary delusions - one of the most prevalent ones being that he was a bird. Sometimes he fancied himself to be an eagle, and made motions with his arms, as if endeavouring to raise himself from the ground to fly. Again, he supposed, and would not be persuaded to the contrary, that iodine was put in his tea. Sometimes he suspected his sister, and sometimes said it was done down stairs by the cook, or some of the servants. And his fatuity is such that, when dinner is announced, he will forget his way down stairs, and sometimes be found in his dressing room; and on one or two occasions, when seated at dinner with Mr and Mrs McBean, he has fancied himself in his dressing room, and begun to undress himself - all showing that for some time he has been in an unsound state of mind and labouring under delusions. He is sometimes violent, strikes his keeper, and screams out, without any cause. He is subject to fits of paroxysm of this sort, frequently requiring restraint, and then, when these fits have passed off, he is quiet and tractable.' | ||
A succession of witnesses was then called, each of whom testified concerning Bell's mental state, repeating his belief that he was a bird. Bell also told his relatives and acquaintances that, while he was a bird, he could fly much better than a bird, because he kept his shoulders oiled. | ||
After the medical witnesses unanimously agreed that Bell was totally incompetent of caring for himself, the jury returned its verdict that Bell was of unsound mind. Notwithstanding this verdict, no action could be taken regarding Bell's membership of the House of Commons, and he remained member for Thirsk until his death in March 1851. It was not until 1886 that the passing of the Lunacy (Vacating of Seats) Act enabled insane members to be expelled from Parliament. Since that time, as far as I am aware, the provisions of this Act have been invoked on only one occasion, when Charles Leach, the member for Colne Valley, was thrown out of Parliament in August 1916. | ||
James Sadleir | ||
MP for Tipperary 1852‑1857 | ||
James Sadleir was the younger brother of John Sadleir, MP for Carlow 1847‑1853 and Sligo 1853‑1856 (qv under Carlow). | ||
James was elected as MP for Tipperary in 1852. At the time, he was also the Managing Director and Chairman of the Tipperary Bank, which had been founded by his brother John. In February 1856, the bank collapsed and John committed suicide. Even though John had, in a letter to James' wife, absolved James of all blame, James was left to carry the can. The bank's creditors began to take legal action against James to recover their losses. Initially James had the sympathy of the public, but it soon emerged that James was implicated in the frauds, being accused of abstracting £250,000 of the bank's stock in a desperate attempt to help his brother. As a result, any previous sympathy quickly evaporated. Charges were finally brought against James on 18 July 1856, but too late - he had absconded a month earlier, on 17 June. | ||
It was speculated that James had fled to New Orleans or South America. When he failed to appear to answer the charges against him, he was expelled from the House of Commons on 16 February 1857. His creditors seized all of his (and his wife's) property and sold it to recover their losses. | ||
On 13 May 1857, the Dublin Evening Post received a letter postmarked Paris from James in which he denied involvement in the frauds. This denial was, in turn, disproved by his cousin, James Scully, who had also been implicated in the scandal. | ||
James never returned to England to face justice, living out the remainder of his life in Switzerland. In June 1881, James was taking his regular walk on the Zürichberg, a wooded hill overlooking Zürich, when a thief attempted to rob him of his gold watch. James resisted and was shot dead, his body being found a week later in a thicket by the side of the path. | ||
For further reading, I recommend Prince of Swindlers by James O'Shea (Geography Publications, Dublin, 1999). | ||
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa | ||
MP for Tipperary 1869‑1870 | ||
Rossa was born in county Cork, the son of tenant farmers. Inspired by the combination of the Great Famine in the 1840s and the Young Irelander rebellion of 1848, Rossa founded the Phoenix National Literary Society, essentially a secret society whose aim was to win independence from Great Britain, by force of arms if necessary. Two years later, he became a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, better known as the 'Fenians'. As a result of his activities as the manager of the Nationalist newspaper The Irish People, he was arrested in 1865 and imprisoned for life on a charge of high treason. While serving this sentence, he was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election in November 1869 for the seat of Tipperary. However, as a convicted felon, he was ruled to be ineligible to sit and his election was declared void in February 1870. | ||
After agreeing to an enforced exile, Rossa was released in 1871 and emigrated to New York. From here he organised the 'Dynamite Campaign', a series of bombings in English cities throughout the 1880s. This campaign brought him adoration in Ireland and made him infamous in Britain. The British authorities attempted to have him extradited, but without success. | ||
On 9 January 1885, a man named Captain Thomas Phelan, a fellow Irishman, was visiting Rossa's office when he received multiple stab wounds in an assassination attempt. Phelan's 'crime' appears to have been that he allowed an interview to be printed in a Kansas City newspaper in which he stated that he had knowledge of some forthcoming bombings. | ||
Just over three weeks later, on 2 February 1885, Rossa himself was the target for assassination. The potential assassin was a young English nurse, named Mrs. Lucille Yseult Dudley, who appears to have decided to kill Rossa as revenge for the Fenians' bombing campaigns in England. | ||
Two days before the attempted assassination, Mrs. Dudley had sent Rossa a letter in which she stated that she was interested in the Irish cause, but did not care to visit his office. She would, therefore, meet him at the corner of Chambers Street and Broadway. After meeting her, Rossa and Mrs. Dudley went to a hotel, where they talked. Mrs. Dudley told Rossa that she would be able to give him a considerable sum of money if anything good could be done in the Irish cause, and that she would call again in two day's time. | ||
On that day, she again met Rossa on the street corner. She showed him a receipt, which he was to sign for the money to be donated, and suggested they go somewhere for the purpose of handing over the money. While walking to their destination, Mrs. Dudley suddenly stepped back, drew a five-shot revolver and began shooting at Rossa. Only one shot hit him, in his back below the left shoulder-blade. She was quickly subdued and taken to the nearest police station. | ||
When questioned, Mrs. Dudley admitted to shooting Rossa, but declined to give her reasons. When she inquired about Rossa, she expressed her sorrow that he had only been wounded. Rossa himself was taken to hospital, where, ironically, he was placed in the same ward as Captain Phelan, who appeared to be pleased that Rossa had been shot. Rossa eventually made a full recovery and lived for another 30 years. | ||
The reaction to the attempted assassination in contemporary newspapers was predictable. The Times reported that "[Rossa's] wound is not a dangerous one, but this fact causes general regret, as it is generally held that he richly deserves to be killed". A number of other English newspapers praised Mrs. Dudley as being the re-incarnation of Charlotte Corday. On the other hand, contemporary Irish papers described the assassination attempt as an outrage and suggested that Dudley was an agent of the British government. In July 1885 Mrs. Dudley was found to be insane and was lodged in a lunatic asylum. | ||
John Mitchel | ||
MP for Tipperary Feb‑Mar 1875 | ||
Mitchel was born in Dungiven, co. Londonderry and from a young age became one of Ireland's leading campaigners for independence. It is not the purpose of this note to discuss Mitchel's fight for Irish independence, a lengthy summary of which can be found under 'John Mitchel' in Wikipedia. Rather, my purpose is to inform readers of Mitchel's escape from Australia, whence he had been transported as a convict. | ||
Suffice to say, therefore, that Mitchel was found guilty of treason felony in May 1848 and sentenced to 14 years transportation. Initially, Mitchel was sent to the confusingly-named Ireland Island in Bermuda, but his health deteriorated in the tropical environment, and in 1849 he was transferred to the convict ship Neptune bound for the Cape of Good Hope. However, riots among the good citizens of Cape Town over the dumping of convicts in the colony caused the Neptune to be diverted to Tasmania, then known as Van Diemen's Land. | ||
Mitchel landed at Hobart on 7 April 1850. As a political prisoner, he has better treated than other prisoners and was soon granted a ticket-of-leave, provided he gave his word of honour not to escape from the colony and reported to a police magistrate once a month. He settled on a small farm a few miles from the inland town of Bothwell, where several convicts were assigned to help him work the property. His wife and family arrived from Ireland to join him, and altogether Mitchel led a comfortable life, but he pined to get back into the fight for Irish freedom. | ||
His fellow freedom fighters in Ireland had not forgotten about him, and in 1853 they sent a young man by the name of Patrick James Smyth to Hobart. Well supplied with cash, his orders were to get Mitchel away to the United States. For his part, Mitchel was eager to escape, but he told Smyth that he was a man of honour and could not go back on his pledged word not to escape. | ||
The two considered the situation and agreed on a way out of the impasse. Mitchel decided he could escape with honour unsoiled if he formally renounced the ticket-of-leave to a magistrate and then immediately fled. Accordingly, on 6 June 1853, Mitchel and Smyth galloped into Bothwell where they strode into the Court House and confronted Magistrate Davis, who sat in an office with his clerk and an attending constable. Mitchel slapped down a letter on the table and ordered Davis to read it. The magistrate saw both men standing menacingly before him, hands on the evident revolvers inside their jackets. The note read, 'I hereby resign my ticket-of-leave and present myself to be taken into custody'. Mitchel and Smyth bade the magistrate good morning and strode to the door. By the time Davis could summon assistance, Mitchel and Smyth were galloping out of town. | ||
A few miles down the road, they changed horses and clothes. Mitchel set off across country, hoping to make his way over the mountains to Launceston with the aid of friendly landowners. Smyth's job was to throw pursuers off the scent. He galloped to the town of Oatlands and noisily asked directions to the coastal town of Spring Bay. As a result, the police rushed off on a wild goose chase to Spring Bay, while Smyth sat comfortably in the coach bound for Launceston. | ||
The Governor of Tasmania, Sir William Denison, threw every available man into the hunt for Mitchel, who, hidden and guided by farmers who disliked Denison's regime, and who were also well paid with Smyth's cash, eventually reached a property not far from Launceston. There he received a message from Smyth that the brig Don Juan was to pick him up from a deserted beach near the mouth of the Tamar River on the night of 27 June 1853. Unfortunately for Mitchel, however, the brig failed to arrive. Mitchel then hid out on another farm while Smyth arranged something else. | ||
In a few days, word reached him that a passage was booked on the regular Launceston-Melbourne steamer for a Catholic priest, Father Macnamara. A parcel of suitable clothing next arrived and, donning the disguise, Mitchel set off to board the steamer. Before he got to the wharf, he was met by a seaman with a message from the steamer's captain, who dared not take the bogus priest aboard. He advised Mitchel to hire a boat and crew to row him out to meet the steamer after it had sailed, and he would then be taken aboard. Mitchel arranged for this suggestion to take place, but the weather intervened and the steamer failed to see them. | ||
Returning to Launceston, Mitchel bought a ticket to Hobart in the name of Father Blake. During the journey, Mitchel was sat next to Tasmania's Attorney-General, but his disguise stood the test. Several times they were stopped by police - on these occasions Mitchel solemnly blessed his pursuers and wished them luck in their search. | ||
Arrived at Hobart, Mitchel was secreted in a safe hide-out until 19 July 1853, when, as Mr. Wright, he boarded the brig Emma and sailed to Sydney. There he was rejoined by Smyth, who had brought with him Mitchel's wife and family. On 2 August 1853, they sailed for San Francisco aboard the merchantman, the Orkney Lass. | ||
News of Mitchel's escape had preceded him. Arriving in America, he was greeted and feted by the large Irish population. In New York, Mitchel started a rabid anti-British propaganda journal, The Citizen, which attained a wide circulation. He soon became embroiled in the controversy over slavery and strangely, for a person with freedom-loving ideals, he supported the South. | ||
In 1861, Mitchel moved to France. He hoped to foment war between France and Britain, so that in the resulting turmoil, Ireland could press for self-government. The American Civil War broke out while he was in France and he rushed back to aid the Southern cause. His two sons were killed during the fighting, while Mitchel worked in an ambulance unit while editing a daily paper in his spare time. | ||
After the war had concluded, Mitchel moved back to New York, where his writings and speeches on behalf of the beaten South soon got him into trouble. The military commandant of New York at the time, Major General John Adams Dix, had him thrown into prison. Mitchel was released after four months, but his health was broken. He started another paper, The Irish Citizen, and wrote voluminously on Irish history. | ||
In the summer of 1874, Mitchel risked a return to his homeland, but shortly thereafter returned to America. At a by-election for the seat of Tipperary in February 1875, Mitchel was elected unopposed. The election was immediately declared void on the grounds that Mitchel was an escaped felon and a fresh election was held on 13 March 1875. Again Mitchel was elected, but a week later he died, thus avoiding any further action by Parliament. | ||
Patrick Smyth, Mitchel's helper in fleeing Tasmania, was also elected to the House of Commons, sitting for the constituency of co. Westmeath between 1871 and 1880. | ||
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