Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)


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Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its representation was reduced to one member. From 1885, the name was transferred to a single-member county constituency covering a much larger area. (Between 1885 and 1918, the constituency had the alternative name of West Devon.)

Tavistock
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Seatsone
Replaced byWest Devon
1330–1885
Seatstwo (1330–1868), one (1868–1885)
Type of constituencyBorough constituency

The constituency was abolished for the February 1974 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new West Devon constituency.

1885–1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Devonport and Plymouth, and the Sessional Divisions of Hatherleigh, Holsworthy, Lifton, Midland Roborough, and Tavistock.

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy, Ivybridge, and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Plympton St Mary, and Tavistock, and part of the Rural District of Holsworthy.

1950–1951: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Holsworthy, and Tavistock, and the Rural District of Plympton St Mary except the parishes of Bickleigh and Tamerton Foliot.[1]

1951–1974: The Urban Districts of Holsworthy and Tavistock, the Rural Districts of Broadwoodwidger, Holsworthy, and Tavistock, and the Rural District of Plympton St Mary less the parts of the parishes of Bickleigh and Tamerton Foliot added to the county borough of Plymouth by the Plymouth Extension Act 1950.[2]

In 1965 Tavistock was one of the largest seats in England, in terms of land area. It included the towns of Plympton and Plymstock (effectively eastern suburbs of Plymouth). It also included a great deal of rural land, including two-thirds of Dartmoor.[3]

Members of Parliament

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Parliament First member Second member
1335 Richard Crocker[4]
Oct. 1377 Thomas Raymond[5]
1381 Peter Hadley[6]
1384 Thomas Raymond[5]
1386 John Wyndout John Tryll[7]
1388 (Feb) Ranulph Hunt John atte Pole[7]
1388 (Sep) John Ford William Walreddon[7]
1390 (Jan) Walter Milemead John Bithewater[7]
1390 (Nov)
1391 Ranulph Hunt John Whitham[7]
1393 Ranulph Hunt Matthew Row[7]
1394 Ranulph Hunt John Crocker[7]
1395 Ranulph Hunt Walter Dimmock[7]
1397 (Jan) William Whitham John Plenty[7]
1397 (Sep)
1399
1401
1402 Ranulph Hunt John Kene[7]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406 John Plenty Roger Baker[7]
1407 John Godfrey William Brit[7]
1410
1411 John Lopynford Richard Secheville[7]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) William May John Julkin[7]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov) William May John Julkin[7]
1415
1416 (Mar)
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419 Richard Secheville ?[7]
1420 Richard Secheville William Bentley[7]
1421 (May) John Fortescue William May[7]
1421 (Dec) John Fortescue Nicholas Fitzherbert[7]
1467–1468 Richard Edgcumbe
1472 John Say
1485 Richard Edgcumbe
1510-1512 No names known[8]
1515 Richard Lybbe John Amadas[8]
1523 ?
1529 William Honychurch John Dynham[8]
1536 ?
1539 ?
1542 ?
1545 Sir Peter Carew Richard Fortescue[8]
1547 Sir Edward Rogers John Gale[8]
1553 (Mar) Edward Underhill Anthony Lyte[8]
1553 (Nov) Richard Wilbraham Thomas Smyth
Parliament of 1554 Richard Mayo John Fitz, junior
Parliament of 1554-1555 John Onebyche
Parliament of 1555 Richard Mayo Thomas Southcote
Parliament of 1558 Thomas Browne George Southcote
Parliament of 1559 Unknown: the return has been lost
Parliament of 1563-1567 Sir Nicholas Throckmorton Richard Cooke
Parliament of 1571 Nathaniel Bacon Robert Ferrers died after 1572
In his place Charles Morison
Parliament of 1572-1581
Parliament of 1584-1585 Edward Bacon Valentine Knightley
Parliament of 1586-1587 John Glanville
Parliament of 1588-1589 Michael Heneage Anthony Ashley
Parliament of 1593 Hugh Vaughan Richard Codrington
Parliament of 1597-1598 Edward Montagu Valentine Knightley
Parliament of 1601 Henry Grey Walter Wentworth
Parliament of 1604-1611 Sir George Fleetwood Edward Duncombe
Addled Parliament (1614) (Sir) Francis Glanville
Parliament of 1621-1622 Sir Baptist Hicks, Bt
Happy Parliament (1624–1625) Sampson Hele John Pym
Useless Parliament (1625) Sir Francis Glanville
Parliament of 1625-1626 Sir John Ratcliffe
Parliament of 1628-1629 Sir Francis Glanville
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640
Year First member First party Second member Second party
April 1640 Lord Russell Royalist John Pym Parliamentarian
November 1640
1641 Hon. John Russell Royalist
December 1643 Pym died - seat vacant
January 1644 Russell disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1646 Elisha Crimes Edward Fowell
December 1648 Crimes and Fowell excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant
1653 Tavistock was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659 Henry Hatsell Edmund Fowell
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 William Russell Whig George Howard
April 1661 Sir John Davie, 2nd Baronet
December 1661 Lord Russell Whig
1673 Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet
1679 Edward Russell Whig
1685 Sir James Butler John Beare
1689 Lord Robert Russell Sir Francis Drake, Bt
1695 Lord James Russell
March 1696 Ambrose Manaton
November 1696 Sir Francis Drake, Bt
1701 Lord Edward Russell Whig
1702 Lord James Russell
November 1703 James Bulteel
December 1703 Henry Manaton[9]
1708 Sir John Cope, Bt[10] Whig
1711 James Bulteel
1715 Sir Francis Henry Drake, Bt
1728 Sir Humphrey Monoux, Bt Tory
1734 Hon. Charles Fane[11] Whig Sidney Meadows
1741 Lord Sherard Manners
1742 The Viscount of Limerick
July 1747 Richard Leveson-Gower[12] Thomas Brand
December 1747 Sir Richard Wrottesley, Bt
April 1754 Richard Rigby Whig[13] Jeffrey French
December 1754 Richard Vernon
1761 Richard Neville Aldworth
1774 Hon. Richard FitzPatrick Whig[13]
1788 Lord John Russell Whig[13]
June 1790 Hon. Charles Wyndham[14] Whig[13]
December 1790 Lord John Russell Whig[13]
1802 Lord Robert Spencer Whig[13]
May 1807 Lord William Russell Whig[13]
July 1807 Viscount Howick Whig[13]
1808 George Ponsonby Whig[13]
1812 Richard FitzPatrick Whig[13]
1813 Lord John Russell Whig[13]
1817 Lord Robert Spencer Whig[13]
1818 Lord John Russell Whig[13]
1819 John Peter Grant Whig[13]
March 1820 John Nicholas Fazakerly Whig[13]
May 1820 Viscount Ebrington[15] Whig[13]
1826 Lord William Russell Whig[13]
August 1830 Lord Russell Whig[13]
November 1830 Lord John Russell[16] Whig[13]
July 1831 John Heywood Hawkins Whig[13]
October 1831 Lieutenant Colonel Francis Russell Whig[13]
1832 Lord Russell[17] Whig[13][18][19] Charles Richard Fox Whig[13]
1835 John Rundle Whig[13][18][20]
1841 Lord Edward Russell Whig[13][20]
1843 John Salusbury Trelawny Radical[21][22][23][24]
1847 Hon. Edward Russell Whig[24][25]
April 1852 Samuel Carter[26] Radical[27][28]
July 1852 Hon. George Byng Whig[29]
1853 Robert Phillimore Peelite[30][31][32]
March 1857 Sir John Salusbury Trelawny Radical[21][22][23][24]
September 1857 Arthur Russell Whig[33][34]
1859 Liberal Liberal
1865 Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda Liberal
1868 Representation reduced to one member
Election Member Party
1868 Arthur Russell[35] Liberal
1885 Viscount Ebrington Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 Hugh Luttrell Liberal
1900 John Spear Liberal Unionist
1906 Hugh Luttrell Liberal
Dec. 1910 Sir John Spear Liberal Unionist
1918 Charles Williams Conservative
1922 Maxwell Ruthven Thornton Liberal
1924 Philip Kenyon-Slaney Unionist
1928 by-election Wallace Duffield Wright Conservative
1931 Colin Patrick Conservative
1942 by-election Sir Henry Studholme, Bt Conservative
1966 Michael Heseltine Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see West Devon

Elections in the 1830s

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Fortescue chose to sit for Devon where he had also been elected, causing a by-election.

John Russell was also elected for Devon and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.

William Russell resigned, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s

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Rundle resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

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Trelawny resigned to seek re-election after voting against the disestablishment of the Church of England when he had promised his constituents he would vote for it.[38]

On petition, Carter was unseated in 1853 and Phillimore was declared elected in his place.

Byng resigned in order to contest a by-election in Middlesex, causing a by-election.[39]

Elections in the 1860s

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Seat reduced to one member

Elections in the 1870s

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Elections in the 1880s

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Ebrington

Elections in the 1890s

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Hugh Luttrell

Elections in the 1900s

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Elections in the 1910s

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General Election 1914–15:

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

Elections in the 1920s

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Maxwell Thornton

Elections in the 1930s

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Elections in the 1940s

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General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

  • Conservative: Colin Patrick
  • Liberal: Frank Milton
  • Labour: J Finnigan

Elections in the 1950s

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Elections in the 1960s

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Elections in the 1970s

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  1. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch. 1), retrieved 28 February 2023
  2. ^ "The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) (No. 10) Order 1951. SI 1951/432". Statutory Instruments 1951. Vol. II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1952. pp. 431–434.
  3. ^ Crick 1997, pp117-8
  4. ^ "CROCKER, John, of Tavistock and Hele, Devon. | History of Parliament Online". Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b "RAYMOND, Thomas (D.1418), of Simpson in Holsworthy, Devon. | History of Parliament Online". Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  6. ^ "HADLEY, Peter, of Exeter, Devon. | History of Parliament Online". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  9. ^ Manaton was initially returned as re-elected in 1710, but on petition he was adjudged not to have been duly elected
  10. ^ Cope was re-elected in 1727, but had also been elected for Hampshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Tavistock
  11. ^ Succeeded as The Viscount Fane (in the Peerage of Ireland), July 1744
  12. ^ Leveson-Gower was also elected for Lichfield, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Tavistock
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 75–77. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  14. ^ Wyndham was also elected for Midhurst, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Tavistock
  15. ^ Ebrington was re-elected in 1830, but had also been elected for Devon, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Tavistock
  16. ^ Russell was re-elected in 1831, but had also been elected for Devon, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Tavistock
  17. ^ Styled Marquess of Tavistock from 1839
  18. ^ a b Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 198–199. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2018 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. p. 212. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2018 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ a b "General Election, 1841". Morning Post. 28 June 1841. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 21 December 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ a b Hoppen, K. Theodore (2016). Governing Hibernia: British Politicians and Ireland 1800-1921. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 133. ISBN 9780198207436. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Bedford Election". Worcester Journal. 9 December 1854. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 8 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. ^ a b "Bedford Election". Leeds Intelligencer. 9 December 1854. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ a b c "Tavistock Election". The Suffolk Chronicle; or Weekly General Advertiser & County Express. 7 August 1847. p. 1. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  25. ^ "Election Intelligence". Morning Post. 26 July 1847. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. ^ Carter's re-election in 1853 was declared void and his opponent, Phillimore, was seated in his place.
  27. ^ Crail, Mark (19 March 2017). "Samuel Carter, Chartist MP, 1814 - 1903". Chartist Ancestors. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  28. ^ "Election Intelligence". London Evening Standard. 27 April 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. ^ "Latest News". York Herald. 5 September 1857. p. 7. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  30. ^ "Coventry". Evening Mail. 27 March 1857. p. 7. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. ^ "Election Movements". Coventry Standard. 20 March 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  32. ^ "Western Courier, West of England Conservative, Plymouth and Devonport Advertiser". 14 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  33. ^ "Representation of Tavistock". London Evening Standard. 3 September 1857. p. 6. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  34. ^ "Nottingham Journal". 11 September 1857. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  35. ^ Styled Lord Arthur Russell from 1872
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h Fisher, David R. "Tavistock". The History of Parliament. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  38. ^ McKie, David (26 October 2006). "No sense in self-denial". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  39. ^ "The Election for the County of Middlesex". The Times. 4 September 1857. p. 9.
  40. ^ "North Wales Chronicle". 12 September 1857. p. 12. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  41. ^ "Domestic". Royal Cornwall Gazette. 11 September 1857. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 15 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  42. ^ "To the Electors of Tavistock". Western Morning News. 5 July 1865. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  43. ^ Roberts, Steven (2012). "Captain Alexander Blakely RA". p. 3. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  44. ^ "Tavistock". Western Morning News. 6 February 1874. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g h Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 259. ISBN 9781349022984.
  46. ^ Western Times 13 Mar 1914
  47. ^ a b c F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  48. ^ a b British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
  49. ^ a b c d e British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  50. ^ a b F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973