Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918.
Appleby was enfranchised as parliamentary borough in 1295, and abolished by the Great Reform Act 1832. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) using the bloc vote system. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until the Acts of Union 1707, in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. Its best-known MP was William Pitt the Younger who became prime minister in 1783 at the age of 24.
For the 1885 general election the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 created a county constituency of the same name, which returned a single MP elected by the first-past-the-post system. The county constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election.
History
The borough (1295–1832) The parliamentary borough of Appleby consisted of the town of Appleby, the county town of Westmorland, and was consistently represented in the House of Commons from the Model Parliament of 1295 until the Reform Act 1832. (currently unavailable) (currently unavailable)
The right to vote rested with the occupiers of around a hundred burgage tenements. By the 18th century, the majority of the burgages were owned by the Lowther and Tufton families, which enabled them to put in reliable tenants at election time and ensure their complete control of who was elected. The seats were frequently kept for members of those families, but Appleby's other representatives included William Pitt the Younger, who was MP for Appleby when he became prime minister in 1783 (although he stood down at the following general election when he was instead elected for Cambridge University).
A later member for Appleby was Viscount Howick, subsequently (as Earl Grey) the Prime Minister whose administration passed the Great Reform Act 1832; but Grey's history as a former MP for the town did not save it from losing both its members under the act. Appleby was regarded as a classic example of a pocket borough, completely in the control of its owners who were also the major local landowners, and with a population of only 1,233 at the 1831 census unlikely to be freed from their influence even by widening the franchise. Nevertheless, as the only county town to be disfranchised, Appleby was one of the more controversial cases in the debates on the reform bill, the opposition making unsuccessful attempts to amend the bill so as to save at least one of its MPs.
After abolition the borough was absorbed into the Westmorland county constituency.
The county constituency (1885–1918) The Appleby constituency created for the 1885 election was, in full, "The Appleby or Northern Division of Westmorland", and was sometimes referred to as Westmorland North. It consisted of the whole of the northern half of the county, including the towns of Ambleside, Grasmere and Kirkby Stephen. It was abolished at the 1918 general election, the whole county henceforth being united in a single Westmorland constituency.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1295–1660
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1382 William Soulby1385 William Soulby 1386 Robert Overdo I John Overdo 1388 (Feb) William Soulby Adam Crosby 1388 (Sep) 1390 (Jan) 1390 (Nov) 1391 William Soulby John Sowerby 1393 1394 1395 Robert Gare William Savage 1397 (Jan) John Helton John Sowerby 1397 (Sep) Christopher Curwen Thomas Chamberlain 1399 Thomas Warcop William Crackenthorpe I 1401 1402 Robert Gare Robert Overdo II 1404 (Jan) 1404 (Oct) 1406 John Ninezergh William Crackenthorpe II 1407 John Sagher John Pray 1410 1411John Helton John Sowerby 1413 (Feb) 1413 (May) Robert Sandford Thomas Stockdale 1414 (Apr) 1414 (Nov) Robert Crackenthorpe John Birkrig 1415 Roland Thornburgh John Birkrig 1416 (Mar) Richard Bristowe Thomas Manningham 1416 (Oct) 1417 Thomas Stockdale John Birkrig 1419 Richard Wharton Thomas Pety 1420 William Lowther Nicholas Stanshawe 1421 (May) William Scalby Nicholas Stanshawe 1421 (Dec) John Booth Nicholas Stanshawe 1436-1427 Thomas Wharton 1510–1523 No names known 1529 Sir Richard Tempest Sir Thomas Wharton 1536 ? 1539 ? 1542 Cuthbert Horsley Thomas Jolye 1545 Thomas Jolye Robert Wheatley 1547 Thomas Jolye, diedand replaced Jan 1552 by George Clifford Robert Wheatley 1553 (Mar) ? 1553 (Oct) George Clifford James Bankes 1554 (Apr) John Eltoftes William Danby 1554 (Nov) John Eltoftes William Danby 1555 ? 1558 John Eltoftes Nicholas Purslow 1559 (Jan) John Eltoftes Christopher Monckton 1562/3 Christopher Monckton Robert Atkinson 1571 John Layton Richard Wroth 1572 (Apr) George Frevile Robert Bowes 1584 (Nov) George Ireland Henry Macwilliam 1586 James Ryther Robert Constable 1588 Laurence Lister Thomas MusgraveRobert WarcopAnthony FeltonElection declared void, 11 Feb 1589 1589 Ralph Bowes Thomas Posthumous Hoby 1593 Thomas Posthumous Hoby Cuthbert Reynolds 1597 (Sep) James Colbrand John Lyly 1601 (Oct) John Morice Thomas Caesar 1604 John Morice Sir William Bowyer 1614 Sir George Savile, junior Sir Henry Wotton 1621 Sir Arthur Ingram Thomas Hughes 1624 Sir Arthur Ingram Thomas Hughes 1625 Sir John Hotham sat for Beverley – not replaced Thomas Hughes 1626 Sir William Slingsby William Ashton 1628 William Ashton Richard Lowther 1629–1640No Parliaments convened 1640 (Apr) Richard Boyle Richard Lowther 1640 (Nov) Sir John Brooke (Royalist) – disabled March 1643 Richard Boyle (Royalist) ennobled, September 1642 1645 Richard Salwey Henry Ireton 1648 Richard Salwey Henry Ireton died November 1651 1653Appleby unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament 1654Appleby unrepresented in the First Parliament of the Protectorate 1656Appleby unrepresented in the Second Parliament of the Protectorate 1659 Adam Baynes Nathaniel Redding
MPs 1660–1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party1660Sir Henry Cholmley Christopher Clapham 1661John Lowther John Dalston 1668Thomas Tufton Tory1679Richard Tufton Anthony Lowther January 1681Sackville Tufton February 1681Sir John Bland 1685Philip Musgrave January 1689Richard Lowther July 1689William Cheyne 1690Hon. Charles Boyle 1694Sir John Walter 1695Sir William Twysden Sir Christopher Musgrave 1697Sir John Walter 1698Gervase Pierrepont 1701Wharton Dunch 1702James Grahme 1705William Harvey 1708Nicholas Lechmere Edward Duncombe 1710Thomas Lutwyche 1713Sir Richard Sandford, Bt. 1722Sackville Tufton Tory1723 by-electionThe by-election in 1723 was due to the death of Sir Richard Sandford, Bt.James Lowther Whig1727 by-electionJohn Ramsden Ind. Whig1730 by-electionThe by-election in 1730 was due to Tufton succeeding to the peerage as Earl of Thanet.Walter Plumer Whig1741George DodingtonIn 1741, Dodington was also elected for Bridgwater, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.Whig1742 by-electionSir Charles Wyndham, Bt 1747Randle Wilbraham 1754At the 1754 election, Lee and Honywood defeated Sir John Ramsden and Fletcher Norton, but this election was subsequently declared void and a by-election held in February 1756, at which Norton rather than Lee was elected.William Lee Philip Honywood 1756 by-electionFletcher Norton 1761John Stanwix 1767 by-electionThe 1767 by-election was due to the death of Stanwix, who was drowned while returning from Ireland.Charles Jenkinson Whig1773 by-electionThe 1773 by-election was due to the resignation of Jenkinson.Fletcher Norton the younger 1774George JohnstoneIndependent1780William LowtherIn 1780, Lowther was also elected for Carlisle, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby, causing a by-election in 1781.Tory1781 by-electionHon. William Pitt Whig1784Hon. John Leveson-Gower Richard Penn 1790Hon. Robert JenkinsonJenkinson was also elected for Rye, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.ToryRichard Ford ToryJanuary 1791 by-electionHon. William Grimston May 1791 by-electionThe May 1791 by-election was caused by the resignation of Richard Ford.Hon. John Rawdon 1796Hon. John Tufton John Courtenay 1799 by-electionThe 1799 by-election was caused by the death of Hon. John Tufton.Robert AdairWhig1802Sir Philip FrancisWhigMay 1807Charles Grey WhigJames Cuthbert WhigJuly 1807 by-electionThe July 1807 by-election was caused by the resignation of Charles Grey to contest a vacancy in Tavistock.Nicholas Ridley-ColborneWhigOctober 1812James Lowther ToryJohn Courtenay WhigDecember 1812 by-electionThe December 1812 by-election was caused by the resignation of John Courtenay.George Tierney Whig1818George Fludyer ToryLucius Concannon Whig1819 by-electionThe 1819 by-election was caused by the resignation of George Fludyer.Adolphus DalrympleToryMarch 1820George TierneyTierney was also elected for Knaresborough, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.WhigMay 1820 by-electionThomas CreeveyWhig1826Hon. Henry Tufton WhigJames Maitland ToryMay 1832 by-electionThe by-election in May 1832 was due to Henry Tufton succeeding to the peerage as Earl of Thanet.Charles Henry Foster BarhamWhig1832 constituency abolished by the Great Reform Act
Notes
MPs 1885–1918 YearMemberParty 1885 Hon. William Lowther Conservative 1892 Sir Joseph Savory Conservative 1900 Richard RiggLiberal 1905 Leif Jones Liberal 1910 Lancelot Sanderson Conservative 1915 Cecil Lowther Conservative 1918 constituency abolished
Election results 1885–1918
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Figures are those following a recount
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Lancelot Sanderson Liberal:
Election results before 1832 Elections in the 1830s
Caused by Tufton's succession to the peerage, becoming 11th Earl of Thanet
Elections in the 18th century
Election results taken from the History of Parliament Trust series.
Death of Sandford
Succession of Tufton as 7th Earl of Thanet
Dodington chose to sit for Bridgwater
References
Michael Brock, The Great Reform Act (London: Hutchinson, 1973) D Brunton & D H Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)