Penryn and Falmouth was the name of a constituency in Cornwall, England, UK, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1950. From 1832 to 1918 it was a parliamentary borough, initially returning two Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, its representation was reduced to one member, elected by the first past the post system. In 1918 the borough was abolished and the name was transferred to a county constituency electing one MP.
Boundaries 1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Falmouth, Penryn, and Truro, the Urban District of St Austell, the Rural District of St Austell except the civil parishes of St Sampson and Tywardreath, the Rural District of East Kerrier except the civil parishes of Constantine, Mabe, and Perranarworthal, and the Rural District of Truro except the civil parishes of Kea, Kenwyn Rural, Perranzabuloe, St Agnes, St Allen, and Tregavethan.
History The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 (the "Great Reform Act") as a replacement for the Penryn constituency, which had become a notoriously rotten borough. The new borough consisted of Penryn, Falmouth and parts of Budock and St Gluvias parishes, giving it a mostly urban population of nearly 12,000, of whom 875 were registered to vote at its first election in 1832.
Initially Penryn and Falmouth elected two MPs, but this was reduced to one in 1885. It was one of the smallest constituencies in England for the next thirty years. At this period its voters were politically unpredictable; though generally among the more Conservative Cornish constituencies, they were influenced by personal factors and often swung against the national tide of opinion. Falmouth, which had a stronger non-conformist presence, was the more Liberal part of the constituency in the late 19th century, but was thought to become more Conservative as it developed its economy as a destination seaside resort.
In 1918 the borough was abolished, but the Penryn and Falmouth name was applied to the county constituency in which the two towns were placed. This was a much more extensive constituency, covering the whole of south central Cornwall, including the towns of Truro and St Austell as well a long stretch of coastline. The constituency had a more industrial character (a sixth of the population were engaged in tin mining); the area suffered badly from unemployment in the 1930s, and in 1935 the Labour Party came within 3,031 votes of winning what would have been their first seat in Cornwall.
The constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election, most of its area being moved into the Truro constituency. Penryn and Falmouth were assigned to the new Falmouth and Camborne division.
Members of Parliament
Penryn & Falmouth borough 1832–1885 Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1832 Sir Robert Rolfe Whig Lord Tullamore Tory 1834 Conservative 1835 James William Freshfield Conservative 1840 Edward John HutchinsE J Hutchins was subsequently elected for Lymington 1850–1857. There is a biography of him at Masonic Province of South Wales, Eastern Division. Whig 1841 John Vivian Whig James Hanway Plumridge Whig 1847 Howel Gwyn Conservative Francis Mowatt Radical 1852 James William Freshfield Conservative 1857 Thomas Baring Whig Samuel GurneySee ODNB article by Richard Davenport-Hines, 'Gurney, Samuel (1816–1882)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 23 Jan 2008 Ind. Whig 1859 Liberal Ind. Liberal 1866 Jervoise Smith Liberal 1868 Robert Fowler Conservative Edward Eastwick Conservative 1874 David James Jenkins Liberal Henry Thomas Cole Liberal 1880 Reginald Brett Liberal1885 Representation reduced to one member
Penryn & Falmouth borough 1885–1918 ElectionMemberParty 1885 David James Jenkins Liberal 1886 William George Cavendish-Bentinck Conservative 1895 Frederick John Horniman Liberal 1906 Sir John Barker Liberal 1910 Charles Sydney Goldman Unionist1918 Borough abolished; name transferred to county division
Penryn & Falmouth division of Cornwall 1918–1950 ElectionMemberParty 1918 Sir Edward Nicholl Coalition Conservative 1922 Capt Denis Shipwright Conservative 1923 Sir Courtenay Mansel Liberal 1924 George PilcherHansard website gives dates of George Pilcher, MP as 1882 – 8 December 1962, in Parliament 29 October 1924 – 30 May 1929. The National Portrait Gallery, London has two photographic portraits of him, taken in 1927. He is described as journalist, barrister and politician. Rayment says he was born 26 February 1882. He was Secretary of the Royal Empire Society. The Times, 16 March 1935; pg. 9; Issue 47014; col D Notes his resignation as Secretary of the RES, after six years' service and his previous work as a journalist. The Times, 13 December 1962; pg. 12; Issue 55573; col E includes an Obituary, giving further information. Conservative 1929 Sir Tudor Walters Liberal 1931 Maurice Petherick Conservative 1945 Evelyn King Labour1950 constituency abolished
Elections
Elections in the 1830s
Rolfe was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s Rolfe resigned after being appointed a Judge of the Court of the Exchequer, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Baring was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Baring succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Northbrook and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
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: Charles Sydney Goldman Liberal:
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
A General election was due to take place before the end of 1940, but was postponed due to the Second World War. By 1939, the following candidates had been selected to contest this constituency; Conservative: Maurice Petherick Labour: A.L.Rowse
Elections in the 1940s
References
Sources Michael Kinnear, The British Voter (London: BH Batsford, Ltd, 1968) Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967) J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965) Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)