Midhurst was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1311 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished. Before the Great Reform Act 1832, it was one of the most notorious of England's rotten boroughs.
History From its foundation in the 14th century until 1832, the borough consisted of part of the parish of Midhurst, a small market town in Sussex. Much of the town as it existed by the 19th century was outside this ancient boundary, but the boundary was in any case academic since the townsfolk had no votes. As a contemporary, writer, Sir George Trevelyan explained in writing about the general election of 1768,G O Trevelyan, Life of Fox, quoted by Porritt the right of election rested in a few small holdings, on which no human being resided, distinguished among the pastures and the stubble that surrounded them by a large stone set up on end in the middle of each portion.
No doubt these "burgage tenements" had once included houses, but long before the 19th century it was notorious that several of them consisted solely of the marker stones, set in the wall of the landowner's estate. Even compared with most of the other burgage boroughs this was an extreme situation, and during the parliamentary debates on the Reform Bills in 1831 and 1832 the reformers made much play of Midhurst's "niches in a wall" as an example of the abuses they wished to correct.
The natural result of a burgage franchise was to encourage some local landowner to attempt to buy up a majority of the tenements, thereby ensuring absolute control of the choice of both of the members of Parliament, and this happened at an early stage in many other burgage boroughs. In Midhurst, however, there was still no single proprietor by the middle of the 18th century. The most influential figure was The Viscount Montagu, who in 1754 claimed to own 104 burgages, but Sir John Peachey owned 40 and there were more than 70 independent burgage holders. Montagu could usually control matters since he could count on the support of at least half of the independent voters, but for many years there had been an agreement not to force matters, and the Peacheys were allowed one of the two seats.
However, after 1754 Montagu began to buy up the independent burgages; meanwhile Peachey sold his property in the borough to Sir William Peere Williams, who in his turn also tried to increase his holding. At the general election of 1761, the two proprietors seem to have been unsure which would prove to have a majority, and both the Prime Minister and opposition leaders were drawn into the negotiations before a compromise could be reached to avoid a contest. However, when Williams was killed during the capture of Belle Île later the same year, his burgages seem to have been bought by Montagu, who thereafter had a clear field. In 1832 there were still said to be 148 burgage tenements, but only 41 qualified electors, of whom no more than 20 voted. Midhurst was now an undisputed pocket borough: its elections consisted, as Trevelyan related of 1768, in a legal fiction:, Viscount Montagu ... when an election was in prospect, assigned a few of [the burgage tenements] to his servants, with instructions to nominate the members and then make back the property to their employer.
In fact, by 1761, Montagu's political affairs were being directed by his son, Anthony Browne, who put the borough's seats at the disposal of his parliamentary leader, Lord Holland – Holland used one of them to bring his son, Charles James Fox, into Parliament even though underage. But Holland died before the 1774 election, and Browne (by now the 7th Viscount Montagu) being short of money sold the nomination for both seats to the Treasury in return for a government pension.
After the 7th Viscount's death in 1787, the Montagu property in the borough was sold to the Earl of Egremont for £40,000. The earl used the seat to return two of his younger brothers, Percy and Charles William to the Commons, with Charles only serving one parliament for Midhurst. Egremont in turn sold it to Lord Carrington, who used it more often than not to provide a parliamentary seat for one of his many brothers or nephews.
In 1831, the population of the borough was 1,478, and the first draft of the Reform Bill proposed to abolish it altogether. But after argument the government recognised that it was possible to make a more respectably-sized constituency by expanding the boundaries to bring in the whole of the town and some neighbouring parishes, and Midhurst was reprieved. The expanded borough consisted of the whole of nine parishes and part of ten others, and had a population of 5,627. Nevertheless, Midhurst was permitted to keep only one of its two seats. Under the reformed franchise, its electorate at the election of 1832 was 252; but this was not sufficient to lead to more competitive elections, since the MP was returned unopposed at every election between 1832 and 1868.
Midhurst was eventually abolished as a separate constituency in the boundary changes of 1885, the town being included from that date in the North Western (or Horsham) county division.
Members of Parliament 1311–1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386 Henry ExtonThomas Smith1388 (Feb)Richard Hobekyn Robert Hynkele1388 (Sep)William Baggele John Sarceller1390 (Jan)Richard Hobekyn John Mory1390 (Nov)13911393 Thomas ClerkJohn G(renettour?)13941395 John GrenettourRobert atte Rode1397 (Jan)William atte BarreJohn Grenettour1397 (Sep)William BaggeleThomas Sarceller1399 Michael BaggeleJohn Rombald1401 Gregory FullerRobert Pechard1402 Robert CooperJohn Ive II1404 (Jan)John SymkynThomas Westlond1404 (Oct)1406 William BreretonJohn Stapleton I1407 Thomas LucasJohn Puckepole141014111413 (Feb)1413 (May)John VincentThomas Walsh1414 (Apr)1414 (Nov)John Walsh John Rombald1415 John Ive IIJohn Sewall1416 (Mar) John MouseholeJohn Sewall1416 (Oct)1417 William ChyngfordGregory Tanner1419 Walter LucasThomas Russell1420 Michael MaunserGregory Pedlyng1421 (May)William BreretonWilliam Chyngford1421 (Dec)William BreretonSimon Lopeshurst1425 John Sewall ? Westlond1426 Walter Lucas 1510–1523No names known1529George GiffordJohn Bassett1536 ?1539 ?1542 Nicholas DeringJohn Bourne1545 ?1547 Edmund FordWilliam Wightman1553 (Mar) John Fitzwilliam William Denton1553 (Oct) Sir Thomas Lovell William Denton1554 (Apr) Michael WentworthWilliam Denton1554 (Nov) Thomas HarveyWilliam Denton1555 William DentonHenry Heighes1558 Thomas Harvey William Denton 1558–9William DentonHenry Heighes1562–3Edward BanesterWilliam Denton, died and replaced 1566 by John Fenner1571 Thomas Bowyer Richard Porter1572 Thomas HolcroftThomas Bowyer1584 Edward MoreThomas Churcher1586 Thomas LewknorThomas Churcher1588–9Samuel FoxeThomas Churcher1593 John BoysThomas Churcher1597 Lewis LewknorJames Smyth1601 Richard BrowneMichael Haydon1604–1611 Francis Neville Sir Richard Weston1614 Thomas Bowyer William Courteman1621–1622 John Smith Richard Lewknor1624 Sir Anthony Manie Richard Lewknor1625 Richard Lewknor Samuel Owfield1626 Richard Lewknor Sir Henry Spiller1628 Christopher Lewknor Edward Savage1629–1640No Parliaments summoned
1640–1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640Robert Long Thomas May November 1640 Dr Chaworth The election of November 1640 was disputed. On 6 January 1641 the House of Commons resolved that "Mr Thomas May and Dr Chaworth, elected for this borough, shall sit till the election be avoided"; but a further resolution on 15 February decided that "Mr Cawley and Mr May are well returned". Thomas May Royalist February 1641 William CawleyParliamentarian November 1642May disabled from sitting – seat vacant1645Sir Gregory Norton1653Midhurst was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the ProtectorateJanuary 1659 William YaldenBenjamin WestonMay 1659William CawleyOne seat vacantApril 1660 William Willoughby John Steward March 1661 John Lewknor Adam Browne May 1661John StewardJanuary 1670 Baptist May February 1679 William Morley John Alford October 1679 John Lewknor 1681 William Montagu John Cooke 1685 William Morley John Lewknor 1701 Lawrence Alcock 1705 Robert OrmeOrme was initially declared re-elected in 1708, but on petition his election was declared void 1709 Thomas Meredyth 1710 Robert Orme 1711 John Pratt 1713 William Woodward Knight 1715 John Fortescue Aland 1717 Alan Brodrick 1721 Sir Richard Mill, Bt 1722 Bulstrode Knight 1729 Sir Richard Mill, Bt 1734 (Sir) Thomas Bootle 1736 Sir Henry Peachey, Bt 1738 Sir John Peachey, Bt 1744 Sir John Peachey, Bt 1754 John Sargent 1761 William Hamilton John Burgoyne 1765 Bamber Gascoyne 1768 Lord Stavordale Hon. Charles James Fox WhigOctober 1774 Herbert MackworthMackworth was also elected for Cardiff, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Midhurst Clement TudwayTudway was also elected for Wells, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Midhurst December 1774 Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway John Ord September 1780 Hon. John St JohnSt John was also elected for Newport (Isle of Wight), which he chose to represent, and never sat for Midhurst Hon. Henry Drummond November 1780 Sir Sampson Gideon April 1784 Benjamin LethieullierLethieullier was also elected for Andover, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Midhurst June 1784 Edward Cotsford 1790 Hon. Percy Wyndham Hon. Charles Wyndham 1795 Peter Thellusson 1796 Sylvester DouglasCreated The Lord Glenbervie (in the Peerage of Ireland), November 1800 Charles Long 1800 George SmithJuly 1802 Samuel SmithSmith was also elected for Leicester, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Midhurst in this Parliament 1802 Edmund Turnor 1806 John SmithSmith was also elected for Nottingham, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Midhurst in this Parliament Tory William WickhamWickham was also elected for Callington, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Midhurst ToryJanuary 1807 Henry Williams-Wynn William Plunket May 1807 Samuel Smith James Abercromby WhigJuly 1807 Thomas Thompson October 1812 George Smith December 1812 Viscount Mahon 1817 Sir Oswald Mosley 1818 Samuel Smith John Smith Whig 1820 Abel Smith Tory 1830 John Abel Smith Whig George Smith Whig 1831 George Robert Smith Whig Martin Tucker Smith Whig1832 Representation reduced to one member
1832–1885 YearMemberParty 1832 Hon. Frederick Spencer Whig 1835 William Stephen Poyntz Whig 1837 Hon. Frederick Spencer Whig 1841 Sir Horace Seymour Conservative 1846 Spencer Horatio Walpole Conservative 1856 Samuel Warren Conservative March 1859 John Hardy Conservative April 1859 William Townley Mitford Conservative February 1874 Charles Perceval Conservative September 1874 Sir Henry Holland Conservative1885 Constituency abolished
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Poyntz resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Seymour resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds in order to contest a by-election at Antrim, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s Walpole was appointed Home Secretary, requiring a by-election.
Walpole resigned, causing a by-election.
Warren resigned after being appointed a Master in Lunacy, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Perceval succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Egmont, and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
References Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) Michael Brock, The Great Reform Act (London: Hutchinson, 1973) D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)