Bridport was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, England, which elected two Members of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.

History Bridport was continuously represented in Parliament from the first. The medieval borough consisted of the parish of Bridport, a small port and market town, where the main economic interests were sailcloth and rope-making, as well as some fishing. (For some time in the 16th century, the town had a monopoly of making all cordage for the navy.) By 1831, the population of the borough was 4,242, and the town contained 678 houses.

The right to vote was at one period reserved to the town corporation (consisting of two bailiffs and 13 "capital burgesses"), but from 1628 it was exercised by all inhabitant householders paying scot and lot. This was a relatively liberal franchise for the period but nevertheless meant that only a fraction of the townsmen could vote: in 1806, the general election at which Bridport had the highest turnout in the last few years before the Reform Act, a total of 260 residents voted.

Bridport never reached the status of a pocket borough with an openly recognised "patron": the voters retained their freedom of choice and generally expected to extort a price for their votes, so much so that Oldfield recorded of one election in the early 19th century that "several candidates left them at the last election, in consequence of their demanding payment beforehand". Nevertheless, at various periods the borough came under the influence of local grandees and would usually return at least one of their nominees as MPs: the Russells (Dukes of Bedford) in the Elizabethan period and the Sturts in the latter half of the 18th century could normally rely on choosing one member. In 1572 the then Earl of Bedford made use of this influence to have his oldest son elected in defiance of the convention that the heirs of peers could not be members of the House of Commons; the only previous instance had been that of the Earl himself, who had remained an MP when he became heir to the Earldom in 1555. By vote of the House, the young Lord Russell was allowed to keep his seat for Bridport, and the precedent allowed other peers' heirs to sit from that point onwards.

Bridport retained both its seats under the Reform Act, the boundaries being extended to give it the requisite population - parts of the neighbouring parishes of Bradpole, Allington and Walditch, as well as Bridport Harbour, were brought in, increasing the population to about 6,000; in the election of 1832, the first after Reform, the registered electorate was 425. However, the constituency was too small to survive for long. One of its members was removed after the election of 1868 by the Second Reform Act; and the borough was abolished altogether in 1885, the town being incorporated into the Western Dorset county division.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295-1640 — MPs 1640-1868 — MPs 1868-1885 — Elections — References — Sources

MPs 1295–1640 Constituency created (1295)

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386 John HaywardJohn Tracy1388 (Feb.)John HaywardJohn Tracy1388 (Sep)John Tracy William Cordell1390 (Jan)John Tracy John Hayward1390 (Nov)13911393John TracyJohn Hayward1394John TracyGilbert Draper1395 John RogerJohn Hayward1397 (Jan)John PalmerJohn Crouk1397 (Sep)John HaywardJohn Crouk1399John HaywardJohn Tracy14011402Simon atte FordNicholas Tracy1404 (Jan)1404 (Oct)1406Henry RaufRoger Stikelane1407Henry RaufWalter Batcok1410Thomas LovellJohn Roger I14111413 (Feb)1413 (May)William Mountfort IIJohn Roger I1414 (Apr)Simon atte FordJohn Stampe1414 (Nov)Simon atte FordAndrew Forshey14151416 (Mar)1416 (Oct)1417Simon atte FordEdward Stikelane1419Walter TracyWilliam Mountfort II1420Simon atte FordJohn Stampe1421 (May)Simon atte FordJohn Hore1421 (Dec)Simon atte FordWilliam Pernham1422Simon atte Ford 1423Simon atte Ford 1425Simon atte Ford 1426 John HoreSimon atte Ford1437 John Hore1529William ChardRichard Furloke1545John LympanyRichard Watkins1547Sir Henry GatesWilliam GrimstonFirst Parliament of 1553??Second Parliament of 1553Christopher SmithWilliam PoleParliament of 1554Robert NeylEdward ProutParliament of 1554-1555John AlferdJohn Moyne or MoonParliament of 1555Robert FowkesThomas ChardParliament of 1558John HippisleyThomas WelsheParliament of 1559William PageRobert MoonParliament of 1563-1567John HastingsRichard InkpenneParliament of 1571Thomas ParryGeorge TrenchardParliament of 1572-1581Miles SandysLord Russell (Summoned to the Lords)1581: Hugh VaughanParliament of 1584-1585Dr Peter TurnerMorgan MoonParliament of 1586-1587Parliament of 1588-1589George PawletGregory SprintParliament of 1593Christopher LambertJohn FortescueParliament of 1597-1598Leweston FitzjamesAdrian GilbertParliament of 1601Sir Robert NapierRichard WarburtonParliament of 1604-1611Robert MellerJohn PittAddled Parliament (1614)Sir William BampfieldJohn JeffreyParliament of 1621-1622John StrodeJohn BrowneHappy Parliament (1624-1625)William MuschampRobert BrowneUseless Parliament (1625) Sir Lewis DyveSir John StrodeParliament of 1625-1626 Sir Richard StrodeParliament of 1628-1629Thomas PawletBampfield Chafin No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

MPs 1640–1868 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640 Thomas TrenchardSir John MellerNovember 1640 Roger HillSir Lewis Dyve petitioned against the result. Cobbett records Dyve as MP from 1640, and the Dictionary of National Biography has Hill filling the vacancy in 1645; however Brunton & Pennington list Hill as the MP from 1640. The House of Commons Journals show Dyve was a petitioner rather than MP, and that Hill was an MP by 1643 at the latestParliamentarian Giles StrangwaysRoyalist January 1644Strangways disabled from sitting - seat vacant1645Thomas CeeleyDecember 1648Ceeley excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant1653Bridport was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the ProtectorateJanuary 1659 Edward Cheek John Lee May 1659Roger HillOne seat vacantApril 1660 John Drake Henry Henley 1661 Humphrey Bishop John Strangways February 1677 George Bowerman February 1677 Wadham Strangways February 1679 John Every August 1679 Sir Robert Henley, Bt William Bragge 1681 John Michell 1685 Hugh Hodges Thomas Chafe 1689 Richard Brodrepp John Manley 1690 John Michell Sir Stephen Evance 1695 Nicholas Carey 1697 Peter Battiscombe 1698 Alexander Pitfield 1701 William Gulston 1702 Richard Bingham 1705 Thomas Strangways 1708 William Coventry 1713 John Hoskins Gifford February 1715 John StrangwaysStrangeways was initially declared elected, but on petition it was found that some unqualified voters had been admitted while other qualified voters had had their votes refused, and Walter was declared duly elected in Strangways' place May 1715 Peter Walter 1719 Sir Dewey Bulkeley 1727 William BowlesBowles was re-elected in 1741 but was also elected for Bewdley, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Bridport James PelhamPelham was also elected for Newark, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Bridport 1730 John Jewkes 1734 Solomon Ashley 1741 George Richards 1742 Viscount Deerhurst Tory 1744 Viscount Deerhurst Tory 1746 Thomas GrenvilleMay 1747 James Grenville July 1747 John Frederick Pinney 1754 Thomas Coventry 1761 Sir Gerard Napier, 6th Baronet 1765 Benjamin Way 1768 Sambrooke Freeman 1774 Hon. Lucius Cary 1780 Thomas Scott Whig Richard Beckford 1784 Charles Sturt Whig 1790 James Watson Whig 1795 George Barclay Whig 1802 Sir Evan Nepean, Bt Tory 1807 Sir Samuel Hood, Bt Tory1812 William Best Whig Sir Horace St Paul, Bt Tory 1817 Henry Sturt ToryMarch 1820 James Scott Whig Christopher Spurrier WhigJune 1820 Sir Horace St Paul, Bt Tory1826 Henry Warburton Radical1832 John Romilly Whig1835 Horace Twiss Conservative1837 Swynfen Jervis RadicalJune 1841 Thomas Alexander Mitchell RadicalSeptember 1841 by-election Alexander Baillie-Cochrane Conservative1846 by-electionCochrane resigned to seek re-election as a supporter of free trade, and a by-election was held on 7 March 1846. Cochrane was initially declared re-elected by a majority of 1 vote, but on petition his election was declared void and after scrutiny of the votes Romilly was declared duly elected. John Romilly Whig1847 Alexander Baillie-Cochrane Conservative1852 John Patrick Murrough Radical1857 Kirkman Hodgson Whig1859 Liberal Liberal1868 Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1868–1885 YearMemberParty 1868 Thomas Alexander Mitchell Liberal 1875 by-election Pandeli Ralli Liberal 1880 Charles Warton Conservative1885 Constituency abolished

Elections 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – References – Sources

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

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

Baillie-Cochrane resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds in order to seek re-election as a supporter of free trade.

After scrutiny, Baillie-Cochrane's election was declared void and Romilly was declared elected on 28 April 1846.

Martin withdrew his name early into polling.

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

The seat was reduced to one member.

Elections in the 1870s

Mitchell's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

References

Sources

Concise Dictionary of National Biography (1930)