Malmesbury was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1275 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.
History The borough was represented in Parliament from 1275. The constituency originally returned two members, but representation was reduced to one in the Great Reform Act 1832 until the constituency was finally abolished in 1885.
In the 17th century the constituency was dominated by the Earls of Suffolk, based in the family seat at nearby Charlton Park.
Members of Parliament MPs 1275–1508
From History of Parliament ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386 Nicholas Weston Alexander Oxenford1388 (Feb) John Parker Alexander Oxenford1388 (Sep)1390 (Jan) John Parker William Blankpayn1390 (Nov)13911393 William Blankpayn William Chaloner1394 Richard Parker William Blankpayn1395 Nicholas Sambourn Thomas Froud1397 (Jan) Robert Newman William Blankpayn1397 (Sep) John Stowell William Blankpayn1399 Robert Newman Robert Salman14011402 John Tanner Thomas Bonde1404 (Jan)1404 (Oct)1406Thomas Hyweye John Charlton1407141014111413 (Feb)1413 (May)1414 (Apr) John Charlton John Randolf1414 (Nov) Thomas Hyweye John Gore1415 Thomas Hyweye Richard Stenysham1416 (Mar) John Gore Thomas Corbyn1416 (Oct)1417 William Palmer Thomas Corbyn1419 William Palmer1420 William Palmer John Charlton1421 (May) William Palmer1421 (Dec) William Palmer John Gore
MPs 1509–1558 (Source: Bindoff (1982))Bindoff S.T. (ed.) The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1509–1558, London, 1982, pp.91–92
ParliamentFirst memberSecond memberParliament of 1510–23No names knownNo names knownParliament of 1529Thomas EdgarWilliam StumpeParliament of 1536Not knownNot knownParliament of 1539Not knownNot knownParliament of 1542Not knownNot knownParliament of 1545Not knownNot knownParliament of 1547Sir Maurice DenysWilliam StumpeParliament of 1553(Mar)Not knownNot knownParliament of 1553(Oct)John HedgesMatthew KingParliament of 1554(Apr)John HedgesMatthew KingParliament of 1554(Nov)Edward UntonJohn HedgesParliament of 1555Sir James StumpeMatthew KingParliament of 1558Matthew KingGriffin Curteys
MPs 1559–1603 Source:History of Parliament
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1559Lawrence Hyde (died 1590) David Cerney 1562–3 Sir Thomas Ragland Edward Poole 1571Nicholas Snell Ambrose Button 1572John Danvers Nicholas Snell, died and repl. Jan 1562 by Henry Baynton 1584Sir Henry Knyvet John Stumpe 1586Sir Henry Knyvet Henry Bayly 1589Thomas Vavasour Henry Bayly 1593Sir Henry Knyvet Thomas Lake 1597Sir Henry Knyvet Thomas Estcourt 1601 Sir William Monson Sidney Montagu
MPs 1604–1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond memberParliament of 1604–1611Sir Roger DallisonSir Thomas DallisonParliament of 1614–1621Sir Roger Dallison Sir Neville PooleParliament of 1621–1622Sir Henry Poole Sir Edward WardourParliament of 1624–1625 Sir Edward WardourThomas HattonParliament of 1625–1626Sir Henry Moody, Bt Sir Edward WardourParliament of 1626–1628Sir Henry Moody, BtSir William CroftParliament of 1628–1629Sir Henry Moody, BtSir William Croft1629–1640 No Parliaments convened
MPs 1640–1832 YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond partyApril 1640Anthony Hungerford Royalist Sir Neville Poole November 1640 Sir Neville Poole ParliamentarianJune 1644Hungerford disabled from sitting – seat vacant1645Sir John DanversDecember 1648Poole excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant1653Malmesbury was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the ProtectorateJanuary 1659Sir Henry LeeThomas HiggonsMay 1659Malmesbury was not represented in the restored RumpApril 1660 Robert Danvers Sir Francis Lee, Bt 1661 Lawrence Washington 1662 Philip Howard 1668 Sir Edward Poole 1673 Thomas Estcourt February 1679 Sir William Estcourt, Bt Sir James Long, Bt 1685 Sir Thomas Estcourt John Fitzherbert 1689 Thomas Tollemache Charles Godfrey 1690 Goodwin Wharton Sir James Long, Bt 1692 George Booth 1695 Craven Howard 1696 Sir Thomas Skipwith, Bt 1698 Michael Wicks Edward Pauncefort January 1701 Samuel Shepheard November 1701 Sir Charles Hedges 1702 Thomas Boucher 1705 Thomas Farrington Henry Mordaunt 1710 Joseph Addison Whig 1713 Sir John Rushout, Bt 1719 by-election Fleetwood Dormer March 1722On petition, the result of the election of 1722 was overturned, Rushout and Hillsborough being declared not to have been duly elected The Viscount Hillsborough December 1722 Giles Earle John Fermor 1723 by-election Charles Stewart 1727 William Rawlinson Earle 1747 John Lee James Douglas 1751 by-election Lord Edward Digby 1754 Lord George Bentinck Brice Fisher 1759 by-election Thomas Conolly 1761 The Earl Tylney 1768 The Earl of Donegall Hon. Thomas Howard 1774 Hon. Charles James Fox Whig William Strahan TorySeptember 1780 Viscount Lewisham Viscount Fairford November 1780 by-election John Calvert 1784 The Viscount Melbourne Viscount Maitland February 1790 by-election Paul Benfield June 1790 Benjamin Bond-Hopkins 1792 by-election Sir James SandersonCreated a baronet, December 1794 1794 by-election Francis Glanville May 1796 Samuel SmithSmith was also elected for Leicester, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Malmesbury Peter Thellusson November 1796 by-election Philip Metcalfe 1802 Claude Scott Sir Samuel Scott, Bt 1806 Robert Ladbroke Nicholas Ridley-Colborne 1807 Sir George Bowyer, Bt Tory Philip Gell Tory 1810 by-election Abel Smith Tory1812 William Hicks-Beach Tory Sir Charles Saxton, BtSaxton was also elected for Cashel, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Malmesbury Tory 1813 by-election Peter Patten Tory 1817 by-election Sir William Abdy, Bt 1818 (Sir) Charles ForbesCreated a baronet, November 1823 Tory Kirkman Finlay Tory 1820 by-election William Leake 1826 John Forbes Tory1832 Representation reduced to one member
MPs 1832–1885 ElectionMemberParty1832 Charles Howard Whig1841 Hon. James Howard Whig1852 Thomas Luce Whig1859 Henry Howard Liberal1868 Walter PowellDisappeared on a balloon flight Conservative1882 by-election Charles William Miles Conservative1885 Constituency abolished
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Powell was declared dead after he disappeared when a hydrogen balloon he was travelling in was blown out into the English Channel and never seen again.
References Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989) J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
Notes