East Suffolk was a county constituency in Suffolk, England. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the bloc vote system of election.
History
The seat was created under the Reform Act 1832 as one of two divisions, together with the Western Division, of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk. This resulted in a more representative allocation, with a total of four MPs instead of two for the former entire county at large, which still allowed for double voting (or more) of those Forty Shilling Freeholders who also were householders or landlords of any particular boroughs within the county. This Act retained the four largest boroughs of the seven before 1832, with the three abolished boroughs of Aldeburgh, Dunwich and Orford being absorbed into the Eastern Division.
Further sweeping changes took place as a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which saw the 2 two-member Suffolk divisions being replaced by five single-member constituencies. The Eastern Division was largely replaced by the Northern or Lowestoft Division, the North-Eastern or Eye Division and the South-Eastern or Woodbridge Division.
Boundaries 1832–1885: The part of the county of Suffolk not included in the West Suffolk constituency, i.e. the Hundreds of Blything, Bosmere and Claydon, Carlford, Colneis, Hoxne, Loes, Mutford and Lothingland, Plomesgate, Samford, Thredling, Wangford, and Wilford, and the Liberty of Ipswich.
Members of Parliament
Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1832 John Henniker-Major Tory Robert Newton Shawe Whig 1834 Conservative 1835 Charles Broke Vere Conservative 1843 by-election The Lord Rendlesham Conservative 1846 by-election Sir Edward Gooch, Bt Conservative 1852 by-election Fitzroy Kelly Conservative 1856 by-election John Henniker-Major Conservative 1866 by-election Hon. John Henniker-Major Conservative Sir Edward Kerrison, Bt Conservative 1867 by-election Frederick Snowdon Corrance Conservative 1870 by-election Arthur Stanhope Conservative 1874 Frederick Thellusson Conservative 1876 by-election Frederick St John Barne Conservative1885 constituency abolished: see Eye, Lowestoft, Stowmarket, Sudbury and Woodbridge
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Vere's death caused a by-election.
Henniker-Major resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s Thellusson's death caused a by-election.
Gooch's death caused a by-election.
Kelly was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Henniker-Major was elevated to a UK peerage, becoming Lord Hartismere, and Kelly resigned after being appointed Chief Justice of the Court of the Exchequer, causing a by-election for both seats.
Kerrison resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s Henniker-Major succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Hartismere.
Stanhope was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Stanhope succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl Stanhope and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
References