Carmarthen (1542–1918 UK Parliament constituency)

Carmarthen was a borough constituency of the House of Commons in the English Parliament and later the UK Parliament. It existed between 1542 until 1832 representing the town of Carmarthen, Wales. In 1832 it was expanded and named Carmarthen Boroughs from 1832 until 1918. A county-wide constituency of Carmarthenshire also existed between 1542 and 1885.

In 1918 Carmarthen Boroughs was abolished and a new county-wide division with the name Carmarthen was established.

History

Until 1832, Carmarthen was a borough constituency consisting of the town of Carmarthen.

Between 1832 and 1918 Carmarthen was a district of boroughs constituency, consisting of Carmarthen itself and Llanelli, and was sometimes called "The Carmarthen Boroughs". A county-wide constituency also existed, called Carmarthenshire, until 1885 (at which point it was split into East and West).

In 1918, the Carmarthen borough constituency was abolished, but the name was transferred to the new county-wide division of Carmarthen.

Members of Parliament MPs 1542–1640 ParliamentMember1542 Gruffydd Williams1545 Gruffydd Williams1547 Thomas Phaer1553 (Mar) William Parry1553 (Oct) Gruffydd Hygons1554 (Apr) William Aubrey1554 (Nov) John Parry1555 William Wightman1558 John Vaughan1559 John Parry1563 John Morgan1571 ?John Vaughan1572 Thomas Wigmore1584 John Puckering, sat for Bedford replaced 1584 by Edward Donne Lee1586 Edward Donne Lee1588 Gelly Meyrick1593 Sir Thomas Baskerville1597 Henry Vaughan1601 Walter Rice 1604–1611 Sir Walter Rice 1614 William Thomas 1621 Henry Vaughan 1624 Henry Vaughan 1626 Henry Vaughan 1628 Henry Vaughan 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

1640–1832 ElectionMemberParty 1640 (Apr) Francis Lloyd Royalist 1640 (Nov) Francis Lloyd RoyalistFebruary 1644Lloyd disabled from sitting – seat vacant 1646 William DaviesDecember 1648Davies not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge1653Carmarthen was not represented in the Barebones Parliamentor the First or Second Parliaments of the Protectorate January 1659 David MorganMay 1659Not represented in the restored RumpApril 1660 Arthur Annesley 1661 Hon. John Vaughan 1679 Altham Vaughan 1685 Richard Vaughan 1725 James Phillips 1727 Arthur Bevan 1741 Sir John Philipps 1747 Thomas Mathews 1751 Griffith Philipps 1761 The Earl Verney 1768 Griffith Philipps 1774 John Adams 1780 George Philipps 1784 John George Philipps May 1796 Magens Dorrien MagensOn petition, Magens was found not to have been duly elected, and his opponent Phillips was seated in his place November 1796 John George Philipps 1803 Sir William Paxton 1806 Vice-Admiral George Campbell Whig 1813 John Campbell Whig 1821 John Jones Tory

1832–1918: Carmarthen Boroughs ElectionMemberParty 1832 Hon. William Yelverton Whig 1835 David Lewis Conservative 1837David Morris Whig 1859 Liberal 1864 William Morris Liberal 1868 (Sir) John Cowell-StepneyCreated a baronet, 1871 Liberal 1874 Charles William Nevill Conservative 1876 (Sir) Arthur Cowell-StepneySucceeded to baronetcy, 1877 Liberal 1878 by-election Benjamin Thomas Williams Liberal1882 by-election John Jones Jenkins Liberal1886 Sir Arthur Cowell-Stepney Liberal1892 Evan Rowland Jones Liberal1895 Sir John Jones Jenkins Liberal Unionist1900 Alfred Davies Liberal1906 W. Llewelyn Williams Liberal 1918 Constituency abolished

Elections Elections in the 19th century Elections in the 1830s

At the 1831 general election, rioting broke out during polling, at which point John Jones and his Whig rival, John George Philipps, had secured three votes apiece. The vote was abandoned and a by-election was called four months later in December.

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 20th century Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

Notes and references

Sources Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) 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) The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913) 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)