Honiton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Honiton in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sent members intermittently from 1300, consistently from 1640. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) until it was abolished in 1868. It was recreated in 1885 as a single-member constituency.
For the 1997 general election, the town of Honiton was added to the neighbouring constituency of Tiverton to form the Tiverton and Honiton constituency. The remainder continued as the East Devon constituency.
Honiton was regarded as a potwalloper borough by the time of Thomas Cochrane. It was notorious for the bribes demanded by its electors, and was therefore a very expensive seat for a candidate to seek election in. The Yonge family of Colyton, patrons of the borough, were almost ruined by representing Honiton on several occasions. Sir William Pole, 4th Baronet (1678–1741) who had twice represented Honiton at great personal financial expense, made an "earnest request and recommendation" in his will that his son would "never stand as a candidate or if chosen will never be prevailed upon to represent or serve in Parliament for the borough of Honiton".
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Boundaries 1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Axminster, Honiton, Ottery, and Woodbury.
1918–1974: The Borough of Honiton, the Urban Districts of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, and Sidmouth, the Rural Districts of Axminster and Honiton, and part of the Rural District of St Thomas.
1974–1983: The Borough of Honiton, the Urban Districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, and Sidmouth, the Rural Districts of Axminster and Honiton, and part of the Rural District of St Thomas.
1983–1997: The District of East Devon wards of Axminster Hamlets, Axminster Town, Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Colyton, Edenvale, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Littleham Rural, Exmouth Littleham Urban, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth Withycombe Urban, Honiton St Michael's, Honiton St Paul's, Lympstone, Newbridges, Newton Poppleford and Harpford, Otterhead, Patteson, Raleigh, Seaton, Sidmouth Rural, Sidmouth Town, Sidmouth Woolbrook, Trinity, Upper Axe, Woodbury, and Yarty.
Members of Parliament
Honiton re-enfranchised by Parliament in Nov 1640
MPs 1640–1660 Long Parliament 1640–1643: William Poole (Royalist) - disabled to sit, June 1643 1640–1648: Walter Yonge (Parliamentarian) - not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge, December 1648; died December 1649 1645(?)–1648: Charles Vaughan - excluded in Pride's Purge, December 1648
Honiton was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament.
First Protectorate Parliament 1654: John Yonge
Second Protectorate Parliament 1656: Samuel Serle
Third Protectorate Parliament 1659: Walter Yonge (grandson of the Member from 1640 -1648) 1659: Samuel Serle
Long Parliament (restored) 1659–1660: Not represented
MPs 1660–1868 ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party1660Sir John Yonge Samuel Serle 1661Sir Courtenay PolePeter Prideaux1679Sir Walter YongeSir Thomas Putt1685Edmond Walrond1689Richard Courtenay1690Sir William DrakeSir Walter Yonge1711James Sheppard1715Sir William CourtenaySir William YongeWhig1716Sir William Pole1727James Sheppard1731Sir William Pole1734William Courtenay1741Henry Reginald Courtenay1747John Heath (later John Duke)1754Henry Reginald CourtenaySir George Yonge1761John Duke1763Sir George Yonge1768Brass Crosby1774Laurence Cox1780Alexander Macleod1781Jacob Wilkinson1784Sir George Collier1790George Templer1796George ChambersGeorge Shum1802Sir John Honywood1805 Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw Whig1806 (April)Richard Bateman-Robson 1806 (October)Thomas Cochrane Whig1807Sir Charles Hamilton1812Richard Howard-VyseGeorge Robinson1818Hon. Peregrine CustP W Cust lived 1791-1873, according to Rayment TorySamuel Crawley Whig1826Josiah John Guest1826 general election The Times, Saturday 27 May 1826; p.4; Issue 12978; col E: "Mr. Guest, a great iron founder of Wales comes in for Honiton, without opposition, instead of Mr Cust, who retires". General Election: The Times, Saturday 1 July 1826; p.2; Issue 13008; col A: From the London Gazette, Friday, June 30 - List of members returned to the new parliament . . . Josiah John Guest . . . WhigHarry Baines LottH B Lott lived 1781-1833, according to Rayment. Bridgewater Advertiser reported Harry Lott - magistrate died 1 July 1833, age 51 at Tracey House near Honiton. . . Hansard says Mr Henry Lott served the Honiton Constituency 16 June 1826 - 30 July 1830 and 5 May 1831 - 13 December 1832.1830Sir George Warrender Tory1831Harry Baines LottThe Times, Saturday 7 May 1831; pg. 2; Issue 14533; col F: General Election. Members Returned To The New Parliament: HONITON: Sir G Warrender and H B Lott Esq. The Times, Saturday, 28 May 1831; p.3; Issue 14550; col E: "From the London Gazette, Friday, May 27". - "Members Returned To The New Parliament: HONITON: Sir G Warrender and Harry Baines Lott of Tracey-house in the parish of Awliscombe in the county of Devon, Esq."1832 George Child-VilliersTory James Ruddell-Todd Whig1834Conservative1835Hugh Duncan BaillieConservativeArthur ChichesterConservative1837James StewartWhig1841Forster Alleyne McGeachyConservative1847Joseph LockeWhigSir James Hogg 1st BtConservative1857Archibald Stuart-WortleyConservative1859LiberalAlexander Baillie-CochraneConservative1860George MoffattLiberal1865Frederick GoldsmidLiberal1866Julian GoldsmidLiberal1868Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885
MPs 1885–1997 ElectionMemberPartyNotes 1885 John Kennaway Conservative Jan 1910 Clive Morrison-Bell Conservative 1931 Cedric Drewe Conservative 1955 Robert Mathew Conservative Died 1966 1967 by-election Peter Emery Conservative1997 constituency abolished: see Tiverton and Honiton & Devon East
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s Locke's death caused a by-election.
Goldsmid's death caused a by-election.
In 1868, the seat was absorbed into East Devon. It was later recreated for 1885.
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected; Unionist: Clive Morrison-Bell Liberal:
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Conservative: Cedric Drewe Labour: J WhiteReport of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
See also parliamentary constituencies in Devon
Notes and references