Eye was a parliamentary constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, encompassing an area around the market town and civil parish of Eye, Suffolk.
History Eye was once the smallest borough in the country, its claim based on the 1205 Charter of King John. The Charter was renewed in 1408, then many more times by successive monarchs. However, in 1885, the Town Clerk of Hythe, south by land, proved that the original Charter belonged only to Hythe in Kent, the error having arisen from the similarity of their original Old English names, both building off a related root phrase (Hythe: landing place, Eye: land by water). The error was confirmed by archivists in the 1950s, but borough status was not discontinued until 1974 after government reorganization when Eye became a parish but retained a Town Council, a Mayor and the insignia.
From 1571 to 1707, the Parliamentary Borough of Eye elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election to the House of Commons of England, then from 1707 to 1800 to the House of Commons of Great Britain, and from 1801 to 1832 to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. By the mid eighteenth century it tended to be seen as a pocket borough of Earl Cornwallis who could nominate the two MPs.Pages 144 and 199, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957) The Reform Act 1832 reduced its representation to one MP, elected by the first past the post system. The parliamentary borough was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was reconstituted as one of five single-member county divisions of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk, becoming a county constituency from the 1950 general election.
This in turn was abolished for the 1983 general election when western areas, comprising the majority, became part of the new county constituency of Central Suffolk, with eastern areas forming part of the new county constituency of Suffolk Coastal.
The seat's main claim to fame was that it was the smallest town to have a parliamentary constituency named after it as the town of Eye had only approximately 1500 voters in 1981. It had been mostly a Liberal seat until 1951, after which it became a safe Conservative seat.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1885–1918
The Municipal Borough of Eye; The Sessional Divisions of Framlingham, Hartismere, and Hoxne; and Part of the Sessional Division of Blything.
Formed from parts of the abolished Eastern and Western Divisions of Suffolk and incorporating the abolished Parliamentary Borough of Eye. Apart from Eye, the main town was Saxmundham.
1918–1950
The Municipal Borough of Eye; The Urban Districts of Halesworth, Leiston-cum-Sizewell, Saxmundham, and Stowmarket; The Rural Districts of East Stow, Hartismere, and Hoxne; and Parts of the Rural Districts of Blything and Plomesgate.
Gained southernmost part of the Lowestoft Division, including Halesworth, and a small area to the east of the abolished Stowmarket Division, including the town of Stowmarket itself.
1950–1983
The Municipal Boroughs of Aldeburgh and Eye; The Urban Districts of Leiston-cum-Sizewell, Saxmundham, and Stowmarket; The Rural Districts of Blyth, Gipping, and Hartismere; and The Rural District of Deben parishes of Blaxhall, Boulge, Bredfield, Burgh, Campsey Ash, Charsfield, Chillesford, Clopton, Cretingham, Dallinghoo, Dallinghoo Wield, Debach, Eyke, Gedgrave, Grundisburgh, Hoo, Iken, Letheringham, Monewden, Orford, Otley, Pettistree, Rendlesham, Sudbourne, Swilland, Tunstall, Ufford, Wantisden, Wickham Market, and Witnesham.
Extended southwards to gain Aldeburgh and mainly rural areas from the northern part of the abolished Woodbridge Division of East Suffolk. Area previously transferred from Lowestoft (including Halesworth) now returned.
Members of Parliament Eye borough MPs 1571–1660 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member 1571 Richard Bedell Charles Cutler 1572 Charles Calthorpe Charles Cutler 1584 Bassingbourne Gawdy George Brooke 1586 Bartholomew Kemp Thomas Bedingfield 1588 Edward Grimston Sir Edmund Bacon 1593 Edward Honnyng, eldest son of William Honnyng Philip Gawdy 1597 Anthony Gawdy Edward Honnyng, eldest son of William Honnyng 1601 Edward Honnyng, eldest son of William Honnyng Anthony Gawdy 1604 Edward Honnyng, eldest son of William Honnyng Sir Henry Bockenham 1610 Sir John Kay 1614 Sir Robert Drury Huntingdon Colby 1621–1622 Sir Roger North Sir John Crompton 1624 Sir Henry Crofts Francis Finch 1625 Francis Finch Sir Roger North 1626 Francis Finch Sir Roger North 1628 Francis Finch Sir Roger North 1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned 1640 (Apr) Sir Frederick CornwallisSir Roger North 1640 (Nov) Sir Frederick CornwallisSir Roger North 1645 Morris Barrow Sir Roger North 1648 ? 1653 Eye not represented in Barebones Parliament 1654 Eye not represented in 1st Protectorate Parliament 1655 Eye not represented in 2nd Protectorate Parliament 1659 Edward Dendy Joseph Blisset
MPs 1660–1832
ElectionFirst member First partySecond member Second party 1660 Charles Cornwallis Court Party Sir George Reeve Court Party 1661 Charles Cornwallis, senior 1675 Sir Robert Reeve 1678 Sir Charles Gawdy Tory 1679 Charles Fox Tory George Walsh 1681 Sir Charles Gawdy Tory Sir Robert Reeve 1685 Sir John Rous Tory 1689 Thomas Knyvett Tory Henry Poley Tory 1690 Thomas Davenant 1695 Charles Cornwallis Whig 1697 Sir Joseph Jekyll Whig 1698 Hon. Spencer Compton Tory 1701 Whig 1710 Thomas Maynard Whig 1713 Edward Hopkins Whig 1715 Thomas Smith WhigMarch 1722 Hon. Spencer Compton WhigNovember 1722 James Cornwallis Whig 1727 Stephen Cornwallis Whig John Cornwallis Whig 1743 Edward Cornwallis Whig 1747 Roger Townshend Whig 1748 Nicholas Hardinge 1749 Courthorpe Clayton 1758 Henry Townshend 1760 Viscount Brome WhigMarch 1761 Henry Cornwallis December 1761 Henry Townshend 1762 The Viscount Allen Richard BurtonLater adopted the surname Phillipson 1768 Hon. William Cornwallis 1770 Richard Burton Phillipson March 1774 Francis Osborne, Marquess of Carmarthen Tory October 1774 John St John 1780 Arnoldus Jones-Skelton 1782 Hon. William Cornwallis 1784 Peter Bathurst Pittite 1790 Hon. William CornwallisRear Admiral from 1793, Vice Admiral 1794, Admiral 1799 1792 Peter Bathurst Pittite 1795 Viscount Brome Tory 1796 Mark Singleton 1799 James Cornwallis Tory 1806 Marquess of Huntly ToryJanuary 1807 James Cornwallis ToryApril 1807 Hon. Henry Wellesley ToryMay 1807 Mark Singleton 1809 Charles Arbuthnot Tory 1812 Sir William Garrow Whig 1817 Sir Robert Gifford Tory 1820 Sir Miles Nightingall Tory 1824 Sir Edward Kerrison, Bt Tory 1829 Sir Philip Sidney, Bt Tory 1831 William Burge Tory1832 Representation reduced to one member
MPs 1832–1885 ElectionMember Party 1832 Sir Edward Kerrison, Bt Tory 1834 Conservative 1852 Edward KerrisonSucceeded as baronet, March 1853 Conservative 1866 by-election Hon. George BarringtonSucceeded as The Viscount Barrington (in the Peerage of Ireland), February 1867 Conservative 1880 Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett Conservative1885 Borough abolished – name transferred to county division
Eye division of Suffolk MPs 1885–1983 ElectionMember Party 1885 Francis Seymour Stevenson Liberal 1906 by-election Harold Pearson Liberal 1918 Alexander Lyle-Samuel Liberal 1923 The Lord Huntingfield Conservative 1929Edgar Granville Liberal 1931 Liberal National 1942 Independent 1945 Liberal 1951 Sir Harwood Harrison Conservative 1979 John Gummer Conservative 1983 constituency abolished: see Suffolk Central
Elections Elections in the 1830s
Sidney resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Kerrison resigned in order to contest the 1866 by-election in East Suffolk.
Elections in the 1870s
Barrington was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Bartlett was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.
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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected; Liberal: Harold Pearson Unionist:
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; Liberal: Edgar Granville Labour: Harry Leonard Self British Union: Ronald Noah Creasy
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
See also List of parliamentary constituencies in Suffolk
References