West Surrey (constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1832–1885
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Surrey (formally the Western division of Surrey) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Surrey, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.
| West Surrey | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
This two-member area shaded yellow | |
| County | Surrey |
| 1832–1885 | |
| Seats | Two |
| Created from | Haslemere and Surrey |
| Replaced by | Epsom Chertsey Guildford Reigate also called Mid, N.W. S.W. and S.E. Surrey |
| During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of | Mid Surrey (1868-1885 form) |
It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.
Boundaries
1832–1885: The Hundreds of Blackheath, Copthorne, Effingham, Elmbridge, Farnham, Godalming, Godley and Chertsey, Woking and Wotton.[1]
The constituency was therefore the more extensive and more rural of the two divisions of Surrey established in 1832. Its main existing towns were urbanising with railway stations built; Woking became a town towards the end of its existence. Elections were conducted at Guildford; other most populous towns were Leatherhead, Dorking, Epsom, Ewell, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Chertsey, Egham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Woking. Guildford was a parliamentary borough represented in its own right, but those of its freeholders not qualifying for a vote as such could vote for the county division MPs.
Subdivision in 1885
On its abolition in 1885 its contents made up all or some of four single-member seats and the overlapping seat (1295-1867 a constituency returning two members), Guildford parliamentary borough, was abolished. The outcome was as follows:
- The North-Western division of Surrey or Chertsey (i.e. Bisley; Byfleet; Chertsey; Chobham; Egham; Horsell; Pyrford; Thorpe; Weybridge; Windlesham; Ash, East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley, West Horsley, Merrow, Ockham, Pirbright, Send and Ripley, Wanborough, Windlesham, Wisley, Woking and Worplesdon.)[2][3][4]
- Epsom (UK Parliament constituency) drew on Mid Surrey as to Tolworth, New Malden, Malden, Worcester Park, Surbiton, Hook, Coombe and Long Ditton in the Kingston Hundred and Sessional Division. Took: Ashtead; Banstead; Great Bookham; Little Bookham; Cheam; Chessington; Cuddington; Epsom; Ewell; Fetcham; Headley; Leatherhead; Sutton; Walton on the Hill; Cobham; Thames Ditton; Esher; East Molesey; West Molesey; Stoke D'Abernon; and Walton on Thames.[2][5][4]
- Reigate (UK Parliament constituency) drew, approximately equally, on Mid and East Surrey. Took: Abinger; Capel; Dorking; Dorking Rural (reached South Holmwood); Newdigate; Ockley; Wotton.[4]
- The South-Western division of Surrey or Guildford as to the rest[2][4]
Members of Parliament
| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | Main home | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | Main home | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | William Joseph Denison | Whig[6][7] | Denbies, Dorking | John Leach | Whig[6] | Lea, Witley,[8] Surrey[9] | ||
| 1835 | Charles Barclay[10] | Conservative | Bury Hill, Dorking[11][12] | |||||
| 1837 | Hon. George Perceval | Conservative | Nork House, Banstead and Cowdray Park, Midhurst and 26 St James's Place, St James's | |||||
| 1840 by-election | John Trotter | Conservative | Horton Place (manor), Epsom | |||||
| 1847 | Henry Drummond | Conservative | Albury Park, Albury | |||||
| 1849 by-election | William John Evelyn | Conservative | Wotton House, Wotton (west of Dorking) | |||||
| 1857 | John Ivatt Briscoe | Whig[13][14][6][7] | Botleys, Chertsey then Foxhills, Chertsey | |||||
| 1859 | Liberal | |||||||
| 1860 by-election | George Cubitt | Conservative | Denbies, Dorking | |||||
| 1870 by-election | Lee Steere | Conservative | Jayes (Jayes Park), Wotton | |||||
| 1880 | Hon. St John Brodrick | Conservative | Peper Harow House, Peper Harow, near Godalming | |||||
| 1885 | constituency abolished | |||||||
The Times obituary of Leech reads:
On the 16th, inst[ant (this month)], died, at the age of 86, after a short illness, John Leech, Esq. He lived and died at his paternal mansion at Lea, in the county of Surrey. He was elected member for the western division of that county in the year 1832. Mr Leech was the very type of an old English country gentleman: benevolent, active, intelligent, upright, honourable, and of a truly independent and manly mind. His memory will be long cherished by his friends, and his death deplored by a wide circle of intimate acquaintance.
— The Times[9]
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Joseph Denison | 1,517 | 36.6 | ||
| Whig | John Leach | 1,427 | 34.5 | ||
| Tory | George Holme Sumner[16] | 1,198 | 28.9 | ||
| Majority | 229 | 5.6 | |||
| Turnout | 2,527 | 86.8 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,912 | ||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Joseph Denison | 1,488 | 36.5 | −0.1 | |
| Conservative | Charles Barclay (Surrey MP) | 1,316 | 32.2 | +3.3 | |
| Whig | Henry Lawes Long | 1,285 | 31.4 | −3.1 | |
| Turnout | 2,550 | 85.9 | −0.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,967 | ||||
| Majority | 172 | 4.2 | −1.4 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | −0.9 | |||
| Majority | 31 | 0.8 | N/A | ||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +3.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Joseph Denison | 1,586 | 33.7 | −2.8 | |
| Conservative | George Perceval | 1,578 | 33.5 | +1.3 | |
| Whig | Henry Lawes Long[17] | 1,543 | 32.8 | +1.4 | |
| Turnout | 2,970 | 80.5 | −5.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,688 | ||||
| Majority | 8 | 0.2 | −4.0 | ||
| Whig hold | Swing | −1.7 | |||
| Majority | 35 | 0.7 | −0.1 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
Perceval (of the with-heirs-male inheritee branch of the Earls of Egmont) was in 1802 given his peerage becoming Lord Arden which caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Trotter | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Joseph Denison | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | John Trotter | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,993 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William Joseph Denison | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Henry Drummond | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,778 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Denison's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William John Evelyn | 1,144 | 53.7 | N/A | |
| Whig | Richard Wyatt Edgell[a][18][19] | 988 | 46.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 156 | 7.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,132 | 58.4 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 3,651 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
- later of Strawberry Hill, Lympstone, Devon died, 79, in 1875.
Elections in the 1850s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William John Evelyn | 1,646 | 35.5 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Henry Drummond | 1,610 | 34.7 | N/A | |
| Whig | Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner[20] | 1,385 | 29.8 | N/A | |
| Majority | 225 | 4.9 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,013 (est) | 77.3 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 4,081 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | John Ivatt Briscoe | 1,439 | 35.7 | +5.9 | |
| Conservative | Henry Drummond | 1,386 | 34.4 | −0.3 | |
| Conservative | Henry Currie[21][a] | 1,204 | 29.9 | −5.6 | |
| Majority | 53 | 1.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,734 (est) | 69.7 (est) | −7.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,920 | ||||
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.9 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −1.6 | |||
- of West Horsley Place, died 74, in 1873
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Ivatt Briscoe | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | Henry Drummond | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,958 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
Elections in the 1860s
Drummond's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | George Cubitt | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Ivatt Briscoe | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | George Cubitt | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,081 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | George Cubitt | 3,000 | 39.6 | N/A | |
| Liberal | John Ivatt Briscoe | 2,826 | 37.3 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Frederick Pennington[a] | 1,757 | 23.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 174 | 2.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,292 (est) | 78.9 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 6,708 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
- Soon after, MP for Stockport until standing down for a seat lost by 12 votes, in 1885; the notable international merchant, socialite and speaker lived at Broome Hall, Holmwood in the county when not in town
Elections in the 1870s
Briscoe's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lee Steere | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lee Steere | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | George Cubitt | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,314 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | |||||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Brodrick | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | George Cubitt | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,779 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||