East Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
East Cumberland is a former county constituency in the House of Commons
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elected two Members of Parliament
(MPs) by the bloc vote
system of election.
, in north west England, was split for parliamentary purposes into two county divisions. These were the East division (with a place of election at Carlisle) and West Cumberland
(where voting took place at Cockermouth
). Each division returned two members to Parliament.
The only parliamentary borough included in the East division, between 1832-1885, (whose non-resident 40 shilling freeholders voted in the county constituency) was Carlisle
. (Source: Stooks Smith).
On the formation of Earl Grey's administration in 1830 Sir James Graham had received the post of First Lord of the Admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet. He resigned over the Irish Church question in 1834, and eventually joined the Conservatives in 1837. His former constituents did not re-elect Sir James when he sought election as a Tory at the 1837 general election.
The division proved to be favourable to the Liberal Party as no Conservative was elected until after the Reform Act 1867
and the party never held both seats simultaneously. In 1868 and again in 1880 a Conservative MP was returned.
The Howard family (whose head was the Earl of Carlisle
) seem to have had influence in the constituency. The sixth son of the 6th Earl of Carlisle, the Honourable Charles Howard, represented the division from 1840 until his death in 1879. He was joined by Edward Howard in the representation of the constituency in 1876. Charles Howard's son George was the third Howard to sit for the constituency.
In 1885 this division was abolished, when the East and West Cumberland county divisions were replaced by four new single-member county constituencies. These were Cockermouth
, Egremont
(the Western division), Eskdale
(Northern division) and Penrith
(Mid division). In addition there were two remaining Cumberland borough constituencies; Carlisle
and Whitehaven
.
Notes:-
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elected two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MPs) by the bloc vote
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system of election.
Boundaries
In 1832 the historic county of CumberlandCumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, in north west England, was split for parliamentary purposes into two county divisions. These were the East division (with a place of election at Carlisle) and West Cumberland
West Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cumberlandwas a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
(where voting took place at Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
). Each division returned two members to Parliament.
The only parliamentary borough included in the East division, between 1832-1885, (whose non-resident 40 shilling freeholders voted in the county constituency) was Carlisle
Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)
Carlisle is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was a Labour seat from 1964 until 2010, although the Conservatives came close to victory in the elections in...
. (Source: Stooks Smith).
History
The first two Members of Parliament for this division were the last pair of representatives for the undivided county before the 1832 general election.On the formation of Earl Grey's administration in 1830 Sir James Graham had received the post of First Lord of the Admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet. He resigned over the Irish Church question in 1834, and eventually joined the Conservatives in 1837. His former constituents did not re-elect Sir James when he sought election as a Tory at the 1837 general election.
The division proved to be favourable to the Liberal Party as no Conservative was elected until after the Reform Act 1867
Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised the urban male working class in England and Wales....
and the party never held both seats simultaneously. In 1868 and again in 1880 a Conservative MP was returned.
The Howard family (whose head was the Earl of Carlisle
Earl of Carlisle
Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1322 when the soldier Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliament as Lord Harclay in 1321...
) seem to have had influence in the constituency. The sixth son of the 6th Earl of Carlisle, the Honourable Charles Howard, represented the division from 1840 until his death in 1879. He was joined by Edward Howard in the representation of the constituency in 1876. Charles Howard's son George was the third Howard to sit for the constituency.
In 1885 this division was abolished, when the East and West Cumberland county divisions were replaced by four new single-member county constituencies. These were Cockermouth
Cockermouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Cockermouth was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England in 1295, and again from 1641, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was a parliamentary borough represented by two...
, Egremont
Egremont (UK Parliament constituency)
Egremont was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Egremont in Cumberland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-Boundaries:...
(the Western division), Eskdale
Eskdale (UK Parliament constituency)
Eskdale was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Eskdale district of north Cumberland not to be confused with the valley of Eskdale in the west of the county...
(Northern division) and Penrith
Penrith (UK Parliament constituency)
Penrith was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Penrith in Cumberland, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
(Mid division). In addition there were two remaining Cumberland borough constituencies; Carlisle
Carlisle (UK Parliament constituency)
Carlisle is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It was a Labour seat from 1964 until 2010, although the Conservatives came close to victory in the elections in...
and Whitehaven
Whitehaven (UK Parliament constituency)
Whitehaven was a constituency centred on the town of Whitehaven in Cumberland , which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was created in 1832 and renamed Copeland at the 1983 general election....
.
Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1832)
Election First member First party Second member Second party 1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....William Blamire William BlamireWilliam Blamire was a British farmer, civil servant and Whig Party politician.-Background and education:Born to a Cumberland originated family at the The Oaks, he was the eldest son of the naval surgeon William Blamire. His mother Jane was the third daughter of John Christian and sister of the...
Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...Sir James Graham, Bt a Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1836 by-election William James Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1837 United Kingdom general election, 1837The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....Francis Aglionby Francis AglionbyFrancis Aglionby was an English Whig politician.Aglionby stood for election to Parliament in Cumberland Western at a by-election in 1833 and again at the 1835 general election, but without success...
Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1840 by-election Hon. Charles Howard Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1847 United Kingdom general election, 1847-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...William Marshall Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1868 United Kingdom general election, 1868The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...William Nicholson Hodgson Conservative Conservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...1876 by-election Stafford Howard Stafford HowardSir Edward Stafford Howard KCB, DL, JP , was a British Liberal politician and magistrate.-Background and education:...
Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1879 by-election George Howard George Howard, 9th Earl of CarlisleGeorge James Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle , known as George Howard until 1889, was an English aristocrat, politician and painter.-Background and education:...
Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1880 United Kingdom general election, 1880-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...Sir Richard Musgrave, Bt Sir Richard Musgrave, 11th BaronetSir Richard Courtenay Musgrave, 11th Baronet was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1881....
Conservative Conservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...1881 by-election George Howard George Howard, 9th Earl of CarlisleGeorge James Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle , known as George Howard until 1889, was an English aristocrat, politician and painter.-Background and education:...
Liberal Liberal Party (UK)The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...Constituency abolished
Notes:-
- a Graham contested the United Kingdom general election, 1837United Kingdom general election, 1837The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....
as a ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate, although he lost.