South Wiltshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
18321885
Seatstwo
Replaced byDevizes
Westbury
Wilton

South Wiltshire, formally known as the Southern division of Wiltshire or Wiltshire Southern was a county constituency in the county of Wiltshire in South West England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

The constituency was created under the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election, and abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election.

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Kinwardstone, Heytesbury, Branch and Dole, Elstub and Everley, Amesbury, Warminster, Mere, South Damerham, Downton, Chalk, Dunworth, Cawden and Cadworth, Frustfield, Alderbury, Underditch, and Westbury.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1832 John Benett Whig[2][3][4] Hon. Sidney Herbert Tory[2]
1834 Conservative
1846 Peelite[5][6][7][8][9]
1852 William Wyndham Whig[10][11][12]
1859 Lord Henry Thynne Conservative Liberal
1861 by-election Frederick Hervey-Bathurst Conservative
1865 Thomas Grove Liberal
1874 Viscount Folkestone Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: South Wiltshire[13][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Whig John Benett Unopposed
Registered electors 2,540
Tory win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: South Wiltshire[13][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Whig John Benett Unopposed
Registered electors 2,448
Conservative hold
Whig hold
General election 1837: South Wiltshire[13][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Whig John Benett Unopposed
Registered electors 2,962
Conservative hold
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: South Wiltshire[13][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Whig John Benett Unopposed
Registered electors 2,280
Conservative hold
Whig hold

Herbert was appointed Secretary at War, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 15 February 1845: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Whig John Benett Unopposed
Registered electors 2,710
Peelite gain from Conservative
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Sidney Herbert 1,550 39.5 N/A
Whig William Wyndham 1,304 33.2 N/A
Conservative Richard Penruddocke Long 1,074 27.3 N/A
Turnout 1,964 (est) 60.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,256
Majority 246 6.3 N/A
Peelite hold Swing N/A
Majority 230 5.9 N/A
Whig hold Swing N/A

Herbert was appointed Secretary at War, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 January 1853: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Peelite hold

Herbert was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 15 February 1855: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Peelite hold
General election 1857: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Sidney Herbert 1,517 35.9 3.6
Whig William Wyndham 1,445 34.2 +1.0
Conservative Henry Thynne 1,269 30.0 +2.7
Turnout 2,116 (est) 65.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,239
Majority 72 1.7 4.6
Peelite hold Swing 2.3
Majority 176 4.2 1.7
Whig hold Swing +2.3
General election 1859: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Conservative Henry Thynne Unopposed
Registered electors 3,437
Liberal hold
Conservative gain from Liberal

Herbert was appointed Secretary of State for War, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 29 June 1859: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sidney Herbert Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Herbert was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Herbert of Lea and causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 February 1861: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Hervey-Bathurst Unopposed
Conservative gain from Liberal
General election 1865: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Thynne 1,576 36.9 N/A
Liberal Thomas Grove 1,427 33.4 N/A
Conservative Frederick Hervey-Bathurst 1,270 29.7 N/A
Turnout 2,850 (est) 85.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,343
Majority 149 3.5 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 157 3.7 N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Thynne Unopposed
Liberal Thomas Grove Unopposed
Registered electors 3,810
Conservative hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Thynne 2,115 41.1 N/A
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie 1,977 38.5 N/A
Liberal Thomas Grove 1,048 20.4 N/A
Majority 929 18.1 N/A
Turnout 3,094 (est) 78.6 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,938
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Thynne was appointed Treasurer of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 4 Jan 1876: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Thynne Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie Unopposed
Conservative Henry Thynne Unopposed
Registered electors 3,789
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed Treasurer of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 3 July 1885: South Wiltshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie Unopposed
Conservative hold

References

  1. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 106. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via Google Books.
  3. Farrell, Stephen (2009). Fisher, D.R. (ed.). "BENETT, John (1773–1852), of Pythouse, Wilts. and 19 Albemarle Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  4. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 18. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via Google Books.
  5. bloy, Marjorie (12 January 2016). "Sidney Herbert, first Baron Herbert of Lea (1810–1861)". A Web of English History. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018.
  6. Gash, Norman (1979). Aristocracy and People. Britain, 1815–1865. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 268. ISBN 067-4044-916. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via Internet Archive.
  7. "Grantham Journal". 11 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "State of the Polls". Berkshire Chronicle. 24 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "The Scotsman". 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Wyndham, William (Wilts South)", in Charles Roger Dod, Robert Phipps Dod, Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 25, pp. 294–295
  11. "The General Election". London Evening Standard. 17 July 1852. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "The General Election". Coventry Herald. 23 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 482–483. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

Sources

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