East Kent (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

East Kent
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
United Kingdom general election 1837.svg
United Kingdom general election 1837.svg
Context of 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the blue land forming the south-east corner.
County Kent
18321885
Number of members2
Replaced by Faversham
Ashford
Isle of Thanet
St Augustine's
Created from Kent

East Kent (formally known as "Kent, Eastern") was a county constituency in Kent in South East England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

Contents

History

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

All three two-member constituencies in Kent were abolished in 1885: East Kent, Mid Kent and West Kent. They were replaced by eight new single-member constituencies:

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Lathes of St. Augustine and Shepway (including the Liberty of Romney Marsh), and the Upper Division of the Lathe of Scray. [1]

Members of Parliament

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1832 John Pemberton Plumptre Whig [2] [3] Sir Edward Knatchbull, Bt Tory [2]
1834 Conservative [2]
1835 Conservative [4] [2]
1845 by-election William Deedes Conservative
February 1852 by-election Sir Brook Bridges, Bt [n 1] Conservative
July 1852 Sir Edward Dering, Bt Peelite [5] [6] [7]
March 1857 Sir Brook Bridges, Bt Conservative
December 1857 by-election William Deedes Conservative
1863 by-election Sir Edward Dering, Bt Liberal
May 1868 by-election Edward Leigh Pemberton Conservative
November 1868 Hon. George Milles [n 2] Conservative
1875 by-election Sir Wyndham Knatchbull, Bt Conservative
1876 by-election William Deedes Conservative
1880 Aretas Akers-Douglas [n 3] Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Notes

  1. Later Baron FitzWalter
  2. Later Earl Sondes
  3. Later Viscount Chilston

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: East Kent [8] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Whig John Pemberton Plumptre 3,476 36.8
Tory Edward Knatchbull 3,344 35.4
Tory William Richard Cosway2,62727.8
Whig William Percy Honeywood Courtenay [9] 40.0
Turnout 6,14487.4
Registered electors 7,026
Majority1321.4
Whig win (new seat)
Majority7177.6
Tory win (new seat)
General election 1835: East Kent [8] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative John Pemberton Plumptre Unopposed
Conservative Edward Knatchbull Unopposed
Registered electors 7,087
Conservative gain from Whig
Conservative hold
General election 1837: East Kent [8] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative Edward Knatchbull 3,607 40.8
Conservative John Pemberton Plumptre 3,029 34.3
Whig Thomas Rider 2,20524.9
Majority8249.4
Turnout 5,47887.4
Registered electors 7,293
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Knatchbull Unopposed
Conservative John Pemberton Plumptre Unopposed
Registered electors 7,553
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Knatchbull was appointed Paymaster General, causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 September 1841: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Knatchbull Unopposed
Conservative hold

Knatchbull resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 3 March 1845: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Deedes Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Deedes Unopposed
Conservative John Pemberton Plumptre Unopposed
Registered electors 7,323
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

Plumptre resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 16 February 1852: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Deedes 2,480 52.0 N/A
Peelite Edward Dering 2,28948.0N/A
Majority1914.0N/A
Turnout 4,76967.0N/A
Registered electors 7,119
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1852: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Peelite Edward Dering 3,063 36.9 N/A
Conservative William Deedes 2,879 34.7 N/A
Conservative Brook Bridges 2,35628.4N/A
Majority1842.2N/A
Turnout 4,149 (est)58.3 (est)N/A
Registered electors 7,119
Peelite gain from Conservative Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1857: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brook Bridges 2,379 33.6 +5.2
Peelite Edward Dering 2,358 33.3 3.6
Conservative William Deedes 2,21631.33.4
Radical E A Acheson [10] [11] 1271.8New
Turnout 3,540 (est)44.3 (est)14.0
Registered electors 8,000
Majority210.3N/A
Conservative hold Swing +3.5
Majority1422.00.2
Peelite hold Swing 2.3

Dering resigned due to ill health, causing a by-election. [12]

By-election, 10 December 1857: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Deedes Unopposed
Conservative gain from Peelite
General election 1859: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brook Bridges Unopposed
Conservative William Deedes Unopposed
Registered electors 8,312
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Peelite

Elections in the 1860s

Deedes' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 5 January 1863: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Edward Dering 2,777 50.8 New
Conservative Sir Norton Knatchbull, 10th Baronet2,69049.2N/A
Majority871.6N/A
Turnout 5,46777.1N/A
Registered electors 7,092
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General election 1865: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brook Bridges 3,208 34.4 N/A
Liberal Edward Dering 3,195 34.3 N/A
Conservative Sir Norton Knatchbull, 10th Baronet2,91931.3N/A
Turnout 6,259 (est)75.9 (est)N/A
Registered electors 8,250
Majority130.1N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority2763.0N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Bridges was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord FitzWalter and causing a by-election.

By-election, 2 May 1868: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Leigh Pemberton 3,606 53.7 12.0
Liberal Henry Tufton 3,10946.3+12.0
Majority4977.4+7.3
Turnout 6,71581.4+5.5
Registered electors 8,250
Conservative hold Swing 12.0
General election 1868: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Leigh Pemberton 5,231 26.7 7.7
Conservative George Milles 5,104 26.0 5.3
Liberal Henry Tufton 4,68523.9+6.7
Liberal Sir John Frederick Croft, 2nd Baronet4,57923.4+6.2
Majority4192.1+2.0
Turnout 9,800 (est)74.8 (est)1.1
Registered electors 13,107
Conservative hold Swing 7.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing 6.0

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative George Milles 5,424 35.8 +9.8
Conservative Edward Leigh Pemberton 5,405 35.7 +9.0
Liberal Henry Tufton 4,30828.518.8
Majority1,0977.2+5.1
Turnout 9,723 (est)77.1 (est)+2.3
Registered electors 12,605
Conservative hold Swing +9.9
Conservative hold Swing +9.5

Milles succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Sondes.

By-election, 27 Jan 1875: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Wyndham Knatchbull Unopposed
Conservative hold

Knatchbull resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 26 July 1876: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Deedes Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: East Kent [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Aretas Akers-Douglas 5,541 34.7 1.1
Conservative Edward Leigh Pemberton 5,473 34.3 1.4
Liberal Edmund Francis Davis [13] 4,95931.0+2.5
Majority5143.33.9
Turnout 10,500 (est)79.7 (est)+2.6
Registered electors 13,169
Conservative hold Swing 1.2
Conservative hold Swing 1.3

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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 27 July 2017.
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  7. "State of the Disturbed Districts" . Newry Telegraph. 26 February 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 4 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 403–404. ISBN   978-1-349-02349-3.
  9. "The Polling" . South Eastern Gazette. 25 December 1832. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "East Kent". Coventry Standard. 10 April 1857. p. 2 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000683/18570410/038/0002 . Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  11. "Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser" . 4 April 1857. p. 6. Retrieved 4 August 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Election Intelligence." Times [London, England] 3 October 1857: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 September 2013.
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