Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)

Cumberland is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire. It was divided between the constituencies of Cumberland East and Cumberland West in 1832.

Cumberland
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1290–1832
Number of memberstwo
Replaced byCumberland East and Cumberland West

Members of Parliament

  • Constituency created 1290

MPs 1290–1640

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1301Sir John Wigton
1305Sir John Wigton
1306Sir John de Lucy
1312Andrew Harclay
1313Sir John Wigton
1316John de Skelton
1324Hugh de Lowther
1325Robert Parning
1327Robert Parning
1328Robert Parning
1331Robert Parning
1332Robert Parning
1337Thomas de Skelton
1342Hugh de LowtherPeter de Tylliol
1344Hugh de LowtherJohn de Orreton
1345Hugh de LowtherHenry de Malton
1368James Pickering
1377Richard de SandysSir Richard Moubray
1377John FitzHugh de Lowther
1378Peter Tilliol
1380 (Jan)Sir William Curwen
1380 (Nov)Peter Tilliol
1383John de BurghamJohn de Kirby
1385Sir Richard de BeaulieuSir Peter Tilliol
1386Amand MonceauxJohn Thirlwall [1]
1388 (Feb)Sir John de DerwentwaterSir John Ireby [1]
1388 (Sep)Amand MonceauxSir Robert Muncaster[1]
1390 (Jan)Amand MonceauxWilliam de Threlkeld[1]
1390 (Nov)William StapletonThomas Sands[1]
1391Sir Peter TilliolRobert Lowther[1]
1393Geoffrey TilliolWilliam Lowther[1]
1394Sir Clement SkeltonRobert Lowther[1]
1395William StapletonThomas Sands[1]
1397 (Jan)Sir John IrebySir Clement Skelton[1]
1397 (Sep)Sir Peter TilliolWilliam Osmundlaw[1]
1399Sir William LeighRoland Vaux[1]
1401Robert LowtherWilliam Stapleton[1]
1402Sir Peter TilliolJohn Skelton[1]
1404 (Jan)Sir Robert LowtherWilliam Lowther I[1]
1404 (Oct)John More IWilliam Bewley[1]
1406Sir Robert LowtherSir John Skelton[1]
1407William StapletonWilliam More[1]
1410Sir Peter TilliolChristopher Moresby[1]
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)Sir Peter TilliolWilliam Bewley[1]
1414 (Apr)(Sir) Robert LowtherSir William Leigh[1]
1414 (Nov)Sir Christopher CurwenJohn Eaglesfield[1]
1415
1416 (Mar)(Sir) John LancasterWilliam Stapleton[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417Sir Peter Tilliol(Sir) Robert Lowther[1]
1419Sir Peter TilliolRichard Restwold I[1]
1420Sir Peter TilliolThomas More[1]
1421 (May)Sir John LamplughRichard Restwold II[1]
1421 (Dec)Sir Peter TilliolSir Nicholas Radcliffe[1]
1422Sir Peter TilliolSir John Skelton
1423Sir Christopher Curwen
1425Sir Christopher CurwenSir Peter Tilliol
1426Sir Peter Tilliol
1427Sir Christopher CurwenSir Nicholas Ratcliffe of Derwentwater
1431Sir Christopher Curwen
1432Sir Christopher Curwen
1445Sir Thomas Parr
1446Sir John Penington
1467Sir John Huddleston
1491Sir Christopher Dacre
1510–1515 No Names Known [2]
1523?Sir Christopher Dacre? [2]
1529Sir Christopher DacreJohn Lee I [2]
1536
1539
1542?Sir Thomas Wharton?Hon. Sir Thomas Wharton [2]
1545Hon. Sir Thomas WhartonCuthbert Hutton [2]
1547Hon. Sir Thomas WhartonRichard Musgrave [2]
1553 (Mar)(Sir) Richard MusgraveSir Henry Curwen [2]
1553 (Oct)Hon. Sir Thomas WhartonThomas Dacre [2]
1554 (Apr)John Lee IIRobert Penruddock [2]
1554 (Nov)John Lee IIRobert Penruddock [2]
1555Thomas ThrelkeldSir Henry Curwen [2]
1558Leonard DacreJohn Dalston [2]
1558–1559Leonard DacreWilliam Musgrave [3]
1563 (Jan)Leonard DacreHenry Curwen [3]
1571Sir Henry Percy,
sat for Northumberland and repl. by ?
Sir Simon Musgrave [3]
1572Sir Simon MusgraveEdward Scrope,
died and repl. Nov 1580 by Sir Thomas Boynton? [3]
1584Thomas ScropeRobert Bowes I [3]
1586Robert Bowes IHenry Leigh [3]
1588/9Sir Thomas ScropeRobert Bowes I [3]
1593Nicholas CurwenWilfred Lawson [3]
1597Joseph Pennington (MP)Christopher Pickering [3]
1601 (Oct)William HuddlestonGerard Lowther II [3]
1604–1611Sir Wilfred LawsonEdward Musgrave
1614Sir Wilfred LawsonSir Thomas Penruddock
1621/2Sir George DalstonSir Henry Curwen
1624Sir George DalstonFerdinando Huddleston
1625Sir George DalstonPatricius Curwen
1626Sir George DalstonPatricius Curwen
1628Sir George DalstonSir Patricius Curwen, Bt
1629–1640No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1832

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640 Sir Patricius Curwen, Bt Sir George Dalston
November 1640 Sir George DalstonRoyalist
March 1643 Curwen and Dalston disabled to sit – both seats vacant
1646 William Airmine[4] Richard Tolson
December 1648 Tolson excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant
1653 Cumberland was not separately represented in the Barebones Parliament.
The following were nominated for The Four Northern Counties collectively:
Major-General Charles Howard, Robert Fenwick, Henry Dawson, Henry Ogle
1654 Colonel William Briscoe Major-General Charles Howard
1656
January 1659 Sir Wilfrid Lawson
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump, Airmine having died in the interim
April 1660 Sir Wilfrid Lawson Charles Howard
1661 Sir Patricius Curwen, Bt Sir George Fletcher, Bt
1665 Sir John Lowther, Bt
February 1679 Richard Lamplugh
August 1679 Viscount Morpeth
1681 Sir George Fletcher, Bt
1685 The Viscount Preston
1689 Sir George Fletcher, Bt
January 1701 Richard Musgrave Gilfrid Lawson
December 1701 Sir Edward Hasell George FletcherWhig
1702 Richard Musgrave Gilfrid Lawson
1705 George FletcherWhig
1708 James Lowther Gilfrid Lawson
1722 Sir Christopher Musgrave, Bt
1727 James Lowther
1734 Sir Joseph Pennington, Bt
1745 Sir John Pennington, Bt
1755 Sir William Lowther, Bt
1756 Sir William Fleming
1757 Sir James Lowther, Bt
1761 Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Bt
1762 Sir James Lowther, BtTory
March 1768 Henry CurwenWhig
December 1768 Sir Henry Fletcher, Bt [5]Whig
1774 Sir James Lowther, BtTory
1784 Sir William Lowther, BtTory
1790 Humphrey SenhouseTory
1796 John Lowther [6]Tory
1806 Viscount MorpethTory
1820 John Christian CurwenWhig
1829 Sir James Graham, BtWhig
1831 William BlamireWhig
  • Constituency abolished (1832)

Notes

  1. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  2. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  3. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  4. Sir William Airmine, Bt., from 1651
  5. At the general election of 1768, Lowther defeated Fletcher by two votes, but on petition the result was overturned and Fletcher declared elected
  6. Created a baronet as Sir John Lowther, 1824

Elections

The county franchise, from 1430, was held by the adult male owners of freehold land valued at 40 shillings or more. Each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings, which took place in the town of Cockermouth. The expense and difficulty of voting at only one location in the county, together with the lack of a secret ballot contributed to the corruption and intimidation of electors, which was widespread in the unreformed British political system.

The expense, to candidates, of contested elections encouraged the leading families of the county to agree on the candidates to be returned unopposed whenever possible. Contested county elections were therefore unusual.

Election results

Election results taken from the History of Parliament Trust series.

Elections in the 18th century

General election 1715: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Gilfrid Lawson Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1722: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Christopher Musgrave Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Gilfrid Lawson Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1727: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Gilfrid Lawson Unopposed N/A N/A
  • Note: James Lowther succeeded his brother as baronet in 1731
General election 1734: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Joseph Pennington Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1741: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan Joseph Pennington Unopposed N/A N/A
  • Death of Pennington
By-Election 8 January 1745: Cumberland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan John Pennington Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1747: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Non Partisan John Pennington Unopposed N/A N/A
  • incomplete
General election 1768: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Curwen 2,139 26.8 N/A
Tory James Lowther 1,977 24.8 N/A
Whig Henry Fletcher 1,975 24.7 N/A
Tory Humphrey Senhouse 1,891 23.7 N/A
  • On petition, Fletcher returned in place of Lowther, 16 December 1768
General election 1774: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory James Lowther 976 45.2 N/A
Whig Henry Fletcher 876 40.6 N/A
Tory Joseph Pennington 305 14.1 N/A
  • incomplete
General election 1820: Cumberland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory John Lowther 166 41.5 N/A
Whig John Christian Curwen 138 34.5 N/A
Tory George Howard 96 24.0 N/A

See also

References

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