Devon was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Devon in England. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire, in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and finally the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. Elections were held using the bloc vote system of elections.
Under the Reform Act 1832, it was split into two divisions: Northern Devon and Southern Devon for the 1832 general election.
Boundaries
The constituency consisted of the historic county of Devon, excluding the city of Exeter which had the status of a county in itself after 1537. (Although Devon contained a number of other parliamentary boroughs, each of which elected two MPs in its own right for part of the period when Devon was a constituency, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within the borough could confer a vote at the county election. This was not the case, though, for Exeter.)
Members of Parliament
1290-1640
-
Constituency created (1290)
Parliaments of Edward IV
Year |
First member |
Second member |
1491 |
John Crocker |
1640-1832
Year |
First member |
First party |
Second member |
Second party |
|
|
April 1640[11] |
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet |
Royalist |
Thomas Wyse[14] |
|
November 1640[11] |
|
1641[11] |
Sir Samuel Rolle[15] |
Parliamentarian |
|
January 1643 |
Seymour disabled to sit - seat vacant |
|
1646 |
Sir Nicholas Martyn |
|
|
1648 |
William Morice[16] |
|
|
|
December 1648 |
Morice and Martyn excluded in Pride's Purge - both seats vacant. |
|
|
1653 |
Seven nominated members in the Barebones Parliament: George Monck, John Carew, Thomas Saunders, Christopher Martyn, James Erisey, Francis Rous, Richard Sweet |
Devon's representation was increased to 11 MPs in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
|
|
1654 |
Thomas Saunders, Robert Rolle, Arthur Upton, Thomas Reynell, William Morice, John Hale,
William Bastard, William Fry, Sir John Northcote, Bt, Henry Hatsell, John Quick |
|
1656 |
Thomas Saunders, Robert Rolle, Arthur Upton, Thomas Reynell, William Morice, John Hale,
Sir John Northcote, Bt, Captain Henry Hatsell, Sir John Yonge, Edmund Fowell, John Doddridge |
|
|
January 1659 |
Sir John Northcote, Bt |
|
Robert Rolle |
|
|
|
May 1659 |
Not represented in the restored Rump |
|
|
April 1660 |
George Monck |
|
Sir John Northcote, Bt |
|
|
July 1660 |
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet |
|
|
|
1661 |
Sir Hugh Pollard, Bt |
|
Sir John Rolle |
|
|
1667 |
Earl of Torrington |
|
|
1671 |
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, Bt |
|
|
|
February 1679 |
Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet |
Tory |
Sir William Courtenay, Bt |
|
|
September 1679 |
Samuel Rolle |
|
|
|
1685 |
Sir Bourchier Wrey, Bt |
|
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, Bt |
|
|
|
1689 |
Francis Courtenay |
|
Samuel Rolle |
|
|
September 1699 |
Thomas Drewe |
|
|
January 1701 |
Sir William Courtenay, Bt |
|
|
December 1701 |
Sir John Pole, Bt |
|
|
1702 |
Robert Rolle |
|
|
|
1710 |
Sir William Pole |
|
John Rolle |
|
|
1712 |
Sir William Courtenay, Bt |
|
|
1713 |
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, Bt |
Tory |
|
1727 |
John Rolle |
|
|
1730 |
Henry Rolle |
|
|
1736 |
John Bampfylde |
|
|
|
1741 |
Sir William Courtenay, Bt |
|
Theophilus Fortescue |
|
|
1746 |
Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt |
|
|
1747 |
Sir Richard Bampfylde, Bt |
|
|
1762 |
John Parker |
|
|
1776 |
John Rolle Walter |
|
|
1780 |
John Rolle |
|
|
1784 |
John Pollexfen Bastard |
Tory |
|
1796 |
Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt |
|
|
1812 |
Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt |
Tory |
|
1816 |
Edmund Pollexfen Bastard |
|
|
1818 |
Viscount Ebrington |
Whig |
|
1820 |
Sir Thomas Dyke-Acland, Bt |
Tory |
|
1830 |
Viscount Ebrington |
Whig |
|
1831 |
Lord John Russell |
Whig |
- Constituency abolished (1832)
Elections
-
Notes
- ↑ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitation of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.150, pedigree of Cary (regnal year 37 Edward III, i.e. 1363); See also biography of his son Sir Robert Cary in History of Parliament [1]
- ↑ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitation of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.150, pedigree of Cary (regnal year 37 Edward III, i.e. 1363)
- ↑ Vivian, p.150 (regnal year 42 Edward III, i.e. 1368)
- ↑ Vivian, p.150 (regnal year 42 Edward III, i.e. 1368)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Beaumont, Edward T., The Beaumonts in History. A.D. 850-1850. Oxford, c.1929, (privately published), Chapter 5, pp.56-63, The Devonshire Family, p.62 (term given as 1376-80)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 7.29 7.30 7.31 7.32 7.33 7.34 7.35 7.36 7.37 7.38 7.39 7.40 7.41 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ [2] History of Parliament Online article.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Appointed Treasurer in Ireland 1607
- ↑ Youngest brother (1588-1637) of Francis Drake
- ↑ Died March 1641
- ↑ Died December 1647
- ↑ Morice may not have taken his seat before being excluded in Pride's Purge
References
See also