Weobley

Double Member Borough

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Background Information

Right of Election:

‘in the inhabitants of the ancient vote houses of 20s. per annum value and upwards, residing in the said borough 40 days before the day of election and paying scot and lot; and also in the owners of such ancient vote houses paying scot and lot who shall be resident in such houses at the time of election.’1

Number of voters:

about 100

Elections

DateCandidateVotes
15 Apr. 1754John Craster80
 Savage Mostyn80
 Vansittart Hudson4
 George Carpenter, Baron Carpenter3
13 Apr. 1757Mostyn re-elected after appointment to office 
7 Dec. 1757George Venables Vernon vice Mostyn, deceased 
28 Mar. 1761William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, Mq. of Titchfield 
 Henry Frederick Thynne 
12 June 1762William Lynch vice Titchfield, called to the Upper House 
27 Dec. 1762Thynne re-elected after appointment to office 
18 Mar. 1768Henry Frederick Thynne 
 Simon Luttrell 
26 Dec. 1770Bamber Gascoyne vice Thynne, appointed to office 
12 Feb. 1772Gascoyne re-elected after appointment to office 
13 Oct. 1774Sir William Lynch 
 John St. Leger Douglas 
31 Mar. 1780Andrew Bayntun Rolt vice Lynch, vacated his seat 
14 Sept. 1780John St. Leger Douglas 
 Andrew Bayntun Rolt 
16 June 1783John Scott vice Douglas, deceased 
3 Apr. 1784Andrew Bayntun Rolt 
 John Scott 
22 Apr. 1786Thomas Thynne vice Bayntun Rolt, vacated his seat 
7 July 1788Sir John Scott re-elected after appointment to office 

Main Article

Weobley had a complicated franchise, akin to that of a burgage borough. About 1750 the leading interests were in Lord Weymouth, lord of the manor, who nominated the returning officer, and Mansell Powell, a shady attorney, who owned a majority of the vote houses. In the first half of the century the borough was much disputed, and there was a strong party bent on preventing it becoming close. Between 1750 and 1754 Weymouth, by his purchase of Powell’s vote houses, gained a commanding interest; which was confirmed at the general election of 1754. For the remainder of this period Weobley was a pocket borough of the Thynne family.

Author: J. A. Cannon

Notes

  • 1. CJ, 3 Mar. 1737.