Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, in the South West of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It was a constituency

United Kingdom constituencies

In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

of the House of Commons of England

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

then of the House of Commons of Great Britain

House of Commons of Great Britain

The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...

from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire

Knights of the Shire

From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...

, elected by the bloc vote

Plurality-at-large voting

Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...

system.

Under the Reform Act 1832

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

, it was divided between the constituencies of East Cornwall

East Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

East Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...

and West Cornwall

West Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)

West Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...

Boundaries and franchise

The constituency consisted of the whole of the historic county

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

of Cornwall

Cornwall

, the most south-westerly county of England, occupying the part of the South West peninsula to the west of the River Tamar

River Tamar

The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...

which divides the county from Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

. (Although Cornwall contained a number of parliamentary borough

Parliamentary borough

Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

s, each of which elected two MPs in their own right, these were not excluded from the county constituency, and owning property within a borough could confer a vote at the county election. For a summary of the boroughs represented before 1832 see Parliamentary representation from Cornwall

Parliamentary representation from Cornwall

The historic county of Cornwall in south-west England was represented in Parliament from the 13th century. This article provides a list of constituencies constituting the Parliamentary representation from Cornwall....

.)

As in other county constituencies the franchise between 1430 and 1832 was defined by the Forty Shilling Freeholder Act

Forty Shilling Freeholders

Forty shilling freeholders were a group of landowners who had the Parliamentary franchise to vote in county constituencies in various parts of the British Isles. In England it was the only such qualification from 1430 until 1832...

, which gave the right to vote to every man who possessed freehold property within the county valued at £2 or more per year for the purposes of land tax; it was not necessary for the freeholder to occupy his land, nor even in later years to be resident in the county at all.

By the time of the Great Reform Act in 1832, the population of Cornwall was about 300,000. Only a tiny fraction of these were entitled to vote. Sedgwick estimated there were about 2,300 electors in this constituency in the 1715-1754 period, and Namier and Brooke suggest this had increased to about 2,500 electors in the 1754-1790 period. At the vigorously contested election of 1790, when a high turnout can be assumed, 4,656 valid votes were cast (each voter being entitled to vote twice). At Cornwall's final election, in 1831, 5,350 votes were cast.

1290–1510

Parliament	First member	Second member
1301	Michael Petyt
1314	Michael Petyt
1386	Sir Ralph Carminowe	John Beville
1388 (Feb)	Sir Henry Ilcombe	Sir John Reskymer
1388 (Sep)	Sir William Lambourne	Sir John Reskymer
1390 (Jan)	Sir Richard Cergeaux	Sir William Lambourne
1390 (Nov)	Sir John Reskymer	Michael Archdeacon
1391	John Colshull	John Treverbyn
1393	John Trevarthian	John Treverbyn
1394	John Colshull	John Treverbyn
1395	Sir Henry Ilcombe	John Chenduyt
1397 (Jan)	John Arundell of Lanherne	John Colshull
1397 (Sep)	John Arundell of Lanherne	John Trevarthian
1399	Sir William Lambourne	John Colshull
1401	Sir John Trevarthian	William Bodrugan
1402	Sir William Talbot	John Whalesborough
1404 (Jan)	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	John Chenduyt
1404 (Oct)	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	Sir Ralph Botreaux
1406	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	Nicholas Broomford
1407	John Chenduyt	Richard Trevanion
1410	Sir Ralph Botreaux	Sir John Herle
1411	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	John Urban
1413 (May)	John Wybbury	John Trelawny
1414 (Apr)	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	John Colshull II
1414 (Nov)	Sir William Talbot	John Colshull II
1416 (Mar)	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	William Bodrugan II
1416 (Oct)
1417	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	Thomas Arundell
1419	John Arundell of Bideford	Sir Thomas Arundell
1420	Sir William Bodrugan	John Tretherf
1421 (May)	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	Sir John Trelawny II
1421 (Dec)	Sir John Trelawny II	John Arundell of Bideford
1422	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne	John Arundell of Bideford
1423	Sir John Arundell of Lanherne
1429	Sir Thomas Arundell
1435	Sir Thomas Arundell

1510-1629

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or (before 1558) is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.

The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509-1558 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.

In 1529 alternative versions are given of the names for one member. The first comes from the above book on the House of Commons. The second originates from another source.

Elected	Assembled	Dissolved	First Member	Second Member
1510	21 January 1510	23 February 1510	unknown	unknown
1512	4 February 1512	4 March 1514	unknown	unknown
1515	5 February 1515	22 December 1515	Sir Peter Edgecombe	unknown
1523	15 April 1523	13 August 1523	unknown	unknown
1529	3 November 1529	14 April 1536	Sir Peter Edgecombe or Piers Edgcumbe	Richard Grenville
1536	8 June 1536	18 July 1536	unknown	unknown
1539	28 April 1539	24 July 1540	Sir John Chamond John Chamond Sir John Chamond was an English politician. He was the High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1529 and 1537, Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall ?–1544 and the Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1539 to 1540.-References:...	William Godolphin William Godolphin (1515-1570) Sir William Godolphin was a 16th century English soldier and Member of Parliament , whose career has, however, been so confused with that of his father and namesake Sir William that it is sometimes difficult to be sure which of the two held which offices... I
1542	16 January 1542	28 March 1544	Richard Edgecombe	unknown
1545	23 November 1545	31 January 1547	Richard Chamond	John Beauchamp
1547	4 November 1547	15 April 1552	(Sir) Richard Edgecombe	John Reskymer
1553	1 March 1553	31 March 1553	(Sir) William Godolphin William Godolphin (1515-1570) Sir William Godolphin was a 16th century English soldier and Member of Parliament , whose career has, however, been so confused with that of his father and namesake Sir William that it is sometimes difficult to be sure which of the two held which offices... I	Henry Chiverton
1553	5 October 1553	5 December 1553	John Carminowe	Richard Roscarrock
1554	2 April 1554	3 May 1554	Sir John Arundell	Richard Roscarrock
1554	12 November 1554	16 January 1555	? Thomas Trefry I	Henry Chiverton
1555	21 October 1555	9 December 1555	Richard Chamond	Henry Chiverton
1558	20 January 1558	17 November 1558	John Arundell I	John Polwhele
1559	23 January 1559	8 May 1559	? Richard Edgcumbe	unknown
1562 or 1563	11 January 1563	2 January 1567	Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe was an English politician.He was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall 8 August 1586 – 7 December 1587, High Sheriff of Cornwall 1498–1499 and Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall bef. 1573–1597...	John Trelawny John Trelawny (died 1568) John Trelawny , of Pool in Menheniot, Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament. The son of another John Trelawny of Pool, who had been a co-heir of the Earl of Devon, he was the head of one of Cornwall's leading families. He served as Member for Lostwithiel in the Parliament of 1559, and for...
1571	2 April 1571	29 May 1571	Richard Grenville Richard Grenville Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...	William Mohun William Mohun Sir William Mohun was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall , High Sheriff of Cornwall 1572 and 1578 and Member of Parliament for Cornwall and St Germans ....
1572	8 May 1572	19 April 1583	Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe was an English politician.He was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall 8 August 1586 – 7 December 1587, High Sheriff of Cornwall 1498–1499 and Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall bef. 1573–1597... to 1581 (Unknown from 1581)	Richard Chamond
1584	23 November 1584	14 September 1585	Richard Grenville Richard Grenville Sir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...	(Sir) William Mohun William Mohun Sir William Mohun was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall , High Sheriff of Cornwall 1572 and 1578 and Member of Parliament for Cornwall and St Germans ....
1586	13 October 1586	23 March 1587	Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe Peter Edgcumbe was an English politician.He was Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall 8 August 1586 – 7 December 1587, High Sheriff of Cornwall 1498–1499 and Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall bef. 1573–1597...
1588	4 February 1589	29 March 1589		Sir Francis Godolphin Francis Godolphin (1540-1608) Sir Francis Godolphin was an English Member of Parliament. The nephew of Sir William Godolphin, who left no male issue, he succeeded to his uncle's estates early in Queen Elizabeth's reign...
1593	18 February 1593	10 April 1593		William Bevil
1597	24 October 1597	9 February 1598	William Killigrew William Killigrew (Chamberlain of the Exchequer) Sir William Killigrew was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1571 and 1614. He was chamberlain of the exchequer between 1605 and 1608....	Jonathan Trelawny Jonathan Trelawny (1568-1604) Sir Jonathan Trelawny , of Pool in Menheniot, Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament. Trelawny was the posthumous younger son of John Trelawny of Pool ; his elder brother died in infancy and he inherited the estate...
1601	27 October 1601	19 December 1601	Sir Walter Raleigh Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....	John Arundell John Arundell (born 1576) Sir John Arundell , nicknamed "Jack for the King", was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1640. He was Royalist governor of Pendennis Castle during the English Civil War....
1604	19 March 1604	9 February 1611	Sir Anthony Rous	Sir Jonathan Trelawny Jonathan Trelawny (1568-1604) Sir Jonathan Trelawny , of Pool in Menheniot, Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament. Trelawny was the posthumous younger son of John Trelawny of Pool ; his elder brother died in infancy and he inherited the estate... died 1604 Sir William Godolphin
1614	5 April 1614	7 June 1614	Richard Carew Sir Richard Carew, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Carew, 1st Baronet , of Antony in Cornwall, was an English writer and Member of Parliament.Carew was the eldest son of the antiquary Richard Carew . He was educated at Oxford, probably at Merton, and studied law at the Middle Temple...	John St Aubyn
1620 or 1621	16 January 1621	8 February 1622	Bevil Grenville Bevil Grenville Sir Bevil Grenville was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1621 and 1642. He was a Royalist soldier in the English Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Lansdowne.-Backgound:...	John Arundell John Arundell (born 1576) Sir John Arundell , nicknamed "Jack for the King", was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1640. He was Royalist governor of Pendennis Castle during the English Civil War....
1623 or 1624	12 February 1624	27 March 1625		William Coryton William Coryton William Coryton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns....
1625	17 May 1625	12 August 1625	Sir Robert Killigrew Robert Killigrew Sir Robert Killigrew was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1629. He served as Ambassador the the United Provinces.-Life:...	Charles Trevanion Charles Trevanion Charles Trevanion was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1625.Trevanion was the son of Charles Trevanion of Caerhays, Vice-Admiral of Cornwall and his wife Joanna Witchabse...
1626	6 February 1626	15 June 1626	Sir Francis Godolphin Francis Godolphin (died about 1640) Sir Francis Godolphin was an English Member of Parliament. The third son of Sir Francis Godolphin of Treveneage , he represented St Ives in the Parliaments of 1624-5 and 1625 and Cornwall in that of 1626. He was also Recorder of Helston in 1620...	William Coryton William Coryton William Coryton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns....
1628	17 March 1628	10 March 1629	Sir John Eliot John Eliot (statesman) Sir John Eliot was an English statesman who was serially imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he eventually died, by King Charles I for advocating the rights and privileges of Parliament.-Family and early life:...

1640-1832

	First member	First party	Second member	Second party
April 1640 Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....	William Godolphin William Godolphin (Royalist) Sir William Godolphin was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640. He fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....		Richard Buller Richard Buller Sir Richard Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1621 and 1642. He was a Parliamentarian officer during the English Civil War....	Parliamentarian Roundhead "Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
November 1640 Long Parliament The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...	Sir Bevil Grenville Bevil Grenville Sir Bevil Grenville was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1621 and 1642. He was a Royalist soldier in the English Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Lansdowne.-Backgound:...	Royalist Cavalier Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...	Alexander Carew Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet , of Antony in Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament executed for attempting to betray the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War....	Royalist Cavalier Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
September 1642	Grenville disabled to sit - seat vacant
September 1643	Grenville disabled to sit - seat vacant		Carew expelled - seat vacant
1646	Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1701.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 August 1625....		Nicholas Trefusis Nicholas Trefusis Nicholas Trefusis was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1628 and 1648.Nicholas Trefusis was the last of the line of a branch of the Trefusis family living at Lezant in Cornwall....
December 1648	Boscawen not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge Pride's Purge Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...		Trefusis excluded in Pride's Purge Pride's Purge Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents... - seat vacant

Representation increased to four seats in Barebones Parliament
Barebones Parliament
Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the installation of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector...

Year	First member	Second member	Third member	Fourth member
1653	Robert Bennet Robert Bennet (MP) Robert Bennet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1653 and 1654. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....	Francis Langdon	Anthony Rous Anthony Rous Anthony Rous was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1653 and 1660. He was an officer in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....	John Bawden

Representation increased to eight seats in First
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....

and Second Protectorate Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...

s

Year	First member	Second member	Third member	Fourth member	Fifth member	Sixth member	Seventh member	Eighth member
1654 First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....	Anthony Rous Anthony Rous Anthony Rous was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1653 and 1660. He was an officer in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....	Anthony Nicholl Anthony Nicholl Anthony Nicholl was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1656. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War.Nicholl was a member of the Nicholl family of Penvose in Cornwall...	Thomas Silly	Richard Carter Richard Carter (MP for Cornwall) Richard Carter was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and 1656.Carter was the son of John Carter of Columb, Cornwall. He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford on 9 September 1634, aged 17. He was of St. Columb, or Columb Major.In 1654, Carter was elected Member of...	Walter Moyle Walter Moyle (MP) Sir Walter Moyle was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1656 and 1660.Moyle was the son of John Moyle of Bake, Cornwall...	Charles Boscawen Charles Boscawen Charles Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1654 and 1689.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and his wife Margaret Rolle, daughter of Robert Rolle of Heanton Satchville, Devon. He was baptised on 28 October 1627...	Thomas Gewen Thomas Gewen Thomas Gewen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1645 and 1660.He was the son of Christopher Gewen of Werrington. He was educated at the Queen's College, Oxford and the Inner Temple. He married twice; first to a daughter of Edward Cosworth, with whom he had...	James Launce
1656 Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...			Thomas Silly			Francis Rous Francis Rous Francis Rous or Rouse was an English politician and a prominent Puritan. He was also Provost of Eton, and wrote several theological and devotional works.-Early life:...	William Braddon	John St Aubyn

Representation restored to two seats in Third Protectorate Parliament
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...

	First member	First party	Second member	Second party
January 1659 Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...	Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1701.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 August 1625....		Francis Buller Francis Buller (died 1682) Francis Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1679.Buller was the son of Francis Buller of Shillingham Cornwall, and his wife Thomasine Honeywood and was baptised at Saltash on 10 January 1630. He was educated at Leyden in 1643 and at Trinity College,...
Cornwall not represented in restored Rump Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
April 1660	Sir John Carew, Bt Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1660 and 1692....		Robert Robartes Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin Robert Robartes, Viscount Bodmin was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1679...
September 1660			Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1701.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 August 1625....
1661	Jonathan Trelawny Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 2nd Baronet Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 2nd Baronet , of Trelawny in Cornwall, was an English Member of Parliament.He was the fourth child and eldest son of Sir John Trelawny, 1st Baronet, High Sheriff of Cornwall, and succeeded to the baronetcy on 16 February 1664.He entered Parliament in 1660 as member for East...		Sir John Coryton, Bt
1679	Francis Robartes Francis Robartes Francis Robartes FRS was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1718....		Sir Richard Edgcumbe Richard Edgcumbe (politician) Sir Richard Edgcumbe was an English politician.He was the son of Piers Edgcumbe of Mount Edgcumbe and Cotehele, Calstock, Cornwall, and his wife, Mary, daughter of Sir John Glanville of Broad Hinton, Wiltshire...
May 1685	Lord Lansdown Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath Charles Granville, 2nd Earl of Bath was an English soldier, politician, diplomat, courtier and peer....		Viscount Bodmin
August 1685			Francis Robartes Francis Robartes Francis Robartes FRS was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1718....
1689	Sir John Carew, Bt Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1660 and 1692....		Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1701.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 August 1625....
1690	Francis Robartes Francis Robartes Francis Robartes FRS was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1718....
1695	John Speccot
June 1701	John Speccot		Richard Edgcumbe Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbe, PC was an English politician.He was the son of Sir Richard Edgcumbe and Lady Anne Montagu, daughter of the Earl of Sandwich...	Whig
December 1701	John Granville		James Buller
1703	Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt Sir Richard Vyvyan, 3rd Baronet Sir Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren, 3rd Baronet was a prominent Jacobite.Richard Vyvyan was born in Colan, Cornwall...		James Buller
1703			Hugh Boscawen Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.-Life:...	Whig
1708	James Buller			Whig
1710	George Granville	Tory	John Trevanion	Tory
1712	Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt Sir Richard Vyvyan, 3rd Baronet Sir Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren, 3rd Baronet was a prominent Jacobite.Richard Vyvyan was born in Colan, Cornwall...
1713	Sir William Carew, Bt	Tory
1722	Sir William Carew, Bt	Tory	Sir John St Aubyn, Bt	Tory
April 1744	Sir Coventry Carew, Bt	Tory	Sir John St Aubyn, Bt	Tory
December 1744	Sir Coventry Carew, Bt	Tory	Sir John Molesworth, Bt	Tory
1748	James Buller James Buller (the younger) James Buller was a British Tory politician and ancestor of the Viscounts Dilhorne and the Barons Churston.Born at Downes House, near Crediton, he was the oldest son of John Francis Buller and his wife Rebecca Trelawney, daughter of Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet...	Tory	Sir John Molesworth, Bt	Tory
1761		Tory	Sir John St Aubyn, Bt
1765	Sir John Molesworth, Bt		Sir John St Aubyn, Bt
1772			Humphrey Mackworth-Praed
1774			Sir William Lemon, Bt William Lemon Sir William Lemon, 1st Baronet was a Member of Parliament for Cornish constituencies from 1770 to 1824, a total of 54 years.-Parental family:...	Whig
1775	Edward Eliot Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot was born to Richard Eliot and Harriot Craggs , the illegitimate daughter of the Privy Counsellor and Secretary of State, James Craggs and Hester Santlow, the noted...
1784	Sir William Molesworth, Bt Sir William Molesworth, 6th Baronet Sir William Molesworth 6th Baronet Molesworth of Pencarrow, Cornwall, was elected MP for Cornwall 25 February 1784 and served until 1790 ....
1790	Francis Gregor	Tory
1806	John Hearle Tremayne John Hearle Tremayne John Hearle Tremayne was a member of a landed family in the English county of Cornwall, and owner of the Heligan estate near Mevagissey. He was a member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Cornwall, a Justice of the peace, and High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1831...	Tory
1825		Tory	Sir Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan, Bt Sir Richard Vyvyan, 8th Baronet Sir Richard Rawlinson Vyvyan, 8th Baronet was an English landowner and Whig and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1825 and 1857.-Early life:...	Tory
1826	Edward William Wynne Pendarves Edward William Wynne Pendarves Edward William Wynne Pendarves was Member of Parliament for West Cornwall from the creation of the Constituency on 19 December 1832 until the year of his death....	Whig		Tory
1831		Whig	Sir Charles Lemon, Bt Charles Lemon Sir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet Lemon of Carclew was a British Member of Parliament for several constituencies and a baronet.-Service in Parliament:...	Whig

Constituency abolished (1832)

Elections

The bloc vote

Plurality-at-large voting

electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. 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 were usually held at the county town. 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 and their supporters, 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.

There were no contested general election polls in Cornwall between 1710 and 1774. Leading Whig politicians, like Sir Robert Walpole

Robert Walpole

Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....

, were happy to let Tory squires represent the county; to avoid them interfering with Whig plans in the county's numerous borough constituencies. The related families of Carew, Molesworth, St Aubyn and Buller monopolised the representation for much of the 18th century, until the partners in the Miners' Bank at Truro, Humphrey Mackworth Praed and William Lemon

William Lemon

Sir William Lemon, 1st Baronet was a Member of Parliament for Cornish constituencies from 1770 to 1824, a total of 54 years.-Parental family:...

, became involved in elections in the 1770s.

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715-1754, Namier and Brooke 1754-1790 and Stooks Smith 1790-1832.

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s –
1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s

Elections in the 1710s

Elections in the 1720s

Elections in the 1730s

Elections in the 1740s

Death of Carew

Death of St Aubyn

Death of Carew

Elections in the 1750s

Elections in the 1760s

Death of Buller

Elections in the 1770s

Death of St Aubyn

Death of Molesworth

Elections in the 1780s

Creation of Eliot as 1st Lord Eliot

Elections in the 1790s

Note (1790): This was the first election, for this constituency, where Stooks Smith used party labels for candidates.

Elections in the 1800s

Elections in the 1810s

Elections in the 1820s

Death of Lemon

Elections in the 1830s

Note (1831): Stooks Smith records that the poll took five days.

Constituency divided (1832)