Saltash, sometimes called Essa, was a "rotten borough

Rotten borough

A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....

" in 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...

 which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 in the English

Parliament of England

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...

 and later British Parliament from 1552 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.

History

The borough consisted of the town of Saltash

Saltash

Saltash is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a population of 14,964. It lies in the south east of Cornwall, facing Plymouth over the River Tamar. It was in the Caradon district until March 2009 and is known as "the gateway to Cornwall". Saltash means ash tree by...

, a market town facing Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 and Devonport

Devonport, Devon

Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...

 across the Tamar estuary

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...

, and the inhabitants by 1831 were mainly fishermen or Devonport dockworkers. Like most of the Cornish boroughs

Cornish rotten boroughs

The Cornish rotten boroughs were one of the most striking anomalies of the Unreformed House of Commons in the Parliament that ruled Britain before the Reform Act of 1832...

 enfranchised or re-enfranchised during the Tudor period

Tudor period

The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...

, it was a rotten borough from the start.

Saltash was a burgage

Burgage

Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...

 borough, meaning that the right to vote rested with the tenants of certain specified properties. For a long period in the 18th century, there was a contest for control of the borough between the government and the Buller family of Morval

Morval, Cornwall

Morval is a rural civil parish and hamlet in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hamlet is approximately two miles north of Looe and five miles south of Liskeard....

, depending partly on legal uncertainties over the precise number and identity of the burgage properties to which votes were attached. In the 1760s it was considered an entirely secure Admiralty borough, where the naval influence could sway all the voters, but by 1831 the Bullers owned all the tenancies and considered themselves the patrons.

In 1831, the borough had a population of 1,637, and 245 houses.

MPs 1552–1660

Parliament	First member	Second member
First Parliament of 1553	George Kekewich	Edward Saunders Edward Saunders (judge) Sir Edward Saunders was an English judge and Chief Justice of the Queen’s Bench.-Early life and career:Saunders was the third son of Thomas Saunders of Sibertoft or of Harrington, Northamptonshire, by Margaret, daughter of Richard Cave. His younger brother was Laurence Saunders, the martyr. He was...
Richard Weston	Thomas Martin Thomas Martyn (jurist) Thomas Martyn D.C.L. was an English jurist and controversialist, prominent in the trial of Thomas Cranmer.-Life:...
Parliament of 1554	Peter St Hill	Humphrey Cowell
Parliament of 1554-1555	Oliver Debett	Humphrey Cavil
Parliament of 1555	Alexander Nowell Alexander Nowell Alexander Nowell was an English Puritan theologian and clergyman, who served as dean of St Paul's during much of Elizabeth I's reign.-Biography:...	Nicholas St John (?)
Parliament of 1558	Thomas Williams	Francis Yaxley Francis Yaxley Francis Yaxley was an English politician and conspirator.-Life:Yaxley was the eldest son of Richard Yaxley of Mellis, Suffolk, by his wife Anne, daughter of Roger Austin of Earlsham, Suffolk...
Parliament of 1559	Thomas Carew Thomas Carew (MP for Saltash) Thomas Carew was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1555 and 1565.Carew was the son of Sir Wymond Carew of East Anthony Cornwall. He matriculated from St John's College, Cambridge in Autumn 1548. He was admitted at the Inner Temple in November 1550.In 1555,...  (?)	Thomas Martin (?)
Parliament of 1563-1567	Thomas Carew Thomas Carew (MP for Saltash) Thomas Carew was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1555 and 1565.Carew was the son of Sir Wymond Carew of East Anthony Cornwall. He matriculated from St John's College, Cambridge in Autumn 1548. He was admitted at the Inner Temple in November 1550.In 1555,...	James Dalton
Parliament of 1571	William Page
Parliament of 1572-1581
Parliament of 1584-1585	Richard Carew	Dr William Clerk William Clerk William Clerk was the clerk to the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII of England. He was a clerk to the Privy Seal from 1542 to 1548 and had permission to use the dry stamp bearing the King's signature from September 1545.-References:...
Parliament of 1586-1587	George Carew	John Acland
Parliament of 1588-1589		Arthur Gorge
Parliament of 1593		Jerome Horsey Jerome Horsey Sir Jerome Horsey , of Great Kimble, Buckinghamshire, was an English explorer, diplomat and politician in the 16th and 17th centuries....
Parliament of 1597-1598	Gregory Downhall	Ellis Wynn
Parliament of 1601	Sir Robert Cross	Alexander Nevill Alexander Nevill Alexander Nevill or Neville was an English Member of Parliament, representing Christchurch in the Parliament of 1589 and Saltash in that of 1601...
Parliament of 1604-1611	Sir Peter Manwood Peter Manwood Sir Peter Manwood was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1589 and 1621.Manwood was the eldest son of Sir Roger Manwood of Hackington and his first wife Dorothy Theobald, daughter of John Theobald of Seal. He was admitted at Inner Temple in November...	Thomas Wyvill
Addled Parliament (1614) Addled Parliament The Addled Parliament was the second Parliament of England of the reign of James I of England , which sat between 5 April and 7 June 1614...	Ranulph Crewe Ranulph Crewe Sir Ranulph Crewe was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench.-Early life and career:...	Sir Robert Phelips Robert Phelips Sir Robert Phelips was an English politician. He was the son of Sir Edward Phelips, Speaker of the House of Commons and Master of the Rolls...
Parliament of 1621-1622	Sir Thomas Trevor	Sir Thomas Smith Thomas Smith (East India Company) Sir Thomas Smith or Smythe , was an English merchant and politician. He was the first governor of the East India Company.-Early life:...
Happy Parliament (1624-1625) Happy Parliament The Happy Parliament was the fourth and last Parliament of England of the reign of King James I, sitting from 19 February 1624 to 24 May 1624 and then from 2 November 1624 to 16 February 1625...		Francis Buller Francis Buller (Parliamentarian) Francis Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1648. He supported the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War....
Useless Parliament (1625) Useless Parliament The Useless Parliament was the first Parliament of England of the reign of King Charles I, sitting only from June until August 1625. It gained its name because it transacted no significant business, making it 'useless' from the king's point of view...	Sir 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....
Parliament of 1625-1626		John Heywood
Parliament of 1628-1629		Sir Francis Cottington
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

MPs 1640–1832

Year		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....		George Buller George Buller George Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1646.Buller was the son of Sir Richard Buller, of Shillingham, Cornwall and his wife Alice Hayward, daughter of Sir Rowland Hayward...	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...		Francis Buller Francis Buller (Parliamentarian) Francis Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1648. He supported the Parliamentary side in 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...					Edward Hyde Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two English monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...	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...
August 1642				Hyde disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1646		John Thynne			Henry Wills
December 1648	Thynne and Wills 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...  - both seats vacant
1653	Saltash was unrepresented in the 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...  and the 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 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...  Parliaments of the Protectorate
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...		Edmund Prideaux			John Buller John Buller (died 1716) John Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1656 and 1695.Buller was the son of Francis Buller of Shillingham Cornwall, and his wife Thomasine Honeywood...
May 1659 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....	Not represented in the 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		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,...			Anthony Buller Anthony Buller Anthony Buller was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1660. He fought in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
1661					John Buller John Buller (died 1716) John Buller was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1656 and 1695.Buller was the son of Francis Buller of Shillingham Cornwall, and his wife Thomasine Honeywood...
February 1679		Bernard Granville			Nicholas Courtney
September 1679		William Jennens			Sir John Davie
1681		Bernard Granville
1685		Sir Cyril Wyche Cyril Wyche Sir Cyril Wyche FRS was an English lawyer and politician.He was born in Constantinople, Turkey, where his father, Sir Peter Wyche, was the English Ambassador. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford with Bachelor of Arts in 1653. He received his Master of Arts in 1655 and his Doctor of Civil...			Edmund Waller Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS was an English poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1679.- Early life :...
1689		Bernard Granville			John Waddon
1690		Sir John Carew 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....			Richard Carew
1691					Narcissus Luttrell Narcissus Luttrell Narcissus Luttrell was an English historian, diarist, and bibliographer, and briefly Member of Parliament for two different Cornish towns...
1692		Michael Hill
1695		Francis Buller			Walter Moyle Walter Moyle Walter Moyle was an English politician and political writer, an advocate of classical republicanism.-Life:He was born at Bake in St Germans, Cornwall, on 3 November 1672, the third, but eldest surviving son of Sir Walter Moyle, who died in September 1701, by his wife Thomasine, daughter of Sir...	Whig
March 1698		Francis Pengelly
August 1698		John Specott			John Morice
1699		James Buller
January 1701					Alexander Pendarves Alexander Pendarves Alexander Pendarves, MP was an English politician of the Tory party, and a wealthy landowner.-Early life:...	Tory
March 1701					Thomas Carew
1702		Benjamin Buller
1703		John Rolle
1705		James Buller			Joseph Moyle
May 1708					Alexander Pendarves Alexander Pendarves Alexander Pendarves, MP was an English politician of the Tory party, and a wealthy landowner.-Early life:...	Tory
December 1708		Sir Cholmeley Dering Sir Cholmeley Dering, 4th Baronet Sir Cholmeley Dering, 4th Baronet was an English politician and duellist.He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet of Surrenden in Pluckley, Kent by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Cholmeley, 2nd Baronet of Whitby, Yorkshire...	Tory
1710		Jonathan Elford
1711					Sir William Carew
1713					William Shippen William Shippen (MP) William Shippen was an English Tory Member of Parliament and Jacobite.Shippen was educated at Stockport grammar school, and entered Brasenose College, Oxford on 16 July 1687. Shortly one year after his matriculation he was elected king's scholar at Westminster...	Tory
1715		Shilston Calmady			John Francis Buller
1722		Thomas Swanton			Edward Hughes
1723		Philip Lloyd
1727		Lord Glenorchy John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland John Campbell, 3rd Earl of Breadalbane and Holland KB , styled Lord Glenorchy from 1716 until 1752, was a Scottish nobleman, diplomat and politician.-Background and education:...
1734					Thomas Corbett
1741		John Clevland
1743		Stamp Brooksbank
July 1747		Edward Boscawen Edward Boscawen Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
December 1747		Stamp Brooksbank
1751					George Brydges Rodney George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
1754		Viscount Duncannon William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough William Ponsonby, 2nd Earl of Bessborough PC PC was an Irish and English peer and member of the House of Lords, styled Hon. William Ponsonby from 1723 to 1739 and Viscount Duncannon from 1739 to 1758...			George Clinton George Clinton (British politician) Admiral of the Fleet The Hon. George Clinton was a British naval officer and political leader who served as the colonial governor of Newfoundland in 1731 and of New York from 1743 to 1753....
1756		Charles Townshend Charles Townshend Charles Townshend was a British politician. He was born at his family's seat of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, the second son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey , daughter and heiress of Edward Harrison of Ball's Park, near Hertford, a lady who rivalled her son in...	Whig
1761		John Clevland			George Adams George Anson (1731-1789) George Anson , known as George Adams until 1773, was a British Whig politician and Staffordshire landowner....	Whig
1763		Hon. Augustus John Hervey
1768		Martin Bladen Hawke			Thomas Bradshaw
1772					John Williams
1772					Thomas Bradshaw
1774		Grey Cooper Grey Cooper Grey Cooper was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1765 and 1790 and was Secretary to the Treasury under various administrations....
1775					Sir Charles Whitworth Charles Whitworth (MP) Sir Charles Whitworth was a British Member of Parliament, known for his expertise in statistics and finance.He represented the constituencies of Minehead from 1747 until 1761, and Bletchingley until 1768, in which year he was knighted...
1778					Henry Strachey Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Strachey, 1st Baronet was a British civil servant and politician.Strachey was the eldest son of Henry Strachey, of Sutton Court, Somerset, and his first wife Helen, daughter of Robert Clerk, a Scottish physician. His grandfather was the geologist John Strachey and his great-grandfather...
1780					Charles Jenkinson Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool PC , known as the Lord Hawkesbury between 1786 and 1796, was a British statesman. He was the father of Prime Minister Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool....
1784		Charles Ambler
1786					The Earl of Mornington Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley Richard Colley Wesley, later Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, KG, PC, PC , styled Viscount Wellesley from birth until 1781, was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator....
1787					John Lemon
1790		Edward Bearcroft Edward Bearcroft Edward Bearcroft, KC was an English barrister, judge, and politician.Bearcroft, a member of the Inner Temple, was called to the bar on 24 November 1758 and made King's Counsel in 1772. He unsuccessfully contested Worcester in 1774, but was returned as Member of Parliament for Hindon in 1784...			Viscount Garlies George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway Admiral George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway KT , styled Lord Garlies between 1773 and 1806, was a British naval commander and politician.-Background:...
1795					William Stewart William Stewart (1774-1827) Lieutenant-General Sir William Stewart, GCB was a British military officer who was the first Commanding Officer of the Rifle Corps, a Division Commander in the Peninsula and a Scottish Member of Parliament in the British Parliament...	Tory
May 1796					The Lord Macdonald Alexander Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald Alexander Wentworth Macdonald, 2nd Baron Macdonald was a Scottish peer and Member of Parliament.Macdonald was the eldest son of Alexander Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald, and his wife Elizabeth Diana . He succeeded his father in the barony in 1795 but as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle...
December 1796		Charles Smith Charles Smith (MP) Charles Smith was a British politician. He sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1796 until its abolition in 1800, and then in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1806....
1802		Matthew Russell			Robert Deverell
1806					Arthur Champernowne
February 1807		Hon. Richard Griffin Richard Griffin, 3rd Baron Braybrooke Richard Griffin, 3rd Baron Braybrooke , known as Richard Neville until 1797 and as the Hon. Richard Griffin between 1797 and 1825, was a British Whig politician and literary figure.-Background and education:...	Whig		William Henry Fremantle William Henry Fremantle Sir William Henry Fremantle GCH, PC was a British courtier and politician. He served as Treasurer of the Household from 1826 to 1837.-Background:...
May 1807		Matthew Russell			John Pedley
1809					Michael George Prendergast
1818					James Blair
March 1820					Michael George Prendergast
June 1820					John Fleming John Fleming (1747-1829) John Fleming was a British surgeon of the Indian Medical Service, naturalist, and politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Gatton 1818–1820, Saltash 1820–1826.-References:...
1822		William Russell William Russell (1798–1850) William Russell of Brancepeth Castle in County Durham was a British Whig politician. He sat in the House of Commons between 1822 and 1832....	Whig
June 1826		Andrew Spottiswoode			Henry Monteith
December 1826					Colin Macaulay Colin Macaulay Colin Macaulay , general, slavery abolitionist and campaigner. Macaulay was a son of the Rev. John Macaulay , minister in the Church of Scotland, grandson of Dòmhnall Cam. and his mother was Margaret Campbell. He had two brothers: Rev...
1830		Earl of Darlington Henry Vane, 2nd Duke of Cleveland General Henry Vane, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, KG was a British peer, politician and army officer.Born The Honourable Henry Vane, he was the eldest son of William Vane, Viscount Barnard and his first wife, Katherine, the second daughter of Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton...			John Gregson
February 1831					Philip Cecil Crampton Philip Cecil Crampton Philip Cecil Crampton PC was a judge, politician and Solicitor-General for Ireland. He was appointed Solicitor-General in 1830. He was elected Member of Parliament for Saltash in February 1831, and MP for Milborne Port in July 1831.-References:...
May 1831		Frederick Villiers Frederick Villiers Meynell Frederick Villiers Meynell , known as Frederick Villiers during his political career, was a British Whig politician....	Whig		Bethell Walrond
1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832 -Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....	Constituency abolished

Sources

• D Brunton & D H Pennington, “Members of the Long Parliament” (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)
• Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
• Lewis Namier, "The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III" (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1961)
• J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Browne Willis
  Browne Willis
  Browne Willis was an antiquary, author, numismatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708.-Early life:...
  
  , Notitia Parliamentaria (London, 1750)