St Germans (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
St Germans was a rotten borough
in Cornwall
which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons
in the English
and later British Parliament from 1562 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.
and corporation, where the chief economic activity was fishing. Like most of the Cornish boroughs
enfranchised or re-enfranchised during the Tudor period
, it was a rotten borough from the start.
The right to vote rested in theory with all (adult male) householders, but in practice only a handful (who called themselves freemen) exercised the right; there were only seven voters in 1831. The Eliot family had exercised complete control over the choice of MPs for many years, as was also true at nearby Liskeard
.
In 1831, the borough had a population of 672, and 99 houses. The boundaries excluded part of the town, which consisted of 124 houses in total, but this was still far too small to justify its retaining its representation, and St Germans was disfranchised by the Reform Act in 1832. The decision, however, was controversial: the whole parish (of which the town made up only a fraction) had a population in the 1821 census of 2,404, and the initial proposal was that St Germans should lose only one of its two MPs. But the borough covered only 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), and the town 50, in a parish of more than 9,000 acres (36 km²). The Whig government decided that the availability in a surrounding parish of sufficient population should not save a borough from disfranchisement, unless a substantial part of that population was already within the borough boundaries. The bill's schedules were amended so as to extinguish both of the St Germans MPs, saving instead the second MP at Penryn
(where the boundaries had been extended to take in the neighbouring town of Falmouth
). The Tory opposition attacked the decision as politically motivated (St Germans was a Tory borough), and the vote in the Commons was one of the narrowest in the entire reform bill debates.
Notes
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 1562 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.
History
The borough consisted of part of St Germans parish in South-East Cornwall, a coastal town too small to have a mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and corporation, where the chief economic activity was fishing. 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.
The right to vote rested in theory with all (adult male) householders, but in practice only a handful (who called themselves freemen) exercised the right; there were only seven voters in 1831. The Eliot family had exercised complete control over the choice of MPs for many years, as was also true at nearby Liskeard
Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)
Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- History :...
.
In 1831, the borough had a population of 672, and 99 houses. The boundaries excluded part of the town, which consisted of 124 houses in total, but this was still far too small to justify its retaining its representation, and St Germans was disfranchised by the Reform Act in 1832. The decision, however, was controversial: the whole parish (of which the town made up only a fraction) had a population in the 1821 census of 2,404, and the initial proposal was that St Germans should lose only one of its two MPs. But the borough covered only 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), and the town 50, in a parish of more than 9,000 acres (36 km²). The Whig government decided that the availability in a surrounding parish of sufficient population should not save a borough from disfranchisement, unless a substantial part of that population was already within the borough boundaries. The bill's schedules were amended so as to extinguish both of the St Germans MPs, saving instead the second MP at Penryn
Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
(where the boundaries had been extended to take in the neighbouring town of Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
). The Tory opposition attacked the decision as politically motivated (St Germans was a Tory borough), and the vote in the Commons was one of the narrowest in the entire reform bill debates.
MPs 1563–1629
| Parliament | First member | Second member | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliament of 1563-1567 | 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 .... |
William Hyde | |
| Parliament of 1571 | Charles Glemham | Thomas Cosgrave | |
| Parliament of 1572-1581 | Thomas Ash | Richard Eliot | |
| Parliament of 1584-1585 | George Carew | Henry Denny | |
| Parliament of 1586-1587 | Thomas Bodley Thomas Bodley Sir Thomas Bodley was an English diplomat and scholar, founder of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.-Biography:... |
Edward Barker | |
| Parliament of 1588-1589 | William Barrington | William Langham | |
| Parliament of 1593 | Sampson Lennard Sampson Lennard Sampson Lennard , of Chevening in Kent, was an English Member of Parliament who represented an unusually large number of different constituencies during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.... |
John Glanville John Glanville (judge) Sir John Glanville, the elder was an English Member of Parliament and judge, the first judge recorded as having reached the bench after beginning his career as an attorney... |
|
| Parliament of 1597-1598 | Robert Hatchman | John Chamberlain | |
| Parliament of 1601 | (Sir) George Carew | John Osborne | |
| Parliament of 1604-1611 | John Trott | ||
| 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... |
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:... |
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| Parliament of 1621-1622 | Richard Tisdale | 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.... |
|
| 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... |
(Sir) John Coke John Coke Sir John Coke was an English politician.Coke, the son of Richard and Mary Coke of Trusley, Derbyshire, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge... |
Sir John Stradling Sir John Stradling, 1st Baronet Sir John Stradling, 1st Baronet , was a British politician.He was born the son of Francis Stradling of St. George, Bristol and adopted by a relative, Sir Edward Stradling. He inherited the family estate at St Donat's on the death of Sir Edward in 1609.Educated at Oxford , he was Sheriff of... |
|
| 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 Henry Marten Henry Marten (politician) Sir Henry Marten was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1625 and 1640.-Life:... |
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| Parliament of 1625-1626 | 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:... |
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| Parliament of 1628-1629 | Thomas Cotton Sir Thomas Cotton, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Cotton, 2nd Baronet, of Connington was an English politician and heir to the Cottonian Library.-Life:He was the only surviving child of Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington and Elizabeth Brocas. He graduated B.A. at Broadgates Hall, Oxford in 1616... |
Benjamin Valentine Benjamin Valentine Benjamin Valentine , was an English parliamentarian.Valentine was probably a native of Cheshire. He was elected on 3 March 1627–1628 to represent the borough of St. Germans in the parliament of 1628–9. He was in the House of Commons on 2 March 1628–9 when Speaker Finch would have obeyed King... |
|
| 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.... |
William Scawen William Scawen William Scawen was a one of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish Language in England. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.... |
John Eliot John Eliot (died 1685) John Eliot was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and from 1660 to 1685..Eliot was the son of Sir John Eliot of Port Eliot. He was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton and at Lincoln College, Oxford... |
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| 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... |
Benjamin Valentine Benjamin Valentine Benjamin Valentine , was an English parliamentarian.Valentine was probably a native of Cheshire. He was elected on 3 March 1627–1628 to represent the borough of St. Germans in the parliament of 1628–9. He was in the House of Commons on 2 March 1628–9 when Speaker Finch would have obeyed King... |
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... |
John Moyle | 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... |
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| December 1648 | Moyle 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 |
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| 1652 | Valentine died 1652 - seat vacant | |||||
| 1653 | St Germans 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 |
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| 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... |
John Glanville John Glanville Sir John Glanville the younger , of Broad Hinton in Wiltshire, was a Speaker of the English House of Commons during the Short Parliament.... |
John St Aubyn | ||||
| 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.... |
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| 1660 | John Eliot John Eliot (died 1685) John Eliot was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and from 1660 to 1685..Eliot was the son of Sir John Eliot of Port Eliot. He was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton and at Lincoln College, Oxford... |
Richard Knightley Richard Knightley (1617-1661) Sir Richard Knightley KB , of Fawsley in Northamptonshire, was an English Member of Parliament .A member of Gray's Inn, Knightley was a member of a prominent Northamptonshire family who had married Elizabeth Hampden, daughter of John Hampden, the leading opponent of Charles I... |
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| 1661 | Edward Eliot Edward Eliot (born 1618) Edward Eliot was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1679.Eliot was the son of Sir John Eliot of Port Eliot St Germans and his wife Radigund Gurdie, daughter of Richard Gurdie of Trebursey. He was educated at Blundell's School in Tiverton from 1629. On the death... |
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| 1679 | Daniel Eliot | Richard Eliot | ||||
| 1685 | Sir Thomas Higgons | |||||
| 1689 | Sir Walter Moyle | |||||
| 1690 | Henry Fleming Henry Fleming (MP) Henry Fleming was an English politician. He wasMember of Parliament for St Germans from 1690 to 1698 and from 1700 to 1708.- References:*... |
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| 1698 | John Tanner | |||||
| 1700 | Henry Fleming Henry Fleming (MP) Henry Fleming was an English politician. He wasMember of Parliament for St Germans from 1690 to 1698 and from 1700 to 1708.- References:*... |
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| January 1701 | John Speccot | |||||
| April 1701 | Daniel Eliot | |||||
| December 1701 | 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 | ||||
| 1702 | John Anstis John Anstis John Anstis was an English officer of arms and antiquarian. He rose to the highest heraldic office in England and became Garter King of Arms in 1718 after years of plotting.-Early life:... |
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| May 1705 | Samuel Rolle | |||||
| December 1705 | Edward Eliot | |||||
| 1708 | Francis Scobell | |||||
| 1710 | John Knight | |||||
| January 1715 | Waller Bacon | |||||
| May 1715 | Lord Stanhope Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters.A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in 1726, was born in London. After being educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he went on the Grand Tour of the continent... |
Whig | ||||
| 1722 | Lord Binning Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning was a Scottish politician.The son of Thomas Hamilton, 6th Earl of Haddington and Helen Hope, he used his father's subsidiary title of Lord Binning as a courtesy title.... |
Philip Cavendish | ||||
| 1727 | Sir Gilbert Heathcote | Whig | Sidney Godolphin | |||
| January 1733 | Richard Eliot | |||||
| March 1733 | Dudley Ryder Dudley Ryder (judge) Sir Dudley Ryder was a British politician, judge and diarist.-Career:The son of a draper, Ryder studied at a dissenting academy in Hackney and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and Leiden University in The Netherlands. He went to the Middle Temple in 1713 and was called to the Bar in 1719... |
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| 1734 | The Lord Baltimore Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland... |
Charles Montagu | ||||
| 1741 | John Hynde Cotton | James Newsham | ||||
| 1747 | Richard Eliot | Thomas Potter Thomas Potter (d. 1759) Thomas Potter was a British politician who sat as a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, Okehampton and St Germans in Cornwall.Potter was the second son of John Potter, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was born in 1718. He acquired a law degree at Oxford University. Through his father's interest, he... |
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| 1748 | 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... |
Whig | ||||
| 1754 | Anthony Champion | |||||
| 1761 | Philip Stanhope Philip Stanhope (1732-1768) Philip Stanhope was the illegitimate son of Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield to whom the famous Letters to His Son were addressed... |
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| 1765 | William Hussey | |||||
| March 1768 | Samuel Salt | |||||
| December 1768 | George Jennings George Jennings (MP) George Jennings was a British politician.He was elected as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Whitchurch in hampshire at a by-election in March 1757... |
Benjamin Langlois | ||||
| 1774 | 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... |
Whig | ||||
| 1775 | John Pownall | |||||
| 1776 | John Peachey | |||||
| 1780 | Edward James Eliot Edward James Eliot The Honourable Edward James Eliot was an English Member of Parliament.Eliot was born in Cornwall, the son of Edward Craggs-Eliot , politician, created Baron Eliot in 1784.... |
Dudley Long Dudley Long North Dudley Long North was an English Whig politician.-Early life:Baptised Dudley Long at Saxmundham, Suffolk, he was the younger of two sons of Charles Long , landowner, of Hurts Hall, Suffolk, and his wife, Mary, daughter and coheir of Dudley North of Little Glemham, Suffolk, and granddaughter of Sir... |
Whig | |||
| 1784 | John Hamilton John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn John James Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn KG, PC was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:He was the son of Captain Hon. John Hamilton and grandson of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn. He was educated at Harrow and Pembroke College, Cambridge... |
Tory | Abel Smith | |||
| 1788 | Samuel Smith Samuel Smith (1754-1834) Samuel Smith was a British Member of Parliament and banker.He was the fourth son of Abel Smith, a wealthy Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. Four of his brothers were also Members of Parliament and one, Robert, was raised to the peerage as Baron Carrington... |
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| February 1790 | Sir Charles Hamilton | |||||
| June 1790 | The Marquess of Lorne George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll George William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll GCH, PC , styled Earl of Campbell from 1768 to 1770 and Marquess of Lorne from 1770 to 1806, was a Scottish Whig politician and nobleman.-Background:... |
Whig | Hon. Edward James Eliot Edward James Eliot The Honourable Edward James Eliot was an English Member of Parliament.Eliot was born in Cornwall, the son of Edward Craggs-Eliot , politician, created Baron Eliot in 1784.... |
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| 1791 | Hon. William Eliot William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans William Eliot, 2nd Earl of St Germans , known as William Elliot until 1823, was a British diplomat and politician.... |
Tory | ||||
| 1796 | Lord Grey | Whig | ||||
| 1802 | Lord Binning Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington KT PC FRS , known as Lord Binning from 1794 to 1828, was a British Conservative politician and statesman.-Background and education:... |
Tory | James Langham | |||
| 1806 | Sir Joseph Yorke Joseph Sydney Yorke Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke KCB was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the American Revolutionary, the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Family and early life:... |
Tory | Matthew Montagu Matthew Montagu, 4th Baron Rokeby Matthew Montagu was a British Member of Parliament and Peer of the Realm.Montagu was born Matthew Robinson, the son of Morris Robinson of the Six Clerks' Office, Chancery Lane and nephew of Matthew Robinson, 2nd Baron Rokeby... |
Tory | ||
| 1810 | Charles Philip Yorke Charles Philip Yorke Charles Philip Yorke PC, FRS, FSA , was a British politician. He notably served as Home Secretary from 1803 to 1804.-Background:... |
Tory | ||||
| 1812 | William Henry Pringle William Henry Pringle Lieutenant-General Sir William Henry Pringle GCB was a politician in the United Kingdom who served as a Member of Parliament for two constituencies in Cornwall. He was MP for St Germans from 1812 to 1818, and then for Liskeard from 1818 to 1832.-References:... |
Tory | Henry Goulburn Henry Goulburn Henry Goulburn PC FRS was an English Conservative statesman and a member of the Peelite faction after 1846.-Background and education:... |
Tory | ||
| 1818 | Hon. Seymour Thomas Bathurst | Tory | Charles Arbuthnot Charles Arbuthnot Charles Arbuthnot was a British diplomat and Tory politician. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire between 1804 and 1807 and held a number of political offices. He was a good friend of the Duke of Wellington... |
Tory | ||
| 1826 | Charles Ross | Tory | ||||
| 1827 | James Loch James Loch James Loch was a Scottish estate commissioner and later a Member of Parliament.-Early life:Loch was born near Edinburgh in 1780. After his father's death in 1788, he lived on the Blair Adam estate with his uncle.... |
Whig | ||||
| July 1830 | Sir Henry Hardinge Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge Field Marshal Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge, GCB, PC was a British field marshal and Governor-general of India.-Army career:... |
Tory | ||||
| December 1830 | Winthrop Mackworth Praed Winthrop Mackworth Praed Winthrop Mackworth Praed was an English politician and poet.-Early life:He was born in London. The family name of Praed was derived from the marriage of the poet's great-grandfather to a Cornish heiress. Winthrop's father, William Mackworth Praed, was a serjeant-at-law. His mother belonged to the... |
Tory | ||||
| 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 | |||||
Notes