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Mitchell (UK Parliament constituency)

{{For|other electoral districts|Electoral district of Mitchell (disambiguation){{!}}Electoral district of Mitchell}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox UK constituency main

|name = Mitchell

|parliament = uk

|map1 =

|map2 =

|map_entity =

|map_year =

|year = 1547

|abolished = 1832

|type = Borough

|elects_howmany = Two

|previous =

|next =

|region = England

|county = Cornwall

|towns = St Newlyn East and St Enoder

}}

Mitchell, or St Michael (sometimes also called St Michael's Borough or Michaelborough), was a rotten borough consisting of the town (or village) of Mitchell, Cornwall. From the first Parliament of Edward VI, in 1547, it elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons.

History

The borough encompassed parts of two parishes, Newlyn East and St Enoder. Like most of the Cornish boroughs enfranchised or re-enfranchised during the Tudor period, it was a rotten borough from the start.

The franchise in Mitchell was a matter of controversy in the 17th century, but was settled by a House of Commons resolution on 20 March 1700 which stated "That the right of election of members to serve in Parliament for the Borough of St Michael's, in the County of Cornwall, is in the portreeves, and lords of the manor, who are capable of being portreeves, and the inhabitants of the said borough paying scot and lot": this gave the vote to most of the male householders.

The borough was often not in the complete control of a single proprietor, the voters being swayed between those of the lords of the manor from whom they expected to receive most benefit in return. Namier quotes a memorandum on the state of the Cornish boroughs from Lord Edgcumbe to Prime Minister Newcastle in 1760, describing the Mitchell voters as

{{quote|"in general low, indigent people, [who] will join such of the Under Lords from whom they have reason to expect most money and favours. Admiral Boscawen..., by supplying some of the voters with money and conferring favours on others, seems to be adding very considerably to the strength of his interest."Page 304, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)}}

The landowners, however, had other expedients for gaining control. The number of voters, which in 1784 had been at least 39, was reduced by 1831 to just seven, achieved by pulling down a number of houses in the borough and letting those houses that still stood on conditions which prevented the occupiers appearing on the parish rates. The proprietors by the 1820s were the Earl of Falmouth (a Boscawen) and Sir Christopher Hawkins, Hawkins having purchased his interest some years previously from Sir Francis Basset; but Mitchell having thus been reduced to one of the smallest of all the rotten boroughs (in 1831, the borough had a population of approximately 90, and 23 houses), it was naturally disfranchised by the Reform Act 1832.

Mitchell's early MPs included the explorer and statesman Walter Raleigh, who sat briefly for the borough in the 1590s while out of favour at court and so unable to secure a more prestigious seat. A later MP was the future Duke of Wellington, who as Sir Arthur Wellesley represented the borough from January to May 1807, for part of which time he was a junior minister (Chief Secretary for Ireland) in the Duke of Portland's second government.

Members of Parliament

=1547–1629=

class="wikitable"
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
Parliament of 1547–1552

|Ralph Cholmley

|Hugh Cartwright

First Parliament of 1553

|Robert Beverley

|Humphrey Moseley

Second Parliament of 1553

|Francis Goldsmith

|Edward Chamberlain

Parliament of 1554

|Clement Tussard

|rowspan="2"|Andrew Tussard

Parliament of 1554–1555

|Paul Stamford

Parliament of 1555

|rowspan="2"|John Arundell

|John Thomas

Parliament of 1558

|Thomas Gardiner

Parliament of 1559

|Drue Drury

|Robert Colshill

Parliament of 1562

|Robert Hopton

|Thomas Wilson

Parliament of 1571

|Edward Stafford

|Francis Alford

Parliament of 1572–1581

|Charles Lister

|Thomas West

Parliament of 1584–1585

|Edward Barker

|James Erisey

Parliament of 1586–1587

|Thomas Cosworth

|Henry Sumaster

Parliament of 1588–1589

|Edward Cosworth

|James Clarke

Parliament of 1593

|Sir Walter Raleigh

|Richard Reynell

Parliament of 1597–1598

|John Arundell (of Trerice)

|John Carew

Parliament of 1601

|George Chudleigh

|William Cholmley

Parliament of 1604–1611

|William CaryCobbett spells the name as "Carpe"

|William Hakewill

Addled Parliament (1614)

|Christopher Hodson

|Walter Hickman

Parliament of 1621–1622

|Richard Carew

|John St Aubyn

Happy Parliament (1624–1625)

|John HollesHolles was also elected for East Retford, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Mitchell
Denzil Holles

| John Sawle

Useless Parliament (1625)

| Henry Sandys

|rowspan="2"| Sir John Smith

Parliament of 1625–1626

| Francis Crossing

Parliament of 1628–1629

| Francis Buller

| John Sparke

colspan="4"|No Parliament summoned 1629–1640

{{Incomplete list|date=August 2008}}

=1640–1832=

class="wikitable"
YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
April 1640

|colspan="6"|Double return Peter Courtney, William Chadwell, Francis Basset and Samuel Cosworth were all named in the return, though Cosworth's name was later taken off. The Parliament was dissolved before the dispute could be resolved or any of the four could take their seat

November 1640

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Cavalier}}" |

|rowspan="3"|William Chadwell

rowspan="3"| Royalist

|style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Cavalier}}" |

|John ArundellArundell was also elected for Bodmin, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Mitchell

Royalist
1640

|style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Cavalier}}" |

|Robert Holborne

Royalist
August 1642

|colspan="3" rowspan="4"|Holborne disabled from sitting – seat vacant Thomas Temple was apparently elected after the Civil War to fill the vacancy, but there is no evidence that he ever took his seat

January 1644

|colspan="3"|Chadwell disabled from sitting – seat vacant

1647

|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|Lord Kerr

December 1648

|colspan="3"|Kerr excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant

1653

|colspan="6"|Mitchell was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate

January 1659

|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|James Launce

|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|Richard Lobb

May 1659

|colspan="6"|Not represented in the restored Rump

April 1660

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Thomas Carew

|rowspan="2"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Heneage FinchFinch was also elected for Canterbury, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Mitchell

|

May 1660

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Alleyn

|

1661

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Matthew Wren

|rowspan="2"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir Edward Mosley

|

1665

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| The Lord Hawley

|rowspan="2"|

1673

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Humphrey Borlase

|

1679

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir John St Aubyn

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Walter Vincent

|

1681

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir William Russell

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Henry Vincent

|

1685

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Thomas Price

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Vivian

|

January 1689

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| The Viscount FanshaweExpelled from the House for refusing to take the oath of loyalty to William and Mary

| Tory

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="3"| Francis Vyvyan (MP for Mitchell)

|rowspan="3"|

September 1689

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| William Coryton

|

December 1689

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Humphrey Courtney

|

March 1690

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Anthony Rowe

|

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Francis Scobell

|rowspan="2"|

November 1690

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Humphrey Courtney

|rowspan="2"|

1695

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Thomas Vyvyan

|

1697

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Tregagle

|

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| John Povey

|rowspan="2"|

1698

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

| Sir John Hawles

| Whig

January 1701

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| William Beaw

|rowspan="2"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Anthony Rowe

|

March 1701

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Sir Richard Vyvyan

|rowspan="2"|

December 1701

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| William Courtney

|

1702

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Renatus Bellott

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Francis Basset

|

1705

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir William Hodges

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Hugh Fortescue

|

1710

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Abraham Blackmore

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Richard Belasyse

|

1713

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir Henry Belasyse

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Statham

|

1715

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Nathaniel Blakiston

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

| Robert MolesworthCreated Viscount Molesworth (in the Peerage of Ireland), July 1716

| Whig

1722

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Charles Selwyn

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Hedges

|

1727

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Henry Kelsall

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Thomas Farrington

|

1734

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Thomas Watts

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Robert Ord

|

1741

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Edward Clive

|

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| John Ord

|rowspan="2"|

May 1745

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Richard Lloyd

|rowspan="2"|

November 1745

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Sir Edward Pickering

|

1747

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Thomas Clarke

|rowspan="2"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Albert Nesbitt

|

1753

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Arnold Nesbitt

|

1754

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Stephenson

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Robert Clive

|

1755At the election of 1754, Clive and Stephenson were initially declared to have defeated their opponents Luttrell and Hussey, but the result was reversed on petition

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Simon Luttrell

|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Richard Hussey

|

1761

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="3"| John Stephenson

|rowspan="3"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| James ScawenScawen was re-elected in 1774 but had also been elected for Surrey, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Mitchell

|

1774

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Hon. Thomas Howard

|

1779

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Francis Hale

|rowspan="2"|

1780

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Hon. William Hanger

|

1784

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| David Howell

|

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

|rowspan="2"| Sir Christopher HawkinsAt the election of 1784 there was double return, one naming Howell and Hawkins as elected, the other naming Howell and Roger Wilbraham, they having tied with 21 votes each. (Howell had 27 votes and the fourth candidate, William Augustus Spencer Boscawen, 15.) On scrutiny of the votes the Committee struck off four votes that had been credited to Wilbraham, and added one to Hawkins that had been disallowed by the Returning Officer, and declared Hawkins duly elected.

|rowspan="2"| Tory

1796

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

|rowspan="2"| Sir Stephen Lushington

|rowspan="2"| Whig

1799

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| John Simpson

|

1802

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Robert Dallas

| Tory

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| Robert Sharpe Ainslie

|rowspan="2"|

1805

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Earl of Dalkeith

|

1806

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Sir Christopher HawkinsHawkins was also elected for Grampound and Penryn; he chose to represent Grampound, and did not sit for Mitchell in this Parliament

| Tory

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Frederick Trench

| Tory

January 1807

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Hon. Sir Arthur Wellesley

| Tory

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Henry Conyngham Montgomery

|

May 1807

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Edward Leveson-Gower

| Tory

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="2"| George Galway Mills

|rowspan="2"|

July 1807

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="3"| Sir James Hall, Bt

|rowspan="3"|

1808

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Charles Trelawny-Brereton

|

1809

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="3"| John Bruce

|rowspan="3"|

1812

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| George Hobart

|

1813

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

|rowspan="3"| Hon. Edward Law

|rowspan="3"| Tory

August 1814

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| Charles Trelawny-Brereton

|

December 1814

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Lord Binning

| Tory

1818

|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

|rowspan="3"| Sir George Staunton, Bt

|rowspan="3"|

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| William Leake

|

1820

| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |

| William Taylor Money

|

April 1826

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

|rowspan="2"| Henry Labouchere

|rowspan="2"| Whig

June 1826

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

| William Leake

| Whig

1830

|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

|rowspan="2"| Hon. Lloyd Kenyon

|rowspan="2"| Tory

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |

| John Heywood Hawkins

| Whig

1831

| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |

| Hon. William Best

| Tory

1832

|colspan="6"| Constituency abolished

Notes

{{Reflist}}

References

{{Portal|Cornwall}}

  • 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) [https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125310/http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
  • Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
  • J. E. Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
  • T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
  • J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
  • Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
  • {{Cite Notitia Parliamentaria|converted=1|part=2|page=1}}
  • {{Rayment-hc|m|3|date=March 2012}}

Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1547

Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1832

Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall (historic)

Category:Rotten boroughs