Newport (Cornwall) (UK Parliament constituency)

Newport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. It is now the suburb of Newport within the town of Launceston, which was itself also a parliamentary borough at the same period. It is also referred to as Newport iuxta Launceston,[1] to distinguish it from other constituencies named Newport.

Newport
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1529–1832
SeatsTwo
Created fromDunheved
Replaced byLaunceston

History

From 1529 until it was abolished by the Great Reform Act of 1832, Newport returned two Members of Parliament. Until the early 18th century, the right to vote was held by all inhabitants paying scot and lot, but subsequently it was converted to a burgage franchise, meaning that the right to vote was tied to ownership of certain properties within the borough, which could be bought and sold at will. This reduced the number of qualified voters: under the scot and lot qualification around 70 people had had the right to vote, but by 1831 the number was only about 12.

The borough had a population of 595 in 1831. The Lord of the Manor, owning extensive property within the borough and with the effective power of choosing both members of parliament, was the Duke of Northumberland.

By the Reform Act, Newport was abolished as a separate borough, but the boundaries of Launceston were extended to include Newport. As Launceston's representation was halved by the same measure, the combined borough was thereafter represented by a single MP whereas previously there had been four members.

Members of Parliament

1529–1629

  • Constituency created 1529
ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
Parliament of 1529Simon MountfordWilliam Harris[2]
Parliament of 1536?
Parliament of 1539?
Parliament of 1542?
Parliament of 1545Richard GrenvilleWalter Skinner[2]
Parliament of 1547Reginald MohunJames Trewynnard[2]
First Parliament of 1553Henry KilligrewFrancis Roscarrock
Second Parliament of 1553William SmithJohn Gayer
Parliament of Apr 1554Roger TavernorThomas Prideaux
Parliament of Nov 1554Robert MonsonRobert Browne
Parliament of 1554/5William StourtonRobert Monson
Parliament of 1558Thomas HungateThomas Roper
Parliament of 1559(Richard) GrenvilleThomas Hickes
Parliament of 1563-1567George BassetAyshton Ayleworth
Parliament of 1571Edward HolteRobert Colshill
Parliament of 1572-1581George BassetWilliam Marbury
Parliament of 1584-1585Robert MordauntWalter Covert
Parliament of 1586-1587John OsborneEdward Winter
Parliament of 1588-1589William CavendishDaniel Rogers
Parliament of 1593Richard StephensEmanuel Chamond
Parliament of 1597-1598Morgan ColemanEdward Lewknor
Parliament of 1601Tobie MatthewSir John Leigh
Parliament of 1604-1611Sir Robert KilligrewSir Edward Seymour
Addled Parliament (1614)Thomas TrevorSir Thomas Cheek
Parliament of 1621-1622Sir Robert KilligrewSir Edward Barrett
Happy Parliament (1624-1625)Sir John EliotRichard Estcourt
Useless Parliament (1625)Ralph Speccot
Parliament of 1625-1626Sir Henry HungateThomas Williams, junior
Parliament of 1628-1629Piers EdgcumbeSir William Killigrew[3]
Nicholas Trefusis
No Parliament summoned 1629-1640

1640–1832

Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
April 1640Nicholas TrefusisParliamentarianJohn Maynard[4]Parliamentarian
1640Paul Speccot
November 1640Richard EdgcumbeRoyalistJohn Maynard[4]Parliamentarian
December 1640Seat left vacant after Maynard chose to sit for Totnes
January 1644Edgcumbe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1647Sir Philip Perceval (died November 1647)Nicholas Leach (died May 1647)
1648William PrynneAlexander Pym
December 1648Prynne excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacantPym not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653Newport was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
January 1659Sir John GlanvilleWilliam Morice
May 1659Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660Sir Francis DrakeWilliam Morice[5]
August 1660Hon. Laurence Hyde
1661John Speccot
1662Piers Edgcumbe
1667Nicholas Morice
1678Ambrose Manaton
February 1679John Coryton
September 1679William Coryton
1681William Morice
1685John Speccot
1689Sir William Morice
February 1690The Viscount Newhaven
December 1690John Morice
1695The Viscount Newhaven
1698John Granville
1699Francis Stratford
January 1701John Prideaux
December 1701William PoleJohn Spark
1702Sir Nicholas Morice
1707Sir John Pole
1708Sir William Pole
1710George Courtenay
1713Humphry MoriceWhig
April 1722Sir William Pole[6]
December 1722John Morice
1726Thomas Herbert
1727Sir William Morice
1734Sir John Molesworth
1740Nicholas Herbert
1741Thomas Bury
1754John LeeEdward Bacon
1756Richard Bull
1761William de Grey
1770Richard Henry Alexander Bennet
October 1774Humphry Morice[7]Whig
December 1774John Frederick
1780Viscount MaitlandWhigJohn Coghill[8]Tory
1784Sir John Riggs-Miller
1785William MitfordTory
1790Viscount FeildingCharles Rainsford
1796William NortheyToryJoseph Richardson
1803Edward MorrisWhig
1812Jonathan RaineTory
1826Lord Charles Greatheed Bertie PercyTory
1829William Vesey-FitzgeraldTory
July 1830John Doherty[9]Tory
December 1830Sir Henry HardingeTory
1831Viscount GrimstonTory
1832constituency abolished

Notes

References

Further reading