Sudbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Sudbury was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

History
A parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Sudbury in Suffolk, the constituency elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election to the House of Commons of England from 1559 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 until it was disenfranchised for corruption in 1844, after which it was absorbed into the Western Division of Suffolk. It was probably enfranchised through lobbying from Ambrose Cave the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who had interests in the area and could influence the choice of MPs. Sudbury had in the eighteenth Century been seen as a particularly expensive seat but not under the influence of any patron and in the 1761 general election Horace Walpole the cousin of the outgoing MP, Thomas Walpole, had claimed that Sudbury had openly advertised itself for sale with the new MP, John Henniker having to spend £5,500 from the Duke of Newcastle's funds. but not under the influence of any patron The Sudbury election of 1835, which Charles Dickens reported for the Morning Chronicle, is thought by many experts to be the inspiration for the famous Eatanswill election in his novel Pickwick Papers.

The seat was re-established as one of five single-member county divisions of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, electing one MP by the first past the post voting system. It was abolished for the 1950 general election.

1885–1918

 * The part of the Municipal Borough of Sudbury in the county of Suffolk;
 * The Sessional Divisions of Boxford, Cosford, Melford, and Risbridge; and
 * Parts of the Sessional Divisions of Newmarket, and Thingoe and Thedwestry.

The county division was formed from part of the abolished Western Division and included the towns of Sudbury, Hadleigh and Haverhill.

1918–1950

 * The Municipal Borough of Sudbury;
 * The Urban Districts of Glemsford, Hadleigh, and Haverhill;
 * The Rural Districts of Clare, Cosford, and Melford; and
 * Parts of the Rural Districts of Moulton and Thingoe.

Marginal changes to boundaries.

On abolition, western and northern parts, including Haverhill, transferred to Bury St Edmunds. Central, southern and western parts, including Sudbury and Hadleigh, formed part of the new county constituency of Sudbury and Woodbridge.

Elections in the 1830s
Taylor's death caused a by-election.


 * Both candidates received the same number of votes, but the mayor's vote was added in favour of Barnes

Hamilton's resignation caused a by-election.

Barnes' death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s
Walsh resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds in order to contest a by-election at Radnorshire, causing a by-election.

After an election petition was lodged, a Royal Commission found proof of extensive bribery and the writ was suspended in 1844. The constituency was absorbed into West Suffolk.

Elections in the 1910s


General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
 * Unionist: Cuthbert Quilter
 * Liberal: Stephen Howard


 * * some records describe Hicks as an 'Agriculture' candidate

Elections in the 1920s

 * compared to combined 1922 Liberal vote.

Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
 * Conservative: Henry Burton
 * Liberal: Frederic Sellers
 * Labour: Roland Hamilton