Bristol (UK Parliament constituency)

Bristol
Bristol
Former borough constituency; for the House of Commons
1295–1885
Seats	two
Replaced by	Bristol East; Bristol North; Bristol South; Bristol West

Bristol was a two-member constituency, used to elect members to the House of Commons in the Parliaments of England (to 1707), Great Britain (1707–1800), and the United Kingdom (from 1801). The constituency existed until Bristol was divided into single member constituencies in 1885.

Boundaries

The historic port city of Bristol is located in what is now the South West Region of England. Until 1373 it straddled the border between the historic geographical counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, but in 1373 it became a county of its own, entirely separate from its neighbouring counties, by Royal Charter from King Edward III. It was often erroneously accounted as a Gloucestershire borough in the later part of the 19th and the 20th centuries. ^[1]^[2]

The parliamentary borough of Bristol was represented in Parliament from the 13th century, as one of the most important population centres in the Kingdom. Namier and Brooke comment that in 1754 the city was the second largest in the Kingdom and had the third largest electorate for an urban seat.

From the 1885 United Kingdom general election the city was divided into four single member seats. These were Bristol East, Bristol North, Bristol South and Bristol West.

Members of Parliament

The use of Roman numerals in the list below denotes different politicians of the same name, not that the individuals concerned would have used the Roman numerals as part of their name.

Non Partisan denotes that the politician concerned is not known to have been associated with a party (not necessarily that he was not). Whilst Whig and Tory societies in the city continued to nominate candidates in the last half of the 18th century, the electoral labels used in Bristol had very little to do with what the MPs did in national politics.

Year	1st Member		1st Party		2nd Party
1295	John le Taverner^[3]
1298	John le Taverner			John de Cheddre^[3]
1301	John de Malmesbury^[3]
1305	Thomas Welishote			John Hasard^[3]
1306	John le Taverner			Robert de Holhurst^[3]
1307 (Jan)	Geoffrey Comper			Nicholas Coker^[3]
1309	Stephen de Bello Monte			Robert Martyn^[3]
1311 (Aug)	Richard Colpeck			John Fraunceys^[3]
1311 (Nov)	John Haszard			John le Lun^[3]
1313 (Mar)	John de Wellescoten			John Methelan^[3]
1313 (Sep)	John Fraunceys			John Tropyn^[3]
1315	Robert Wyldemersh			Thomas le Spicer^[3]
1316 (Jan)	Nicholas de Roubergwe			John Veys^[3]
1318	Gilbert Pickering			Richard de Woodhall^[3]
1319	Thomas de Salop			Robert de Lyncoln^[3]
1320	John le Hunte			John Welishote^[3]
1321	John de Romeneye			William de Hanyngfeld^[3]
1322 (May)	William de Clyf			John Fraunceys jnr (son of 1311)^[3]
1322 (Nov)	John le Taverner			John Fraunceys jnr^[3]
1324 (Jan)	John de Axebridge			John Fraunceys jnr^[3]
1325	John de Axebridge			John Fraunceys jnr^[3]
1327	John de Axebridge			John de Romeneye^[3]
1328 (Feb)	Richard de Panes			Hugh le Hunte^[3]
1328 (Apr)	William de Trowbridge			Hugh de Langebridge^[3]
1330 (Mar)	John Fraunceys			Hugh le Hunte^[3]
1330 (Nov)	Hugh le Hunte			Richard de Panes^[3]
1332 (Mar)	John de Romeneye			John de Axebridge^[3]
1332 (Sep)	Hugh de Langebridge			John de Axebridge^[3]
1332 (Dec)	Richard de Chelreye			John Fraunceys snr^[3]
1334 (Feb)	John Otery			John de Strete^[3]
1334 (Sep)	Robert Gyene or Gwyen^[3]
1335	Hugh de Langebridge			John de Strete^[3]
1336 (Mar)	Robert de Gyn or de Gyeyn			John Franceys^[3]
1336 (Sep)	John Fraunceys jnr			Thomas Tropin^[3]
1336 (Dec)	Hugh de Langebridge			John le Spycer William le Haukare^[3]
1337 (Jan)	Robert de Gyene			John de Strete^[3]
1338 (Jan)	Everard le Fraunceys			Philip de Torynton^[3]
1338 (Jul)	Everard le Fraunceys			Philip de Torynton^[3]
1339 (Jan)	Everard le Fraunceys			John de Strete^[3]
1340 (Jan)	Thomas Tropyn			John le Spicer^[3]
1341	Robert Guyene			Philip de Toryton^[3]
1344	Roger Turtle			John de Horncastle^[3]
1346 (Sep)	John de Wycoumbe			John Neel^[3]
1348 (Jan)	Everard Fraunceys or le Freynshe			John de Strete^[3]
1348 (Mar)	Everard le Fraunceys			Thomas de Lodelawe^[3]
1351	John de Colyngton or Cobbington			John Seymour^[3]
1353	Thomas Babbecary			William Coumbe^[3]
1354	Richard le Spicer			Reginald le French^[3]
1358	Reginald French			Richard Brompton^[3]
1360	Thomas Babbecari			Galfridus Beauflour (Geoffrey Beauflower)^[3]
1361	Reginald le French			William Yonge^[3]
1362	Walter Frompton			Edmund Blanket^[3]
1363	John Serjaunt			John Stoke^[3]
1365	William Haye			William Cannings^[3]
1366	William Somerwell			Thomas Denbaud^[3]
1368	Richard Chaimburleyn			Richard Sydenham^[3]
1369	Robert Cheddre			Edmund Blanket^[3]
1371 (Jun)	John Bathe^[3]
1372	Walter Derby			John Stoke^[3]
1373	Walter Derby			Thomas Beaupyne or Beaupenny^[3]
1377 (Jan)	Ehas Spelly			Thomas Beaupyne or Beaupenny^[3]
1378	Thomas Beaupyne			Walter de Frompton^[3]
1381	Elias Spelly			John Stokes^[3]
1382 (May)	Thomas Beaupyne			John Viell^[3]
1382 (Oct)	Walter Derby			John Fullbroke^[3]
1383 (Feb)	William I Canynges(d.1396)			John Candavere^[3]
1383 (Oct)	John Canynges(d.1405)			William Frome^[3]
1384 (Apr)	William I Canynges(d.1396)			William Somerwell^[3]
1384 (Nov)	Elias Spelly			Walter Tedistill (Tyddeley?)^[3]
1385	Elias Spelly			Thomas Knapp^[3]
1386	Elias Spelly			William I Canynges (d.1396)^[3]
1388 (Feb)	Thomas Beaupyne			Thomas Knapp^[3]
1388 (Sep)	Robert Gardiner			John Fulbrook^[3]
1390 (Jan)	John Viell			William Frome^[3]
1391	William Frome			John Stephens^[3]
1393	Thomas Beaupyne			John Stephens^[3]
1397 (Jan)	William Frome			John Banbury^[3]
1399	Thomas Norton			Richard Pavys or Pannys^[3]
1402	Thomas Norton			John Droyes^[3]
1406	Henry Bokerell			Gilbert Joce^[3]
1407 (Oct)	John Droys, merchant			John Newton, merchant^[3]
1411 (Oct)	Thomas Norton			David Dudbroke^[3]
1413 (Apr)	Thomas Norton			John Leycester^[3]
1414 (Jan)	Thomas Young			John Spyne^[3]
1414 (Oct)	Thomas Blount, merchant			John Clyve, merchant^[3]
1416 (Feb)	Robert Russell			Robert Colville^[3]
1417 (Oct)	Thomas Norton			John Burton^[3]
1419 (Sep)	Robert Russell			Mark William^[3]
1420 (Nov)	Thomas Norton			John Spyne^[3]
1421 (Mar)	Thomas Norton			Henry Gildeney^[3]
1421 (Nov)	Mark William			Richard Trenode^[3]
1422 (Oct)	John Burton			Roger Lyveden or Lavindon^[3]
1423 (Oct)	John Burton			Roger Leveden or Lavindon^[3]
1425 (Mar)	Richard Trenode			Walter Power or Powell^[3]
1426 (Feb)	Henry Gildeney			John Langley^[3]
1427 (Sep)	John Burton			Henry Gildeney^[3]
1429 (Sep)	Richard Trenode			John Sharp^[3]
1430 (Dec)	Thomas Fish			Walter Power or Powell^[3]
1432 (Apr)	John Burton			John Sharp^[3]
1433 (Jun)	Robert Russell			Walter Power^[3]
1435 (Sep)	Thomas Fisshe			Thomas Young(d.1476)^[3] ^[4]
1436 (Dec)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			Thomas Norton jnr^[3]
1439	William II Canynges(d.1474)^[5]
1442 (Jan)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			John Sharp^[3]
1447 (Jan)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			John Sharp, jnr (son of John Sharp 1429)^[3]
1449 (Jan)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			John Sharp, jnr^[3]
1449 (Nov)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			John Sharp, jnr^[3]
1450 (Oct)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			William II Canynges(d.1474)^[3]
1453 (Feb)	John Shipward			William Pa(vy?)^[3]
1455 (Jul)	Thomas Young(d.1476)			William II Canynges(d.1474)^[3]
1459 (Nov)	John Shipward			Philip Mede^[3]
1460 (Sep)	John Shipward			Philip Mede^[3]
1462	Thomas Meede^[6]
1467 (Apr)	William Spencer			John Bagot^[3]
1472 (Aug)	John Twynyho			John Bagot^[3]
1478 (Jan)	John Hawkes			Edmund Westcote^[3]
1483 (Jan)	Edmund Westcote			William Wykam^[3]
1484 (Jan)	John Twynyho			Robert Strange^[3]
1485 (Oct)	John Esterfield			Robert Strange (MP for Bristol)^[3]
1487 (Oct)	John Esterfield			Henry Vaughan^[3]
1490 (Jan)	William Toker			John Fisher^[3]
1491 (Oct)	John Syram™ (or Seymour?)			John Pynke^[3]
1495 (Oct)	Henry Vaughan			Philip Kingston^[3]
1505	Henry Dale			Thomas Snigg^[3]
1510 )Jan)	Richard Vaughan			Henry Dale^[3]
1512 (Jan)	Thomas Smith			Richard Hobby^[3]
1523 (Apr)	Robert Thorn			Richard Hobby^[3]
1529		Thomas Jubbes		Richard Abingdon
1536		Nicholas Thorn		Roger Coke
1539		Thomas White		David Broke¹
1541		David Broke		Robert Elyot
1545		Robert Keilway		John Drewes
1553		John Walshe		David Harris
1554				Thomas Lansden
1555				William Chester
1558		William Tyndall		Robert Butler
1559		John Walshe		William Carr
1563		John Walshe, made judge, repl. by Thomas Chester		William Carr
1571		John Popham		Philip Langley
1584		Thomas Hanham		Richard Cole
1586				Thomas Aldworth
1588				William Saltern
1593				Richard Cole
1597		George Snigge made Baron of the Court of Exchequer and replaced 1605 by John Whitson		William Ellys
1601				John Hopkins	Non Partisan
1604				Thomas James	Non Partisan
1614		John Whitson	Non Partisan	Thomas James	Non Partisan
1621		John Barker	Non-Partisan	John Guy	Non Partisan
1624		John Barker	Non Partisan	John Guy	Non Partisan
1625		Nicholas Hyde	Non Partisan	John Whitson	Non Partisan
1626		John Whitson	Non Partisan	John Doughty	Non Partisan
1628		John Doughty	Non Partisan	John Barker	Non Partisan
1640 (Mar)		John Glanville	Non Partisan	Humphrey Hooke	Non Partisan
1640 (Oct)		Humphrey Hooke	Non Partisan	Richard Longe	Non Partisan
1642		John Glanville	Non Partisan	John Tailer	Non Partisan
1646		Richard Aldworth	Non Partisan	Luke Hodges	Non Partisan
1654		Richard Aldworth	Non Partisan	Miles Jackson	Non Partisan
1656		Robert Aldworth	Non Partisan	John Dodderidge Miles Jackson	Non Partisan
1659		Robert Aldworth	Non Partisan	Joseph Jackson	Non Partisan
1660		John Stephens	Non Partisan	Sir John Knight	Non Partisan
1661		The Earl of Ossory ²	Non Partisan
1666		Sir Humphrey Hooke ³	Non Partisan
1678		Sir Robert Cann	Non Partisan
1681		Thomas Earle	Non Partisan
1681		Thomas Earle	Non Partisan	Sir Richard Hart	Non Partisan
1685		Sir John Churchill ⁴	Non Partisan	Sir Richard Crumpe	Non Partisan
1685		Sir Richard Hart	Non Partisan	Sir Richard Crumpe	Non Partisan
1689		Sir Richard Hart	Non Partisan	Sir John Knight II	Non Partisan
1695		Sir Thomas Day	Non Partisan	Robert Yate	Non Partisan
1701		Sir William Daines	Non Partisan	Robert Yate	Non Partisan
1710		Edward Colston	Tory	Joseph Earle	Non Partisan
1713		Thomas Edwards	Non Partisan
1715		Sir William Daines	Non Partisan
1722		Sir Abraham Elton, Bt I	Non Partisan
1727		John Scrope	Non Partisan	Sir Abraham Elton, Bt II ⁶	Non Partisan
1734		Thomas Coster ⁵	Non Partisan
1739		Edward Southwell	Non Partisan
1742		Edward Southwell	Non Partisan	Robert Hoblyn	Non Partisan
1754		Robert Craggs-Nugent (later The Viscount Clare) ⁸	Whig	Richard Beckford ⁷	Tory
1756				Jarrit Smith	Tory
1768				Matthew Brickdale	Tory
1774		Henry Cruger	Whig	Edmund Burke	Whig
1780		Matthew Brickdale	Tory^[7]	Sir Henry Lippincott, Bt ⁹	Tory^[7]
1781				George Daubeny	Tory^[7]
1784				Henry Cruger	Whig^[7]
1790		Marquess of Worcester	Tory	The Lord Sheffield ¹⁰	Whig^[7]
1796		Charles Bragge (later Charles Bragge Bathurst) ¹¹	Tory^[7]	The Lord Sheffield ¹⁰	Whig^[7]
1802		Charles Bragge (later Charles Bragge Bathurst) ¹¹	Tory^[7]	Evan Baillie	Whig^[7]
1812		Richard Hart Davis	Tory^[7]	Evan Baillie	Whig^[7]
1812				Edward Protheroe I	Whig^[7]
1820				Henry Bright	Whig^[7]^[8]
1830				James Evan Baillie	Whig^[7]^[9]
1831		Edward Protheroe II	Whig^[7]^[10]
1832		Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt	Tory^[7]
1834			Conservative^[7]
1835			Conservative^[7]	Philip John Miles	Conservative^[7]
1837		Philip William Skinner Miles	Conservative^[7]	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley ¹³	Radical^[11]^[12]^[13]
1852		Henry Gore-Langton	Whig^[12]		Radical^[11]^[12]^[13]
1859		Henry Gore-Langton	Liberal		Liberal
1865		Sir Morton Peto ¹²	Liberal
1868		John Miles	Conservative
1868		Samuel Morley	Liberal
1870				Elisha Smith Robinson ¹⁴	Liberal
1870				Kirkman Hodgson ¹²	Liberal
1878				Lewis Fry	Liberal
1885	constituency divided. See Bristol East, Bristol North, Bristol South and Bristol West.

Notes:-

¹ By 4 February 1536 David Broke had been elected vice Thomas Jubbes deceased. He was probably re-elected in the 1536 general election and certainly was at the 1539 and 1542 elections..
² A Peer of Ireland. He was created a Peer of England, as 1st Baron Butler, in 1666.
³ Died 16 October 1677.
⁴ Died 11 October 1685.
⁵ Died 30 September 1739.
⁶ Died 20 October 1742.
⁷ Died 24 January 1756.
⁸ Created a Peer of Ireland, as 1st Viscount Clare, in 1767.
⁹ Died 30 December 1780.
¹⁰ A Peer of Ireland, as 1st Baron Sheffield, created in 1781.
¹¹ Adopted a new surname of Bathurst, in 1804.
¹² Resigned.
¹³ Died 10 March 1870.
¹⁴ Election declared void on petition.

Elections

During the existence of this constituency, Bristol was a city with the status of being a county of itself. That meant that the city was not subject to the administration of the officials of the geographic counties in which it was situated. In electoral terms it meant that the voters for the parliamentary borough included those qualified on the same 40 shilling freeholder franchise as that for a county constituency. Other electors qualified as freemen of the borough. These were the ancient right franchises, applicable to Bristol, preserved by the Reform Act 1832, which also introduced a broader occupation franchise for all borough constituencies.

Bristol was a fairly partisan constituency in the eighteenth century with two rival clubs - the Union Club for the Whigs and the Steadfast Society for the Tories.^[14]

The bloc vote electoral system was used in two seat elections and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).

Namier and Brooke, in The House of Commons 1754-1790, estimated the electorate of Bristol to number about 5,000.^[15] When registration of electors was introduced in 1832 the city had 10,315 names on the electoral register.

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote.

Note on sources: The information for the election results given below is taken from Sedgwick 1715–1754, Namier and Brooke 1754–1790, Stooks Smith 1790-1832 and from Craig thereafter. Where Stooks Smith gives additional information or differs from the other sources this is indicated in a note after the result.

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s

Elections in the 1710s

General election 9 February 1715: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	William Daines	1,936	24.87	N/A
Whig	Joseph Earle	1,879	24.14	N/A
Tory	Philip Freke	1,991	25.58	N/A
Tory	Thomas Edwards	1,978	25.41	N/A

Note (1715): Although the Whig candidates received fewer votes than the Tory ones, the Returning Officer declared them elected and the House of Commons did not hear the petitions against the return; so Daines and Earle continued to sit throughout the Parliament.

Elections in the 1720s

General election 28 March 1722: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	Joseph Earle	2,141	37.22	+13.08
Whig	Abraham Elton	1,869	32.49	N/A
Tory	William Hart	1,743	30.30	N/A

General election 8 September 1727: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Scrope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Abraham Elton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Note (1727): William Hart (Tory) was a candidate, but he did not go to a poll after Mr Elton paid him £1,000 to cover his election expenses.
Elton became the 2nd Baronet, upon the death of his father (the MP of the same name elected in 1722) in 1728.

Elections in the 1730s

General election 24 May 1734: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	Abraham Elton	2,428	38.15	N/A
Tory	Thomas Coster	2,071	32.54	N/A
Whig	John Scrope	1,866	29.32	N/A

Death of Coster

By-Election 12 December 1739: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Southwell	2,651	54.61	N/A
	Non Partisan	Henry Combe	2,203	45.39	N/A
Majority			448	9.23	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

Note (1759): Southwell was an Opposition Whig

Elections in the 1740s

General election 13 May 1741: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Abraham Elton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Edward Southwell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Death of Elton

By-Election 24 November 1742: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Robert Hoblyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General election 1 July 1747: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Southwell	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Robert Hoblyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1750s

General election 1 May 1754: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	Robert Nugent	2,592	37.04	N/A
Tory	Richard Beckford	2,245	32.09	N/A
Tory	John Philipps	2,160	30.87	N/A

Note (1754): Nugent 2,601; Philips 2,165. (Source: Stooks Smith)
Death of Beckford

By-Election 18 March 1756: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Jarrit Smith	2,418	50.75	N/A
	Whig	John Spencer	2,347	49.25	N/A
Majority			71	1.49	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Seat vacated by appointment of Craggs-Nugent as a Vice Treasurer of Ireland

By-Election 26 December 1759: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Nugent	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1760s

General election 27 March 1761: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Nugent	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Jarrit Smith	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Seat vacated by appointment of Craggs-Nugent as First Commissioner of the Board of Trade and Plantations

By-Election 16 December 1766: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Nugent	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Creation of Craggs-Nugent as the 1st Viscount Clare, in the Peerage of Ireland, in 1767

General election 16 March 1768: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Nugent	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Matthew Brickdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Seat vacated by appointment of Viscount Clare as a Vice Treasurer of Ireland

By-Election 27 June 1768: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Nugent	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1770s

General election 3 November 1774: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	Henry Cruger	3,565	39.56	N/A
Whig	Edmund Burke	2,707	30.04	N/A
Tory	Matthew Brickdale	2,456	27.26	N/A
Whig	Robert Nugent	283	3.14	N/A

Note (1774): 5,384 voted. Lord Clare resigned on the second day when Mr. Burke was first proposed. Mr. Burke was at the time in Malton, for which place he had been returned when the deputation arrived to invite him to Bristol, where he arrived on the sixth day's poll. (Source: Stooks Smith)

Elections in the 1780s

General election 20 September 1780: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Matthew Brickdale	2,771	37.62	+10.36
Tory	Henry Lippincott	2,518	34.18	N/A
Whig	Henry Cruger	1,271	17.25	−22.31
Whig	Samuel Peach	788	10.70	N/A
Whig	Edmund Burke	18	0.24	−29.80

Note (1780): Lippincott 3,518; Burke 0. Mr. Rich. Combe, late member of Aldeburgh, was a Candidate, but died the day before the commencement of the poll. (Source: Stooks Smith)
Death of Lippincott

By-Election 26 February 1781: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	George Daubeny	3,143	53.15	N/A
	Whig	Henry Cruger	2,771	46.85	N/A
Majority			372	6.29	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

General election 10 May 1784: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Matthew Brickdale	3,458	35.05	−2.57
Whig	Henry Cruger	3,052	30.93	+13.68
Tory	George Daubeny	2,984	30.24	N/A
Whig	Samuel Peach	373	3.73	−6.97

Note (1784): 6,094 voted. (Source: Stooks Smith)

Elections in the 1790s

General election 1790: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Henry Somerset	544	49.54	N/A
Whig	John Baker-Holroyd	537	48.91	N/A
Non Partisan	-. Lewis	12	1.09	N/A
Non Partisan	William Cunningham	5	0.46	N/A

General election 1796: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Charles Bragge	364	44.83	−4.71
Whig	John Baker-Holroyd	340	41.87	−7.04
Whig	Benjamin Hobhouse	108	13.30	N/A

Note (1796): Poll 1 day. (Source: Stooks Smith)

Elections in the 1800s

Members of the last Parliament of Great Britain, continued in office for the first Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801

Co-option 1801: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bragge	Co-opted	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	John Baker-Holroyd	Co-opted	*N/A*	*N/A*

Seat vacated on the appointment of Bragge as Treasurer of the Navy

By-Election November 1801: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bragge	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1802: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bragge	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Evan Baillie	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Note (1802): Sir Frederick Eden was a candidate, but retired before the election. (Source: Stooks Smith)
Seat vacated on the appointment of Bragge as Secretary at War

By-Election August 1803: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bragge	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Bragge changed his surname to Bathurst in 1804

General election 1806: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bathurst	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Evan Baillie	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

General election 1807: Bristol (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Bathurst	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Evan Baillie	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Elections in the 1810s

Seat vacated on the appointment of Bathurst as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 23 June 1812

By-Election July 1812: Bristol
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Richard Hart Davis	1,907	89.03	*N/A*
	Radical	Henry Hunt	235	10.97	N/A
	Radical	William Cobbett	0	0.00	N/A
Majority			1,672	78.06	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Note (1812 by-election): Poll 13 days; 2,142 electors voted. (Source: Stooks Smith)

General election 1812: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Richard Hart Davis	2,910	39.24	*N/A*
Whig	Edward Protheroe	2,435	32.84	*N/A*
Whig	Samuel Romilly	1,615	21.78	N/A
Radical	Henry Hunt	455	6.14	N/A

Note (1812): Poll 10 days; 4,389 electors cast 7,415 votes. (Source: Stooks Smith)

General election 1818: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Richard Hart Davis	3,377	46.13	+6.89
Whig	Edward Protheroe	2,259	30.86	−1.98
Whig	Hugh Duncan Baillie	1,684	23.01	+23.01

Note (1818): Poll 5 days; 4,121 electors cast 7,320 votes. (Source: Stooks Smith)

Elections in the 1820s

General election 1820: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Whig	Henry Bright	2,975	50.45	+50.45
Tory	Richard Hart Davis	2,795	47.40	+1.27
Whig	Hugh Duncan Baillie	127	2.15	−20.86

General election 1826: Bristol (2 seats)
	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Tory	Richard Hart Davis	3,887	48.14	+0.74
Whig	Henry Bright	2,314	28.66	−21.79
Whig	Edward Protheroe	1,874	23.21	+23.21

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Bristol (2 seats)^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Tory	Richard Hart Davis	5,012	44.6
	Whig	James Evan Baillie	3,378	30.1
	Whig	Edward Davis Protheroe	2,842	25.3
	Radical	James Acland	8	0.0
Turnout			6,311
Majority			1,634	14.5
	Tory hold		Swing
Majority			3,370	30.1
	Whig hold		Swing

Note (1830): Poll 4 days (Source: Stooks Smith)

General election 1831: Bristol (2 seats)^[7]
	Candidate	Votes
Whig	James Evan Baillie	Unopposed
Whig	Edward Davis Protheroe	Unopposed
Whig hold
Whig gain from Tory

General election 14 December 1832: Bristol (2 seats)^[7]^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Richard Vyvyan	3,697	29.3	*New*
	Whig	James Evan Baillie	3,159	25.0	*N/A*
	Whig	Edward Davis Protheroe	3,030	24.0	N/A
	Whig	John Williams	2,741	21.7	N/A
Majority			538	5.3	N/A
Turnout			6,631	64.3	N/A
Registered electors			10,315
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 9 January 1835: Bristol (2 seats)^[7]^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip John Miles	3,709	32.7	+18.1
	Conservative	Richard Vyvyan	3,313	29.2	+14.6
	Whig	James Evan Baillie	2,518	22.2	−48.5
	Radical	John Hobhouse^[17]	1,808	15.9	N/A
Majority			1,191	10.5	N/A
Turnout			5,879	58.2	−6.1
Registered electors			10,100
	Conservative hold		Swing	+21.2
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+19.4

General election 22 July 1837: Bristol (2 seats)^[7]^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip William Skinner Miles	3,839	37.6	+4.9
	Radical	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	3,212	31.5	+15.6
	Conservative	William Fripp	3,156	30.9	+1.7
Turnout			6,375	63.8	+5.6
Registered electors			9,992
Majority			627	6.1	−0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.5
Majority			56	0.6	N/A
	Radical gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.5

Elections in the 1840s

General election 28 June 1841: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Philip William Skinner Miles	4,193	36.1	−1.5
	Radical	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	3,739	32.2	+0.7
	Conservative	William Fripp	3,684	31.7	+0.8
Turnout			5,808 (est)	52.1 (est)	−11.7
Registered electors			11,150
Majority			454	3.9	−2.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.9
Majority			55	0.5	−0.1
	Radical hold		Swing	+0.7

General election 1847: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	4,381	45.5	+29.4
	Conservative	Philip William Skinner Miles	2,595	27.0	−9.1
	Conservative	William Fripp	2,476	25.7	−6.0
	Radical	Apsley Pellatt	171	1.8	−14.3
Turnout			6,913	62.7	+10.6
Registered electors			11,032
Majority			1,786	18.5	+18.0
	Radical hold		Swing	+18.5
Majority			2,424	25.2	+21.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−8.3

Elections in the 1850s

General election 10 July 1852: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	4,681	36.4	−10.9
	Whig	Henry Gore-Langton	4,531	35.3	*N/A*
	Conservative	Foster Alleyne McGeachy	3,632	28.3	−24.4
Turnout			6,422 (est)	51.2 (est)	−11.5
Registered electors			12,548
Majority			150	1.1	−17.4
	Radical hold		Swing	+6.8
Majority			899	7.0	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

Note (1852): From this election the number of electors who voted is unknown, so the number of votes cast is divided by two, and the resultant figure is used to calculate an estimated minimum turnout. To the extent that electors did not cast both their possible votes the turnout figure will be an underestimate.

General election 27 March 1857: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Radical	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	Unopposed
	Whig	Henry Gore-Langton	Unopposed
Registered electors			12,612
	Radical hold
	Whig hold

General election 30 April 1859: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	4,432	34.3	*N/A*
	Liberal	Henry Gore-Langton	4,285	33.2	*N/A*
	Conservative	Frederick William Slade^[18]	4,205	32.5	New
Majority			80	0.7	N/A
Turnout			6,461 (est)	50.0 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			12,929
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General election 15 July 1865: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	5,296	35.8	+1.5
	Liberal	Morton Peto	5,228	35.3	+2.1
	Conservative	Thomas Fremantle	4,269	28.9	−3.6
Majority			959	6.5	+5.8
Turnout			9,531 (est)	84.3 (est)	+34.3
Registered electors			11,303
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.0

Resignation of Peto

By-Election 30 April 1868: Bristol^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Miles	5,173	51.0	+22.1
	Liberal	Samuel Morley	4,977	49.0	−22.1
Majority			196	2.0	N/A
Turnout			10,150	89.8	+5.5
Registered electors			11,303
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+22.1

McCalmont reports that Miles was unseated on petition, but that no new writ was issued before the 1868 general election. Craig also reports the election was voided.^[16]

General election 16 November 1868: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry FitzHardinge Berkeley	8,759	36.2	+0.4
	Liberal	Samuel Morley	8,714	36.1	+0.8
	Conservative	John Miles	6,694	27.7	−1.2
Majority			2,020	8.4	+1.9
Turnout			15,431 (est)	72.9 (est)	−11.4
Registered electors			21,153
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.7

Elections in the 1870s

Death of Berkeley

By-Election 29 March 1870: Bristol^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Elisha Smith Robinson	7,882	52.7	−19.6
	Conservative	Sholto Vere Hare^[19]	7,062	47.3	+19.6
Majority			820	5.4	−3.0
Turnout			14,944	70.6	−2.3
Registered electors			21,153
	Liberal hold		Swing	−19.6

Election of Robinson declared void on petition

By-Election 27 June 1870: Bristol^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Kirkman Hodgson	7,816	51.9	−20.4
	Conservative	Sholto Vere Hare^[19]	7,238	48.1	+20.4
Majority			578	3.8	−4.6
Turnout			15,054	71.2	−1.7
Registered electors			21,153
	Liberal hold		Swing	−20.4

Swing from Liberal to Conservative

General election 5 February 1874: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Kirkman Hodgson	8,888	26.3	−9.9
	Liberal	Samuel Morley	8,732	25.8	−10.3
	Conservative	Sholto Vere Hare^[19]	8,552	25.3	+11.4
	Conservative	George Henry Chambers^[20]	7,626	22.6	+8.7
Majority			180	0.5	−7.9
Turnout			16,899 (est)	73.9 (est)	+1.0
Registered electors			22,867
	Liberal hold		Swing	−9.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	−9.5

Resignation of Hodgson

By-Election 16 December 1878: Bristol^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Lewis Fry	9,342	54.5	+2.4
	Conservative	Ivor Guest	7,795	45.5	−2.4
Majority			1,547	9.0	+8.5
Turnout			17,137	69.0	−4.9
Registered electors			24,851
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.4

Elections in the 1880s

General election April 1880: Bristol (2 seats)^[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Morley	10,704	31.2	+5.4
	Liberal	Lewis Fry	10,070	29.4	+3.1
	Conservative	Ivor Guest	9,395	27.4	+2.1
	Liberal	Elisha Smith Robinson	4,100	12.0	N/A
Majority			675	2.0	+1.5
Turnout			17,135 (est)	73.8 (est)	−0.1
Registered electors			23,229
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.0

Constituency abolished - city split into four divisions (1885)

References

↑ Latimer, J., Annals of Bristol in the Fourteenth Century (Bristol, 1908).
↑ Charter of 1373 (Edward III), printed in Seyer, Memoirs of Bristol, vol. 2 (1823), pp. 177–181.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 "The parliamentary history of the county of Gloucester". William Retlaw Williams on Internet Archive. 1898. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, Vol. "C", p.970, Canynges. Thomas Young was half-brother to William II Canynges
↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, Vol. "C", p.970, Canynges
↑ Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. p. 67.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 31–34. Retrieved 29 October 2018 – via Google Books.
↑ Terry Jenkins (2009). "BRIGHT, Henry (1784–1869), of 2 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, Mdx.". In Fisher, David (ed.). The House of Commons 1820–1832. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
↑ "Election Address". Discovering Bristol. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
↑ Terry Jenkins (2009). "Bristol". In Fisher, David (ed.). The House of Commons 1820–1832. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
↑ Bush, Graham William Arthur (1976). "The Structure and Politics of the Council". Bristol and its Municipal Government 1820-1851. Bristol Record Society. p. 147. ISSN 0305-8727. Retrieved 19 April 2018. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
1 2 Steele, E. D. (1991). "At home". Palmerston and Liberalism, 1855-1865. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-521-40045-7. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
↑ "Bristol". Worcester Journal. 5 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ Pages 88 to 91,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
↑ John Brooke (1964). "Bristol". In Namier, Sir Lewis; Brooke, John (eds.). The House of Commons 1754–1790. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
↑ "A Guide to the Elections". Yorkshire Gazette. 3 January 1835. p. 4. Retrieved 10 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ "Election Intelligence". Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. 20 April 1859. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
1 2 3 "To the County of Bristol". Western Daily Press. 22 June 1870. p. 1. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
↑ "Bristol". The Irish Times. 31 January 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Bibliography

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1977)
McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book: British Election Results 1832-1918 (8th edition, The Harvester Press 1971)
A. D.K. Hawkyard (1982). "Bristol". In Bindoff, S. T. (ed.). The House of Commons 1509–1558. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

P. W. Hasler (1981). "Bristol". In Hasler, P. W. (ed.). The House of Commons 1558–1603. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

Romney R. Sedgwick (1970). "Bristol". In Sedgwick, Romney (ed.). The House of Commons 1715–1754. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973) out of copyright
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)

[1] Latimer, J., Annals of Bristol in the Fourteenth Century (Bristol, 1908).

[2] Charter of 1373 (Edward III), printed in Seyer, Memoirs of Bristol, vol. 2 (1823), pp. 177–181.

[IA-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 "The parliamentary history of the county of Gloucester". William Retlaw Williams on Internet Archive. 1898. Retrieved 25 March 2011.

[4] Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, Vol. "C", p.970, Canynges. Thomas Young was half-brother to William II Canynges

[5] Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004, Vol. "C", p.970, Canynges

[6] Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. p. 67.

[stookssmith-7] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 31–34. Retrieved 29 October 2018 – via Google Books.

[8] Terry Jenkins (2009). "BRIGHT, Henry (1784–1869), of 2 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, Mdx.". In Fisher, David (ed.). The House of Commons 1820–1832. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

[9] "Election Address". Discovering Bristol. Retrieved 10 September 2019.

[10] Terry Jenkins (2009). "Bristol". In Fisher, David (ed.). The House of Commons 1820–1832. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

[11] Bush, Graham William Arthur (1976). "The Structure and Politics of the Council". Bristol and its Municipal Government 1820-1851. Bristol Record Society. p. 147. ISSN 0305-8727. Retrieved 19 April 2018. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)

[steele-12] 1 2 Steele, E. D. (1991). "At home". Palmerston and Liberalism, 1855-1865. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-521-40045-7. Retrieved 19 April 2018.

[13] "Bristol". Worcester Journal. 5 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[14] Pages 88 to 91,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)

[15] John Brooke (1964). "Bristol". In Namier, Sir Lewis; Brooke, John (eds.). The House of Commons 1754–1790. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

[craig1832-16] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

[17] "A Guide to the Elections". Yorkshire Gazette. 3 January 1835. p. 4. Retrieved 10 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[18] "Election Intelligence". Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser. 20 April 1859. p. 6. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[svhare-19] 1 2 3 "To the County of Bristol". Western Daily Press. 22 June 1870. p. 1. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[20] "Bristol". The Irish Times. 31 January 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 28 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

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