East Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)

East Sussex (formally the Eastern division of Sussex) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Sussex, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

East Sussex
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Context of 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the main, south coast striped area.
18321885
Seatstwo
Created fromSussex
Replaced byRye
Eastbourne
East Grinstead
Lewes

It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, when the existing Sussex constituency was divided into two. It consisted of the rapes of Lewes, Pevensey and Hastings, an area broadly similar to but not identical with the modern county of East Sussex. The "place of election", where nominations were taken and the result declared, was Lewes.

East Sussex was abolished for the 1885 general election, being divided between four new single-member county constituencies, Rye, Eastbourne, East Grinstead and Lewes. (Lewes and Rye also absorbed the voters from the abolished boroughs of the same names.)

Boundaries

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1832–1885: The Rapes of Lewes, Hastings and Pevensey.[1]

Members of Parliament

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Year 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1832 Hon. Charles Cavendish Whig[2][3] Herbert Barrett Curteis Whig[2][3]
1837 George Darby Conservative[2]
1841 Augustus Fuller Conservative[2]
1846 by-election Charles Frewen Conservative
March 1857 by-election Viscount Pevensey Conservative
April 1857 John George Dodson Whig[4]
1859 Liberal
1865 Lord Edward Cavendish Liberal
1868 George Gregory Conservative
1874 Montagu Scott Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Election results

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Elections in the 1830s

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General election 1832: East Sussex[5][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Charles Cavendish 2,388 47.8
Whig Herbert Barrett Curteis 1,941 38.8
Tory George Darby 668 13.4
Majority 1,273 25.4
Turnout 2,753 80.1
Registered electors 3,437
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: East Sussex[5][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Charles Cavendish Unopposed
Whig Herbert Barrett Curteis Unopposed
Registered electors 3,811
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1837: East Sussex[5][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative George Darby 2,256 30.4
Whig Charles Cavendish 1,793 24.2
Conservative Augustus Fuller 1,749 23.6
Whig Herbert Barrett Curteis 1,619 21.8
Turnout 3,869 80.6
Registered electors 4,799
Majority 637 8.6
Conservative gain from Whig
Majority 44 0.6
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

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General election 1841: East Sussex[5][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Darby 2,398 41.6 +11.2
Conservative Augustus Fuller 2,367 41.1 +17.5
Whig John Shelley 995 17.3 −28.7
Majority 1,372 23.8 N/A
Turnout c. 3,378 c. 63.1 c. −17.5
Registered electors 5,298
Conservative hold Swing +12.8
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +15.9

Darby resigned after being appointed a Commissioner of Inclosures, causing a by-election.

By-election, 3 February 1846: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Frewen Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Frewen Unopposed
Conservative Augustus Fuller Unopposed
Registered electors 5,723
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

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General election 1852: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Augustus Fuller 2,155 37.4 N/A
Conservative Charles Frewen 1,974 34.2 N/A
Whig John Dodson 1,637 28.4 New
Majority 337 5.8 N/A
Turnout 3,702 (est) 69.9 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,298
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Frewen resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 7 March 1857: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Holroyd 2,302 50.7 −20.9
Whig John Dodson 2,234 49.3 +20.9
Majority 68 1.4 −4.4
Turnout 4,536 74.2 +4.3
Registered electors 6,114
Conservative hold Swing −20.9
General election 1857: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Dodson 2,524 26.6 +12.4
Conservative Henry Holroyd 2,447 25.8 −8.4
Whig William Henry Frederick Cavendish[4][6] 2,286 24.1 +9.9
Conservative Augustus Fuller 2,216 23.4 −14.0
Turnout 4,737 (est) 77.5 (est) +7.6
Registered electors 6,114
Majority 308 3.2 N/A
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +11.8
Majority 161 1.7 −4.1
Conservative hold Swing −9.8
General election 1859: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Dodson Unopposed
Conservative Henry Holroyd Unopposed
Registered electors 6,401
Liberal hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

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General election 1865: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Dodson 2,821 27.5 N/A
Liberal Edward Cavendish 2,647 25.8 N/A
Conservative Walter Burrell 2,463 24.0 N/A
Conservative Reginald Abbot, 3rd Baron Colchester 2,316 22.6 N/A
Majority 184 1.8 N/A
Turnout 5,124 (est) 76.8 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,670
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General election 1868: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Dodson 3,611 25.4 −2.1
Conservative George Gregory 3,581 25.2 +1.2
Conservative Montagu Scott 3,560 25.0 +2.4
Liberal Edward Cavendish 3,470 24.4 −1.4
Turnout 7,111 (est) 75.8 (est) −1.0
Registered electors 9,380
Majority 30 0.2 −1.6
Liberal hold Swing −2.0
Majority 111 0.8 N/A
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +1.5

Elections in the 1870s

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General election 1874: East Sussex[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Gregory Unopposed
Conservative Montagu Scott Unopposed
Registered electors 10,141
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

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General election 1880: East Sussex[5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Gregory 4,526 30.6 N/A
Conservative Montagu Scott 4,396 29.8 N/A
Liberal Alexander Donovan 2,982 20.2 New
Liberal John Pearson 2,863 19.4 New
Majority 1,414 9.6 N/A
Turnout 7,384 (est) 72.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 10,214
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

References

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  1. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. p. 75. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 39, 51. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b "Sussex Agricultural Express". 4 April 1857. p. 6. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 470–471. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  6. ^ "East Sussex Election, April, 1857". Sussex Advertiser. 21 April 1857. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "Berkshire". Daily News. 1 April 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 22 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.