Talk:Samuel Carter (Coventry MP)

Confusion with Tavistock MP

I have written this article using the main sources for information on MPs, namely Leigh Rayment and Hansard, as well as They Work For You. All three name this Taylor as the MP for both Tavistock and Coventry. However, this source suggests this is a confusion and the Samuel Carter, Tavistock MP, was different from the Coventry MP. They have different birth and death dates (Tavistock, 1814-1903; Coventry, 1805-1878) in just this source. Some additional research by another Wikipedian with more resources would be helpful.

@JMPhillips92: I was just about to query this. The ODNB has an entry for the Coventry MP as 1805-1878. It does not mention Tavistock at any point, he has no apparent connection with Devon, and it notes that when he ran for Parliament in 1868, "up until this time he had shown little interest in public life". I think it seems reasonably clear they were distinct people.

The Hansard records do occasionally conflate two people of the same name, and I'm guessing that's what's happened here. Andrew Gray (talk) 22:39, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

And one more point in favour of seperation - here is a contemporary source that explicitly lists both. "CARTER, Samuel, Esq, of Quarry Hill, Sussex [...] CARTER, Samuel, Esq, late of Rockview, Devon". Andrew Gray (talk) 23:16, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

@Andrew Gray: Thanks for these. I have just this weekend gained access to ODBN, so will split this article into correct pieces tomorrow. --JMPhillips92 (talk) 23:24, 12 February 2018 (UTC)