Under the Succession to the Crown Act of 1707, any member of Parliament who accepted an office of profit under the Crown – in other words, a remunerated position – was obliged to submit themselves for re-election to Parliament. In 1793 this occasioned a by-election in Weobley when one of its MPs, Sir John Scott, was appointed Attorney General. He is better known by his later name of Lord Eldon and for his hardline role as Lord Chancellor from 1801 to 1827 with just a brief hiatus in 1806-07.
The result of the election was a foregone
conclusion; there were no other candidates because Weobley had become the
pocket borough of Thomas Thynne, from 1789 First Marquess of Bath. The
electorate for the two MPs of the borough was very restricted: by 1821 it was
confined to 93 “vote houses”, residential properties with owners or tenants.
Thynne owned many of the houses and could oblige his tenants to vote for his
candidates; he was also, and perhaps surprisingly, able to disqualify dissidents
by instructing local constables NOT to register such persons for the Poor Rate payment
of which was one of several voter eligibility requirements.
Until today I had never heard of Weobley, a village in Herefordshire with a population in 2011 of just 1,255 – a fact which may explain my ignorance. However, a conscientious local historian has provided Weobley with a 23-page (partly taken up by 175 footnotes) Wikipedia entry and which includes further details of the electoral arrangements. Weobley was disenfranchised in the Great Reform Act of 1832 and the Trustees of an underage 4th Marquess of Bath sold the “vote houses” in the 1840s; they no longer had any political value.
The
author of this letter, Henry Thomas, London agent for both Sir John Scott and the
Marquess, moves seamlessly between carrying out his duties in relation to
returning MPs to Parliament and managing the Marquess’s agricultural
and residential properties. "The Salutation" named in the letter is a long-established Inn in Weobley which must therefore have at some point acquired its licence.
Transcription
Addressed
to: Mr Evan Lloyd Weobley Herefordshire
Datelined:
Parliament St Feby. 23d 1793
London
postmark FE 23 93
Docketing
notes: Henry Thomas Esqr 23 Febry 1793;
23 Feby 1793 Mr Thomas about ye Election Serjt. Bodenham etc
Sir
I
received the Return yesterday, and saw Sir John Scott, who desires that you
will give Twenty Guineas from him to the Poor of the Town of Weobley, or lay it
out in such manner for them as you think will do them most good.
Serjeant
of Bodenham carried a Letter to the Marquis of Bath’s House yesterday, and he
sent him to me: but he did not tell me that he had been there. He wants to
avoid being turned out. I told him that I ordered Notice to be given to him,
and if he not give Possession, it should be got by Law. He said he did not want
to keep Possession against our Consent. He said he should remove some young
Trees, which he had planted, which he had a Right to do, as it was only at
Nursery. I bid him take care what he did, and not pretend to say that I agreed
to it. I mention this, that you may be aware of this Intention. If he has a
Right to the Trees, perhaps, you had better buy them. The Marquis showed me his
Letter, which mentions how many years he has been with his Uncle; enclosed your
Notice, and begs to stay.
I
could wish that Mr Philpotts might be brought into good Humour before another
twelvemonth, in any way that you shall think most prudent. I would not court
him just now, that he may not think us afraid of him; but some time hence, it
may come about. What was the Reason for not licencing The Salutation?
Send
me the Names and Residence of new Absentees rated (or charged to other Houses)
at Easter 1791 and 1792, that I may get Deeds for them. Rowland Ford is lately
dead – have you any body to propose in his room? Otherwise I must name some
Shropshire Tenant
Yours Henry Thomas
Aa
soon as you have paid every thing, let me know the total Expense of the
Election – add the twenty Guineas for the Poor - you may draw a Bill upon me
for the Amount and send it as a Remittance to Drummonds just as you do the
Stipend for the Schoolmaster &c
References
Wikipedia:
Weobley
Wikipedia:
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
Wikipedia:
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
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