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Wootton Bassett (UK Parliament Constituency)
Wootton Bassett was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1447 until 1832, when the rotten borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act. History The borough consisted of the town of Wootton Bassett, a market town in northern Wiltshire. Even when the borough was created by Henry VI it was a town of little consequence, with no significant industry or trade; by the 19th century it suffered from endemic unemployment, and the money to be gained by electoral corruption was probably one of its economic mainstays. In 1831, the population of the borough was approximately 1,500, and contained 349 houses. The right to vote was exercised by all inhabitant householders paying scot and lot. At the last contested election, this amounted to 309 eligible voters, of whom 228 cast valid votes; in other words, only a comparatively small proportion of households were excluded from the franchise. The local landowners were ge ...
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Parliamentary Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The use of the word ''borough'' probably derives from the burghal system of Alfred the Great. Alfred set up a system of defensive strong points (Burhs); in order to maintain these particular settlements, he granted them a degree of autonomy. After the Norman Conquest, when certain towns were granted self-governance, the concept of the burh/borough seems to have been reused to mean a self-governing settlement. The concept of the borough has been used repeatedly (and often differently) throughout the world. Often, a borough is a single town wit ...
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Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the prison was extended and rebuilt many times, and remained in use for over 700 years, from 1188 to 1902. For much of its history, a succession of criminal courtrooms were attached to the prison, commonly referred to as the "Old Bailey". The present Old Bailey (officially, Central Criminal Court) now occupies much of the site of the prison. In the late 1700s, executions by hanging were moved here from the Tyburn gallows. These took place on the public street in front of the prison, drawing crowds until 1868, when they were moved into the prison. History In the early 12th century, Henry II instituted legal reforms that gave the Crown more control over the administration of justice. As part of his Assize of Clarendon of 1166, he requ ...
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Hindon (UK Parliament Constituency)
Hindon was a parliamentary borough consisting of the village of Hindon in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1448 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act. It was one of the most notoriously corrupt of the rotten boroughs, and bills to disfranchise Hindon were debated in Parliament on two occasions before its eventual abolition. History Hindon was a small market town, and may have been of at least minor importance at the time it was first represented in Parliament, during the reign of Henry VI. However, the town was destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1754, and over the same period its trade went into severe decline. By 1831, the population of the borough was only 921, and the borough and town contained 185 houses. Franchise and influences Hindon was an example of the class of constituencies known as potwalloper boroughs, the right to vote being exercised by every householder, a household being notional ...
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Cricklade (UK Parliament Constituency)
Cricklade was a parliamentary constituency named after the town of Cricklade in Wiltshire. From 1295 until 1885 United Kingdom general election, the general election of 1885, Cricklade was a parliamentary borough, returning two members of parliament (MPs) to the British House of Commons, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously to the House of Commons of England. Initially this consisted of only the town of Cricklade, but from 1782 the vote was extended to the surrounding countryside as a punishment for the borough's corruption. The extended area came to include the village of Swindon, which later grew into a large town with the coming of the railways in the 19th century. From the 1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 general election the borough was abolished, but the name was transferred to a county constituency, county division of Wiltshire covering much the same area, and electing a single MP. This constituency was abolished for the 1918 ...
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Joseph Pitt
Joseph Pitt (1759–1842) was a British lawyer of humble origins who prospered as a property speculator, notably in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but also in Wiltshire, and who served as a Tory MP for Cricklade, Wiltshire 1812–1831. His name is commemorated in Pittville Pittville is a residential suburb of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, founded in the early 19th century by Joseph Pitt. The population of Pittville Ward at the 2011 Census was 5,327. It contains Pittville Park, with its long gardens, two ..., Cheltenham, his largest speculative development. References Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 1759 births 1842 deaths Members of Parliament for Cricklade {{England-UK-MP-stub ...
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Benjamin Walsh (politician)
Benjamin Walsh (c. 1775 – 1818) was an English stockbroker and member of parliament representing Wootton Bassett from 1808 to 1812. In 1809 he was expelled from the London Stock Exchange for "gross and nefarious conduct". In 1812 he was convicted of defrauding Thomas Plumer of a considerable sum of money. Walsh was pardoned by the Prince Regent, but was expelled from the House of Commons. In 1813 Walsh purchased a Plymouth newspaper which subsequently failed in 1816. One of his sons was Benjamin Dann Walsh Benjamin Dann Walsh (September 21, 1808 – November 18, 1869) was an English-born American entomologist who served as the first official state entomologist in Illinois.Mallis (1971) He was a leading influence during a time of significant tra ... who emigrated to the United States in 1838 and became a notable entomologist. References Year of birth uncertain 1818 deaths Place of birth missing 1775 births UK MPs 1807–1812 Members of the Parliament of the Un ...
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James Kibblewhite
James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (other), various kings named James * Saint James (other) * James (musician) * James, brother of Jesus Places Canada * James Bay, a large body of water * James, Ontario United Kingdom * James College, a college of the University of York United States * James, Georgia, an unincorporated community * James, Iowa, an unincorporated community * James City, North Carolina * James City County, Virginia ** James City (Virginia Company) ** James City Shire * James City, Pennsylvania * St. James City, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * ''James'' (2005 film), a Bollywood film * ''James'' (2008 film), an Irish short film * ''James'' (2022 film), an Indian Kannada-language film * James the Red Engine, a character in ''Thomas the Tank En ...
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George Tierney
George Tierney PC (20 March 1761 – 25 January 1830) was an Irish Whig politician. For much of his career he was in opposition to the governments of William Pitt and Lord Liverpool. From 1818 to 1821 he was Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. Background and education Born in Gibraltar, Tierney was the son of Thomas Tierney, a wealthy Irish merchant of London, who was living in Gibraltar as prize agent. He was sent to Eton and Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he took the degree of Law in 1784. He was called to the bar from Lincoln's Inn in the same year, but abandoned law and plunged into politics. On 10 July 1789 he married Anna Maria Miller of Stapleton in Gloucestershire; she died in 1844. Political career Early career Tierney contested Colchester in 1788, when both candidates received the same number of votes, but Tierney was declared elected. He was, however, defeated in the 1790 general election. He returned to Parliament in 1796 for Southwark and ...
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1784 British General Election
The 1784 British general election resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents. Background In December 1783, George III engineered the dismissal of the Fox–North coalition, which he hated, and appointed William Pitt the Younger as Prime Minister. Pitt had very little personal support in the House of Commons and the supporters of Charles James Fox and Lord North felt that the constitution of the country had been violated. The doctrine that the government must always have a majority in the House of Commons was not yet established and Fox knew he had to be careful. On 2 February 1784 Fox carried a motion of no confidence which declared "That it is the Opinion of this House, That the Continuance of the present Ministers in their Offices is an Obstacle to the Formation of such an Administration as may enjoy the Confidence of thi ...
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Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke Of Newcastle Upon Tyne
Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (other) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Apostle * Thomas (bishop of the East Angles) (fl. 640s–650s), medieval Bishop of the East Angles * Thomas (Archdeacon of Barnstaple) (fl. 1203), Archdeacon of Barnstaple * Thomas, Count of Perche (1195–1217), Count of Perche * Thomas (bishop of Finland) (1248), first known Bishop of Finland * Thomas, Earl of Mar (1330–1377), 14th-century Earl, Aberdeen, Scotland Geography Places in the United States * Thomas, Illinois * Thomas, Indiana * Thomas, Oklahoma * Thomas, Oregon * Thomas, South Dakota * Thomas, Virginia * Thomas, Washington * Thomas, West Virginia * Thomas County (other) * Thomas Township (other) Elsewhere * Thomas Glacier (Greenland) Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Thomas'' (Burton novel) 1 ...
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Henry Douglas, Earl Of Drumlanrig
Henry Douglas, Earl of Drumlanrig (30 October 1722 – 19 October 1754) was the eldest son of Charles Douglas, 3rd Duke of Queensberry, 2nd Duke of Dover, and his wife Catherine. He was educated at Winchester College and at Christ Church, University of Oxford and then chose a military life. He served in two campaigns under the Earl of Stair and three campaigns under the king of Sardinia, where at the siege of Coni, he distinguished himself so much that Charles Emmanuel, King of Sardinia, ordered his ambassador in London to wait on the Duke of Queensberry to thank him for the services performed by his son. He commanded a regiment of two battalions in the Scots Brigade in the Netherlands between 1747 and 1753. He married on 24 July 1754 Lady Elizabeth Hope, daughter of John Hope, 2nd Earl of Hopetoun, but accidentally killed himself near Bawtry, in Yorkshire on 19 October 1754. Lady Drumlanrig died only 18 months later. Henry's brother, Charles, succeeded him, but died in 1756, ...
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Thomas Estcourt Cresswell
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell (12 July 1712 – 14 November 1788) was an English landowner and politician. Biography He was the son of Richard Cresswell Richard Paul Wesley Cresswell (born 20 September 1977) is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He played in the Premier League and Football League for York City, Mansfield Town, Sheffield Wednesd ... (MP for Bridgnorth and then Wootton Bassett) and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt, of Pinkney Park, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire. He began his career as a merchant trading with China and India, but ceased this occupation around 1732. He inherited the heavily encumbered Pinkney Park estate in 1743 from his father. Cresswell was returned as Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett from 1754 to 1774. He died at his seat in Pinkney Park on 14 November 1788. He had gained a degree of notoriety as a bigamist after his marriage in February 17 ...
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