West Sussex
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Context of 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the main, south coast 'doubly' orange area.
1832–1885
Seatstwo
Created fromSussex
Replaced byChichester
Horsham
Lewes

West Sussex (formally the Western 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.

It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Rapes of Arundel, Bramber and Chichester.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1832 Lord John Lennox Whig[2][3] The Earl of Surrey Whig[2][3]
1841 The Earl of March Conservative[2] Charles Wyndham Conservative[2]
1847 Richard Prime Conservative
1854 by-election Henry Wyndham Conservative
1860 by-election Walter Barttelot Conservative
1869 by-election The Earl of March Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: West Sussex[4][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Lennox Unopposed
Whig Henry Howard Unopposed
Registered electors 2,365
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: West Sussex[4][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Lennox Unopposed
Whig Henry Howard Unopposed
Registered electors 2,408
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1837: West Sussex[4][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Lennox 1,291 35.8
Whig Henry Howard 1,267 35.1
Conservative Henry Wyndham 1,049 29.1
Majority 218 6.0
Turnout 2,202 69.9
Registered electors 3,152
Whig hold
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: West Sussex[4][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative Charles Wyndham Unopposed
Registered electors 3,618
Conservative gain from Whig
Conservative gain from Whig

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

By-election, 2 February 1847: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Prime Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative Richard Prime Unopposed
Registered electors 3,488
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative Richard Prime Unopposed
Registered electors 3,257
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 13 February 1854: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Registered electors 2,941
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Gordon-Lennox was appointed President of the Poor Law Board, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 9 March 1859: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Registered electors 2,853
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

Gordon-Lennox succeeded to the peerage, becoming 6th Duke of Richmond and causing a by-election.

By-election, 27 December 1860: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Barttelot Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1865: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Barttelot Unopposed
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Registered electors 2,607
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1868: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Barttelot Unopposed
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Registered electors 3,672
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Wyndham succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Baron Leconfield and causing a by-election.

By-election, 17 April 1869: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Barttelot Unopposed
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Registered electors 3,865
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Sussex[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Barttelot Unopposed
Conservative Charles Gordon-Lennox Unopposed
Registered electors 3,886
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
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References

  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. pp. 112, 167. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 472–473. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.


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