Southwark

Double Member Borough

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Background Information

Right of Election:

in inhabitants paying scot and lot

Number of voters:

about 2,000

Elections

DateCandidateVotes
16 Apr. 1754William Belchier797
 William Hammond597
 Sir Crisp Gascoyne523
1 Apr. 1761Joseph Mawbey981
 Alexander Hume950
 William Hammond608
23 Dec. 1765Henry Thrale vice Hume, deceased 
23 Mar. 1768Henry Thrale1248
 Sir Joseph Mawbey1159
 William Belchier994
18 Oct. 1774Nathaniel Polhill1195
 Henry Thrale1026
 William Lee741
 Sir Abraham Hume457
13 Sept. 1780Sir Richard Hotham1300
 Nathaniel Polhill1138
 Henry Thrale855
24 Sept. 1782Henry Thornton vice Thrale, deceased978
 James Adair588
1 Apr. 1784Henry Thornton 
 Sir Barnard Turner 
25 June 1784Paul Le Mesurier vice Turner, deceased995
 Sir Richard Hotham924

Main Article

Technically Southwark was a City of London ward, named Bridge Ward Without, subject to the lord mayor whose bailiff was the returning officer. No one permanent predominant interest could be established in this populous urban constituency; and its politics were affected to some extent by London radicalism. Throughout the period 1754-1790 Southwark was invariably represented by local business men or by City merchants and bankers. William Hammond and Henry Thrale were Southwark brewers, and Joseph Mawbey was a Southwark distiller. Nathaniel Polhill was a tobacco merchant in the borough and a banker in London. William Belchier and Henry Thornton were London bankers; and Sir Barnard Turner and Paul Le Mesurier, London aldermen. Richard Hotham had started as a hatter at Southwark, and next became an East India merchant, as was also Le Mesurier.

Thornton was elected in 1782 although he refused to give the customary money to the voters, and the general election of 1784 was the only one during this period when there was no contest.

Author: Sir Lewis Namier

Notes