Staffordshire

Double Member County

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

Number of voters:

about 5,000

Elections

DateCandidate
18 Apr. 1754William Leveson Gower
 William Bagot
4 Jan. 1757Henry Frederick Thynne vice Leveson Gower, deceased
9 Apr. 1761George Harry Grey, Lord Grey
 William Bagot
31 Mar. 1768George Harry Grey, Lord Grey
 William Bagot
5 July 1768John Wrottesley vice Grey, cvalled to the Upper House
21 Oct. 1774Sir William Bagot
 Sir John Wrottesley
28 Sept. 1780George Legge, Visct. Lewisham
 Sir John Wrottesley
8 Apr. 1784Sir John Wrottesley
 Sir Edward Littleton
15 May 1787George Granville Leveson Gower, Earl Gower, vice Wrottesley, deceased

Main Article

In 1753 the two outstanding Staffordshire families, the Leveson Gowers of Trentham (Whigs) and the Bagots of Blithfield (Tories), came to a compromise about the forthcoming general election. ‘I am glad to hear Staffordshire is agreed’, wrote Henry Pelham to Newcastle, 27 July 1753,1 ‘a contest would have cost a great sum of money, and I believe not ended better than it will now.’ There was no contest 1754-90; one seat was always conceded to the Leveson Gower interest and the other usually went to a country gentleman.

Author: John Brooke

Notes

  • 1. Add. 32732, f. 36.