# Brecon (UK Parliament constituency)

Brecon was a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1885 general election.

## Boundaries

From its first election in 1542 until some time before 1715, the constituency consisted of a number of boroughs within the historic county of Brecknockshire or Breconshire in Wales. From then until 1885 the seat represented the parliamentary borough of Brecon alone. The constituency should not be confused with the county constituency of Breconshire, which existed from the sixteenth century until 1918.
On the basis of information from several volumes of the History of Parliament, it is apparent that the history of the borough representation from Wales and Monmouthshire is more complicated than that of the English boroughs.
The Laws in Wales Act 1535 (26 Hen. 8. c. 26) provided for a single borough seat for each of 11 of the 12 Welsh counties and Monmouthshire. The legislation was ambiguous as to which communities were enfranchised. The county towns were awarded a seat, but this in some fashion represented all the ancient boroughs of the county as the others were required to contribute to the member's wages. It was not clear if the burgesses of the contributing boroughs could take part in the election. The only election under the original scheme was for the 1542 parliament. It seems that only burgesses from the county towns actually took part. The Parliament Act 1543 (35 Hen. 8. c. 11) confirmed that the contributing boroughs could send representatives to take part in the election at the county town. As far as can be told from surviving indentures of returns, the degree to which the out boroughs participated varied, but by the end of the sixteenth century all the seats had some participation from them at some elections at least.
The original scheme was modified by later legislation and decisions of the House of Commons (which were sometimes made with no regard to precedent or evidence: for example in 1728 it was decided that only the freemen of the borough of Montgomery could participate in the election for that seat, thus disenfranchising the freemen of Llanidloes, Welshpool and Llanfyllin).
In the case of Breconshire, the county town and principal borough was Brecon. One ward of the principal borough was an exclave; namely Trecastle, in the township of Llywel eleven miles west of the main town. There is no evidence that any other boroughs in Breconshire actually took part in elections before 1597. The out boroughs then participating were Builth (now known as Builth Wells), Crickhowel or Crickhowell, Hay (now Hay-on-Wye) and Telgarth or Talgarth.
At some point between 1603 and 1715 the out boroughs ceased to participate in elections for the constituency. Until 1727 all the freemen of Brecon formed the electorate, but in 1727 the House of Commons ruled that only the resident freemen could vote. There had been about 180 electors in 1723 and 1727, but only 69 in 1744 after the basis of the franchise had been changed. There were about 100 voters between 1754 and 1790.

## Later history

When registration of electors and an additional householder franchise were introduced in 1832, the constituency, still based on the town of Brecon, had the smallest electorate in Wales with just 242 registered voters.
Brecon was little affected by the upsurge of radical politics in the 1860s apart from the one occasion in 1866 when Thomas Price, the prominent nonconformist minister, intervened in a by-election contest to compel the Liberal candidate, the Earl of Brecknock, to issue an address more strongly in favour of reform.
Even after the extension of the franchise in 1868, the number of voters only increased to 814. This did, however, result in one of the most tumultuous elections in the history of the borough, which included a torchlight procession and lively meetings at which speakers struggled to make themselves heard. On election day it was generally accepted that supporters of the Conservative candidate, Howel Gwyn, had been caught engaged in bribery. His unseating by petition in April 1869 indicated how Brecon largely remained a closed borough, dominated by the politics of influence.
After 1885 Breconshire was represented in Parliament by the single member county constituency, which included all the boroughs formerly in the Brecon constituency.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1542–1640

As there were sometimes significant gaps between Parliaments held in this period, the dates of first assembly and dissolution are given. Where the name of the member has not yet been ascertained or (before 1558) is not recorded in a surviving document, the entry unknown is entered in the table.
The Roman numerals after some names are those used in The House of Commons 1509–1558 to distinguish a member from another politician of the same name.
| Elected | Assembled | Dissolved | Member | Note |
| 1542 | 16 January 1542 | 28 March 1544 | Edward Games | |
| 1545 | 23 November 1545 | 31 January 1547 | Edward Games | |
| 1547 | 4 November 1547 | 15 April 1552 | Edward Games | |
| 1553 | 1 March 1553 | 31 March 1553 | Edward Games | |
| 1553 | 5 October 1553 | 5 December 1553 | Edward Games | |
| 1554 | 2 April 1554 | 3 May 1554 | Edward Games | |
| 1554 | 12 November 1554 | 16 January 1555 | Meredith Games | |
| 1555 | 21 October 1555 | 9 December 1555 | unknown | |
| 1558 | 20 January 1558 | 17 November 1558 | William Aubrey | |
| 1559 | 23 January 1559 | 8 May 1559 | Roland Vaughan | |
| 1562–63 | 11 January 1563 | 2 January 1567 | Sir Roger Vaughan | |
| 1571 | 2 April 1571 | 29 May 1571 | Richard Price | |
| 1572 | 8 May 1572 | 19 April 1583 | Walter Games | |
| 1584 | 23 November 1584 | 14 September 1585 | David Williams | |
| 1586 | 13 October 1586 | 23 March 1587 | David Williams | |
| 1588 | 4 February 1589 | 29 March 1589 | David Williams | |
| 1593 | 18 February 1593 | 10 April 1593 | Sir Matthew Morgan | |
| 1597 | 24 October 1597 | 9 February 1598 | David Williams | |
| 1601 | 27 October 1601 | 19 December 1601 | Henry Williams | |
| 1604 | 19 March 1604 | 9 February 1611 | Sir Henry Williams | |
| 1614 | 5 April 1614 | 7 June 1614 | Sir John Crompton | |
| 1620 | 16 January 1621 | 8 February 1622 | Sir Walter Pye | |
| 12 January 1624 | 12 February 1624 | 27 March 1625 | Sir Walter Pye | |
| 4 March 1625 | 17 May 1625 | 12 August 1625 | Sir Walter Pye | |
| 12 January 1626 | 6 February 1626 | 15 June 1626 | Sir Walter Pye | Elected to sit for Herefordshire |
| February 1626 | 6 February 1626 | 15 June 1626 | Sir Humphrey Lynde | |
| 31 March 1628 | 17 March 1628 | 10 March 1629 | Walter Pye (Royalist) | |
| 1640 | 13 April 1640 | 5 May 1640 | Herbert Price | |
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### MPs 1640–1660

This sub-section includes the Long Parliament and the Rump Parliament, together with the Parliaments of the Commonwealth and the Protectorate (before the Convention Parliament of 1660).
| Elected | Assembled | Dissolved | Member | Note |
| 1640 | 3 November 1640 | | Herbert Price | Long Parliament |
| ... | 1647 | 20 April 1653 | Ludovic Lewis | Rump Parliament |
| ... | 4 July 1653 | 12 December 1653 | unrepresented | Barebones Parliament |
| 1654 | 3 September 1654 | 22 January 1655 | unrepresented | First Protectorate Parliament |
| 1656 | 17 September 1656 | 4 February 1658 | unrepresented | Second Protectorate Parliament |
| 1658–59 | 27 January 1659 | 22 April 1659 | Samuel Wightwick | Third Protectorate Parliament |
| ... | 7 May 1659 | 20 February 1660 | unknown | Rump Parliament restored |
| ... | 21 February 1660 | 16 March 1660 | unknown | Long Parliament restored |
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### MPs 1660–1885

| First Election | First Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1660, c. April | Sir Henry Williams, Bt | | |
| | 1661, 26 April | Sir Herbert Price | | |
| | 1678, 14 February | Thomas Mansel | | |
| | 1679, 28 February | John Jeffreys | | |
| | 1689, 10 January | Thomas Morgan (of Dderw) | Whig | (1664–1700) |
| | 1690, 6 March | Jeffrey Jeffreys | | |
| | 1698, 25 July | Thomas Morgan (of Dderw) | Whig | (1664–1700) Also returned for Monmouthshire |
| | 1701, 17 January | Sir Jeffrey Jeffreys | | |
| | 1709, 28 November | Edward Jeffreys | | |
| | 1713, 11 September | Roger Jones | | |
| | 1722, 29 March | William Morgan | | (1701–1731) Elected to sit for Monmouthshire |
| | 1723, 24 May | Thomas Morgan | | (1702–1769) |
| | 1734, 1 May | Hon. John Talbot | | |
| | 1754, 15 April | Thomas Morgan (of Rhiwpera) | | (1727–1771) Resigned to contest Monmouthshire |
| | 1763, 5 December | Charles Morgan | | (1736–1787) Resigned to contest Breconshire |
| | 1769, 15 May | John Morgan | | (1742–1792) Resigned to contest Monmouthshire |
| | 1772, 31 January | Charles Van | | Died 3 April 1778 |
| | 1778, 23 April | Sir Charles Gould | | (1726–1806) Resigned to contest Breconshire |
| | 1787, 6 December | Sir Charles Morgan | | (1760–1846) Elected to sit for Monmouthshire |
| | 1796, 2 November | Sir Robert Salusbury, Bt | Tory | |
| | 1812, 9 October | Charles Morgan | Whig | (1792–1875) |
| | 1818, 20 June | George Gould Morgan | Tory | (1794–1845) |
| | 1830, 3 August | Charles Morgan | Whig | (1792–1875) |
| | 1832, 12 December | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Whig | |
| | 1835, 6 January | Charles Morgan | Conservative | (1792–1875) |
| | 1847, 3 August | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Whig | |
| | 1852, 9 July | Charles Rodney Morgan | Conservative | (1828–1854) Died 14 January 1854 |
| | 1854, 6 February | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Whig | Died 28 September 1865 |
| | 1859, April | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Liberal | Died 28 September 1865 |
| | 1866, 27 February | John Pratt | Liberal | Became the 3rd Marquess Camden |
| | 1866, 3 October | Howel Gwyn | Conservative | Election declared void on petition |
| | 1869, 24 April | Edward Villiers | Liberal | Became the 5th Earl of Clarendon |
| | 1870, 19 July | James Gwynne-Holford | Conservative | |
| | 1880, 7 April | Cyril Flower | Liberal | |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |
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## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Charles Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
General election 1831: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Charles Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 21 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | 110 | 51.4 |
| | Tory | Charles Morgan | 104 | 48.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 214 | 88.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 242 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1835: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Charles Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 309 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1837: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Charles Morgan | 156 | 60.5 |
| | Whig | John Lloyd | 102 | 39.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 54 | 21.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 258 | 76.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 339 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Rodney Morgan | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 331 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 304 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Rodney Morgan | 159 | 56.6 | New |
| | Whig | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | 122 | 43.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 13.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 281 | 83.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 336 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
Morgan's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 6 February 1854: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |
General election 1857: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 323 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |
General election 1859: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 302 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
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### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Lloyd Vaughan Watkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 281 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Watkins' death caused a by-election.
By-election, 27 Feb 1866: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Pratt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Pratt succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Marquess of Camden, causing a by-election.
By-election, 3 Oct 1866: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Howel Gwyn | 128 | 55.7 | New |
| | Liberal | Alfred Spencer-Churchill | 102 | 44.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 26 | 11.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 230 | 81.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 281 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Howel Gwyn | 372 | 51.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Hugh Powell Price | 357 | 49.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 2.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 729 | 89.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 814 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
The election was declared void on petition, causing a by-election.
1869 Brecon by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Villiers | 391 | 54.4 | +5.4 |
| | Conservative | Claud Hamilton | 328 | 45.6 | −5.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 63 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 719 | 88.3 | −1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 814 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.4 | |
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### Elections in the 1870s

Villiers succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Clarendon, causing a by-election.
1870 Brecon by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Gwynne-Holford | 372 | 52.4 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal | Hugh Powell Price | 338 | 47.6 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 4.8 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 710 | 87.2 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 814 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4 | |
General election 1874: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Gwynne-Holford | 374 | 51.4 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | William Vaughan Morgan | 353 | 48.6 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21 | 2.8 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 727 | 86.2 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 843 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
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### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Brecon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Cyril Flower | 438 | 53.6 | +5.0 |
| | Conservative | James Gwynne-Holford | 379 | 46.4 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 7.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 817 | 92.8 | +6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 880 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.0 | |
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