# Bramber (UK Parliament constituency)

Bramber was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons in 1295, and again from 1472 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.

## History

The borough consisted of the former market town of Bramber on the River Adur, which by the 19th century had decayed to the size of a small village. Bramber was barely distinguishable from neighbouring Steyning, with which it shared a main street, and for a century and a half after 1295 they formed a single borough collectively returning MPs. From the reign of Edward IV, however, they returned two MPs each, even though one part of Bramber was in the centre of Steyning so that a single property could in theory give rise to a vote in both boroughs. They were never substantial enough towns to deserve enfranchisement on their own merits, and both probably owed their status to a royal desire to gratify the courtiers that owned them with a degree of influence in the House of Commons.
Bramber was a burgage borough – the vote was restricted to inhabitants of ancient houses in the borough, or those built on ancient foundations, who paid scot and lot. In 1816 this amounted to only 20 voters, although as in 1831 the borough contained 35 houses and a population of approximately 170, this was a much higher proportion of the residents than in most burgage boroughs.
Bramber was slightly unusual in that the vote was accorded to the occupier rather than the owner of the burgage tenements, but in practice the owners had total control over the votes of their tenants – by bribery if not by threats – and therefore of elections in the borough. In Tudor times, the Dukes of Norfolk seem to have held sway. By the first half of the 18th century Bramber was wholly owned by Sir Harry Gough, who leased it (and the right to nominate its MPs) to Lord Archer; Lord Archer sold this right onwards in his turn, apparently being paid £1000 by the government to allow Lord Malpas to be elected in 1754. In 1768 the Duke of Rutland gained control, but Gough later regained power over one of the two seats and it was inherited by his descendants (who held the title Lord Calthorpe). These two families still shared the representation at the time of the Reform Act.
Bramber was abolished as a separate constituency with effect from the 1832 general election. However, the nearby borough of New Shoreham had already been expanded to include the whole of the Rape of Bramber as an antidote to its corruption, and survived the Reform Act with both its MPs intact. Bramber therefore formed part of the New Shoreham constituency from 1832.

## Members of Parliament
### before 1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1399 | Robert Couk | John Farnfold |
| 1510–1523 | No names known |
| 1529 | Henry See | William Roper |
| 1536 | ? |
| 1539 | ? |
| 1542 | Sir John Clere | ?Richard Watkins |
| 1545 | Sir John Clere | John Gilmyn |
| 1547 | Sir William Sharington | John Fylde |
| by 23 Jan 1552 | Chidiock Paulet | Richard Bunny |
| 1553 (Mar) | George Rithe | Lawrence Awen |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir John Baker | Thomas Timperley |
| 1554 (Apr) | Sir Henry Palmer | John Story |
| 1554 (Nov) | Thomas Elrington | John Baker |
| 1555 | Sir Thomas Knyvet | John Baker or Thomas Baker |
| 1558 | Henry Mynn | Nicholas Mynn |
| 1559 | Sir Henry Gates | Robert Buxton |
| 1562/3 | William Barker | Robert Balam |
| 1571 | Bartholomew Clerke | Robert Wiseman |
| 1572 | Hugh Hare | Henry Clerke |
| 1584 | Nicholas Beaumont | Sampson Lennard |
| 1586 | William Towse | John Porter |
| 1588 | James Altham | John Osborne |
| 1593 | Samuel Thornhill | Edward Michelborne |
| 1597 | Nicholas Trott | William Comber |
| 1601 | Sir Thomas Shirley, sat for Hastings and replaced Nov 1601 by Henry Lok | Henry Bowyer |
| 1604 | Sir John Shurley | Henry Shelley |
| 1614 | Sir John Leedes | Henry Shelley$^{SonofMemberfor1604}$ |
| 1621 | (Sir) Thomas Bowyer | Robert Morley |
| 1624 | (Sir) Thomas Bowyer | Robert Morley |
| 1625 | Walter Barttelot | (Sir) Thomas Bowyer |
| 1626 | Walter Barttelot | (Sir) Thomas Bowyer |
| 1628–1629 | Sir Sackville Crowe | (Sir) Thomas Bowyer |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |

### 1640–1832

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | | Sir Edward Bishopp | | | Sir Thomas Bowyer | Royalist |
| November 1640 | | Sir Edward Bishopp | | | Arthur Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| December 1640 | | Sir Thomas Bowyer | Royalist | | Arthur Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| November 1642 | Bowyer disabled from sitting – seat vacant | Bowyer disabled from sitting – seat vacant | Bowyer disabled from sitting – seat vacant | | | | Arthur Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| September 1645 | | James Temple | | | Arthur Onslow | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | | James Temple | | Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant | Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant | Onslow excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant |
| 1653 | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bramber was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| January 1659 | | John Byne | | | John Fagg | |
| May 1659 | | James Temple | | One seat vacant | One seat vacant | One seat vacant |
| 1660 | | John Byne | | | Edward Eversfield | |
| 1661 | | John Byne | | | Percy Goring | |
| 1662 | | Sir Cecil Bishopp | | | Percy Goring | |
| February 1679 | | Henry Goring | | | Nicholas Eversfield | |
| August 1679 | | Henry Goring | | | Henry Sidney | |
| 1681 | | Henry Goring | | | Percy Goring | |
| 1685 | | Sir Thomas Bludworth | | | William Bridgeman | |
| 1689 | | John Alford | | | Charles Goring | |
| 1690 | | Nicholas Barbon | | | John Radcliffe | |
| 1695 | | Nicholas Barbon | | | William Stringer | |
| 1698 | | Sir Henry Furnese | | | William Westbrooke | |
| February 1699 | | John Courthope | | | William Westbrooke | |
| April 1699 | | John Asgill | | | William Westbrooke | |
| January 1701 | | Thomas Stringer | | | Thomas Owen | |
| March 1701 | | Francis Seymour-Conway | | | Thomas Owen | |
| 1702 | | Francis Seymour-Conway | | | John Asgill | |
| 1703 | | John Middleton | | | John Asgill | |
| 1704 | | Samuel Vanacker Sambrooke | | | John Asgill | |
| 1705 | | The Viscount Windsor | | | John Asgill | |
| 1707 | | The Viscount Windsor | | | William Shippen | |
| 1709 | | William Hale | | | Sir Cleave More | |
| October 1710 | | The Viscount Windsor | | | Andrews Windsor | |
| December 1710 | | William Shippen | | | Andrews Windsor | |
| 1713 | | The Lord Hawley | | | Andrews Windsor | |
| January 1715 | | Sir Richard Gough | | | Sir Thomas Style | |
| June 1715 | | Sir Richard Gough | | | Edward Minshull | |
| 1722 | | Sir Richard Gough | | | William Charles van Huls | |
| 1723 | | Sir Richard Gough | | | David Polhill | |
| 1727 | | Sir Richard Gough | | | Joseph Danvers | |
| March 1728 | | John Gumley | | | Joseph Danvers | |
| April 1728 | | James Hoste | | | Joseph Danvers | |
| 1734 | | Sir Harry Gough | | | Harry Gough (senior) | |
| 1741 | | Thomas Archer | | | Harry Gough (senior) | |
| 1747 | | Joseph Damer | | | Harry Gough (senior) | |
| 1751 | | Joseph Damer | | | Henry Pelham | Whig |
| 1754 | | Viscount Malpas | | | Nathaniel Newnham | |
| March 1761 | | Hon. Andrew Archer | | | William Fitzherbert | |
| December 1761 | | The Lord Winterton | | | William Fitzherbert | |
| 1762 | | The Lord Winterton | | | Hon. George Venables-Vernon | |
| 1768 | | The Lord Winterton | | | Charles Lowndes | |
| 1769 | | Thomas Thoroton | | | Charles Ambler | |
| 1774 | | Thomas Thoroton | | | Sir Henry Gough | |
| 1782 | | Hon. Henry Fitzroy Stanhope | | | Sir Henry Gough | |
| 1784 | | Daniel Pulteney | | | Sir Henry Gough | |
| 1788 | | Robert Hobart | | | Sir Henry Gough | |
| 1790 | | Thomas Coxhead | | | Sir Henry Gough | |
| 1796 | | Sir Charles Rouse-Boughton | | | James Adams | |
| 1800 | | John Henry Newbolt | | | James Adams | |
| 1802 | | George Manners-Sutton | | | Henry Jodrell | |
| 1804 | | Richard Norman | | | Henry Jodrell | |
| 1806 | | John Irving | | | Henry Jodrell | |
| 1812 | | John Irving | | | William Wilberforce | Independent |
| 1825 | | John Irving | | | Arthur Gough-Calthorpe | |
| 1826 | | John Irving | | | Frederick Gough-Calthorpe | |
| 1831 | | John Irving | | | William Stratford Dugdale | |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |
Notes
* ↑ Page 144 note 1, Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
* ↑ Son in law of Sir Thomas Shirley
* ↑ Bishopp and Onslow were initially elected but their election was declared void. Bishopp was barred from standing again, but Onslow was re-elected
* ↑ Expelled from the House of Commons, 1699, for holding an office incompatible with membership
* ↑ Expelled from the House of Commons, 1707, for his controversial writings on religion
* ↑ On petition, Middleton's election was declared void following a dispute over the franchise
* ↑ At the general election of 1708, Windsor and Shippen were initially declared re-elected, but on petition the election was declared void
* ↑ The Viscount Windsor was also elected for Monmouthshire, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Bramber
* ↑ On petition (a dispute over the franchise), Style was found not to have been duly elected, and a by-election was held
* ↑ On petition, Gumley was found not to have been duly elected, and a by-election was held
* ↑ Archer was also elected for Coventry, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Bramber
* ↑ The Earl Winterton from 1766
* ↑ At the election of 1768, Winterton and Lowndes were initially declared elected, but on petition the result was reversed and their opponents Thoroton and Ambler were seated instead
* ↑ Adopted the surname Calthorpe in 1788
* ↑ Sir Thomas Coxhead from 1793