# Western Division of Suffolk

The Western Division of Suffolk was a county constituency in Suffolk, England. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the bloc vote system of election.

## History

The seat was created under the Reform Act 1832 as one of two divisions, together with the Eastern Division, of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk. This resulted in a more representative allocation, with a total of four MPs instead of two for the former entire county at large, which still allowed for double voting (or more) of those Forty Shilling Freeholders who also were householders or landlords of any particular boroughs within the county. This Act retained the four largest boroughs of the seven before 1832.
With two heirs to their title serving the seat, the Marquesses of Bristol, the Hervey family, were major landowners in the county. The modern seat is at Ickworth, with part of its grand house now being a luxury hotel.
Further sweeping changes took place as a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which saw the 2 two-member Suffolk divisions being replaced by five single-member constituencies. The Western Division was largely replaced by the North-Western or Stowmarket Division and the Southern or Sudbury Division. A small area in the east was included in the North-Eastern or Eye Division.

## Boundaries

1832–1885: The Liberty of Bury St. Edmund's, and the Hundreds of Hartesmere, and Stow.

## MPs

| Election | Member | Member | Party | Member | Member | Party |
| 1832 | | Charles Tyrell | Whig | | Sir Hyde Parker, Bt | Whig |
| 1835 | | Henry Wilson | Whig | | Robert Rushbrooke | Conservative |
| 1837 | | Robert Hart Logan | Conservative | | Robert Rushbrooke | Conservative |
| 1838 by-election | | Harry Spencer Waddington | Conservative | | Robert Rushbrooke | Conservative |
| 1845 by-election | | Harry Spencer Waddington | Conservative | | Philip Bennet | Conservative |
| 1859 | | Frederick Hervey | Conservative | | William Parker | Conservative |
| 1864 by-election | | Lord Augustus Hervey | Conservative | | William Parker | Conservative |
| June 1875 by-election | | Fuller Maitland Wilson | Conservative | | William Parker | Conservative |
| October 1875 by-election | | Thomas Thornhill | Conservative | | William Parker | Conservative |
| 1880 | | Thomas Thornhill | Conservative | | William Biddell | Conservative |
| 1885 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Charles Tyrell | 1,832 | 38.4 |
| | Whig | Hyde Parker | 1,664 | 34.9 |
| | Tory | Harry Spencer Waddington | 1,272 | 26.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 392 | 8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,920 | 87.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,326 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
General election 1835: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Wilson | 1,723 | 27.6 | −10.8 |
| | Conservative | Robert Rushbrooke | 1,655 | 26.5 | +13.2 |
| | Conservative | Robert Hart Logan | 1,509 | 24.2 | +10.9 |
| | Whig | John Turner Hales | 1,350 | 21.6 | −13.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,256 | 87.3 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,731 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 68 | 1.1 | −7.1 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −11.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 146 | 2.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +12.6 | |
General election 1837: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Hart Logan | 2,217 | 29.7 | +5.5 |
| | Conservative | Robert Rushbrooke | 2,173 | 29.1 | +2.6 |
| | Whig | Henry Bunbury | 1,560 | 20.9 | −0.7 |
| | Whig | Henry Wilson | 1,505 | 20.2 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 613 | 8.2 | +5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,810 | 76.8 | −10.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,959 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +3.3 | |
Logan's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 7 May 1838: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Harry Spencer Waddington | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Spencer Waddington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Robert Rushbrooke | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,091 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Rushbrooke's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 7 July 1845: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Philip Bennet | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Spencer Waddington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Philip Bennet | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,913 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Spencer Waddington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Philip Bennet | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,379 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Spencer Waddington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Philip Bennet | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,084 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frederick Hervey | 1,958 | 42.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | William Parker | 1,379 | 29.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Philip Bennet | 1,300 | 28.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 79 | 1.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,319 (est) | 55.6 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,172 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

Hervey succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Marquess of Bristol and causing a by-election.
By-election, 8 December 1864: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Augustus Hervey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1865: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Augustus Hervey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Parker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,269 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Parker | 2,500 | 37.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Augustus Hervey | 2,389 | 36.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Lamport | 1,705 | 25.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 684 | 10.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,150 (est) | 74.3 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,583 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Augustus Hervey | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | William Parker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,949 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Hervey's death caused a by-election.
June 1875 West Suffolk by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Fuller Maitland Wilson | 2,780 | 72.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Easton | 1,061 | 27.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,719 | 44.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,841 | 66.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,811 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Wilson's death caused a by-election.
October 1875 West Suffolk by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Thornhill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Suffolk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Biddell | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Thomas Thornhill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,700 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |