# Appleby (UK Parliament constituency)

Appleby was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Westmorland in England. It existed for two separate periods: from 1295 to 1832, and from 1885 to 1918.
Appleby was enfranchised as parliamentary borough in 1295, and abolished by the Great Reform Act 1832. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) using the bloc vote system. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until the Acts of Union 1707, in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. Its best-known MP was William Pitt the Younger who became prime minister in 1783 at the age of 24.
For the 1885 general election the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 created a county constituency of the same name, which returned a single MP elected by the first-past-the-post system. The county constituency was abolished at the 1918 general election.

## History
### The borough (1295–1832)

The parliamentary borough of Appleby consisted of the town of Appleby, the county town of Westmorland, and was consistently represented in the House of Commons from the Model Parliament of 1295 until the Reform Act 1832.
The right to vote rested with the occupiers of around a hundred burgage tenements. By the 18th century, the majority of the burgages were owned by the Lowther and Tufton families, which enabled them to put in reliable tenants at election time and ensure their complete control of who was elected. The seats were frequently kept for members of those families, but Appleby's other representatives included William Pitt the Younger, who was MP for Appleby when he became prime minister in 1783 (although he stood down at the following general election when he was instead elected for Cambridge University).
A later member for Appleby was Viscount Howick, subsequently (as Earl Grey) the Prime Minister whose administration passed the Great Reform Act 1832; but Grey's history as a former MP for the town did not save it from losing both its members under the act. Appleby was regarded as a classic example of a pocket borough, completely in the control of its owners who were also the major local landowners, and with a population of only 1,233 at the 1831 census unlikely to be freed from their influence even by widening the franchise. Nevertheless, as the only county town to be disfranchised, Appleby was one of the more controversial cases in the debates on the reform bill, the opposition making unsuccessful attempts to amend the bill so as to save at least one of its MPs.
After abolition the borough was absorbed into the Westmorland county constituency.

### The county constituency (1885–1918)

The Appleby constituency created for the 1885 election was, in full, "The Appleby or Northern Division of Westmorland", and was sometimes referred to as Westmorland North. It consisted of the whole of the northern half of the county, including the towns of Ambleside, Grasmere and Kirkby Stephen. It was abolished at the 1918 general election, the whole county henceforth being united in a single Westmorland constituency.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1295–1660

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1382 | William Soulby | |
| 1385 | William Soulby | |
| 1386 | Robert Overdo I | John Overdo |
| 1388 (Feb) | William Soulby | Adam Crosby |
| 1388 (Sep) | |
| 1390 (Jan) | |
| 1390 (Nov) | |
| 1391 | William Soulby | John Sowerby |
| 1393 | |
| 1394 | |
| 1395 | Robert Gare | William Savage |
| 1397 (Jan) | John Helton | John Sowerby |
| 1397 (Sep) | Christopher Curwen | Thomas Chamberlain |
| 1399 | Thomas Warcop | William Crackenthorpe I |
| 1401 | |
| 1402 | Robert Gare | Robert Overdo II |
| 1404 (Jan) | |
| 1404 (Oct) | |
| 1406 | John Ninezergh | William Crackenthorpe II |
| 1407 | John Sagher | John Pray |
| 1410 | |
| 1411 | John Helton | John Sowerby |
| 1413 (Feb) | |
| 1413 (May) | Robert Sandford | Thomas Stockdale |
| 1414 (Apr) | |
| 1414 (Nov) | Robert Crackenthorpe | John Birkrig |
| 1415 | Roland Thornburgh | John Birkrig |
| 1416 (Mar) | Richard Bristowe | Thomas Manningham |
| 1416 (Oct) | |
| 1417 | Thomas Stockdale | John Birkrig |
| 1419 | Richard Wharton | Thomas Pety |
| 1420 | William Lowther | Nicholas Stanshawe |
| 1421 (May) | William Scalby | Nicholas Stanshawe |
| 1421 (Dec) | John Booth | Nicholas Stanshawe 1436-1427 Thomas Wharton |
| 1510–1523 | No names known |
| 1529 | Sir Richard Tempest | Sir Thomas Wharton |
| 1536 | ? |
| 1539 | ? |
| 1542 | Cuthbert Horsley | Thomas Jolye |
| 1545 | Thomas Jolye | Robert Wheatley |
| 1547 | Thomas Jolye, died and replaced Jan 1552 by George Clifford | Robert Wheatley |
| 1553 (Mar) | ? |
| 1553 (Oct) | George Clifford | James Bankes |
| 1554 (Apr) | John Eltoftes | William Danby |
| 1554 (Nov) | John Eltoftes | William Danby |
| 1555 | ? |
| 1558 | John Eltoftes | Nicholas Purslow |
| 1559 (Jan) | John Eltoftes | Christopher Monckton |
| 1562/3 | Christopher Monckton | Robert Atkinson |
| 1571 | John Layton | Richard Wroth |
| 1572 (Apr) | George Frevile | Robert Bowes |
| 1584 (Nov) | George Ireland | Henry Macwilliam |
| 1586 | James Ryther | Robert Constable |
| 1588 | Laurence Lister | Thomas Musgrave Robert Warcop Anthony Felton Election declared void, 11 Feb 1589 |
| 1589 | Ralph Bowes | Thomas Posthumous Hoby |
| 1593 | Thomas Posthumous Hoby | Cuthbert Reynolds |
| 1597 (Sep) | James Colbrand | John Lyly |
| 1601 (Oct) | John Morice | Thomas Caesar |
| 1604 | John Morice | Sir William Bowyer |
| 1614 | Sir George Savile, junior | Sir Henry Wotton |
| 1621 | Sir Arthur Ingram | Thomas Hughes |
| 1624 | Sir Arthur Ingram | Thomas Hughes |
| 1625 | Sir John Hotham sat for Beverley – not replaced | Thomas Hughes |
| 1626 | Sir William Slingsby | William Ashton |
| 1628 | William Ashton | Richard Lowther |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments convened | No Parliaments convened |
| 1640 (Apr) | Richard Boyle | Richard Lowther |
| 1640 (Nov) | Sir John Brooke (Royalist) – disabled March 1643 | Richard Boyle (Royalist) ennobled, September 1642 |
| 1645 | Richard Salwey | Henry Ireton |
| 1648 | Richard Salwey | Henry Ireton died November 1651 |
| 1653 | Appleby unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament |
| 1654 | Appleby unrepresented in the First Parliament of the Protectorate | Appleby unrepresented in the First Parliament of the Protectorate |
| 1656 | Appleby unrepresented in the Second Parliament of the Protectorate | Appleby unrepresented in the Second Parliament of the Protectorate |
| 1659 | Adam Baynes | Nathaniel Redding |

### MPs 1660–1832

| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party |
| 1660 | Sir Henry Cholmley | | Christopher Clapham | |
| 1661 | John Lowther | | John Dalston | |
| 1668 | Thomas Tufton | Tory | John Dalston | |
| 1679 | Richard Tufton | | Anthony Lowther | |
| January 1681 | Sackville Tufton | | Anthony Lowther | |
| February 1681 | Sackville Tufton | | Sir John Bland | |
| 1685 | Sackville Tufton | | Philip Musgrave | |
| January 1689 | Richard Lowther | | Philip Musgrave | |
| July 1689 | Richard Lowther | | William Cheyne | |
| 1690 | Hon. Charles Boyle | | William Cheyne | |
| 1694 | Sir John Walter | | William Cheyne | |
| 1695 | Sir William Twysden | | Sir Christopher Musgrave | |
| 1697 | Sir John Walter | | Sir Christopher Musgrave | |
| 1698 | Sir John Walter | | Gervase Pierrepont | |
| 1701 | Wharton Dunch | | Gervase Pierrepont | |
| 1702 | James Grahme | | Gervase Pierrepont | |
| 1705 | James Grahme | | William Harvey | |
| 1708 | Nicholas Lechmere | | Edward Duncombe | |
| 1710 | Thomas Lutwyche | | Edward Duncombe | |
| 1713 | Thomas Lutwyche | | Sir Richard Sandford, Bt. | |
| 1722 | Sackville Tufton | Tory | Sir Richard Sandford, Bt. | |
| 1723 by-election | Sackville Tufton | Tory | James Lowther | Whig |
| 1727 by-election | Sackville Tufton | Tory | John Ramsden | Ind. Whig |
| 1730 by-election | Walter Plumer | Whig | John Ramsden | Ind. Whig |
| 1741 | George Dodington | Whig | John Ramsden | Ind. Whig |
| 1742 by-election | Sir Charles Wyndham, Bt | | John Ramsden | Ind. Whig |
| 1747 | Randle Wilbraham | | John Ramsden | Ind. Whig |
| 1754 | William Lee | | Philip Honywood | |
| 1756 by-election | Fletcher Norton | | Philip Honywood | |
| 1761 | John Stanwix | | Philip Honywood | |
| 1767 by-election | Charles Jenkinson | Whig | Philip Honywood | |
| 1773 by-election | Fletcher Norton the younger | | Philip Honywood | |
| 1774 | George Johnstone | Independent | Philip Honywood | |
| 1780 | William Lowther | Tory | Philip Honywood | |
| 1781 by-election | Hon. William Pitt | Whig | Philip Honywood | |
| 1784 | Hon. John Leveson-Gower | | Richard Penn | |
| 1790 | Hon. Robert Jenkinson | Tory | Richard Ford | Tory |
| January 1791 by-election | Hon. William Grimston | | Richard Ford | Tory |
| May 1791 by-election | Hon. William Grimston | | Hon. John Rawdon | |
| 1796 | Hon. John Tufton | | John Courtenay | |
| 1799 by-election | Robert Adair | Whig | John Courtenay | |
| 1802 | Sir Philip Francis | Whig | John Courtenay | |
| May 1807 | Charles Grey | Whig | James Cuthbert | Whig |
| July 1807 by-election | Nicholas Ridley-Colborne | Whig | James Cuthbert | Whig |
| October 1812 | James Lowther | Tory | John Courtenay | Whig |
| December 1812 by-election | James Lowther | Tory | George Tierney | Whig |
| 1818 | George Fludyer | Tory | Lucius Concannon | Whig |
| 1819 by-election | Adolphus Dalrymple | Tory | Lucius Concannon | Whig |
| March 1820 | Adolphus Dalrymple | Tory | George Tierney | Whig |
| May 1820 by-election | Adolphus Dalrymple | Tory | Thomas Creevey | Whig |
| 1826 | Hon. Henry Tufton | Whig | James Maitland | Tory |
| May 1832 by-election | Charles Henry Foster Barham | Whig | James Maitland | Tory |
| 1832 | constituency abolished by the Great Reform Act | constituency abolished by the Great Reform Act | constituency abolished by the Great Reform Act | constituency abolished by the Great Reform Act |

#### Notes

* ↑ The by-election in 1723 was due to the death of Sir Richard Sandford, Bt.
* ↑ The by-election in 1730 was due to Tufton succeeding to the peerage as Earl of Thanet.
* 1 2 In 1741, Dodington was also elected for Bridgwater, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.
* 1 2 At the 1754 election, Lee and Honywood defeated Sir John Ramsden and Fletcher Norton, but this election was subsequently declared void and a by-election held in February 1756, at which Norton rather than Lee was elected.
* ↑ The 1767 by-election was due to the death of Stanwix, who was drowned while returning from Ireland.
* ↑ The 1773 by-election was due to the resignation of Jenkinson.
* 1 2 In 1780, Lowther was also elected for Carlisle, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby, causing a by-election in 1781.
* 1 2 Jenkinson was also elected for Rye, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.
* ↑ The May 1791 by-election was caused by the resignation of Richard Ford.
* ↑ The 1799 by-election was caused by the death of Hon. John Tufton.
* ↑ The July 1807 by-election was caused by the resignation of Charles Grey to contest a vacancy in Tavistock.
* ↑ The December 1812 by-election was caused by the resignation of John Courtenay.
* ↑ The 1819 by-election was caused by the resignation of George Fludyer.
* 1 2 Tierney was also elected for Knaresborough, which he chose to represent, and never sat for Appleby.
* ↑ The by-election in May 1832 was due to Henry Tufton succeeding to the peerage as Earl of Thanet.

### MPs 1885–1918

| Year | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Hon. William Lowther | Conservative |
| 1892 | Sir Joseph Savory | Conservative |
| 1900 | Richard Rigg | Liberal |
| 1905 | Leif Jones | Liberal |
| 1910 | Lancelot Sanderson | Conservative |
| 1915 | Cecil Lowther | Conservative |
| 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results 1885–1918
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Lowther | 2,694 | 50.1 | |
| | Liberal | James Whitehead | 2,684 | 49.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 0.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,378 | 89.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,022 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Lowther | 2,748 | 51.8 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal | James Whitehead | 2,562 | 48.2 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 3.6 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,310 | 88.2 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,022 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joseph Savory | 2,963 | 56.8 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | Alfred Charles Tufton | 2,256 | 43.2 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 707 | 13.6 | +10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,219 | 80.5 | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,481 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
General election 1895: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joseph Savory | 2,950 | 58.7 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | Theodore Wilfrid Fry | 2,077 | 41.3 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 873 | 17.4 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,027 | 79.6 | −0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,316 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Rigg | 2,835 | 55.7 | +14.4 |
| | Conservative | Joseph Savory | 2,256 | 44.3 | −14.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 579 | 11.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,091 | 75.5 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,744 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +14.4 | |
1905 Appleby by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Leif Jones | 2,922 | 52.0 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative | George Noble | 2,702 | 48.0 | +3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 220 | 4.0 | −7.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,624 | 84.3 | +8.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,670 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.7 | |
General election 1906: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Leif Jones | 2,890 | 50.1 | −5.6 |
| | Conservative | Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice | 2,882 | 49.9 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8 | 0.2 | −11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,785 | 88.4 | +8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,528 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −5.6 | |
* Figures are those following a recount

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lancelot Sanderson | 3,335 | 53.8 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal | Leif Jones | 2,868 | 46.2 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 467 | 7.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,203 | 93.2 | +4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,656 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.9 | |
General election December 1910: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lancelot Sanderson | 3,258 | 54.9 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal | Philip Wilson | 2,679 | 45.1 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 579 | 9.8 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,937 | 89.2 | −4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,656 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1 | |
General Election 1914/15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist: Lancelot Sanderson
* Liberal:
1915 Appleby by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Cecil Lowther (politician) | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |

## Election results before 1832
### Elections in the 1830s

By-election, 24 May 1832: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Charles Henry Foster Barham | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 99 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
* Caused by Tufton's succession to the peerage, becoming 11th Earl of Thanet
General election, 3 May 1831: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Henry Tufton | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Tory | James Maitland | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 99 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election, 5 August 1830: Appleby :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Whig | Henry Tufton | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tory | James Maitland | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |

## Elections in the 18th century

Election results taken from the History of Parliament Trust series.
General election 1715: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Thomas Lutwyche | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | Richard Sandford | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 1722: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Sackville Tufton | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | Richard Sandford | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
* Death of Sandford
By-election 2 May 1723: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | James Lowther | 99 | 53.80 | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | Trevor Hill | 85 | 46.20 | N/A |
General election 1727: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Sackville Tufton | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | John Ramsden | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
* Succession of Tufton as 7th Earl of Thanet
By-election 24 January 1730: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Walter Plumer | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 1734: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Walter Plumer | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | John Ramsden | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 1741: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | George Dodington | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | John Ramsden | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
* Dodington chose to sit for Bridgwater
By-election 1 January 1742: Appleby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Charles Wyndham | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 1747: Appleby (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Non Partisan | Randle Wilbraham | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Non Partisan | John Ramsden | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |