# West Kent (UK Parliament constituency)

West Kent (formally known as "Kent, Western") was a county constituency in Kent in South East England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

## History

The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election, and abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election.
All three two-member constituencies in Kent were abolished in 1885: East Kent, Mid Kent and West Kent. They were replaced by eight new single-member constituencies: Ashford, Dartford, Faversham, Isle of Thanet, Medway, St Augustine's, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge.

## Boundaries

1832–1868: The Lathes of Sutton-at-Hone and Aylesford, and the Lower Division of the Lathe of Scray.
1868–1885: The Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | 1st Member | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Member | 2nd Party |
| 1832 | | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig | | Thomas Rider | Whig |
| 1835 | | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig | | Sir William Geary, Bt | Conservative |
| 1838 by-election | | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| 1841 | | Viscount Marsham | Conservative | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| 1845 by-election | | Thomas Austen | Conservative | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| 1847 | | Thomas Law Hodges | Whig | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| 1852 | | William Masters Smith | Conservative | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| Feb 1857 by-election | | William Masters Smith | Conservative | | Charles Wykeham Martin | Peelite |
| Apr 1857 | | James Whatman | Radical | | Charles Wykeham Martin | Peelite |
| 1859 | | Viscount Holmesdale | Conservative | | Sir Edmund Filmer, Bt | Conservative |
| 1865 | | Viscount Holmesdale | Conservative | | William Hart Dyke | Conservative |
| 1868 | | Sir Charles Mills, Bt | Conservative | | John Gilbert Talbot | Conservative |
| 1878 by-election | | Sir Charles Mills, Bt | Conservative | | Viscount Lewisham | Conservative |
| 1885 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1832: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,364 | 37.5 |
| | Whig | Thomas Rider | 3,100 | 34.5 |
| | Tory | William Geary | 2,518 | 28.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 582 | 6.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,562 | 83.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,678 | |
| | 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 Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Geary | 2,558 | 38.4 | +10.4 |
| | Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 2,092 | 31.4 | −6.1 |
| | Whig | Thomas Rider | 2,007 | 30.1 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,549 | 66.4 | −16.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,850 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 551 | 8.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +10.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 85 | 1.3 | −5.2 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −5.7 | |
* Rider retired at the close of the first day's poll
General election 1837: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Geary | 3,584 | 35.3 | +16.1 |
| | Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,334 | 32.9 | −28.6 |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,229 | 31.8 | +12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,641 | 78.8 | +12.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,432 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 250 | 2.4 | −5.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +15.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 105 | 1.1 | −0.2 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −28.7 | |
Geary resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 5 March 1838: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Charles Marsham | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,089 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
Marsham succeeded to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Romney and causing a by-election.
By-election, 25 April 1845: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Austen | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,219 | 34.1 | N/A |
| | Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 3,127 | 33.2 | New |
| | Conservative | Thomas Austen | 3,082 | 32.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,278 (est) | 66.2 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,489 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 45 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,247 | 35.7 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative | William Masters Smith | 3,193 | 35.1 | +2.4 |
| | Whig | Thomas Law Hodges | 2,652 | 29.2 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 595 | 6.5 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 541 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,872 (est) | 62.6 (est) | −3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,379 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +1.5 | |
Filmer's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 16 February 1857: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,557 | 53.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Sir Walter Buchanan Riddell, 10th Baronet | 3,149 | 47.0 | −23.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 408 | 6.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,706 | 74.9 | +12.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,949 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1857: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,896 | 36.6 | N/A |
| | Radical | James Whatman | 3,578 | 33.6 | +4.4 |
| | Conservative | William Masters Smith | 3,171 | 29.8 | −41.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,323 (est) | 59.5 (est) | −3.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,949 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 725 | 6.8 | N/A |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 407 | 3.8 | N/A |
| | Radical gain from Conservative | Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.5 | |
General election 1859: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Amherst | 3,769 | 26.0 | +11.1 |
| | Conservative | Edmund Filmer | 3,684 | 25.4 | +10.5 |
| | Liberal | Charles Wykeham Martin | 3,584 | 24.7 | −11.9 |
| | Liberal | James Whatman | 3,460 | 23.9 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 309 | 2.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 100 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,249 (est) | 81.0 (est) | +21.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,949 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Swing | +11.0 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.7 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Amherst | 4,133 | 25.9 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | William Hart Dyke | 4,054 | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| | Liberal | John Lubbock | 3,896 | 24.4 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | William Angerstein | 3,861 | 24.2 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 158 | 1.0 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,972 (est) | 81.3 (est) | +0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,811 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.1 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.0 | |
General election 1868: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Mills | 3,440 | 25.8 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative | John Gilbert Talbot | 3,378 | 25.3 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal | John Lubbock | 3,323 | 24.9 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal | William Angerstein | 3,196 | 24.0 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 55 | 0.4 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,669 (est) | 75.5 (est) | −5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,828 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Mills | 5,295 | 30.7 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | John Gilbert Talbot | 5,227 | 30.3 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | Archibald Hamilton | 3,391 | 19.6 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal | Edward Marjoribanks | 3,346 | 19.4 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,836 | 10.6 | +10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,630 (est) | 72.1 (est) | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,973 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.1 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
Talbot resigned in order to contest the 1878 Oxford University by-election.
By-election, 15 May 1878: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Legge | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Mills | 6,413 | 35.2 | +4.5 |
| | Conservative | William Legge | 5,986 | 32.8 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal | Henry Mason Bompas | 4,857 | 26.6 | −12.4 |
| | Conservative Tenant Farmers | John May | 977 | 5.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,129 | 6.2 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,270 (est) | 75.8 (est) | +3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,873 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.4 | |
Legge was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 6 Jul 1885: West Kent :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Legge | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |