# Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)

Bridgnorth was a parliamentary borough in Shropshire which was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1295 until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until its abolition in 1885.
It was represented by two burgesses until 1868, when it was reduced to one Member of Parliament (MP).

## Boundaries

According to the 1881 census, the borough of Bridgnorth comprised the parishes of Quatford, part of Quatt, St. Leonard and St Mary (in Bridgnorth town), Astley Abbotts, Eardingdon, Oldbury, Romsley and Tasley. This was smaller than the municipal borough, which only contained the first four.

## History

By the eighteenth century Bridgnorth had one of the widest franchises in England, consisting of "the burgesses and freement within and without the borough". There were more than a thousand voters in the contested elections of 1727, 1734 and 1741 although in 1920 it was noted as 700. Between 1661 and 1870 at least one of the MPs for Bridgnorth came from the Whitmore family.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1295–1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1388 (Feb) | John Farnales | William Palmer I |
| 1388 (Sep) | William Palmer I | William Goldsmith |
| 1390 (Jan) | William Palmer I | John Farnales |
| 1390 (Nov) | |
| 1391 | William Palmer I | Thomas Horde |
| 1393 | William Palmer I | John Farnales |
| 1394 | William Palmer I | John Farnales |
| 1395 | William Palmer I | John Farnales |
| 1397 (Jan) | William Palmer I | John Blockley |
| 1397 (Sep) | |
| 1399 | William Palmer I | Thomas Horde |
| 1402 | Hugh Harnage | John Bruyn |
| 1404 (Jan) | |
| 1404 (Oct) | |
| 1406 | Hugh Harnage | Walter Green |
| 1407 | Walter Green | John Cook |
| 1410 | ... Lange |
| 1411 | Thomas Hopton | Hugh Stanford |
| 1413 (Feb) | |
| 1413 (May) | Hugh Stanford | Thomas Green |
| 1414 (Apr) | Richard Parlour | Thomas Odyes |
| 1414 (Nov) | Richard Horde | Richard Parlour |
| 1415 | |
| 1416 (Mar) | Richard Horde | Richard Parlour |
| 1416 (Oct) | |
| 1417 | Richard Horde | Richard Parlour |
| 1419 | Richard Horde | Richard Parlour |
| 1420 | Richard Horde | William Stapeley |
| 1421 (May) | Thomas Green | Robert Aylesbury |
| 1421 (Dec) | Thomas Green | Richard Parlour |
| 1425 | John Bruyn |
| 1510-1523 | No names known |
| 1529 | Humphrey Goldston | George Hayward |
| 1536 | ? |
| 1539 | ? |
| 1542 | Edward Hall | William Grey |
| 1545 | Edward Hall | Henry Blount |
| 1547 | Roger Smith | John Pulley |
| 1553 (Mar) | Ambrose Gilberd | Roger Smith |
| 1553 (Oct) | Sir George Blount | Jerome Horde |
| 1554 (Apr) | Jerome Horde | William Acton |
| 1554 (Nov) | John Horde | Jerome Horde |
| 1555 | Jerome Horde | William Acton |
| 1558 | John Broke | Thomas Bromley |
| 1559 | Sir George Blount | Richard Prince |
| 1562–3 | John Broke | Edward Cordell |
| 1571 | Henry Townshend | Thomas Otley |
| 1572 | Henry Townshend | Thomas Seckford, died and replaced in 1580 by Edmund Molyneux |
| 1584 | Jerome Corbet | Walter Lee |
| 1586 | Edward Bromley | John Lutwich |
| 1588 | Edward Bromley | John Lutwich |
| 1593 | Edward Bromley | John Lutwich |
| 1597 | Edward Bromley | John Lutwich |
| 1601 | Thomas Horde | Edward Bromley |
| 1604 | Sir Lewis Lewknor | Edward Bromley, replaced by Francis Lacon |
| 1614 | John Pierse | Richard Singe |
| 1621-1622 | Sir John Hayward | William Whitmore |
| 1624 | Sir William Whitmore | George Smith |
| 1625 | Sir William Whitmore | George Vernon |
| 1626 | Sir Richard Shelton | George Vernon |
| 1628-1629 | Sir Richard Shelton | Sir George Paule |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |
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### MPs 1640–1868

| Elected | Elected | Elected | First member | First party | Second member | Second party |
| | | April 1640 | Edward Acton | Royalist | (Sir) Thomas Whitmore | |
| | | November 1640 | Edward Acton | Royalist | (Sir) Thomas Whitmore | Royalist |
| | | February 1644 | Acton and Whitmore disabled to sit - both seats vacant | Acton and Whitmore disabled to sit - both seats vacant | Acton and Whitmore disabled to sit - both seats vacant | Acton and Whitmore disabled to sit - both seats vacant |
| | | 1646 | Robert Clive | | Robert Charlton |
| | | December 1648 | Clive and Charlton not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge | Clive and Charlton not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge | Clive and Charlton not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge | Clive and Charlton not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge |
| | | 1653 | Bridgnorth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Bridgnorth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Bridgnorth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Bridgnorth was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament |
| | | 1654 | William Crown | | Bridgnorth had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bridgnorth had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| | | 1656 | Edmund Waring | | Bridgnorth had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Bridgnorth had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| | | January 1659 | Edmund Waring | | John Humphrys | |
| | | May 1659 | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump |
| | | April 1660 | Sir Walter Acton | | John Bennet | |
| | | 1661 | Sir William Whitmore, Bt | | John Bennet | |
| | | 1663 | Sir William Whitmore, Bt | | Sir Thomas Whitmore | |
| | | 1685 | Sir William Whitmore, Bt | | Roger Pope | |
| | | 1689 | Sir William Whitmore, Bt | | Sir Edward Acton, Bt | Tory |
| | | 1694 | Roger Pope | | Sir Edward Acton, Bt | Tory |
| | | 1702 | Sir Humphrey Brigges, Bt | | Sir Edward Acton, Bt | Tory |
| | | 1705 | Sir Humphrey Brigges, Bt | | William Whitmore | |
| | | 1710 | Whitmore Acton | | Richard Cresswell | Tory |
| | | 1713 | William Whitmore | | John Weaver | |
| | | 1725 | St John Charlton | | John Weaver | |
| | | 1734 | Thomas Whitmore | | Grey James Grove | |
| | | 1741 | Thomas Whitmore | | William Whitmore | |
| | | 1747 | Thomas Whitmore | | Arthur Weaver | |
| | | 1754 | Hon. John Grey | | William Whitmore | |
| | | 1768 | The Lord Pigot | | William Whitmore | |
| | | 1771 | The Lord Pigot | | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1778 | Hugh Pigot | Whig | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1784 | Isaac Hawkins Browne | Tory | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1795 | Isaac Hawkins Browne | Tory | John Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1806 | Isaac Hawkins Browne | Tory | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1812 | Hon. Charles Jenkinson | Tory | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1818 | Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt Jones | Tory | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1820 | William Wolryche-Whitmore | Whig | Thomas Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1831 | William Wolryche-Whitmore | Whig | James Foster | Whig |
| | | 1832 | Robert Pigot | Tory | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | Tory |
| | | 1834 | Robert Pigot | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | Conservative |
| | | 1837 | Henry Hanbury-Tracy | Whig | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | Conservative |
| | | 1838 by-election | Sir Robert Pigot | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | Conservative |
| | | 1852 | Sir Robert Pigot | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Conservative |
| | | 1853 by-election | John Pritchard | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Conservative |
| | | 1865 | John Pritchard | Conservative | Sir John Dalberg-Acton, Bt | Liberal |
| | | 1866 | John Pritchard | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Conservative |
| 1868 | 1868 | 1868 | Representation reduced to one Member | Representation reduced to one Member | Representation reduced to one Member | Representation reduced to one Member |
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### MPs 1868–1885

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1868 | Henry Whitmore | Conservative |
| 1870 by-election | William Henry Foster | Liberal |
| 1880 | William Henry Foster | Conservative |
| 1885 | Constituency abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act | Constituency abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act |
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## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Thomas Whitmore | 721 | 41.0 |
| | Whig | William Wolryche-Whitmore | 669 | 38.0 |
| | Tory | Richard Arkwright | 369 | 21.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 986 | 1,759 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 3.0 |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 300 | 17.0 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | |
General election 1831: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Whig | William Wolryche-Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Whig | James Foster | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
General election 1832: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Robert Pigot | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Tory | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 746 | | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
General election 1835: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | 490 | 38.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | 423 | 33.4 | N/A |
| | Whig | Henry Hanbury-Tracy | 353 | 27.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 70 | 5.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 698 | 88.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 791 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1837: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | 429 | 36.8 | −1.9 |
| | Whig | Henry Hanbury-Tracy | 371 | 31.8 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | 367 | 31.4 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 727 | 92.0 | +3.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 790 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 58 | 5.0 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4 | 0.4 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.9 | |
Hanbury-Tracy resigned, by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, after a petition was lodged against his election.
By-election, 20 February 1838: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | 496 | 39.3 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | 475 | 37.6 | +6.2 |
| | Whig | Frederick John Howard | 225 | 17.8 | +1.9 |
| | Whig | Nicholas Throckmorton | 66 | 5.2 | −10.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 250 | 19.8 | +14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 703 | 86.8 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 810 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +5.3 | |
General election 1847: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Charlton Whitmore | 611 | 44.7 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | 388 | 28.4 | −9.2 |
| | Radical | John Easthope | 368 | 26.9 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20 | 1.5 | −18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 684 (est) | 81.6 (est) | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 838 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.6 | |
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | 443 | 40.8 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | Robert Pigot | 360 | 33.1 | +4.7 |
| | Whig | Frederick William Cadogan | 283 | 26.1 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 77 | 7.0 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 685 (est) | 95.5 (est) | +13.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 717 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.6 | |
Pigot's election was declared void on petition due to bribery, causing a by-election.
By-election, 22 March 1853: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Pritchard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | John Pritchard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 678 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Whitmore was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 3 March 1858: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | John Pritchard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 708 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
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### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Bridgnorth (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Pritchard | 299 | 34.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Dalberg-Acton | 289 | 33.0 | New |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | 288 | 32.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 583 (est) | 94.9 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 614 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
On 22 March 1866, after scrutiny, Dalberg-Acton was unseated and Whitmore was duly elected in his place.
Whitmore was then appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 21 Jul 1866: Bridgnorth (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
The seat was reduced to one member for the 1868 election.
General election 1868: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Whitmore | 548 | 52.4 | −14.6 |
| | Liberal | John Dalberg-Acton | 497 | 47.6 | +14.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 51 | 4.8 | +3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,045 | 81.7 | −13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,279 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −14.6 | |
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### Elections in the 1870s

Whitmore resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 16 Feb 1870: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Henry Foster | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative |
General election 1874: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Henry Foster | 701 | 71.8 | +24.2 |
| | Conservative | George Barbour | 275 | 28.2 | −24.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 426 | 43.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 976 | 77.0 | −4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,267 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +24.2 | |
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### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Bridgnorth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Henry Foster | 641 | 66.6 | +38.4 |
| | Liberal | Edward Reid Vyvyan | 321 | 33.4 | −38.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 320 | 33.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 962 | 78.6 | +1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,224 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +38.4 | |
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