# Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)

Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.

## Members of Parliament
### 1295–1640

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1381 | William Burlestone | Thomas Raymond |
| 1386 | John Golde | Richard Golde |
| 1388 (Feb) | Ellis Beare | John Boys |
| 1388 (Sep) | Peter Hadley | John Brendon |
| 1390 (Jan) | John Selman I | John Lane |
| 1390 (Nov) | |
| 1391 | John Selman I | John Jaycock |
| 1393 | Thomas Branscombe | John Jaycock |
| 1394 | John Selman I | John Jaycock |
| 1395 | Thomas Norris II | John Jaycock |
| 1397 (Jan) | Thomas Norris II | William Selman I |
| 1397 (Sep) | |
| 1399 | |
| 1401 | |
| 1402 | Thomas Topcliffe | ...? More |
| 1404 (Jan) | |
| 1404 (Oct) | |
| 1406 | John Selman I | Thomas Prous |
| 1407 | William Isabel | Richard Hurston |
| 1410 | |
| 1411 | John Selman I | John Jaybien |
| 1413 (Feb) | |
| 1413 (May) | Thomas Barry | Roger Wyke |
| 1414 (Apr) | |
| 1414 (Nov) | John Selman II | John Serle |
| 1415 | |
| 1416 (Mar) | |
| 1416 (Oct) | |
| 1417 | |
| 1419 | |
| 1420 | William Selman II | John Selman II |
| 1421 (May) | William Selman II | John Selman II |
| 1421 (Dec) | William Selman II | John Selman II |
| 1425 | John Selman II |
| 1427 | John Selman II |
| 1431 | John Selman II |
| 1432 | John Selman II |
| 1433 | John Selman II |
| 1435 | John Selman II |
| 1467 | Thomas Fitzwilliam | |
| 1510–1523 | No names known |
| 1512 | Richard Strode I | ? |
| 1515 | ? |
| 1523 | ? |
| 1529 | Thomas Gregory | John Martin alias Honychurch I |
| 1536 | ? |
| 1539 | ? |
| 1542 | ? |
| 1545 | Edmund Sture | Adam Ralegh |
| 1547 | Thomas Dynham | Edward Darrell |
| 1553 (Mar) | Sir John Pollard | Richard Strode II |
| 1553 (Oct) | ?John Foster | Reginald Mohum |
| 1554 (Apr) | John Sparke | John Martin alias Honychurch II |
| 1554 (Nov) | Richard Calmady | William Strowbridge |
| 1555 | Sir William Courtenay | Sir Arthur Champernowne |
| 1558 | Thomas Southcote | ?Christopher Perne |
| 1558–9 | Sir Gawain Carew | Richard Strode II |
| 1562–3 | Nicholas Ogle | Thomas Percy, died and replaced 1566 by Edmund Wiseman |
| 1571 | Robert Guynes | Roger Hill |
| 1572 | Peter Osborne | William Strode |
| 1584 | John Hele | Hannibal Vyvyan |
| 1586 | Richard More | Jasper Cholmley |
| 1588 | Richard Grafton II | Edwin Sandys |
| 1593 | Edwin Sandys | Richard Southcote |
| 1597 | George Southcote | Edward Hancock |
| 1601 | Sir William Strode | John Hele |
| 1604 | Sir William Strode | Sir Henry Beaumont, replaced by John Hele |
| 1614 | Sampson Hele | Sir Warwick Hele |
| 1621–1622 | Sir William Strode | Sir Warwick Hele |
| 1624 | Sir Francis Drake | John Garret |
| 1625 | Sir William Strode | Sir Warwick Hele |
| 1626 | Sir William Strode | Sir Thomas Hele |
| 1628–1629 | Thomas Hele Bt | Sir James Bragge |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |

### 1640–1832

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | | Sir Thomas Hele | | | Sir Richard Strode Sir Nicholas Slanning (Double return) | |
| November 1640 | | Michael Oldisworth | Parliamentarian | | Sir Nicholas Slanning | Royalist |
| 1640 (?) | | Sir Thomas Hele | Royalist | | Hugh Potter | Parliamentarian |
| January 1644 | Hele disabled from sitting – seat vacant | Hele disabled from sitting – seat vacant | Hele disabled from sitting – seat vacant | | | | Hugh Potter | Parliamentarian |
| 1646 | | Christopher Martyn | | | Hugh Potter | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | | Christopher Martyn | | Potter excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant | Potter excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant | Potter excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant |
| 1653 | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Plympton Erle was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament and the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| January 1659 | | Christopher Martyn | | | Captain Henry Hatsell | |
| 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 | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump |
| April 1660 | | Christopher Martyn | | | Sir William Strode | |
| 1661 | | Thomas Hele | | | Sir William Strode | |
| 1666 | | Sir Edmund Fortescue | | | Sir William Strode | |
| 1667 | | Sir Nicholas Slanning | | | Sir William Strode | |
| 1677 | | Sir Nicholas Slanning | | | Sir George Treby | |
| February 1679 | | Richard Hillersdon | | | Sir George Treby | |
| August 1679 | | John Pollexfen | | | Sir George Treby | |
| 1685 | | Richard Strode | | | Sir Christopher Wren | |
| 1689 | | Sir George Treby | | | John Pollexfen | |
| March 1690 | | Richard Strode | | | George Parker | |
| April 1690 | | Sir George Treby | | | John Pollexfen | |
| 1692 | | Sir Thomas Trevor | | | John Pollexfen | |
| 1695 | | Sir Thomas Trevor | | | Courtenay Croker | |
| 1698 | | Martin Ryder | | | Courtenay Croker | |
| 1701 | | Richard Hele | | | Courtenay Croker | |
| 1702 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | Thomas Jervoise | |
| 1703 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | Richard Hele | |
| 1705 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | Sir John Cope | |
| 1708 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | George Treby | |
| 1728 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | John Fuller | |
| 1734 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | Thomas Clutterbuck | |
| 1735 | | Thomas Walker | | | Thomas Clutterbuck | |
| 1741 | | Richard Edgcumbe | Whig | | Thomas Clutterbuck | |
| May 1742 | | The Lord Sundon | | | Thomas Clutterbuck | |
| December 1742 | | The Lord Sundon | | | Hon. Richard Edgcumbe | |
| July 1747 | | Hon. George Edgcumbe | | | Hon. Richard Edgcumbe | |
| December 1747 | | (Sir) William Baker | | | George Treby | |
| 1761 | | (Sir) William Baker | | | George Hele Treby | |
| 1763 | | (Sir) William Baker | | | Paul Henry Ourry | |
| 1768 | | William Baker | | | Paul Henry Ourry | |
| 1774 | | Sir Richard Philipps, Bt | | | Paul Henry Ourry | |
| 1775 | | Sir Richard Philipps, Bt | | | John Durand | |
| 1779 | | William Fullarton | | | John Durand | |
| September 1780 | | Viscount Cranborne | | | Sir Ralph Payne | |
| November 1780 | | Hon. James Stuart | | | Sir Ralph Payne | |
| April 1784 | | Paul Treby Ourry | | | John Stephenson | |
| August 1784 | | John Pardoe | | | John Stephenson | |
| 1790 | | The Earl of Carhampton | Tory | | Philip Metcalfe | |
| 1794 | | William Manning | | | Philip Metcalfe | |
| 1796 | | William Adams | | | William Mitchell | |
| 1799 | | William Adams | | | Richard Hankey | |
| 1801 | | Sylvester Douglas, Lord Glenbervie | | | Richard Hankey | |
| 1802 | | Edward Golding | | | Philip Metcalfe | |
| 1806 | | Viscount Castlereagh | | | Sir Stephen Lushington | |
| 1807 | | Viscount Castlereagh | | | Hon. William Harbord | |
| 1810 | | Viscount Castlereagh | | | Henry Drummond | |
| October 1812 | | Ranald George Macdonald | | | George Duckett | |
| December 1812 | | Ranald George Macdonald | | | William Douglas | |
| 1816 | | Ranald George Macdonald | | | Alexander Boswell | Tory |
| 1821 | | Ranald George Macdonald | | | William Gill Paxton | Independent |
| 1824 | | John Henry North | Tory | | William Gill Paxton | Independent |
| June 1826 | | George Edgcumbe | Tory | | Gibbs Antrobus | Tory |
| December 1826 | | Sir Charles Wetherell | Ultra-Tory | | Gibbs Antrobus | Tory |
| August 1830 | | Viscount Valletort | Tory | | Gibbs Antrobus | Tory |
| December 1830 | | Sir Compton Domvile | Tory | | Gibbs Antrobus | Tory |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections

Elections in Plympton Erle were normally uncontested. The only contest between the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 and the abolition of the borough in 1832 was at the general election of 1802.
General election 1802: Plympton Erle (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | N/A | Edward Golding | 12 | 37.5 |
| | N/A | Philip Metcalfe | 12 | 37.5 |
| | N/A | Captain Palmer | 8 | 25.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4 | 12.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32 | |