Commons 1715-1754

The chief interests in Dover were those of the Whig corporation; of the Government, based on the local customs and admiralty services; of the Duke of Dorset, for most of the period lord warden of the Cinque Ports; and of two neighbouring rival Whig families, the Papillons and the Furneses. In 1715 Philip Papillon, who had sat for Dover since 1701, was returned unopposed with another Whig, Admiral Aylmer, M.P. Dover 1697-1713. On Aylmer’s death the Duke of Dorset put up George Berkeley, who wrote to his brother, then first lord of the Admiralty, August 1720:

York was a large independent borough, returning wealthy Yorkshire landowners, usually with civic connexions. Outstanding among these were the Robinsons of Newby and the Thompsons of Marston, who between them virtually monopolized one of the York seats from the Restoration to Walpole’s fall. The corporation and the archbishop had a considerable influence. Contested elections were very expensive: in 1746 Sir Thomas Robinson, on being invited to put up for York on his family’s interest

Thirsk was a complete pocket borough, belonging to the Franklands of Thirkleby.

In 1715 the chief interests at Scarborough were in John Hungerford, a Tory lawyer, and William Thompson, a Whig country gentleman, who shared the representation of the borough without opposition from 1702 to 1722. The Government had a considerable influence from the customs and the ordnance.

At George I’s accession the sitting Members for Ripon were John Aislabie of Studley Royal, Whig, and his relation by marriage, John Sharpe, son of the Archbishop of York, a Tory, who had shared the representation without opposition since 1705. In 1715 Aislabie owned about 40 burgages, having spent over £5000 on purchases, while Sharpe owned 11 out of some 180. At the general election that year Sharpe was defeated by Lord Castlecomer, a neighbouring Whig landowner, supported by Aislabie, who headed the poll.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century the chief interests in Richmond were those of Lord Wharton and the Yorkes of Richmond, who shared the representation. After Wharton’s death, Lord Holdernesse, the head of the Whig interest in the North Riding, put up his brother, Conyers Darcy, with a promise from Lord Sunderland ‘to procure a thousand pounds as an inducement to Mr. Yorke to come into our interest’.Conyers Darcy to Newcastle, 29 May 1721, Sunderland (Blenheim) mss. On 21 Oct. 1721 Holdernesse reported to Sunderland:

Under George I about half the Pontefract burgages were owned by a few local families, of whom the chief were the Lowthers of Swillington (60), the Moncktons (10), and the Winns (10), Whig; the Blands (40), the Dawnays (20), and the Franks (20), Tory. In 1715 the former Members, John Dawnay and Robert Frank, were re-elected, but on petition the seats were awarded to Sir William Lowther and his friend, Hugh Bethell, on the ground that the mayor, Frank’s uncle, had as returning officer wrongfully rejected a number of their votes.

Northallerton was controlled by two neighbouring Whig families, the Peirses and the Smelts, who owned most of the burgages. Each returned one Member till 1745, when the Smelts were bought out by Henry Lascelles, who thenceforth shared the borough with the Peirses.

Malton, like Higham Ferrers, was controlled by Thomas Wentworth, who in 1713 bought the manor of Malton, comprising most of the town and surrounding country, and carrying with it the appointment of the returning officer.E. A. Smith, ‘Earl Fitzwilliam and Malton’, EHR, lxxx.