Dunwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Dunwich was a parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

 in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

, one of the most notorious of all the rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....

s. It elected two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MPs) to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 from 1298 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act.

History

In medieval times, when Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...

 was first accorded representation in Parliament, it was a flourishing port and market town about thirty miles from Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

. However, by 1670 the sea had encroached upon the town, destroying the port and swallowing up all but a few houses so that nothing was left but a tiny village. The borough had once consisted of eight parishes, but all that was left was part of the parish of All Saints, Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...

 - which by 1831 had a population of 232, and only 44 houses ("and half a church", as Oldfield recorded in 1816).

In fact, this made Dunwich by no means the smallest of England's rotten boroughs, but the symbolism of two Members of Parliament representing a constituency that was essentially underwater captured the imagination and made Dunwich one of the most frequently-mentioned examples of the absurdities of the unreformed system.

The right to vote was exercised by the freemen
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...

 of the borough. Originally, these freemen could vote even if they did not live in the borough, and at times this was abused as elsewhere, notably in 1670 when 500 non-resident freemen were created to swamp the resident voters. From 1709, however, by a resolution of the House of Commons, the franchise was restricted to resident freemen who were not receiving alms. By the 19th century, the maximum number of freemen had been set at 32, of whom the two "patrons", Lord Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baron Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baron Huntingfield , known as Sir Joshua Vanneck, 3rd Baronet, from 1791 to 1796, was a British merchant and Member of Parliament....

 and Snowdon Barne, could nominate eight each, so that between them they controlled half of the votes and needed only one other voter to gain control of elections.

Earlier, in the 1760s, Sir Jacob Downing had been the sole patron, but in theory he also was considered to have only influence, rather than the absolute power to dictate the choice of the Members. Unsurprisingly, in 1754 Downing was able to occupy one seat himself and sell the choice of the other member to the Duke of Newcastle
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC was a British Whig statesman, whose official life extended throughout the Whig supremacy of the 18th century. He is commonly known as the Duke of Newcastle.A protégé of Sir Robert Walpole, he served...

 (then Prime Minister) for £1,000; it is not recorded whether he needed to share some of this largesse with his co-operative voters.

Dunwich was abolished as a constituency in 1832, when what remained of the village became part of the new Eastern Suffolk county division.

Before 1660

ParliamentFirst memberSecond member
1306 Robert Codoun
1332 Geoffrey Codoun
1373 Peter Codoun
1383 Peter Codoun
1386 Peter Cuddon I Hugh Thorpe
1388 (Feb) Augustine Knight William Woodward
1388 (Sep) Peter Cuddon I John Bagge
1390 (Jan) Peter Cuddon I Robert Runton
1390 (Nov)
1391 Robert Runton William Havene
1393 Robert Cook Augustine Knight
1394
1395 Robert Cuddon I William Chock
1397 (Jan) Peter Helmeth Nicholas Goodber
1397 (Sep)
1399 Peter Cuddon II Peter Helmeth
1401
1402
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406
1407
1410 Peter Cuddon II William Barber
1411 Richard Griston Thomas Clerk
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Thomas Clerk Thomas Brantham
1414 (Apr) Nicholas Barber Philip Canon
1414 (Nov) Thomas James Philip Canon
1415
1416 (Mar)
1416 (Oct) John Luke Philip Canon
1417
1419 Nicholas Barber Philip Canon
1420 John Luke Richard Russell
1421 (May) William Barber Robert Cuddon II
1421 (Dec) John Luke Nicholas Barber
1510-1523 No names known
1529 Sir William Rous Christopher Jenney
1536 ?
1539 ?
1542 Robert Browne George Coppyn
1545 Robert Browne Robert Coppyn
1547 Robert Coppyn John Harrison alias Hall died and
was repl. Nov 1548 by
Thomas Heydon
1553 (Mar) Francis Yaxley
Francis Yaxley
Francis Yaxley was an English politician and conspirator.-Life:Yaxley was the eldest son of Richard Yaxley of Mellis, Suffolk, by his wife Anne, daughter of Roger Austin of Earlsham, Suffolk...

Robert Coppyn
1553 (Oct) Robert Coppyn Nicholas Hasborough
1554 (Apr) Robert Browne George Jerningham
1554 (Nov) Sir Edmund Rous Robert Coppyn
1555 George Saxmundham Andrew Green
1558 Thomas Pycto John Browne
1558/9 Sir Edmund Rous Gregory Coppyn
1562/3 Robert Hare Robert Coppyn
1571 William Humberstone Arthur Hopton
1572 Robert Coppyn, died
and repl.1576 by
Godfrey Foljambe
Richard Sone
1584 Walter Dunch Anthony Wingfield
1586 Anthony Wingfield Arthur Melles
1588 Edward Honing Walter Dunch
1593 Henry Savile Thomas Corbet
1597 Arthur Atye Clipsby Gawdy
1601 John Suckling
John Suckling (politician)
Sir John Suckling was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1626.Suckling was the son of Robert Suckling mayor and MP of Norwich and his wife Elizabeth Barwick, daughter of William Barwick. He entered Gray's Inn on 22 May 1590. He was elected...

Francis Myngate
1604 Sir Valentine Knightley Philip Gawdy
1614 Philip Gawdy Henry Dade
1621 Clement Coke Thomas Bedingfield
1624 Sir John Rous Sir Robert Brook
1625 Sir Robert Rous Sir Robert Brook
1626 Sir John Rous Thomas Bedingfield
1628 Sir Robert Brook Francis Winterton
1629–1640 No Parliaments summoned

1660-1832

YearFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1640 (Apr) Henry Coke
Henry Coke
Henry Coke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1642.Coke was the son of Sir Edward Coke Lord Chief Justice, of Thorington, Suffolk. He was admitted at Queens' College, Cambridge on 18 August 1607....

Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648.Bedingfield was the son of Thomas Bedingfield of Ditchingfield Norfolk and his wife Dorothy Southwell...

1640 (Nov) Henry Coke
Henry Coke
Henry Coke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1624 and 1642.Coke was the son of Sir Edward Coke Lord Chief Justice, of Thorington, Suffolk. He was admitted at Queens' College, Cambridge on 18 August 1607....

- disabled
Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648.Bedingfield was the son of Thomas Bedingfield of Ditchingfield Norfolk and his wife Dorothy Southwell...

1645 Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield
Anthony Bedingfield was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648.Bedingfield was the son of Thomas Bedingfield of Ditchingfield Norfolk and his wife Dorothy Southwell...

Gen. Robert Brewster
1648 (Rump) Gen. Robert Brewster One seat only
1653 (Barebones) Dunwich not represented in Barebones Parliament
1654 (1st Protectorate) Gen. Robert Brewster One seat only
1656 (2nd Protectorate) Francis Brewster One seat only
1658 (3rd Protectorate) Robert Brewster
Robert Brewster
Robert Brewster is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played for Ball State as they achieved a national ranking in 2008 for the first time in school history...

John Barrington
1660 Sir John Rous
Sir John Rous, 1st Baronet
Sir John Rous, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1670.Rous was the son of Sir John Rous of Henham Hall and his wife Elizabeth Yelverton, daughter of Sir Christopher Yelverton, Lord Chief Justice.In 1660, Rous was elected Member of Parliament for...

Henry Bedingfield
Henry Bedingfield (judge)
Sir Henry Bedingfield was an English barrister, who was briefly Chief Justice of the Common Pleas at the end of his life.-Early life and family:...

1661 Richard Coke
1670 Sir John Pettus
1671 William Wood
1678 Thomas Allin
February 1679 Sir Philip Skippon
September 1679 Sir Robert Kemp
1685 Roger North
Roger North (17th century)
Roger North, KC , English lawyer, biographer, and amateur musician, was the sixth son of t he fourth Baron North....

Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

Thomas Knyvett
Thomas Knyvett, 7th Baron Berners
Thomas Knyvett, 7th Baron Berners was an English peer and Tory politician.The son of Sir John Knyvett and Mary Bedingfield, he was baptised in Darsham in Suffolk in February 1655 or 1656. In 1673, Knyvett succeeded his father de jure as Baron Berners...

Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

1689 Sir Philip Skippon Sir Robert Rich
Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Baronet
Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Baronet was an English politician.Rich was the second son of Nathaniel Rich of Stondon and his wife Elizabeth Hampden, married his distant cousin Mary Rich, and inherited her father's baronetcy by special remainder. By Mary he had four sons and several daughters...

Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...

1691 John Bence
1695 Henry Heveningham
1700 Sir Charles Blois
Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Blois, 1st Baronet was a politician, a member of parliament for both Ipswich and Dunwich . On 15 April 1686, he was created 1st Baronet Blois, of Grundisburgh and Cockfield Hall. Blois was the son of Sir William Blois...

1701 Robert Kemp
1705 John Rous
1708 Robert Kemp
1709 Sir Richard Allin Daniel Harvey
1710 Sir George Downing
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, KB was a politician and, through a donation in his will, the founder of Downing College, Cambridge.Gordon Goodwin, ‘Downing, Sir George, third baronet ’, rev...

Richard Richardson
1713 Sir Robert Kemp
1715 Sir Robert Rich
Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet
Field Marshal Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet was a British cavalry officer.-Career:Rich was commissioned into the 1st Foot Guards in 1700...

Charles Long
March 1722 Sir George Downing
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, KB was a politician and, through a donation in his will, the founder of Downing College, Cambridge.Gordon Goodwin, ‘Downing, Sir George, third baronet ’, rev...

Edward Vernon
Edward Vernon
Edward Vernon was an English naval officer. Vernon was born in Westminster, England and went to Westminster School. He joined the Navy in 1700 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1702 and served on several different ships for the next five years...

December 1722 Sir John Ward
1726 John Sambrooke
1727 Thomas Wyndham
1734 Sir Orlando Bridgeman
Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet
Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 2nd Baronet was a British baronet and Whig politician.-Background:He was the oldest son of Sir Orlando Bridgeman, 1st Baronet and his wife Mary Cave, daughter of Sir Thomas Cave, 1st Baronet. His sister Penelope was married to Thomas Newport, 1st Baron Torrington...

1738 William Morden
1741 Jacob Garrard Downing
1747 Miles Barne
1749 Sir Jacob Garrard Downing
1754 Soame Jenyns
Soame Jenyns
Soame Jenyns was an English writer.- Biography :He was the son of Sir Roger Jenyns and his second wife Elizabeth Soame, the daughter of Sir Peter Soame. He was born in London, and was educated at St Johns College, Cambridge. In 1742 he was chosen M.P...

1758 Alexander Forrester
1761 Henry Fox
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland
Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, of Foxley, MP, PC was a leading British politician of the 18th century. He identified primarily with the Whig faction...

Eliab Harvey
1763 Sir Jacob Garrard Downing
1764 Miles Barne
1768 Gerard Vanneck
Sir Gerard Vanneck, 2nd Baronet
Sir Gerard Vanneck, 2nd Baronet , was a British merchant and Member of Parliament.Vanneck was the eldest son of Sir Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baronet, and Mary Anne Daubuz. His father was a successful London merchant who had emigrated to Great Britain from the Netherlands in 1722. He was elected to the...

1777 Barne Barne
1790 The Lord Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baron Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baron Huntingfield , known as Sir Joshua Vanneck, 3rd Baronet, from 1791 to 1796, was a British merchant and Member of Parliament....

1791 Miles Barne
1796 Snowdon Barne
1812 Michael Barne
Michael Barne
Michael Barne was an officer of the 1901-04 Discovery Expedition and was the last survivor of the expedition.-Early life:...

1816 The Lord Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 2nd Baron Huntingfield
Joshua Vanneck, 2nd Baron Huntingfield was a British peer and Member of Parliament .Huntingfield was the son of Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baron Huntingfield, and Maria Thompson. His paternal grandfather Sir Joshua Vanneck, 1st Baronet, had emigrated from the Netherlands in 1722 and had become a...

Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

1819 William Alexander Mackinnon
William Alexander Mackinnon (1784-1870)
William Alexander Mackinnon was a British politician.He was born in Broadstairs, Kent in 1789 and educated at Cambridge University....

1820 George Henry Cherry
1826 Andrew Arcedeckne
1830 Frederick Barne
Frederick Barne
Frederick Barne was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1830 to 1832.In 1830 Barne was elected Member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Dunwich and held the seat until 1832 when it was abolished under the 1832 Reform Act...

1831 Earl of Brecknock Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

1832 Viscount Lowther
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale
William Lowther, 2nd Earl of Lonsdale PC, FRS , styled Viscount Lowther between 1807 and 1844, was a British Tory politician.-Background:...

Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...

1832
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

Constituency abolished

In popular culture

Dunwich is satirised in an episode of the British television show Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third
Blackadder the Third is the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987....

titled Dish and Dishonesty. Named Dunny-on-the-Wold, it has a population of three cows, a dachshund called `Colin', and "a small hen in its late forties"; only one person lives there and he is the voter. After an obviously rigged election (in which it is revealed that Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder, each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of British history, each character is part of the same familial...

 is both the constituency's returning officer and voter, after both died in highly suspicious "accidents"), Baldrick
Baldrick
Baldrick is the name of several fictional characters featured in the long-running BBC historic comedy television series Blackadder. Each one serves as Edmund Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as a foil to the lead character...

is made an MP having received all 16,472 of the votes cast.
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