Maidstone by-election, 1901
Encyclopedia
The Maidstone by-election, 1901 was a by-election
held in England
on 1 March 1901 for the House of Commons constituency of Maidstone
in Kent
.
was void. This decision was made by Mr Justice Kennedy and Mr Justice Channel sitting at the sessions house in Maidstone
on hearing an election petition from the defeated Conservative
candidate, Fiennes Cornwallis
who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone from 1885-1895 and then again from 1898-1900. The judges held that there was evidence of bribery
of electors by agents acting for Sir John Barker
the Liberal
candidate who had won the seat from Cornwallis by 38 votes.
. Evans had been Liberal MP for Southampton
from 1888-1892 and 1896-1900. He was 60 years old and had made his career in banking before entering Parliament. He also had substantial interests in the insurance and transport industries.
The Conservatives first hoped that Cornwallis might be persuaded to stand again but he did not wish to put his name forward and they chose instead Sir Thomas Milvain
KC, the former MP for Durham and a barrister, having been called to the bar at the Middle Temple
in 1869.
when he was defeated by Lord Castlereagh
. The Liberal majority was increased from 38 votes to 193, despite the disgrace attaching to the election petition. The unseated Barker had also helped Evans in the campaign, so it was difficult to discern any political advantage accruing to the Conservative Party as a result of the court case. One local historian has described the result of the Maidstone by-election as a harbinger of change. The Conservative Party became increasingly divided over the issue of tariff reform and the Liberals gained heart from the decline of the government over the coming years. At the 1906 general election, the Liberals gained a national landslide. Maidstone reverted to its traditional Tory
roots against the national trend but the Liberals gained three other Kent seats, one fell to a Lib-Lab
candidate and one fell to Labour
thanks to the pact it had concluded with the Liberals in 1903.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 1 March 1901 for the House of Commons constituency of Maidstone
Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the declaration that the result of the contest in Maidstone at the general election of 1900United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
was void. This decision was made by Mr Justice Kennedy and Mr Justice Channel sitting at the sessions house in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
on hearing an election petition from the defeated Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate, Fiennes Cornwallis
Fiennes Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis
Colonel Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis CBE, TD, JP, DL,, was a British Conservative politician.-Early life:...
who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone from 1885-1895 and then again from 1898-1900. The judges held that there was evidence of bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
of electors by agents acting for Sir John Barker
Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet
Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet was a British entrepreneur of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was the founder of the Barker's department store in Kensington, London, United Kingdom....
the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
candidate who had won the seat from Cornwallis by 38 votes.
Candidates
On 15 February, the Liberals selected as their candidate Sir Francis EvansSir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Henry Evans, 1st Baronet, KCMG was a British civil engineer, businessman and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:...
. Evans had been Liberal MP for Southampton
Southampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. Centred on the town of Southampton, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1295 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election....
from 1888-1892 and 1896-1900. He was 60 years old and had made his career in banking before entering Parliament. He also had substantial interests in the insurance and transport industries.
The Conservatives first hoped that Cornwallis might be persuaded to stand again but he did not wish to put his name forward and they chose instead Sir Thomas Milvain
Thomas Milvain
Thomas Milvain was an English lawyer and Conservative Party politician.Milvain was the son of Henry Milvain of North Elswick Hall, Newcastle-on-Tyne and his wife Jane Davidson. Educated at Durham Grammar School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1869.In 1885...
KC, the former MP for Durham and a barrister, having been called to the bar at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1869.
The result
The result was a win for Evans, returning him to Parliament. He held the seat until 1906United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
when he was defeated by Lord Castlereagh
Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry
Charles Stewart Henry Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry, KG, MVO, PC, PC , styled Lord Stewart until 1884 and Viscount Castlereagh between 1884 and 1915, was an Anglo-Irish peer and had careers in both Irish and British politics...
. The Liberal majority was increased from 38 votes to 193, despite the disgrace attaching to the election petition. The unseated Barker had also helped Evans in the campaign, so it was difficult to discern any political advantage accruing to the Conservative Party as a result of the court case. One local historian has described the result of the Maidstone by-election as a harbinger of change. The Conservative Party became increasingly divided over the issue of tariff reform and the Liberals gained heart from the decline of the government over the coming years. At the 1906 general election, the Liberals gained a national landslide. Maidstone reverted to its traditional 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...
roots against the national trend but the Liberals gained three other Kent seats, one fell to a Lib-Lab
Liberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
candidate and one fell to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
thanks to the pact it had concluded with the Liberals in 1903.