Bodmin

Borough

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603, ed. P.W. Hasler, 1981
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Elections

DateCandidate
1558/9NICHOLAS CARMINOWE 1
 DIGORY CHAMOND 2
14 Dec. 1562JOHN MALET
 FRANCIS BROWNE
1571HUMPHREY SMITH
 JOHN KESTELL
22 Apr. 1572THOMAS CROMWELL
 EDMUND POLEY
2 Nov. 1584JOHN AUDLEY I
 GILBERT MICHELL
1586BRUTUS BROWNE
 EMANUEL CHAMOND
8 Nov. 1588HUGH BEESTON
 EMANUEL CHAMOND
1593ANTHONY BENNETT
 RICHARD CONNOCK
22 Sept. 1597JOHN HERBERT
4 Oct. 1597BERNARD GRENVILLE
27 Sept. 1601JOHN PIGOTT
 WILLIAM LOWER

Main Article

At the accession of Elizabeth, Bodmin, formerly part of Bodmin priory, was governed by a mayor and 36 burgesses. In 1563 it received a charter of incorporation, confirmed in 1594, vesting the parliamentary elections in the mayor and all 36 burgesses, but elevating 12 of the 36 into capital burgesses, of whom the mayor was to be one.3 A formal stipulation was made that the charges and costs of its MPs should be met by the borough, but no evidence has been found of any such payments in this period. Though a stannary town, Bodmin had only moderate interference from the warden, the 2nd Earl of Bedford, whose hand may be seen in the return of John Malet, Humphrey Smith, Thomas Cromwell (unless Cecil was responsible) and, possibly, John Audley I. Otherwise the strongest outside influence came from the Cecils, who were responsible for Cromwell (perhaps), Edmund Poley, Hugh Beeston, John Herbert and John Pigott. All the other identified MPs were either local men (Carminowe, Digory Chamond, both Brownes, Kestell, Michell, Connock, Grenville, Lower) or from a local family though resident in London (Emanuel Chamond).

Author: P. W. Hasler

Notes

  • 1. E371/402(1).
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Weinbaum, Charters, 12-13.