Wigan

Borough

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754, ed. R. Sedgwick, 1970
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Background Information

Right of Election:

in the freemen

Number of voters:

273 in 17251

Elections

DateCandidate
7 Feb. 1715SIR ROGER BRADSHAIGH
 JAMES BARRY, Earl of Barrymore
26 Mar. 1722SIR ROGER BRADSHAIGH
 JAMES BARRY, Earl of Barrymore
22 Aug. 1727SIR ROGER BRADSHAIGH
 PETER BOLD
27 Apr. 1734JAMES BARRY, Earl of Barrymore
 SIR ROGER BRADSHAIGH
9 May 1741JAMES BARRY, Earl of Barrymore
 SIR ROGER BRADSHAIGH
11 Mar. 1747RICHARD CLAYTON vice Bradshaigh, deceased
29 June 1747RICHARD BARRY
 RICHARD CLAYTON
 Sir John Savile
 Serjeant Poole

Main Article

The chief interests at Wigan in 1715 were in Sir Roger Bradshaigh, Member for the borough since 1695, whose estate was one mile away, and in Lord Barrymore, who had inherited the interest of his father-in-law, Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers, M.P. Wigan 1681, and bought that of George Kenyon, M.P. Wigan 1713-15, for £300.2 Elections depended on the mayor, who not only was the returning officer but could create new freemen ex officio. Bradshaigh and Barrymore both made large creations of freemen during their mayoralties.3

In 1715 Bradshaigh, a Tory who soon went over to the Government, recommended Barrymore, a Jacobite, to the corporation,4 both being returned unopposed. Except in 1727, when Barrymore stood down in favour of another Tory, Peter Bold, at the instance of the mayor, on the understanding that he would resume his seat at the next election,5 they shared the representation unopposed, standing jointly, till Bradshaigh died and Barrymore retired in 1747. At the ensuing election, Barrymore’s son was returned with another Tory, the recorder of the borough, Richard Clayton, against two Whigs. An attempt to wrest control from the Tories by the creation of new freemen without the consent of the mayor led to litigation, in which the Tories were successful.6

Author: Eveline Cruickshanks

Notes

  • 1. M. Cox, 'Sir Roger Bradshaigh and the electoral management of Wigan', Bull. Rylands Lib. xxxvii. 130.
  • 2. Note in Bradshaigh’s hand on copy of letter from Geo. Kenyon to mayor of Wigan, 11 Dec. 1714, Rylands, Crawford mss.
  • 3. Cox, 147.
  • 4. Bradshaigh to Barrymore, 17 Nov. 1720, Rylands, Crawford mss.
  • 5. Same to same, 23 Aug. 1727, ibid.
  • 6. Cox, 160; Add. 32995, ff. 75-76.