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Yarmouth I.o.W.
Borough
Available from Boydell and Brewer
Background Information
Right of Election:
in the freemen
Number of voters:
about 50
Elections
Date | Candidate | Votes |
---|---|---|
29 Jan. 1715 | Henry Holmes | 39 |
Sir Robert Raymond | 38 | |
Anthony Morgan | 20 | |
Sir Theodore Janssen | 18 | |
Morgan and JANSSEN vice Holmes and Raymond, on petition, 12 Apr. 1717 | ||
10 Feb. 1721 | William Plumer vice Janssen, expelled the House | |
24 Mar. 1722 | Anthony Morgan | |
Thomas Stanwix | ||
10 Apr. 1725 | Maurice Morgan vice Stanwix, deceased | |
19 Aug. 1727 | Paul Burrard | |
Maurice Morgan | ||
9 Feb. 1731 | Morgan re-elected after appointment to office | |
17 May 1733 | Maurice Bocland vice Morgan, deceased | |
26 Apr. 1734 | Lord Harry Powlett | |
Paul Burrard | ||
23 Jan. 1736 | Thomas Gibson vice Burrard, deceased | |
8 Mar. 1737 | Anthony Chute vice Powlett, chose to sit for Hampshire | |
9 May 1741 | Thomas Gibson | |
Maurice Bocland | ||
14 Dec. 1744 | Robert Carteret vice Gibson, deceased | |
1 July 1747 | Thomas Holmes | |
Henry Holmes |
Main Article
At George I's accession the chief interests at Yarmouth were in two local landowners, Anthony Morgan, a Whig, and Henry Holmes, a Tory. In 1715 Holmes and another Tory, Sir Robert Raymond, defeated Morgan and another Whig, Sir Theodore Janssen, who petitioned on the ground that 27 of their opponents' voters were unqualified, under a by-law passed by the corporation in 1670 providing that no new members should be admitted unless the mayor and five other members, known as chief burgesses, were present. The sitting members contended that the by-law was void, not having been made by a majority of the common council; but the House held that it was valid and awarded the seats to the petitioners.1 After this, Morgan gained control of both seats for the Administration. In 1741 Thomas Holmes became government manager for the Isle of Wight boroughs, gradually filling the Yarmouth corporation with his friends and relations.2 Thereafter the corporation admitted no more freemen, Yarmouth becoming virtually a corporation borough.