Shaftesbury Election of 1774

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A contemporary cartoon showing the notoriously corrupt election at Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1774.

About the subject

A contemporary cartoon showing the notoriously corrupt election at Shaftesbury, Dorset, in 1774, in which the nabob Francis Sykes stood in partnership with another nabob, Thomas Rumbold. They were said to have paid each elector 20 guineas. They were unseated on petition, and Hans Winthrop Mortimer was declared elected for one seat; the other was declared vacant. The committee which tried the petition drew the attention of the House to the 'most notorious bribery and corruption' which had been practised.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790