Buckingham

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 corporation

Number of voters:

13

Elections

DateCandidate
24 Jan. 1715ALEXANDER DENTON
 ABRAHAM STANYAN
 Thomas Chapman
30 Nov. 1717EDMUND HALSEY vice Stanyan, appointed to office
23 Mar. 1722ALEXANDER DENTON
 RICHARD GRENVILLE
22 Oct. 1722WILLIAM HEATHCOTE vice Denton, appointed to office
1 Mar. 1727JOHN FANE vice Grenville, deceased
18 Aug. 1727JOHN FANE
 THOMAS LEWIS
20 Feb. 1728GEORGE CHAMBERLAYNE vice Lewis, chose to sit for Salisbury
23 Apr. 1734RICHARD GRENVILLE
 GEORGE CHAMBERLAYNE
4 May 1741GEORGE DENTON
 GEORGE GRENVILLE
28 Dec. 1744GEORGE GRENVILLE re-elected after appointment to office
26 June 1747RICHARD GRENVILLE
 GEORGE GRENVILLE
17 Jan. 1753TEMPLE WEST vice Richard Grenville, Visct. Cobham, called to the Upper House

Main Article

Both Buckingham seats were controlled by the local Whig families of Temple, afterwards Grenville, of Stowe, and Denton of Hillesden. The Temples were the lords paramount of the borough, receiving a quit-rent from the corporation; the Dentons held the Prebend End manor within the town.1 After 1715, when a Tory single was defeated, there were no contested elections. At first the Dentons followed the political lead of the Grenvilles, but when the latter went over to the Government in 1744, George Denton apparently remained in opposition, breaking with the Grenvilles, who took both seats at the 1747 election. The 2nd Lord Egmont wrote against Buckingham in his electoral survey, c.1749—50: ‘The Grenvilles must be routed at all events and two friends brought in’, the Prince of Wales adding

which may be done by the Apothecary [Bubb Dodington], who detests them, and by Mr. Denton, who probably would be one, the other might be a rich man, who would launch out a sum. Potter and Ayscough know that borough.

Author: R. S. Lea

Notes

  • 1. VCH Bucks. iii. 481, 483.