Maidstone

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:

between 600 and 950

Elections

DateCandidateVotes
24 Jan. 1715SIR ROBERT MARSHAM623
 SIR THOMAS COLEPEPER567
 Sir Samuel Ongley352
30 June 1716SIR BARNHAM RIDER vice Marsham, called to the Upper House320
 Sir Samuel Ongley41
24 Mar. 1722JOHN FINCH588
 SIR THOMAS COLEPEPER441
 Sir Barnham Rider393
1 June 1723SIR BARNHAM RIDER vice Colepeper, deceased439
 John Finch405
18 Aug. 1727JOHN FINCH802
 THOMAS HOPE760
 Sir Barnham Rider189
 John Hamilton89
26 Apr. 1734JOHN FINCH664
 WILLIAM HORSEMONDEN TURNER621
 Thomas Hope461
15 Jan. 1740ROBERT FAIRFAX vice Finch, deceased114
 Robert Callant21
7 May 1741HENEAGE FINCH, Lord Guernsey561
 JOHN BLIGH548
 William Horsemonden Turner140
27 June 1747WILLIAM HORSEMONDEN TURNER515
 ROBERT FAIRFAX384
 Heneage Finch, Lord Guernsey284
25 Apr. 1753GABRIEL HANGER vice Turner, deceased330
 — Finch2

Main Article

Maidstone, the 2nd Lord Egmont wrote in his electoral survey, c.1749-50, ‘is a perplexed interest’. The chief interests in 1715 were those of the Finches, earls of Aylesford, Tories, and the Marshams, later Lords Romney, Whigs; but for nearly 30 years after the 1st Lord’s death in 1724, his successor took no part in local politics. There was a strong independent party, closely connected with the Dissenters, who formed nearly half of Maidstone’s population, but were not united, their divisions reflecting a long-standing feud between the oligarchic element of the corporation, the jurats, and the popular element, which controlled the common council. The Aylesford interest tended to ally itself with the oligarchic element in the corporation, while the Administration supported the popular element. All elections were contested.

In 1715 Maidstone returned two Whigs, Sir Robert Marsham and one of the neighbouring gentry. At each of the next three general elections the Aylesford interest secured one Member, the other being a government supporter, in 1722 a county gentleman as before, and in 1727 and 1734 townsmen. In 1741 the Aylesford interest, in alliance with the corporation, succeeded in returning both Members, but in 1742 protracted legal proceedings led to the dissolution of the corporation, and to the grant of a new charter, appointing the head of the popular party, William Horsemonden Turner, recorder, with a new corporation, consisting chiefly of his supporters.1 As a result Turner and another government supporter were returned in 1747. On Turner’s death in 1753 he was replaced by a Tory standing with the support of Lord Romney.

Author: A. N. Newman

Notes

  • 1. W. R. James, Charters etc. relating to Maidstone (1825), pp. xvi seq., 170 seq.