Malton

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 resident freemen

Number of voters:

about 250

Elections

DateCandidateVotes
1 Feb. 1715THOMAS WENTWORTH jun.154
 THOMAS WENTWORTH135
 Sir William Strickland126
27 Mar. 1722THOMAS WENTWORTH jun. 
 SIR WILLIAM STRICKLAND 
27 Nov. 1724HENRY FINCH vice Strickland, deceased 
23 Aug. 1727HENRY FINCH 
 WARDELL GEORGE WESTBY 
22 May 1729FINCH re-elected after appointment to office 
19 May 1731SIR WILLIAM WENTWORTH vice Westby, appointed to office 
30 Apr. 1734HENRY FINCH 
 SIR WILLIAM WENTWORTH 
6 May 1741LORD JAMES CAVENDISH 
 HENRY FINCH 
30 Dec. 1741JOHN MOSTYN vice Cavendish, deceased 
29 Dec. 1743FINCH re-elected after appointment to office 
3 Feb. 1746MOSTYN re-elected after appointment to office 
30 June 1747HENRY FINCH 
 JOHN MOSTYN 

Main Article

Malton, like Higham Ferrers, was controlled by Thomas Wentworth, who in 1713 bought the manor of Malton, comprising most of the town and surrounding country, and carrying with it the appointment of the returning officer.1 In 1715 he returned himself and his son, defeating a former Whig Member, who petitioned, along with some of the electors, on the ground that the returning officer had polled persons without a right to vote, including some ‘living without the borough, pretending to be freeholders [?freemen] within the said borough’.2 The petitions were withdrawn. Thenceforth Wentworth nominees were returned unopposed.

Author: Romney R. Sedgwick

Notes

  • 1. E. A. Smith, ‘Earl Fitzwilliam and Malton’, EHR, lxxx. 51-70.
  • 2. CJ, xviii. 33-34.