Name & Place Indexes

To

Devonshire in Parliament, 1660-1832

Trans. Devon Assoc., vol. XXX, (1898), pp. 371-377.

by

J.B. Pearson

Prepared by Michael Steer

The paper was read at the Association’s July 1898 Honiton meeting. It enlarges upon the author’s paper presented in the 1896 Transactions (vol. xxviii), that focussed on Representatives solely for the Borough of Ashburton. The present paper provides an account of the entire representation for Devonshire, including the city of Exeter, as it existed prior to the Reform Act of 1832. Devon was represented, from the Restoration in 1660 to 1832, by, first, two county members; secondly, by two members for the city and county of Exeter, the city having been declared a county of itself by grant from Henry YIII. in 1537, confirmed by statute in 1550; and, thirdly, by eleven boroughs, close or open. Their circumstances and franchises are given in the paper. They returned in all 22 members, so that the entire area of Devon had as many as 26, or about one-twentieth of the entire representation of England and Wales. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.