A History of Parliamentary Elections and Electioneering in the Old Days. Joseph Grego
J. Harrington, Esq., at his house at Kelston, near Bathe.
“Worthie Sir,
“Out of the long experience we have had of your approved worth and sincerity, our Cittie of Bathe have determined and settled their resolutions to elect you for Burgess of the House of Commons in this present Parliament, for our said Cittie, and do hope you will accept the trouble thereof: which if you do, our desire is you will not fail to be with us at Bathe on Monday next, the eighth of this instant, by eight of the morning at the furthest, for then we proceed to our election. And of your determination we entreat you to certifie us by a word or two in writing, and send it by the bearer to
“Your assured loving friends,
“John Bigg, the Mayor. “William Chapman.
“Bathe.”
There is some obscurity as to the dates; according to Willis, John Harrington sat for Bath 1658–9.
The progress of these negotiations is set down in the diary of the worthy gentleman selected to serve:—
“A NOTE OF MY BATHE BUSINESS ABOUT THE PARLIAMENT.
“Dec. 26.—Went to Bathe and dined with the Mayor and Citizens; conferred about my election to serve in parliament, as my father was helpless and ill able to go any more; went to the George Inn at night, met the Bailiffs, and desired to be dismissed from serving; drank strong bear and metheglin; expended about iiijs.; went home late, but could not get excused, as they entertained a good opinion of my father.
“Dec. 28.—Went to Bathe; met Sir John Horner; we were chosen by the Citizens to serve for the city. The Mayor and Citizens conferred about Parliament business. The Mayor promised Sir John Horner and myself a horse apiece when we went to London to the Parliament, which we accepted of. …
“Thursday, Dec. 31.—Went to Bathe; Mr. Ashe preached [this was before the members, probably in state at the Abbey]. Dined at the George Inn with the Mayor and 4 citizens; spent vjs. in wine.
| “Laid out in victuals at the George Inn | xjs. | 4d. |
| “Laid out in drinking | vijs. | iid. |
| “Laid out in tobacco and drinking vessels | iiijs. | 4d. |
“Jan. 1.—My father gave me £4 to bear out my expenses at Bathe.”
The members were salaried at this time, being allowed from two shillings to three shillings and fourpence, and in exceptional cases five shillings, per day during the sessions of the Commons, although in many instances no more than two shillings was the recognized fee;3 these wages were generally raised by the town, and paid in a lump sum at the close of the sessions.
The writ directs two knights to be chosen out of every county, two citizens out of every city, and two burgesses out of every borough. The counties were well known, and had long been ascertained; but the sheriffs had it left to their discretion as to the cities and boroughs. They were the dominicæ civitates and burgi regis, viz. such as had charters from the king and paid a fee-farm rent in lieu of the customs and other advantages and royalties that belonged to the Crown; but these not being named in the writ, the sheriffs took great liberties, either by summoning such as had no right, or omitting others, who ought to have been summoned: this arose from the nature of the institution.
“The representation of the nation in parliament was then a burden to the people, the elected being paid by their electors; nor doth it appear that the representatives at that time had any advantage more than their wages. Cities and boroughs were, therefore, not fond of returning representatives to Parliament, and it was reckoned a privilege to be exempted, and to obtain which there are more instances than one of petitions having been presented. Sheriffs would frequently act in a very partial and arbitrary manner, and out of pique return many poor boroughs, who were not able to pay their representatives, and omit others who were able, in order to show favour towards them.”
This became a veritable grievance, and, in 5 Rich. 2, a law was made to hinder these arbitrary proceedings, and several boroughs were, by charter from the Crown, exempted from what they would have esteemed a hardship and burden upon them.
Colchester returned members to Parliament 23 Edward 1; as endorsed upon the writs in 7 Edward 4, only five burgesses, named in the return, chose for that Parliament. At that time, service was thought a burden, and exemption was allowed by way of reward for loyal services rendered; thus Richard II., in consideration of the burgesses of Colchester rebuilding and fortifying the walls of their town against the king’s enemies, granted them an exemption for the space of five years.
Beyond the very modest wages allowed by constituencies to their representatives during their sojourns in London at the three sessions of parliament, it was generally held a matter of courtesy to present the two representatives with a horse apiece to help them on their way; and expenses by the road, at the allowances stipulated, were added in with the fixed pay of so much per day for the duration of parliament, which sum was generally allowed to accumulate, and redeemed at the close of the session, when the members came back to report themselves to their constituents and give an account of their stewardship.
In respect of Middlesex, which has been represented in parliament from the first general summons of the knights of the shire in the reign of King Edward I., a reservation was made. The city of Westminster, where parliament was usually held, being within this county, the knights had only their fees for attendance, and no allowance for coming and going, as in other counties. “In the second year of King Henry V. (1414), the Bishop of London complained that his tenants of Fulham were taxed towards the expenses of the knights of the shire for this county, upon which a writ was issued for discharging the said tenants, in case it should appear they had not been formerly taxed.”
The sums paid to members were in all cases very moderate; but these allowances appear to have varied even for the same place. The interesting “Extracts from the Proceedings of Lynn Regis, 1430 to 1731,” as printed in Archæologia (vol. xxiv.), supply evidence of the dealings of that corporation with their parliamentary representatives, as set down in the “Hall Books.” The parliamentary warrant was read in the mother-tongue, and sealed after the election of burgesses to serve in the Commons. The manner of election by a committee on the jury principle seems to have prevailed; thus, in 1433, the king’s writ was publicly read for electing members of parliament. “And for electing them the Mayor called two of the twenty-four (the court of Livery) and two of the common council, which four chose two more of the twenty-four, and two of the common council, and they chose four others, who all unanimously chose John Waterden and Thomas Spicer, to be Burgesses in Parliament.”
The year previous, the burgesses went to parliament in May, and returned in July, when, as was customary, a report was submitted before the mayor as to the manner in which the corporation had been represented, and how far its interests had been promoted by the members; when accounts were compared and a settlement was agreed upon for wages due, to be raised by a special rate, thus:—
“July 23. John Waterden reported the transactions of Parliament, at which time was granted by the Corporation half a fifteenth, to be paid in at two several payments; viz. at Martinmas next, and at Martinmas then next following. That ye Parliament held from ye 12th day of May to Thursday next before ye feast of St. Margaret, on which day ye Parliament ended, and so ye Parliament held for 70 days. And so there is owing to them, for their appearance for 73 days, 6s. and 8d. for each day, of which they received before their journey or passage one hundred shillings, and there remains £19 6s. 8d.”
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