Cramleigh Saltash Magazine April 2015 April 2015 | Page 12

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Saltash History Saltash and Elections.

With the pending General Election, it may be husband ascended the throne as James II.
The former Mr Hyde became an Earl while
of interest to recall the part Saltash played
his daughter was a Duchess and two grandin the government of bygone days.
daughters were Queens of England - Mary
The first parliament was convened by King
(with William of Orange) and later, Anne.
Henry III on 20th January, 1265, when
Hyde’s high moral standards were too much
Cornwall was represented by two knights
for the high living Charles II and he was
nominated by the Sheriff. Many colourful
eventually sent into exile in France, where
characters represented Cornwall over the
he died.
centuries, with lawyers and landowners
Quite a number of the Saltash members
predominant. In 1447, Sir Hugh Courtney
was a representative and described as ‘Ship were not only lawyers or landowners
Owner and Pirate’. At the same time, across but unemployed service officers such as
the border in Devon, Robert Wenynyton sat Captain George Rodney (later Admiral),
for Dartmouth and was described as ‘Pirate Admiral George Clinton and Captain Edward
and Deputy Admiral’; he came to a sad end, Boscawen (later Admiral). Voting was
limited to burgesses and the election took
on the block.
place in public. It was not unknown for
During the reign of King Edward VI, Saltash candidates to buy the votes of entitled
was allocated two parliamentary seats in
voters and, as the count was made in public,
1547. These were awarded to Christopher
there was no chance of a voter accepting
Smith (an Exchequer clerk) and Henry Fisher money from more than one candidate. It
(Member of the Worshipful Company of
wasn’t until 1872 that the secret ballot
Skinners). It may seem odd that a small
was introduced. Prior to the Reform Acts,
market town such as Saltash should be so
corruption was rife; “election brokers” could
honoured but down the road East Looe and arrange transfers to a more convenient
West Looe had two members each (William area, and buying a whole constituency was
Pitt referred to them as ‘the rotten part of
not unknown. Things got so blatant that,
the constitution’, giving them the popular
in 1812, Grampound was disenfranchised
name of Rotten Boroughs.) In Cornwall
for corruption and an election broker, Sir
alone, there were 44 MPs, while cities such Manasseh Lopes, was fined £10,000 and
as Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester were sentenced to eight months in Exeter jail.
not represented. Today Cornwall has 5
Voltaire remarked that “in England they
members.
maintain liberty by corruption.”
Many prominent personages were, to all
The infamy of the ‘Rotten Boroughs’ was
intents and purposes, representing Saltash
eventually curbed by the Reform Act of
until the Reform Act of 1832. Probably the
1831 that reduced Saltash, amongst many
most important member was Edward Hyde, others, to just one representative. The
elected in 1640. He had a chequered career following year the Reform Act of 1832
in parliament, such as being sent to The
abolished the seat completely, as well as the
Tower for two weeks for ‘Royalism