Tower Hamlets (UK Parliament constituency)

Tower Hamlets
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
County	Middlesex
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Created from	Middlesex
Replaced by	Bow and Bromley, Limehouse, Mile End, Poplar, St George, Stepney and Whitechapel
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of	Hackney (constituency)

Tower Hamlets was a parliamentary borough (constituency) in Middlesex, England from 1832 to 1885. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was one of the first five of its type in the metropolitan area of London. It was enfranchised by the Reform Act 1832.

In its early years the borough was coterminous with the ancient Tower Hamlets, an area which covered the area of the modern London Borough of Tower Hamlets as well as Shoreditch and Hackney (the parish rather than the larger modern borough), thus extending from the edge of the City of London to the Lea. In 1868, the borough was split in two, with the southern part retaining the name.

Boundaries

Boundaries 1832–1868

The boundaries of the parliamentary borough were defined by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 as "The several Divisions of the Liberty of the Tower, and the Tower Division of Ossulston Hundred".^[1]

It comprised the following civil parishes and places:^[2]

Bethnal Green Bow Bromley Hackney Limehouse Poplar St Botolph Without Aldgate

St George in the East Shoreditch Spitalfields Tower of London Old Tower Without Wapping Whitechapel (part)

Boundaries 1868–1885

Tower Hamlets in the Metropolitan area, showing boundaries used from 1868 to 1885.

The Representation of the People Act 1867 widened the parliamentary franchise and also effected a redistribution of seats. This, along with a rapidly increasing population in the East End, resulted in the existing entity being reduced, shedding the parishes of Bethnal Green, Hackney and Shoreditch forming a separate Hackney constituency. The reformed Tower Hamlets was defined as comprising:^[3]

• The Parish of St. George's-in-the-East
• The Hamlet of Mile End Old Town
• The Poplar Union (Bow, Bromley and Poplar)
• The Stepney Union (Limehouse, Ratcliffe, Shadwell and Wapping)
• The Whitechapel Union (Holy Trinity Minories, Mile End New Town, Norton Folgate, Old Artillery Ground, St Botolph Without Aldgate, St Katherine by the Tower, Spitalfields, Whitechapel.)
• The Tower of London.^[2]

Redistribution

In 1885 the parliamentary borough was split into seven single-member divisions. These were Bow and Bromley, Limehouse, Mile End, Poplar, St George, Stepney and Whitechapel.

Members of Parliament

Election			First member [4]	First party	Second member	Second party
		1832	Stephen Lushington	Whig[5][6][7]	Sir William Clay, Bt	Radical[8][9]
		1841	Charles Richard Fox	Whig[5][10][11]
		1847	George Thompson	Radical[12][13][14]
		1852	Charles Salisbury Butler	Radical[15]
		1857			Rt Hon. Acton Smee Ayrton	Radical[16][17][18]
		1859		Liberal		Liberal
		1868	Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda	Liberal
		1874			Charles Ritchie	Conservative
		1880	James Bryce	Liberal
		1885	Constituency abolished

Elections

Turnout, in multi-member elections, is estimated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that electors did not use both their votes, the figure given will be an underestimate.

Change is calculated for individual candidates, when a party had more than one candidate in an election or the previous one. When a party had only one candidate in an election and the previous one change is calculated for the party vote.

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Tower Hamlets^[19][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Stephen Lushington	3,978	31.5	N/A
	Radical	William Clay	3,751	29.7	N/A
	Whig	Leicester Stanhope	2,952	23.4	N/A
	Whig	Frederick Marryat	1,934	15.3	N/A
Turnout			7,320	73.9	N/A
Registered electors			9,906
Majority			227	1.8	N/A
	Whig win (new seat)
Majority			799	6.3	N/A
	Radical win (new seat)

General election 1835: Tower Hamlets^[19][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Clay	2,779	47.7	+18.0
	Whig	Stephen Lushington	2,580	44.3	−25.9
	Conservative	Ryder Burton[20]	465	8.0	New
Turnout			2,912 (est)	30.8 (est)	−43.1
Registered electors			9,462
Majority			199	3.4	−2.9
	Radical hold		Swing	+22.0
Majority			2,115	36.3	+34.5
	Whig hold		Swing	−22.0

General election 1837: Tower Hamlets^[19][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Clay	Unopposed
	Whig	Stephen Lushington	Unopposed
Registered electors			13,318
	Radical hold
	Whig hold

Lushington was appointed a judge of the High Court of Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 February 1839: Tower Hamlets^[19][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Stephen Lushington	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Clay	4,706	34.6	N/A
	Whig	Charles Richard Fox	4,096	30.1	N/A
	Conservative	George Richard Robinson[21]	2,183	16.1	New
	Whig	Andrew Kennedy Hutchinson[22][23][24]	1,775	13.1	N/A
	Radical	Thomas Edward Perronet Thompson[25][24]	831	6.1	N/A
Turnout			6,796 (est)	49.1 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			13,842
Majority			610	4.5	N/A
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			1,913	14.0	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Fox was appointed Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 July 1846: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Richard Fox	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1847: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	George Thompson	6,268	49.2	+43.1
	Radical	William Clay	3,839	30.2	−4.4
	Whig	Charles Richard Fox	2,622	20.6	−22.6
Majority			3,646	28.6	N/A
Turnout			6,365 (est)	33.9 (est)	−15.2
Registered electors			18,748
	Radical hold		Swing	+27.2
	Radical gain from Whig		Swing	+3.5

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Clay	7,728	32.3	+2.1
	Radical	Charles Salisbury Butler	7,718	32.3	N/A
	Radical	George Thompson	4,568	19.1	−30.1
	Radical	Acton Smee Ayrton	2,792	11.7	N/A
	Radical	William Newton[26]	1,095	4.6	N/A
Majority			3,150	13.2	+3.6
Turnout			11,951 (est)	50.8 (est)	+16.9
Registered electors			23,534
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1857: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Acton Smee Ayrton	7,813	35.9	+24.2
	Radical	Charles Salisbury Butler	7,297	33.5	+1.2
	Radical	William Clay	6,654	30.6	−1.7
Majority			643	2.9	−10.3
Turnout			10,882 (est)	38.9 (est)	−11.9
Registered electors			27,980
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A
	Radical hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1859: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Salisbury Butler	Unopposed
	Liberal	Acton Smee Ayrton	Unopposed
Registered electors			28,843
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Salisbury Butler	Unopposed
	Liberal	Acton Smee Ayrton	Unopposed
Registered electors			34,115
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

General election 1868: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Acton Smee Ayrton	9,839	28.0	N/A
	Liberal	Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda	7,849	22.3	N/A
	Conservative	Octavius Coope[27]	7,446	21.2	New
	Liberal	Edmond Beales[28]	7,160	20.4	N/A
	Lib-Lab	William Newton	2,890	8.2	N/A
Majority			403	1.1	N/A
Turnout			17,592 (est)	54.1 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			32,546
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Ayrton was appointed First Commissioner of Works, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 8 November 1869: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Acton Smee Ayrton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Ritchie	7,228	29.7	+9.5
	Liberal	Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda	5,900	24.2	+1.9
	Liberal	Edmund Hay Currie	5,022	20.6	N/A
	Liberal	Acton Smee Ayrton	3,202	13.2	−14.8
	Liberal	Frederick Maxse	2,992	12.3	N/A
Majority			4,026	16.5	N/A
Turnout			15,786 (est)	47.9 (est)	−6.2
Registered electors			32,937
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.4

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Tower Hamlets^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Bryce	12,020	30.6	N/A
	Conservative	Charles Ritchie	11,720	29.9	+0.2
	Liberal	Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda	10,384	26.5	+2.3
	Lib-Lab	Benjamin Lucraft[29]	5,103	13.0	N/A
Turnout			28,025 (est)	68.3 (est)	+20.4
Registered electors			41,042
Majority			300	0.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			1,336	3.4	−13.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.1

References

1. Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will.4 c.64), Schedule O
2. Youngs, Frederic A Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 749. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
3. Representation of the People Act 1867 c.102, Schedule C
4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 2)
5. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844–1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 213. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
6. "North Northamptonshire Election". Northampton Mercury. 5 August 1837. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Freeman's Journal". 2 August 1837. p. 4. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. Hawkins, Angus (2007). "Conservative Consolation: 1835-1841". The Forgotten Prime Minister: The 14th Earl of Derby: Volume I: Ascent, 1799–1851 (Illustrated ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780199204403. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
9. Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). "Members of the House of Commons". Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 145. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
10. "Staffordshire Gazette and County Standard". 8 July 1841. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. Vigne, Randolph (2012). Thomas Pringle: South African Pioneer, Poet & Abolitionist. Woodbridge: James Currey. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-84701-052-0. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via Google Books.
12. Spychal, Martin (12 December 2017). "MP of the Month: George Donisthorpe Thompson (1804–1878)". The Victorian Commons. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
13. Hawkins, Angus (2015). "The Dynamics of Voting". Victorian Political Culture: 'Habits of Heart and Mind' (First ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780198728481. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
14. Bayly, C. A. (2012). "The invention of class in India". Indian Thought in the Age of Liberalism and Empire (First ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 112. ISBN 9781107013834. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
15. Weinstein, Benjamin (2011). Liberalism and Local Government in Early Victorian London. Boydell & Brewer. p. 91. ISBN 9780861933129. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via Google Books.
16. Hawkins, Angus (1987). "Reform Deferred". Parliament, Party and the Art of Politics in Britain, 1855–59 (Illustrated ed.). Basingstoke: Macmillan Press. p. 83. ISBN 9781349089253. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
17. Jarvis, Adrian, ed. (2016). Port and Harbour Engineering. Routledge. ISBN 9781351909914. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
18. Crawford, Elizabeth, ed. (1999). The Women's Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide 1866-1928. London: UCL Press. ISBN 184142031X. Retrieved 6 April 2018 – via Google Books.
19. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
20. "To the Electors of the Tower Hamlets". Morning Advertiser. 5 January 1835. p. 1. Retrieved 5 September 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Dublin Morning Register". 28 June 1841. p. 4. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
22. "Electioneering Intelligence". Leeds Times. 26 June 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
23. "Domestic Intelligence". Worcestershire Chronicle. 7 July 1841. p. 1. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
24. "Election Movements". John Bull. 14 June 1841. p. 10. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
25. "The Tower Hamlets". Wolverhampton Chronicle and Staffordshire Advertiser. 7 July 1841. p. 2. Retrieved 24 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
26. Alastair J. Reid. "Newton, William", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
27. "The Elections". Chelmsford Chronicle. 6 November 1868. p. 3. Retrieved 20 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
28. "Register". Newcastle Chronicle. 21 November 1868. p. 4. Retrieved 4 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
29. "Marylebone". Daily News. 3 April 1880. p. 5. Retrieved 23 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)