Newport is a former parliamentary borough located in Newport (Isle of Wight), abolished in 1885. (Prior to the great reform act of 1832 there was also a separate Newport parliamentary borough in Cornwall.) Parliamentary boroughs are boroughs that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. ... Location within the British Isles Newport is the county town and nominal capital of the Isle of Wight, an island in the Solent off the south coast of England. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search The British Reform Act of 1832 (2 & 3 Will. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Newport was a rotten borough situated in Cornwall. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Onan hag oll (Cornish: One and all) Cornwall, England Geography Status Ceremonial and (smaller) Non-metropolitan county Region South West England Area - Total - Admin. ...

History

The borough was first represented in the parliament of 1295, and returned two Members of Parliament from 1584 to 1867. In 1867 its representation was reduced to a single seat, and the constituency was abolished altogether in 1885.

Between 1807 and 1811 its two seats were held by two future Prime Ministers: Arthur Wellesley, later to become the Duke of Wellington (who also found himself elected to two other seats at the same time), and Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston who would go on to become one of the United Kingdom's most notable Prime Ministers. Palmerston's late father had been unable to convert his Irish title into a United Kingdom peerage, therefore the young politician was able to enter the Commons. The local patron arranging the deal was Sir Leonard Holmes, who made it a condition that they never visited the borough! The Most Noble Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, PC, FRS (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ... The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title and the senior Dukedom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (October 20, 1784 - October 18, 1865) was a British Prime Minister and Liberal politician. ... Viscount Palmerston was a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on March 12, 1723. ...

The borough was also represented by two other future Prime Ministers in the 1820s. George Canning was MP for Newport when appointed Prime Minister in 1827; however, under the law as it then stood a minister accepting office automatically vacated his seat and had to stand for re-election to the Commons, and Canning chose to stand at Seaford, a government pocket borough in Sussex, rather than fight Newport again. In the by-election that followed at Newport, the vacancy was filled by the election of the Honourable William Lamb, later 2nd Viscount Melbourne, whose father had also represented the borough in the 1790s. However, Lamb remained MP for Newport for only two weeks before also being elected for Bletchingley, which he preferred to represent. The Right Honourable George Canning (11 April 1770-8 August 1827) was a British politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (March 15, 1779-November 24, 1848) was home secretary (1830-1834) and prime minister (1834 and 1835-1841) of Britain, and mentor of Queen Victoria. ... Viscount Melbourne was a title created for Peniston Lamb in 1781 in the peerage of Ireland. ...

See also

• Isle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)
• Newtown (UK Parliament constituency)
• Politics of the Isle of Wight

Creation 1832 MP Andrew Turner Party Conservative Type House of Commons County Isle of Wight EP constituency South East England The Isle of Wight is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Newtown is a former parliamentary seat located in Newtown, abolished in the great reform act of 1832. ... As a geographical entity distinct from the mainland, the Isle of Wight has always fought to have this identity recognised. ...

References

• D Englefield, J Seaton & I White, Facts About the British Prime Ministers (London: Mansell, 1995)
• Frederic A Youngs, Jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume I (London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society, 1979)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd Ed) (Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)