A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| West Norfolk | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1832–1885 | |
| Seats | two |
| Replaced by | Mid Norfolk North West Norfolk South West Norfolk |
West Norfolk or Norfolk Western (formally the "Western division of Norfolk") was a county constituency in the county of Norfolk, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.
The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election, alongside Eastern Norfolk, as one of two Divisions of the Parliamentary County of Norfolk, each returning 2 MPs. It was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election.
Boundaries and boundary changes
1832–1868
- The Hundreds of Freebridge Marshland, Smithdon, Freebridge Lynn, Clackclose, Brothercross, Gallow, Holt, Launditch, South Greenhoe, Grimshoe, North Greenhoe, Wayland, Shropham, Gilt Cross and Mitford.[1]
1868–1885
- The Hundreds of Wayland, Launditch, South Greenhoe, Gallow, Brothercross, Smithdon, Freebridge Lynn, Freebridge Marshland, Clackclose and Grimshoe.[2]
Small parts of the division were transferred to the newly formed North and South Divisions of Norfolk. Also absorbed the disenfranchised Parliamentary Borough of Thetford.
On abolition in 1885, northern areas formed the new North-Western Division of Norfolk, southern areas formed the new South-Western Division and central areas were included in the new Mid Division.
Members of Parliament
| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Sir William Ffolkes, Bt | Whig[3][4] | Sir Jacob Astley, Bt | Whig[3] | ||
| 1837 | William Bagge | Conservative | William Chute | Conservative | ||
| 1847 | Hon. Edward Coke | Whig[5][6][7] | ||||
| 1852 | George Bentinck | Conservative | ||||
| 1857 | Brampton Gurdon | Whig[8][9] | ||||
| 1859 | Liberal | |||||
| 1865 | Sir William Bagge, Bt | Conservative | Hon. Thomas de Grey | Conservative | ||
| 1871 by-election | George Bentinck | Conservative | ||||
| 1880 by-election | William Tyssen-Amherst | Conservative | ||||
| 1884 by-election | Clare Sewell Read | Conservative | ||||
| 1885 | representation reduced to one member and constituency abolished | |||||
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William ffolkes | Unopposed | |||
| Whig | Jacob Astley | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 4,396 | ||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | William ffolkes | 2,299 | 36.4 | ||
| Whig | Jacob Astley | 2,134 | 33.8 | ||
| Conservative | William Bagge | 1,880 | 29.8 | ||
| Majority | 254 | 4.0 | |||
| Turnout | 3,947 | 85.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 4,633 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Whig hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Bagge | 3,178 | 27.4 | +12.5 | |
| Conservative | William Lyde Wiggett Chute | 2,877 | 24.8 | +9.9 | |
| Whig | William ffolkes | 2,838 | 24.5 | −11.9 | |
| Whig | Jacob Astley | 2,713 | 23.4 | −10.4 | |
| Majority | 465 | 4.0 | N/A | ||
| Majority | 39 | 0.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,898 | 81.3 | −3.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,258 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +11.8 | |||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +10.5 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Bagge | Unopposed | |||
| Conservative | William Lyde Wiggett Chute | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,559 | ||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Bagge | 3,113 | 26.4 | N/A | |
| Whig | Edward Coke | 3,052 | 25.9 | New | |
| Whig | Anthony Hamond, Sr. | 2,935 | 24.9 | New | |
| Conservative | Henry L'Estrange Styleman Le Strange | 2,676 | 22.7 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 5,888 (est) | 78.3 (est) | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 7,516 | ||||
| Majority | 61 | 0.5 | N/A | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Majority | 376 | 3.2 | N/A | ||
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||