Eye (UK Parliament constituency)

History

Eye was once the smallest borough in the country, its claim based on the 1205 Charter of King John. The Charter was renewed in 1408, then many more times by successive monarchs. However, in 1885, the Town Clerk of Hythe, 125 mi south by land, proved that the original Charter belonged only to Hythe in Kent, the error having arisen from the similarity of their original Old English names, both building off a related root phrase (Hythe: landing place, Eye: land by water). The error was confirmed by archivists in the 1950s, but borough status was not discontinued until 1974 after government reorganization when Eye became a parish but retained a Town Council, a Mayor and the insignia.

From 1571 to 1707, the Parliamentary Borough of Eye elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election to the House of Commons of England, then from 1707 to 1800 to the House of Commons of Great Britain, and from 1801 to 1832 to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. By the mid eighteenth century it tended to be seen a pocket borough of Earl Cornwallis who could nominate the two MPs. The Reform Act 1832 reduced its representation to one MP, elected by the first past the post system. The parliamentary borough was abolished under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was reconstituted as one of five single-member county divisions of the Parliamentary County of Suffolk, becoming a county constituency from the 1950 general election.

This in turn was abolished for the 1983 general election when western areas, comprising the majority, became part of the new county constituency of Central Suffolk, with eastern areas forming part of the new county constituency of Suffolk Coastal.

The seat's main claim to fame was that it was the smallest town to have a parliamentary constituency named after it as the town of Eye had only approximately 1500 voters in 1981. It had been mostly a Liberal seat until 1951, after which it became a safe Conservative seat.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1885–1918

• The Municipal Borough of Eye;
• The Sessional Divisions of Framlingham, Hartismere, and Hoxne; and
• Part of the Sessional Division of Blything.

Formed from parts of the abolished Eastern and Western Divisions of Suffolk and incorporating the abolished Parliamentary Borough of Eye. Apart from Eye, the main town was Saxmundham.

1918–1950

• The Municipal Borough of Eye;
• The Urban Districts of Halesworth, Leiston-cum-Sizewell, Saxmundham, and Stowmarket;
• The Rural Districts of East Stow, Hartismere, and Hoxne; and
• Parts of the Rural Districts of Blything and Plomesgate.

Gained southernmost part of the Lowestoft Division, including Halesworth, and a small area to the east of the abolished Stowmarket Division, including the town of Stowmarket itself.

1950–1983

• The Municipal Boroughs of Aldeburgh and Eye;
• The Urban Districts of Leiston-cum-Sizewell, Saxmundham, and Stowmarket;
• The Rural Districts of Blyth, Gipping, and Hartismere: and
• The Rural District of Deben parishes of Blaxhall, Boulge, Bredfield, Burgh, Campsey Ash, Charsfield, Chillesford, Clopton, Cretingham, Dallinghoo, Dallinghoo Wield, Debach, Eyke, Gedgrave, Grundisburgh, Hoo, Iken, Letheringham, Monewden, Orford, Otley, Pettistree, Rendlesham, Sudbourne, Swilland, Tunstall, Ufford, Wantisden, Wickham Market, and Witnesham.

Extended southwards to gain Aldeburgh and mainly rural areas from the northern part of the abolished Woodbridge Division of East Suffolk.  Area previously transferred from Lowestoft (including Halesworth) now returned.

Members of Parliament

Eye borough

MPs 1571–1660

MPs 1660–1832

MPs 1832–1885

Eye division of Suffolk

MPs 1885–1983

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

Sidney resigned, causing a by-election.

|reg. electors =

|reg. electors = 253

|reg. electors = 282

|reg. electors = 301

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 342

|reg. electors = 322

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 356

|reg. electors = 359

|reg. electors = 342

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 339

Kerrison resigned in order to contest the 1866 by-election in East Suffolk.

|reg. electors = 1,198

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 1,163

Barrington was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.

|reg. electors = 1,163

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 1,081

Bartlett was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

|reg. electors = 983

|reg. electors = 10,993 |reg. electors = 10,993

Elections in the 1890s

|reg. electors = 10,321 |reg. electors = 10,339

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 10,162

|reg. electors = 10,166

Elections in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 10,621 |reg. electors = 10,621 General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Harold Pearson
• Unionist:

|reg. electors = 33,399

Elections in the 1920s

|reg. electors = 32,579 |reg. electors = 32,999 |reg. electors = 33,841 |reg. electors = 40,340

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Edgar Granville
• Labour: Harry Leonard Self
• British Union: Ronald Noah Creasy

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

|

References

References

1. (December 2017). "'Eye', Feb 1974 - May 1983". Cognitive Computing Limited.
2. (1960). "The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names". Clarendon Press.
3. Pages 144 and 199, [[Lewis Namier]], ''[[The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III]]'' (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
4. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. "The public general acts". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
5. S., Craig, Fred W.. (1972). "Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;". Political Reference Publications.
6. "Representation of the People Act, 1948".
7. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament.
8. {{Rayment-hc. e. 2. (March 2012)
9. D. W. Hayton. "Eye".
10. Later adopted the surname Phillipson
11. Rear Admiral from 1793, Vice Admiral 1794, Admiral 1799
12. (1845). "The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive". Simpkin, Marshall, & Co..
13. Succeeded as baronet, March 1853
14. Succeeded as The Viscount Barrington (in the [[Peerage of Ireland]]), February 1867
15. "Eye".
16. (21 March 1874). "Eye Election". Cardiff Times.
17. (1977). "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885". Macmillan Press.
18. (2 Apr 1880). "The Polling at Eye". [[Diss Express]].
19. (13 Aug 1885). "The Candidature of Mr Mervyn Hawkes". [[Sheffield Telegraph.
20. The Liberal year book, 1907
21. (1974). "British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918". Macmillan Press.
22. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
23. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916