1784 Election

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The following is a list of freeholders of Hanslope who voted in the election which took place in April/May 1784. For further information on the election see below.

Freeholders
Names.
Place of
their Abode.
What Freeholds
consist of.
Occupiers.
Ver.
 Gr.
 Au.
Adams John Hanslop Land Himself
 
 
Addison William Ditto H. and L. Kingston, &c.
 
 
Ashby John Buggbrook H. and L. Barker Joseph
 
 
Ashby William Ditto H. and L. Ditto
 
 
Bacchus Richard Great Linford H. and L. Himself
 
Barker Joseph Hanslop House Himself
 
 
Billing Thomas Ditto House Warton Sarah
 
Bishop Christopher Ditto H. & L. Himself
 
Bissel Richard Ditto H. and L. Himself
 
 
Blunt Benjamin Milton House Frost & Clark
 
Blunt Richard Ashton Land Timpson Jos.
 
 
Britain Joseph Churchend H. and L. Himself
 
 
Britton William Stoke Bruin H. and L. Atterbury H.
 
Burbridge John Hanslop House Smith Daniel
 
 
Burton Edmond London Lands Nicholls Jas.
 
Caves John Blisworth, North. H. and L. Hindes Wm.
 
Crick Thomas Hanslop H. and L. Chapman John
 
 
Darby Richard Ditto House Brice J.
 
 
Gardiner John Tyfoe, Warwick. H. and L. Robinson Wm.
 
Gaudern Thomas Hanslop House Mannings John
 
Godfrey William Ravenstone H. and L. Himself, &c.
 
Goodman John Hanslop House Himself
 
Goodridge Wm.jun Hartwell, North. Land Goodridge W.
 
Gregory Joseph Hanslop H. and L. Mills Widow
 
Groscock Matthew Hardingstone Land Allen J.
 
Harris William Hanslop H. & L. Garratt Wm.
 
 
Herbert James Ditto H. and L. Witt Widow
 
 
Hillyer William Ditto H. and L. Himself
 
Hindes John Wootton, Bedf. H. & L. Goodridge W.
 
Hindes Joseph Hanslop H. & L. Himself, &c.
 
Hindes Wm. sen. Ditto H. & L. Himself
 
 
Hoddle Stephen Newport H. and L. Kightlee Wm.
 
Hollis Cowley Hanslop H. and L. Himself
 
 
Kitelee William Hanslop H. and L. Himself, &c.
 
Leaver Benjamin Hanslop House Himself
 
Lowndes Henry, Esq. London H. and L. Hillier Wm.
 
 
Milligam Robert Buckingham H and L Neal John
 
Panter Dennis Hanslop House Tite J. &c.
 
 
Peach William Hanslop H. and L Himself
 
Ratnett Richard Hanslop H. and L. Himself, &c.
 
Richards John Hanslop H. and L. Himself
 
 
Richards William Hanslop H. and L. Himself
 
 
Smith William Hanslop H. and L. Himself
 
 
Tite George Piddington, Nor. Ditto Thompson B.
 
 
Watts Edward, Esq. London Land Smith H. &c.
 
 
West Harry Hanslop House Himself, &c.
 
Wilkinson John Northampton H. and L. Clark William
 
Source: Publication identified below. The columns "What Freeholds consist of." and "Occupiers." were taken from a second publication which was undated but had the appearance of being contemporary with the election. Copies of both publications are in the Buckinghamshire Record Office in Aylesbury.

The last three columns indicate the candidate(s) for whom each elector voted.

The following is taken from the cover page of the record of the election results.

An Alphabetical L I S T
OF THE
Names of the several Persons
who Voted at the Election of KNIGHTS of the SHIRE,
FOR THE COUNTY OF
Buckingham,
AT THE COUNTY COURT OF
Richard Scrimshire, Esq; Sheriff
Of the said C O U N T Y
Held at Aylesbury, on Wednesday the 21st Day of APRIL, 1784,
and from thence by divers Adjournments to Thursday the 6th Day of May following.
Containing the Places of their respective Freeholds and Abodes, and the distinguishing the Candidate of Candidates the respectively polled for.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
A general State of the Number of VOTES for each Candidate at the Close of the POLL.
The Whole carefully examined with an authentick COPY of the SHERIFF's POLL-BOOKS.
C A N D I D A T E S.
 
The Right Honble. Ralph Earl Verney, of the Kingdom of Ireland.
 
 
The Right Honble. William Wyndham Grenville.
 
 
John Aubrey, Esquire.
_____________________
 
AYLESBURY, Printed and Sold by W. Nicholls, in the Year MDCCLXXXV.

The following summary is taken from the above record of the election.

The Names of the respective Hundreds.
Single Votes.
Divided Votes.
The Numbers Polled for each Candidate.
No.of Free-holders in each Hun.
 
V.
G.
A.
V.G.
V.A.
G.A.
V.
G.
A.
 
Ashendon -
18
31
57
58
6
141
82
230
204
311
Aylesbury -
164
31
80
116
41
238
321
385
359
670
Buckingham -
72
44
12
163
6
37
241
244
55
334
Burnham -
110
8
30
82
8
155
200
245
193
393
Cottesloe -
164
13
47
166
7
141
337
320
195
538
Desborough -
80
4
43
41
3
242
124
287
288
413
Newport -
220
35
64
119
4
232
343
386
300
674
Stoke -
28
6
18
35
5
123
68
164
146
215
T O T A L - 
856
172
351
780
80
1309
1716
2261
1740
3548

This was the election that consolidated the position of William Pitt the younger as prime minister at the age of 24.  The background was the recent loss of the American colonies, formalised in peace treaties first with the Thirteen Colonies, then with France, with Spain, and with Holland.  Following the negotiation of these treaties by an administration of all parties, a coalition of factions under Fox and North gained control of the Commons in February 1783.

In his History of the English Speaking Peoples, Churchill summarises the circumstances of the election as follows.

"The elections which carried Pitt into power were the most carefully planned of the century. There has been a legend that a great wave of popular reaction against the personal government of George III brought him into office. In fact it was George himself who turned to Pitt, and the whole electoral machinery built up by the King's agents, headed by the backstairs figure of John Robinson, the Secretary of the Treasury, was put at the disposal of the young politician.  In December 1783 Robinson and Pitt met to discuss their plan at a house in Leicester Square belonging to one of Pitt's close associates, Henry Dundas. Robinson drew up a detailed report on the constituencies, and convinced Pitt that a majority in the Commons could be obtained.  Three days later Fox and North were dismissed by the King, and the ensuing elections created a majority which William Pitt preserved into the next century.  The plan had been justified, and the nation at large accepted the result as the true verdict of the country.

"This majority rested on a number of elements - Pitt's personal following; the "Party of the Crown", put at his disposal by George III; the independent country gentlemen; the East India interest, alienated by Fox's attempt to curb their political power; and the Scottish Members, marshalled by Dundas.  The Tories supported him because he appeared to be rescuing the King from an unscrupulous Government.  The Whigs remembered that he had refused office under North, and that he had advocated a reform of the Parliamentary system.  The "old gang", with whom he had no connections, had failed, disgraced the nation, and wrecked its finances.  With all the renown of his father's name behind him, this grave, precocious young man, eloquent, incorruptible, and hard -working, stood upon the uplands of power."

The candidates in Buckinghamshire

In order of votes received:

The Right Honble. William Wyndham Grenville
File:1st Baron Grenville.jpg
(photograph from Wikipedia)
He was to son of the Whig prime Minister George Grenville.  His elder brother was 1st Marquess of Buckingham.  He entered the Commons in 1782 and became a close ally of his cousin, William Pitt the younger. 

He served as Paymaster of the Forces from 1784 to 1789.  In 1790 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Grenville, becoming Leader of the House of Lords, and holding office as Home Secretary and then Foreign Secretary. 

He later became close to the Whig leader, Charles James Fox, and after the death of Pitt, served as leader of a "Ministry of all the Talents", 1806/7.  The most significant achievement of this ministry was the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

He then joined the Whigs in opposition to the administration of Lord Liverpool, never achieving high office again.

John Aubrey, Esquire

(more information: Wikipedia)

He had been in parliament since 1768, initially as representative for Wallingford, and then for Aylesbury.  In 1786 he succeeded to his father's baronetcy as the 6th Baronet of Llantrithyd.  He went on to sit for various other constituencies until his death in 1826.

From 1783 to 1789 he served as Lord of the Treasury.

He died at Dorton House, Buckinghamshire.

The Right Honble. Ralph Earl Verney, of the Kingdom of Ireland

(more information: Wikipedia)

As an Irish peer, he was not entitled to a seat in the House of Lords.  He sat in the Commons from 1753, first for Wendover and then Carmarthen, then Buckinghamshire, loosing his seat in this election.  He re-entered the Commons in 1790 representing Buckinghamshire.  He was a supporter of the Whig party.

His family home was Claydon House.

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