View source for Fowey (UK Parliament constituency)

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox UK constituency
|name       = Fowey
|type       = Borough
|parliament = uk
|year       = 1571
|abolished  = 1832
|elects_howmany = Two
|previous   = 
|next       = 
|}}

'''Fowey''' was a [[rotten borough]] in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] in the [[Parliament of England|English]] and later [[British Parliament]] from 1571 to 1832, when it was abolished by the [[Great Reform Act]].

==History==
The borough consisted of the town of [[Fowey]], a seaport and market town, and the neighbouring hamlet of [[Mixtow]]. Unlike many of the most notorious [[Cornish rotten boroughs]] which were enfranchised in [[Tudor period|Tudor]] times, Fowey had once been a town of reasonable size, and returned members to a national council in 1340, although it had to wait until 1571 for representation in Parliament.

Fowey was a feudal tenure of the [[Prince of Wales]], and by a judgment of 1701 the right to vote was held to rest with "the Prince's tenants",<ref>Oldfield, ''The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland'', 1816, Volume 3, page 206, quoted on page 316 note 1, [[Lewis Namier]], ''[[The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III]]'' (2nd edition – London: St Martin's Press, 1957)</ref> which in practice was interpreted to include all the householders paying [[scot and lot]]; there were 331 voters in 1831. However, most of the property in the borough was owned by the [[Rashleigh family]] of nearby [[Menabilly]], and in 1816 they and the [[Earl of Mount Edgcumbe]] shared the "patronage", each having considerable influence if not quite absolute power to choose one of the MPs.

In 1831, the borough had a population of 1,600, and 340 houses.

==Members of Parliament==

===1571–1629===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Parliament!!First member!!Second member
|-
|Parliament of 1571
|[[Robert Petre (died 1593)|Robert Petre]]
|[[Thomas Cromwell (Parliamentary diarist)|Thomas Cromwell]]
|-
|Parliament of 1572–1583
|[[William Russell (MP for Fowey)|William Russell]]
|[[Edward Harrington (MP for Fowey)|Edward Harrington]]
|-
|Parliament of 1584–1585
|rowspan="2"|[[Reginald Mohun (died 1639)|Reginald Mohun]]
|[[William Treffry]]
|-
|Parliament of 1586–1587
|[[John Bonython (MP)|John Bonython]]
|-
|Parliament of 1588–1589
|[[John Rashleigh (1554–1624)|John Rashleigh]]
|[[Arthur Atye]]
|-
|Parliament of 1593
|[[William Killigrew (Chamberlain of the Exchequer)|William Killigrew]]
|[[Samuel Lennard]]
|-
|Parliament of 1597–1598
|[[John Rashleigh (1554–1624)|John Rashleigh]]
|[[Thomas Treffry (born 1563)|Thomas Treffry]]
|-
|Parliament of 1601
|[[Carew Raleigh]]
|[[William Courtney (MP for Fowey)|Sir William Courtney, junior]]
|-
|Parliament of 1604–1611
|[[Henry Peter (MP)|Henry Peter]]
|[[Francis Vyvyan]]
|-
|[[Addled Parliament|Addled Parliament (1614)]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Jonathan Rashleigh (1591–1675)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
|[[Sir Edward Boys]]
|-
|Parliament of 1621–1622
|[[John Treffry]]
|-
|[[Happy Parliament|Happy Parliament (1624–1625)]]
|[[William Noy]]
|[[Robert Coke (MP for Coventry and Fowey)|Sir Robert Coke]]
|-
|[[Useless Parliament|Useless Parliament (1625)]]
|[[Jonathan Rashleigh (1591–1675)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Arthur Basset (1597-1673)|Arthur Basset]]
|-
|Parliament of 1625–1626
|[[William Murray (MP for Fowey)|William Murray]]
|-
|Parliament of 1628–1629
|[[Robert Rashleigh]]
|[[Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet|Sir Richard Grenville]]
|-
|colspan="4"|''No Parliament summoned 1629–1640''
|-
|}

===1640–1832===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!!!First member!!First party!!!!Second member!!Second party
|-
|[[Short Parliament|April 1640]]
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Cavalier}}" | 
|rowspan="3"|[[Jonathan Rashleigh (1591–1675)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]||rowspan="3"| [[Cavaliers|Royalist]]
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|[[Edwin Rich (died 1675)|Edwin Rich]]||<!-- party -->
|-
|[[Long Parliament|November 1640]]
|style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Roundhead}}" | 
|[[Richard Buller|Sir Richard Buller]]||[[Roundheads|Parliamentarian]]
|-
|November 1642
|align="center" rowspan="2" colspan="3"|''Buller died – seat vacant''
|-
|January 1644
|align="center" colspan="3"|''Rashleigh disabled from sitting – seat vacant''
|-
|1646
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"|[[Sir Nicholas Gould, 1st Baronet|Nicholas Gould]]||rowspan="2"|
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|[[Gregory Clement]]||
|-
|May 1652
|align="center" colspan="3"|''Clement expelled<ref>Clement was expelled from the house for immorality (for "lying with his maid" according to the wording of the motion)</ref> – seat vacant''
|-
|1653
|align="center" colspan="6"|''Fowey was unrepresented in the [[Barebones Parliament]] and the [[First Protectorate Parliament|First]] and [[Second Protectorate Parliament|Second]] Parliaments of the Protectorate''
|-
|[[Third Protectorate Parliament|January 1659]]
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|[[John Barton (MP)|John Barton]]||<!-- party -->
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|[[Edward Herle]]||<!-- party -->
|-
|[[Rump Parliament|May 1659]]
|style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Sir Nicholas Gould, 1st Baronet|Nicholas Gould]]||
|colspan="3"|''One seat vacant''
|-
|April 1660
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[John Barton (MP)|John Barton]]
| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Edward Herle]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1661
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Jonathan Rashleigh (1591–1675)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
| <!-- party -->
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[John Rashleigh (1619–93) of Coombe|John Rashleigh]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1675
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Jonathan Rashleigh (1642–1702)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1679
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[John Treffry]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1685
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Bevil Granville]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1689
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Jonathan Rashleigh (1642–1702)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Shadrach Vincent]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1695
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Thomas Vivian]]
| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Bevil Granville|Sir Bevil Granville]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
|January 1701
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[John Williams (d. 1751)|John Williams]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[John Granville, 1st Baron Granville|John Granville]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
|December 1701
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[John Hicks (MP)|John Hicks]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1702
|rowspan="2"  style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne|George Granville]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1708
|rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="5"| [[Henry Vincent (junior)]]
|rowspan="5"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1710
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[George Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull|Viscount Dupplin]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1712
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[Bernard Granville (MP died 1723)|Bernard Granville]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1713
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Jermyn Wyche]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1715
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Jonathan Elford]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1719
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="3"| [[Nicholas Vincent]]
|rowspan="3"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1722
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[John Goodall (MP)|John Goodall]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1725
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[William Bromley (died 1737)|William Bromley]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|January 1727
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Richard FitzWilliam, 5th Viscount FitzWilliam|The Viscount FitzWilliam]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]]
|-
|August 1727
|rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="5"| [[Jonathan Rashleigh (1693–1764)|Jonathan Rashleigh]]
|rowspan="5"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1734
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[John Hedges (died 1737)|John Hedges]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1737
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[William Wardour]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1746
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |
| [[George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe|Captain the Hon. George Edgcumbe]]
| [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]]
|-
| 1761
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Robert Boyle-Walsingham|Hon. Robert Boyle-Walsingham]]
|rowspan="2"| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1765
|rowspan="8" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="8"| [[Philip Rashleigh (1729–1811)|Philip Rashleigh]]
|rowspan="8"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1768
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[James Modyford Heywood]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
| 1774
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Whigs (British political party)}}" |
| [[Molyneux Shuldham, 1st Baron Shuldham|The Lord Shuldham]]
| [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]]
|-
| 1784
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[John Grant (d. 1804)|John Grant]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1786
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Richard Edgcumbe, 2nd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe|Hon. Richard Edgcumbe]]<ref>Styled Viscount Valletort from August 1789</ref>
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1795
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Sylvester Douglas, 1st Baron Glenbervie|Sylvester Douglas]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1796
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Reginald Pole Carew|Reginald Pole-Carew]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1799
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Edward Golding (MP)|Edward Golding]]<ref>In 1802 Golding was also elected for [[Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)|Plympton Erle]], which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Fowey</ref>
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|July 1802
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="3"| [[Reginald Pole Carew]]
|rowspan="3"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|December 1802
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet|Robert Wigram (senior)]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1806
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[Sir Robert Fitzwygram, 2nd Baronet|Robert Wigram (junior)]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1812
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[William Rashleigh (MP for Fowey)|William Rashleigh]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1818
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[George Lucy]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
| style="color:inherit;background-color: white" |
| [[James Hamilton Stanhope|Hon. James Hamilton Stanhope]]
| <!-- party -->
|-
|5 March 1819<ref>At the 1818 election Lucy and Stanhope were declared to have defeated [[William Richard Edgcumbe, Viscount Valletort|Viscount Valletort]] and [[Alexander Glynn Campbell]], but on petition the result was reversed. However, Valletort had died in the interim and a by-election was held to fill his seat</ref>
|colspan="3"| ''Seat vacant (death of [[William Richard Edgcumbe, Viscount Valletort|Viscount Valletort]])''
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="3"| [[Alexander Glynn Campbell]]
|rowspan="3"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|24 March 1819
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Matthias Attwood]]<ref>Attwood was initially declared to have defeated Valletort at the by-election, but the result was reversed on petition</ref>
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|May 1819
|rowspan="2"  style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2" | [[Ernest Edgcumbe, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe|Viscount Valletort]]
|rowspan="2" | [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1820
|rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="3"| [[George Lucy]]
|rowspan="3"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
| 1826
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[Robert Henley, 2nd Baron Henley|Hon. Robert Henley]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|February 1830
|rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
|rowspan="2"| [[James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan|Lord Brudenell]]
|rowspan="2"| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|July 1830
| style="color:inherit;background-color: {{party color|Tories (British political party)}}" |
| [[John Severn|John Cheesment Severn]]
| [[Tory (British political party)|Tory]]
|-
|[[1832 United Kingdom general election|1832]]
|colspan="6"| ''Constituency abolished''
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
* Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [https://books.google.com/books?id=Gh2wKY2rkDUC&q=Return+of+Members+of+Parliament]
* D Brunton & D H Pennington, ''Members of the Long Parliament'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
* ''Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803'' (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [https://web.archive.org/web/20150904125310/http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
* Maija Jansson (ed.), ''Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons)'' (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
* J Holladay Philbin, "Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales" (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
* Henry Stooks Smith, "The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847" (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
*{{Cite Notitia Parliamentaria|converted=1|part=2|page=1}} <!-- needs specific pages added (the template takes care of the google book link)-->
* {{Rayment-hc|f|date=March 2012}}

[[Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Cornwall (historic)]]
[[Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1572]]
[[Category:Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1832]]
[[Category:Rotten boroughs]]
[[Category:Fowey]]