DROITWICH was formerly one of the closest of Whig boroughs, and was
entirely under the influence of the Foley family. To the return for the
first election recorded below, the names of nineteen persons are appended
in the books of the Droitwich Corporation; and at a much more recent
date, ten persons returned two members to Parliament. The present
constituency of the borough numbers 368.
1802—JULY—(General Election.)—Sir Edward Winnington, Bart., and the Hon.
Andrew Foley, reëlected.
1805—FEBRUARY—(Vacancy on the death of Sir Edw. Winnington.)—Thomas
Foley, Esq., son of the Hon. Andrew Foley, elected.
1806—NOVEMBER—(General Election.)—The Hon. Andrew Foley, and Lieutenant
Colonel Foley.
1807—MAY—(General Election.)—Colonel Foley becomes a candidate for
Herefordshire, and the Hon. A. Foley and Sir Thomas Winnington, Bart.,
are returned for this borough.
1812—OCTOBER—(General Election.)—Hon. A. Foley and Sir T. Winnington
reëlected.
1816—APRIL—Sir Thomas Winnington having accepted the Chiltern Hundreds,
Lord Sefton is elected in his stead.
1818—JUNE—(General Election.)—Hon. A. Foley and the Earl of Sefton
reëlected.
1819—FEBRUARY—(Vacancy on the death of the Hon. Andrew Foley.)—Colonel
Foley, son of the late member, elected.
1820—MARCH—(General Election.)—Earl of Sefton and Colonel Foley
reëlected.
1822—FEBRUARY—(Vacancy on the death of Colonel Foley.)—John Hodgetts
Hodgetts Foley, Esq., elected.
1826—JUNE—(General Election.)—Lord Sefton and J. H. H. Foley, Esq.,
reëlected.
1830—(General Election.)—Earl of Sefton and J. H. H. Foley, Esq.,
reëlected.
1831—MAY—(General Election.)—Mr. J. H. H. Foley and Sir T. E. Winnington
elected; the Earl of Sefton making way for the hon. baronet.
1832—DECEMBER—(General Election.)—The borough was deprived of one of its
members by the Reform Bill; and on this occasion J. H. H. Foley, Esq.,
was returned alone, having been proposed by Sir A. Lechmere, Bart., and
seconded by T. T. Vernon, Esq.
1835—(General Election.)—For the first time since 1711 this borough was
contested and a Tory returned. The candidates were J. H. H. Foley, Esq.
(the former member), and John Barneby, Esq., of Brockhampton. The former
was proposed by Captain Vernon and Mr. Francis; the latter, by Dr.
Steward and Mr. Lilley, of Wichbold. The Rev. Mr. Topham also addressed
the populace in Mr. Foley’s favour, and bore testimony to his attachment
to the Church. The show of hands was in Mr. Foley’s favour. At the end
of the first day the numbers were—Barneby, 115; Foley, 113: and at the
close of the poll—Barneby, 125; Foley, 122: majority for Barneby, 3. Out
of a constituency of only 281, 34 did not vote. The election issued in a
petition against the return, and on the 17th of March a committee of the
house was ballotted for to decide the matter; but it was constituted very
unfavourably to Mr. Foley, having at least eight Tories upon it. They
refused to reopen the register, so the inquiry was limited to a few
disputed votes on either side. Mr. Foley succeeded in striking off three
of Mr. Barneby’s votes, and so reducing matters to an equality; but Mr.
Barneby then struck off Lord Southwell’s vote, objected to on account of
his peerage. This left Mr. Foley in a minority of one, and Mr. Barneby
retained his seat.
1837—JULY—(General Election.)—John Barneby, Esq., having determined to
contest the county, made way for Mr. Pakington to come in for this
borough, of which he has ever since been the representative. J. H.
Galton, Esq., of Hadsor, made a canvass of the electors on the Liberal
interest; but finding that his chances were not very good he retired from
the contest. Mr. Allen, barrister, also made a flying visit to the
place, intending to put up as a Reformer, but soon took his departure.
Mr. Pakington was proposed at the hustings by W. H. Ricketts, Esq., and
Mr. John Tolley; and having made a long confession of his political creed
(in which he avowed himself a staunch Conservative, but would not vote
for a repeal of the Malt Tax, and approved of the new Poor Law), he was
declared duly elected.
1841—JULY—(General Election.)—J. S. Pakington, Esq., reëlected without
opposition.
1847—JULY—(General Election.)—Mr. C. Lloyd, nephew of Lord Mostyn,
canvassed the electors on the Liberal interest, and had some promise of
support from the agents of a noble lord in the neighbourhood (Lord Ward),
who was expected rather to have thrown his influence into the
Conservative scale; but, notwithstanding this, Mr. Lloyd found that he
had very little chance of success, and consequently retired, leaving the
field free for Sir John Pakington, Bart., who was reëlected.