Rye’s MPs through the centuries

The July election has once again focused attention on who represents Rye in parliament. Now, of course, the constituency includes Hastings, but from at least the 14th century through to the 20th, Rye was a constituency on its own.

The first time that a member of parliament is recorded for Rye was 1372, when John Salerne was elected. At that time there was just one member, but in 1386 we find that there were two; Stephen Elyot, who was also mayor of Rye between 1380-82, and John Baddyng, a member of the family for whom Rye Castle was once named. He was mayor between 1390-91, 1393-94 and 1395-97. Rye, along with other towns, was a borough incorporated under the terms of a Royal Charter. This is what gave it the right to send two members to parliament. The same names occur for each session of parliament, with John Baddyng’s name last appearing in 1407. Stephen Elyot, who died in about 1395, was last listed in 1388.

Very often, it was the mayor of the borough who was also one of its representatives in parliament. Thus we find William atte Vawte, who served as mayor in 1397-99 and 1401-03 and member of parliament in 1388, 1399 and 1406. Thomas Long, a wine merchant, was mayor in 1410-11, 1421-22 and 1436-37 and the local member in 1425, 1435 and 1437. He was also the master of one of King Henry V’s ships, Jesus, based in Winchelsea and the owner of land at Udimore, Wivelridge and Hope. His relative, William Long, was mayor between 1405-06 and 1407-10 and member of parliament in 1410, 1413, 1414, 1419 and 1420. Remember that then, parliaments weren’t for a term of five years, it was more that they were called to meet alongside the legal year, or when summoned by the Sovereign. Remember also that members of parliament were unpaid until 1911. It was seen as an honour to serve your community rather than a well-paid career.

Some men represented both the hill towns of Rye and Winchelsea. For example, Richard Berkeley, who died in about 1513, served Winchelsea in 1495 and 1497 and Rye in 1504 and 1510. The role often seems to have run in the family. Robert Mede was mayor of Rye between 1514-16 and member of parliament in 1512 and 1516. His son William was the member in 1539.

Members of the Fletcher family, well-known in Rye, served as members. John was the first, sitting in 1529, 1536 and 1542. Richard had his turn in 1553, 1554 and 1559, with Thomas taking his seat in 1558. Another well-known family, the Bredes, served in just one generation. John was a member between 1562-63. Either side of that he was mayor in 1560-61 and 1569-70.

Most of the early members seem to have been local men, but in 1553 we find a distinguished outsider sitting for the borough. Sir Clement Higham (sometimes spelt Heigham,) was a man from Suffolk. In 1554 he was elected Speaker of the House of Commons and then Chief Baron of the Exchequer between 1558-59. He was loyal to Queen Mary, retiring from politics on her death, and the accession of her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth in 1558.

King Charles I called no parliaments between 1629-40. Then, in 1640, with the dispute between king and parliament looming, Rye was represented by John Colepeper, an influential advisor to the king, who rose to be Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1642-43 and Master of the Rolls in 1643. The king created him Baron Culpeper in 1644. He had read the king’s terms for peace to the House of Commons in 1642. The baron went into exile with the future King Charles II after the execution of King Charles I, returning with him when the monarchy was restored in 1660. Sadly, he died about two months after the restoration. After the execution of Charles I, Rye was represented in some, but not all of the Commonwealth parliaments.

Perhaps the palm for longest serving member should go to Phillips Gybbon, the Whig Party member between 1707-62. By comparison, the post of second member had nine holders during the same period. He was a fairly local man, owning Hole Park at Rolvenden. In 1749 he was made Father of the House, the honorary title bestowed on the longest serving member of the house. There is a portrait of him in the Rye Town Hall.

In April 1806, Rye elected what must surely be its most famous member of parliament, Major General the Honourable Sir Arthur Wellesley, later created first Duke of Wellington. His tenure was only until November of that year, but to have had the future victor of Waterloo and twice prime minister as the local MP does give Rye a certain level of distinction. His mother, Anne, Countess of Mornington, clearly had no thought of her son achieving any sort of fame. When he was in his early twenties she wrote to a friend: “I don’t know what I shall do with my awkward son Arthur.” He played a further part in the life of Rye when he was appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1829. He held that post until his death at the official residence of the Lord Warden, and, apparently, his favourite residence, Walmer Castle, on September 14 1852, aged 83. The armchair in which he died is still at the castle, as is his death mask. This doesn’t show him as he was in life, as his false teeth had been removed and his face is rather more sunken than it had been.

That great Rye family, the Lambs, only seem to have supplied two members of parliament for the borough, despite their pre-eminent position in the town. Thomas, of Mountsfield Lodge, was mayor between 1803-04, 1809-10 and 1816-17, and MP between 1802-06. Thomas Phillipps Lamb was the member between 1812-13 and February – July 1819.

In 1832, the Reform Act brought in major changes to the country’s electoral system. The system based on boroughs meant that it was possible for one man to control the votes in several boroughs, the so-called Rotten Boroughs. For example, the Duke of Norfolk held sway over 11 boroughs, so was able to decide who their members would be. It was still possible to elect two members with just a handful of voters. The right to vote was to be based on having freehold land worth at least 40 shillings a year. In some cases, where women owned land of that value, they had been able to vote. Their not voting was merely the result of custom not law. What were called Pocket Boroughs extended the right to vote to freeholders, leaseholders and tenants paying at least £50 a year in rent. The Reform Act also ended the ability of women to vote, by defining a voter as male.

It is interesting to see the change in Rye’s electoral numbers after the Reform Act was passed into law. In 1831 there had been about 20; in 1832, suddenly there were 422. It was from 1832 that, in common with other seats, Rye was able to return only one member of parliament. This situation continued until the constituency of Rye was abolished in 1950.

Image Credits: Rye Town Council .