a county election in 1761

County Louth Archaeological and History Society

A County Election in 1761Author(s): Thomas WoodsSource: Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Dec., 1925), pp. 24-27Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27728212 .

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& Count? election tn 1761

MS. the property of Mr. Thomas Woods, Dublin.

WHJS County W'estmeath election seems to have been a family quarrel, as Lord Belfield, who was afterwards created Earl of Belvidere?the suc

cessful candidate?was apparently elder brother of his opponent, George Rochfort, who contested the seat as a supporter of the

" Patriots'

" demand

for Septennial Parliaments or a Septennial dissolution of Parliament to replace the established system under which a Parliament lasted and the members held their seats for the life of the king. This 1761 election followed on the death of George II.

This record illustrates the procedure of elections in the eighteenth century. It will be remembered that the poll remained open day after day so long as a voter came forward.

" A List of the Poll taken upon an Election of two Representatives for to serve

in Parliament for the County of Westmeath, before Thomas Adderley, Esq., High Sheriff of the County, Monday, the nth day of May, 1761, at Mullingar."

Court opened at three quarters of an hour after eleven o'clock in the forenoon.

Candidates.

The Rt. Honble. Lord Belfield ? Gustavus Lambert, Esq. The Hon. Richard Rochfort, Esq.

? George Rochfort, Esq.

The right hand side of the Court assigned to George Rochfort, Esq., the other side to Lord Belfield and Captain Rochfort.

The Writ Read.

Mr. George Rochfort, in order to have an opportunity of polling equal members with Lord Belfield and Captain Rochfort, sets up Gustavus Lambert, Esq., as a nominal candidate, and it is agreed that each of the four candidates poll five and five.



Gen. Voters Names.

i. xDean Handcock

Freeholds.

Willbrooke

2. Hercules Langford Rowley, Newbawn

Esq. 3. Paul Monk, Esq.

4. Francis Adams, Esq. 5. William Pole, Esq.

6. Thomas Reilly, Esq.

7. 2Francis Reilly, Esq. 8. Stephen Bamford, Esq 9. Rev.

John Bamford

10. 11. 13

Wm. Featherston, Esq.

Robert Tighe, Esq. Sterne Tighe, Esq. Rev. Peter Westenra .

Gillardstown Rathconnell

Ballinderrv

Places of

Abode. Willbrooke

Summerhill,

Co. Meath

City of Dublin do.

Ballyfin,

Sworn Value Geo. Roch

fort, Esq.

Ballycamoyle & Roebuck

Stonestown

do. Dublin

Clonfad

Tyrrelstown,

Carrick Killpatrick Carrick Parish : Killucan

Rahinstown,

Co. Meath Cally, Co. Meath

Carrick Michellstown

Dublin

Killucan, etc.

10 10 10 10 10 10 2 10 10 10 10 10 10

G. Lambert. Lord Belfield Hon. Richard

Rochfort

1 1 .

2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The next four voters are marked as having cast 3 votes. One for Lord Belfield as well as for each of his opponents,

and two of them were objected to, it does not appear by

which.

The 21st voter was the famous Parliamentary leader, " Rt. Hon. Antony Malone, Esq., Barranstown," wTho voted for Lord Belfield and his colleague, Captain Richard Rochfort.

1 Mr. George Rochfort, objects to him as under influence of Lord Belvidere, Lord Longford or some agents under them.

2 Objected to for want of due registry.

w



20 COUNTY LOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL

Mr. George Rochfort objects that undue influence had been made use of by two Lords of Parliament.

Mr. George Rochfort to poll the first ten on behalf of himself and Mr. Lambert.

The scrutiny to go along with the poll. Proclamation : As many as are of opinion that Lord Belfield is a proper candidate

hold up your hands.

Whereupon the Sheriff upon a view declared them to (sic). The like as to Captain Rochfort hold up their hands.

The like as to Geo. Rochfort and Gustavus Lambert, Esq., hold up their hands.

Mr. George Rochfort proposed to avail himself of every advantage the Law allows of and hopes it will not give offence.

The Sheriff declares he has no Execon. as yet in his hands, but if there should be any put in hereafter, he must execute them.

Mr. Geo. Rochfort declares his Opinion relative to the Duty of Representatives. He declares upon what footing he stands Candidate?The Independent Interest of the County and no family Interest.

He calls upon the other Candidates to declare their principles. Lord Belfield and Captain Rochfort decline doing it. The Candidates agree to change their numbers of polling from 5 to 5 to 10 to 10 each.

The Sheriff proposes sitting till 5 o'clock in the afternoon for Monday nth, and till four for every day after, and to be in the Court at ten o'clock every morning.

The County Books called for.

The Clerk of the Peace declared he was to take the Poll for Lord Belfield and

Captain Rochfort, and is afterwards withdrawn upon Mr. George Rochfort's ob

jecting to him.

(12th May.) Mr. Gay moves the Sheriff to sit longer, as Lord Belfield and Captain Rochfort

have 300 friends in town at their expense. Mr. George Rochfort not above 40 friends and not at his expense.

Mr. Rochfort declares his principles. Lord Belfield mentions a paper w7hich has been handed about (by whom he

does not know), and Mr. Rochfort avowed, which he apprehends was designed to

prejudice him, and declares he did sa}^ if he should be convinced upon debate in the House of Commons that a Septenniel Law was a proper Law, he would stand

foremost in support of it.

Court adjourned till ten o'clock to-morrow morning, 13th May.

The list continues in the above form.

The poll lasted for eight days, from Monday, nth May, to Tuesday, 19th May. There were 32 votes cast the first day, 102 the second, 75 on the last day?in

all 606. Of these Lord Belfield received 459, his colleague, Captain Richard Rochfort,

343, and their opponent George Rochfort 259. Some of the voters having given a vote to both protagonists.



A COUNTY ELECTION IN 1761 27

There were 272 votes objected to, but all of these, save half a dozen or so had their votes accepted. Much the greater number of objections

were made by George

Rochfort, though the other side also used the same pleas. The grounds were mostly

the technical one of want of due registry, a number for undue influence like that made to the first voter, a few for insufficiency of freehold and 18 for the voters being married to a papish wife, and four for his being himself a papist?and educating his children under 14 years in the papish religion or for being a conformist and

having relapsed into popery.

One pleaded that he was not married a year yet, another that he had read his recantation before he was ?named, and another that he intends to educate his

children in the Protestant religion, but that they are so young that they do not go to any place of worship, and a fourth that though bred a papist he was regularly conformed.

A man whose vote was challenged for insufficiency of freehold, answered that his rent was ?16 for 30 acres, and that he had built a good house.

For half a dozen challenged voters George Rochfort admitted their disqualifi cation and waived his claim, but the votes of all the others were taken and reckoned,

although the Sheriff postponed his ruling on some objections. First Proclamation made 49 minutes after 2 o'clock in the morning.

Two votes, which were postponed for the Sheriff's consideration from yester

day, being desired by Mr. G. Rochfort to be determined on, and the Sheriff having gone into the Enquiry and consideration of them, the above Proclamation became vo^d.

The First Proclamation made 10 minutes past three o'clock.

The Second Proclamation made 40 minutes after 3 o'clock.

The Third Proclamation made at 10 minutes after 4 o'clock.

No Voters offer their poll after any of the Proclamations.

The half hour being out, the Sheriff declares Lord Belfield and Captain Roch fort duly elected.

Mr. G. Rochfort declares as the bulk of his objections are matters of law and are more

properly cognizable before the House of Commons than on a scrutiny,

he will not trouble the Sheriff with them, but wait to lay them before the House, where he was determined to go, if he shall find he has the foundation for it which he apprehends.

And returns his thanks to the Sheriff for his candid and impartial conduct, and also to all the Electors of both sides to whom he had given so much trouble.

The Sheriff is ready to declare if there be jio objection. Mr. G. Rochfort says he has objections which he will reserve for another place.

[End.]



a county election in 1761

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