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West Surrey
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
This two-member area shaded light green
County	Surrey
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Created from	Haslemere and Surrey
Replaced by	Epsom Chertsey Guildford Reigate also called Mid, N.W. S.W. and S.E. Surrey
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:	none

West Surrey (formally the Western division of Surrey) was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Surrey, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

It was created under the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1885 general election.

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Blackheath, Copthorne, Effingham, Elmbridge, Farnham, Godalming, Godley and Chertsey, Woking and Wotton.

The constituency was therefore the more extensive and more rural of the two divisions of Surrey established in 1832. Its main existing towns were urbanising with railway stations built; Woking became a town towards the end of its existence. Elections were conducted at Guildford; other most populous towns were Leatherhead, Dorking, Epsom, Ewell, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Chertsey, Egham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge and Woking. Guildford was a parliamentary borough represented in its own right, but those of its freeholders not qualifying for a vote as such could vote for the county division MPs.

Subdivision in 1885

On its abolition in 1885 its contents made up all or some of four single-member seats and the overlapping seat (1295-1867 a constituency returning two members), Guildford parliamentary borough, was abolished. The outcome was as follows:

• The North-Western division of Surrey or Chertsey (i.e. Bisley; Byfleet; Chertsey; Chobham; Egham; Horsell; Pyrford; Thorpe; Weybridge; Windlesham; Ash, East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley, West Horsley, Merrow, Ockham, Pirbright, Send and Ripley, Wanborough, Windlesham, Wisley, Woking and Worplesdon.)
• Epsom (UK Parliament constituency) drew on Mid Surrey as to Tolworth, New Malden, Malden, Worcester Park, Surbiton, Hook, Coombe and Long Ditton in the Kingston Hundred and Sessional Division. Took: Ashtead; Banstead; Great Bookham; Little Bookham; Cheam; Chessington; Cuddington; Epsom; Ewell; Fetcham; Headley; Leatherhead; Sutton; Walton on the Hill; Cobham; Thames Ditton; Esher; East Molesey; West Molesey; Stoke D'Abernon; and Walton on Thames.
• Reigate (UK Parliament constituency) drew, approximately equally, on Mid and East Surrey. Took: Abinger; Capel; Dorking; Dorking Rural (reached South Holmwood); Newdigate; Ockley; Wotton.
• The South-Western division of Surrey or Guildford as to the rest

Members of Parliament

The Times obituary of Leech reads:

On the 16th, inst, died, at the age of 86, after a short illness, John Leech, Esq. He lived and died at his parternal mansion at Lea, in the county of Surrey. He was elected member for the western division of that county in the year 1832. Mr Leech was the very type of an old English country gentleman: benevolent, active, intelligent, upright, honourable, and of a truly independent and manly mind. His memory will be long cherished by his friends, and his death deplored by a wide circle of intimate acquaintance.

— The Times

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Perceval (of the with-heirs-male inheritee branch of the Earls of Egmont) was in 1802 given his peerage becoming Lord Arden which caused a by-election.

Denison's death caused a by-election.

1. later of Strawberry Hill, Lympstone, Devon died, 79, in 1875.

Elections in the 1850s

1. of West Horsley Place, died 74, in 1873

Elections in the 1860s

Drummond's death caused a by-election.

1. Soon after, MP for Stockport until standing down for a seat lost by 12 votes, in 1885; the notable international merchant, socialite and speaker lived at Broome Hall, Holmwood in the county when not in town

Elections in the 1870s

Briscoe's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

References

1. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
2. ^ CHERTSEY PETTY SESSIONAL DIVISION: RECORDS (summary of PS1-PS7 of Surrey History Centre, 7 Petty Sessional Divisions scope The National Archives: Browse records of other archives: 176 Surrey History Centre. Accessed 2019-12-04
3. H.E. Malden, ed. (1911). "The hundred of Woking: Introduction and map". A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
4. ^ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 Appendix D - county constituencies
5. Combined petty sessional division: Kingston and Elmbridge as dealt with under heading Kingston sessional division in the 1885 Act Dickens's Dictionary of London, Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879 - "Petty Sessional Divisions"
6. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 65. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
7. ^ A Member of the Middle Temple (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: With An Abstract of the Law of Election, and the Usages of Parliament. London: Scott, Webster, and Geary. pp. 38, 70 – via Google Books.
8. 'Parishes: Witley', in A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3, ed. H E Malden (London, 1911), pp. 61-69. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/surrey/vol3/pp61-69 .
9. ^ The Times (London, England), Wednesday, April 21, 1847, Issue 19529, p.7.
10. Charles Barclay historic Hansard index, UK Parliament, earlier for Dundalk and Southwark.
11. The Times (London, England), Friday, December 7, 1855, Issue 22231, p.1.
12. "Dorking: Bury Hill and the Barclays".
13. "John Ivatt Briscoe". Legacies of British Slave-ownership. University College London. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
14. "Pamphlet: A Letter on the Nature and Effects of the Tread-Wheel". British Library. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
15. ^ Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 468–469. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
16. Spencer, Howard. "HOLME SUMNER (formerly SUMNER), George (1760-1838), of Hatchlands Park, East Clandon, nr. Guildford, Surr". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
17. "Election Intelligence". Morning Advertiser. 5 August 1837. p. 1. Retrieved 3 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
18. "West Surrey Election". Dublin Evening Mail. 26 September 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
19. "The Scotsman". 26 September 1849. p. 2. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "Staffordshire Advertiser". 24 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "Mr. Currie at Guildford". Sussex Agricultural Express. 21 March 1857. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991)

• Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey (historic)
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1832
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885