Parliamentary Elections - Successful Candidates Planta and Fane
Apparently with the object of strengthening the hands of the Hastings Corporation, four existing freemen were called upon to take seats as jurats. These were Messrs. John Williams, jun. Nathaniel Crouch, Willm. Ball and Thomas Foster. At this time political events rapidly succeeded each other. The death of George IV. having occurred on the 26th of June, a letter was received from Mr. Thomas Paines, Registrar of the Cinque Ports, together with a copy of the Proclamation to be publicly read, thus notifying the accessions of William IV. as King. This was done with the usual formalities. It was first read from the Town Hall, next at the top of Oak Hill, and then at the gate-steps of the Upper Lane. Proceeding onwards, the next stand was made in front of Mr. Milward's house, thence at the Customs House and at the top of Courthouse Street. Accompanying the Mayor in his robes, were the Town Clerk, jurats, officers of the naval stations in uniform, the Town Crier, the freemen and the constables. In front of the procession was the Town Band.
An address of condolence to King William on the death of his brother was forwarded, and at an assembly of the Corporation on the 16th of July, a mandate from the Lord Warden was received, accompanied by His Majesty's writ to elect two Barons to serve in Parliament.
On the 26th of July, the nomination of candidates took place in the Town Hall, the Corporation nominees, as they were called, being Joseph Planta, Esq. and Genl. Sir Harry Fane. The opposing candidates were Otway Cave Esq. John Ashley Warre, Esq. and Capt. Taddy. The election was proceeded with on the 30th of the same month, when 17 jurats and freemen voted equally for Planta and Fane, who were returned by the Mayor (F. North, Esq.) as duly elected. The other pollings were 127 for Cave, 124 for Warre and 57 for Taddy. It will therefore be seen that if the higher numbers had been valid, Cave and Warre would have been elected by an overhelming majority. It proved to be one of the most exciting elections on record, although in a letter by the Rev. W. Whistler, that aged rector said "Our election passed off well here on Friday, but the Corporation were opposed, as at Rye and there will be a petition".
It may interest the descendants of those 17 persons who voted for the returned representatives, to see a list of their names, as follows;
- C. S. Crouch, surgeon
- J. G. Shorter, sen., Esq.
- Walter Crouch, Esq.
- Mr Scrivens, banker
- Jas Edward Fagan Murray, Esq.
- John Hannay, gent.
- John Pollard Crouch
- Nathaniel Grovely
- John Williams, sen.
- John Williams, jun.
- Wm. Phillips, mariner
- Thos. Tautley Bossom, carpenter
- Wm. Standen, milkman
- Wm. Ellis, grocer
- Jas. Winter, builder
- Thos. Foster, tailor
The elected members gave a dinner to their supporters at the Swan Hotel on the 4th of October, and it may be, for aught I know to the contrary that the alleged conjuring trick of placing something under each man's dinner plate was still in fashion. Be that as it may, the threatened petition against the sitting members was 'carried into execution', mainly as a test question, and on the 13th of December, a House-of-Commons Community declared Mr. Planta and Sir Harry Fane duly and truly elected. For a time this decision was a check to the aspirations of the "scot_and_lot" men and in writing to his son, the Hastings rector said "The Town is quiet, but we look forward with hope to the opening of the borough...It is so bitter a pill that Milward has gone to Bath to work it off"
Unsuccessful Petitions - The Bourne-street Theatre
The Rye election took place three days later than the one at Hastings, the candidates being H. D. Baillie and J. R. Roberts, B. Smith and Col. Evans. For the two former were recorded the votes of 12 freemen, and as for the two latter, 6 freemen and more than 200 inhabitant householders. A petition was lodged against the two returned candidates -
