Chapter Four - 1734 Election

Summary

Bedfordshire MPs in Parliament, 1727–1734

National politics in the period 1727 to 1735 were dominated by Robert Walpole, considered from 1730 to be Britain’s first prime minister. There were two major issues that came to a vote in which we know how individual MPs voted. In 1729 there was a division on making good £115,000 arrears on the civil list, a measure clearly approved of by the government. Pattee Byng and Orlebar, as Whigs, were likely to support it and did so. James Metcalfe, a Tory, also supported the measure, perhaps on pragmatic grounds.

In 1733, to combat smuggling, Walpole introduced a controversial bill to levy duty on wine and tobacco on the retailer rather than at customs at the port of entry. It was extremely unpopular and had to be withdrawn. Orlebar supported Walpole on the issue. Sambrooke and Leigh were against.

In the next year the Tories made an effort to capitalise on disgruntlement over the excise issue by bringing forward a motion to repeal the Septennial Act and have triennial elections. As an opposition party they saw this as the best way of getting rid of the government. They possibly did not consider that more frequent elections would mean more costs and that the Whigs probably had longer purses than they did. Orlebar voted against the repeal of the Septennial Act; Sambrooke and Leigh in favour.

In peace, Walpole was almost unshakable; war was his great danger. Even in 1734, however, Walpole had his Whig enemies with large stakes in Bedfordshire, such as John, Lord Carteret of Hawnes, who had been disaffected since 1730, and Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough.

Choosing a candidate for the county, 1733–1734

On 17 January 1732/3 George Byng, 1st Lord Torrington, died. This meant that his son Pattee, MP for the county, was no longer eligible to be an MP. Normally Pattee’s Whig supporters would have chosen a replacement from his own party. Within a year of a general election, however, it seemed sensible for the Whigs to agree to the seat going to Charles Leigh, the leader of the Tories in the county, and so avoid the cost of an election.