THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "I"
 
               Last updated 18/04/2013
     Date                   Name Born Died  Age
Dates in italics in the first column denote that the election held on that
date was a by-election. Dates shown in normal type were general elections,
or, in some instances, the date of a successful petition against a 
previous election result.
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the MP was baptised on
that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the MP was
buried on that date
  ILCHESTER (SOMERSET)
 5 Apr 1660 Robert Hunt c 1609 20 Feb 1680
Henry Dunster  (to 1679) 6 Sep 1618 29 Jul 1684 65
 4 Apr 1661 Edward Phelips  [kt by 1666] 26 Sep 1638 4 Apr 1699 60
20 Feb 1679 William Strode c 1625 19 Feb 1695 61
John Speke c 1652 1728
Edward Phelips  [kt by 1666] 26 Sep 1638 4 Apr 1699 60
Robert Hunt c 1609 20 Feb 1680
Double return. Strode and Speke seated
1 Apr 1679
 1 Mar 1681 Sir John St.Barbe,1st baronet c 1655 17 Sep 1723
John Hody c 1659 6 Aug 1729
24 Mar 1685 Sir Edward Wyndham,2nd baronet  (to 1695) c 1667 29 Jun 1695
Sir Edward Phelips 26 Sep 1638 4 Apr 1699 60
11 Jan 1689 William Helyar 10 Jul 1662 8 Oct 1742 80
22 Feb 1690 John Hunt  (to 1698) c 1639 26 Apr 1721
26 Oct 1695 Sir Francis Wyndham,3rd baronet c 1654 22 Mar 1716
(to Jan 1701)
28 Jul 1698 John Phelips 1644 1701 57
7 Jan 1701 Sir Philip Sydenham,3rd baronet c 1676 10 Oct 1739
James Anderton  (to 1705) 22 Aug 1661 after 1705
26 Nov 1701 Sir Francis Wyndham,3rd baronet c 1654 22 Mar 1716
18 May 1705 Edward Strode 1651 5 Apr 1708 56
John Webb 1671 after 1708
8 May 1708 Edward Phelips  (to 1715) c 1677 13 May 1734
James Johnston 9 Sep 1655 3 May 1737 81
12 Oct 1710 Samuel Masham,later [1712] 1st Baron 
Masham of Otes c 1679 16 Oct 1758
2 Jun 1711 Sir James Bateman 29 Apr 1660 9 Nov 1718 58
 4 Feb 1715 William Bellamy     c 1672 10 Mar 1733
John Hopkins     c 1663 25 Apr 1732
22 Mar 1722 William Burroughs  after 1732
Daniel Moore  (to 1727)  after 1727
11 Dec 1722 Thomas Paget     c 1685 28 May 1741
21 Aug 1727 Charles Lockyer  (to 1747) 13 Feb 1752
Thomas Crisp     c 1690  3 Apr 1758
30 Apr 1734 Sir Robert Brown,1st baronet  5 Oct 1760
27 Jun 1747 Francis Fane     c 1698 27 May 1757
Thomas Lockyer  (to 1761) 19 Sep 1699  9 Jul 1785 85
15 Apr 1754 John Talbot     c 1712 23 Sep 1756
 8 Dec 1756 Joseph Tolson Lockyer  (to 1765) 15 Feb 1729  5 Apr 1765 36
27 Mar 1761 John Perceval,2nd Earl of Egmont [I]   [he  24 Feb 1711 20 Dec 1770 59
was also returned for Bridgwater,for which 
he chose to sit]
 4 Dec 1761 William Wilson  (to 1768)     c 1720 12 Dec 1796
26 Apr 1765 Peter Legh  (to 1774)  4 Mar 1723 12 Aug 1804 81
16 Mar 1768 Sir Brownlow Cust,4th baronet,later [1776]
1st Baron Brownlow  3 Dec 1744 25 Dec 1807 63
 8 Oct 1774 Peregrine Cust 19 May 1723  2 Jan 1785 61
William Innes 29 Jul 1719 14 Jan 1795 75
Election declared void 4 Dec 1775
14 Dec 1775 Nathaniel Webb 21 Aug 1725    Nov 1786 61
Owen Salusbury-Brereton     c 1715  9 Sep 1798
 7 Sep 1780 Peregrine Cust  (to 1785) 19 May 1723  2 Jan 1785 61
Samuel Smith 19 Mar 1755 15 Jun 1793 38
 2 Apr 1784 Benjamin Bond-Hopkins  (to 1790)     c 1745 30 Jan 1794
 8 Feb 1785 John Harcourt   [he was unseated on petition c Jan 1826
in favour of George Johnstone 22 Feb 1786]
22 Feb 1786 George Johnstone        1730 24 May 1787 56
24 Feb 1787 George Sumner (Holme-Sumner from 1794) 10 Nov 1760 26 Jun 1838 77
22 Jun 1790 John Harcourt c Jan 1826
Samuel Long 5 Aug 1746 19 Oct 1807 61
27 May 1796 Sir Robert Clayton c 1740 10 May 1799
William Dickinson  (to 1802) 1 Nov 1771 19 Jan 1837 65
28 May 1799 Lewis Bayly        1775 10 Aug 1848 73
 5 Jul 1802 William Hunter c 1769 31 May 1815
Thomas Plummer     c 1749  4 Apr 1818
Election declared void 29 Mar 1803
 5 Apr 1803 Charles Brooke  (to 1806) 30 Jan 1760 22 May 1833 73
Sir William Manners (Talmash from 1821),1st
baronet,styled Lord Huntingtower from 1821 19 May 1766 11 Mar 1833 66
[his election was declared void 7 Mar 1804
 
16 Mar 1804 John Manners     c 1768 13 Feb 1837
31 Oct 1806 Sir William Manners (Talmash from 1821),1st
baronet,styled Lord Huntingtower from 1821 19 May 1766 11 Mar 1833 66
Nathaniel Saxon c 1766 8 May 1844
 5 May 1807 Richard Brinsley Sheridan  4 Nov 1751  7 Jul 1816 64
Michael Angelo Taylor 13 Jul 1757 16 Mar 1834 77
 6 Oct 1812 John William Ward,later [1827] 1st Earl of Dudley  9 Aug 1781  6 Mar 1833 51
George Philips,later [1828] 1st baronet 24 Mar 1766  3 Oct 1847 81
17 Jun 1818 Sir Isaac Coffin  (to 1826) 16 May 1759 23 Jul 1839 80
John William Drage Merest 10 Jun 1789  1 Oct 1873 84
7 Mar 1820 Stephen Lushington 14 Jan 1782 19 Jan 1873 91
9 Jun 1826 Richard Sharp 1759 30 Mar 1835 75
John Williams  [kt 1834] 10 Feb 1777 15 Sep 1846 69
[the names of Sharp and Williams were 
erased from the return and those of Lionel
Talmash and Felix Thomas Talmash substituted
22 Feb 1827]
22 Feb 1827 Lionel William John Tollemache,later [1840] 8th
Earl of Dysart [S] 18 Nov 1794 23 Sep 1878 83
Felix Thomas Tollemache 16 Feb 1796  5 Oct 1843 47
31 Jul 1830 Michael Bruce 28 May 1787 4 Nov 1861 74
James Joseph Hope-Vere 3 Jun 1785 19 May 1843 57
30 Apr 1831 Stephen Lushington 14 Jan 1782 19 Jan 1873 91
Edward Robert Petre 26 Sep 1794 8 Jun 1848 53
 CONSTITUENCY DISENFRANCHISED 1832 
  ILFORD
14 Dec 1918 Sir William Peter Griggs  1 Nov 1853 11 Aug 1920 66
25 Sep 1920 Fredric Wise  [kt 1924]        1871 26 Jan 1928 56
23 Feb 1928 Sir George Clements Hamilton,later [1937]
1st baronet  1 Nov 1877 12 Jan 1947 69
29 Jun 1937 Geoffrey Clegg Hutchinson,later [1962]
Baron Ilford [L] 14 Oct 1893 20 Aug 1974 80
CONSTITUENCY SPLIT INTO NORTH & 
SOUTH DIVISIONS 1945
  ILFORD NORTH
26 Jul 1945 Mabel Ridealgh 11 Aug 1898 20 Jun 1989 90
23 Feb 1950 Sir Geoffrey Clegg Hutchinson,later [1962]
Baron Hutchinson [L] 14 Oct 1893 20 Aug 1974 80
 3 Feb 1954 Thomas Lascelles Isa Shandon Valiant
Iremonger 14 Mar 1916 13 May 1998 82
10 Oct 1974 Millie Miller    Apr 1923 29 Oct 1977 54
 2 Mar 1978 Vivian Walter Hough Bendall 14 Dec 1938
1 May 1997 Linda Perham 29 Jun 1947
5 May 2005 Lee Scott 6 Apr 1956
  ILFORD SOUTH
26 Jul 1945 James Ranger        1889 26 Apr 1975 85
23 Feb 1950 Albert Edward Cooper 23 Sep 1910 12 May 1986 75
31 Mar 1966 Arnold John Shaw 12 Jul 1909 27 Jun 1984 74
18 Jun 1970 Albert Edward Cooper 23 Sep 1910 12 May 1986 75
28 Feb 1974 Arnold John Shaw 12 Jul 1909 27 Jun 1984 74
 3 May 1979 Neil Gordon Thorne  [kt 1992]  8 Aug 1932
9 Apr 1992 Michael John Gapes 4 Sep 1952
  ILKESTON (DERBYSHIRE)
 2 Dec 1885 Thomas Watson        1823  7 Mar 1887 63
24 Mar 1887 Sir Balthazar Walter Foster,later [1910]
1st Baron Ilkeston 17 Jul 1840 31 Jan 1913 72
 7 Mar 1910 John Edward Bernard Seely,later [1933] 1st
Baron Mottistone 31 May 1868  7 Nov 1947 79
15 Nov 1922 George Harold Oliver 24 Nov 1888 22 Sep 1984 95
27 Oct 1931 Abraham John Flint 27 Mar 1903 23 Jan 1971 67
14 Nov 1935 George Harold Oliver 24 Nov 1888 22 Sep 1984 95
15 Oct 1964 Leopold Raymond Fletcher  3 Dec 1921 16 Mar 1991 69
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
  INCE (LANCASHIRE)
27 Nov 1885 Henry Blundell Blundell 24 Jan 1831 28 Sep 1906 75
   Jul 1892 Samuel Woods 10 May 1846 23 Nov 1915 69
18 Jul 1895 Henry Blundell Blundell 24 Jan 1831 28 Sep 1906 75
18 Jan 1906 Stephen Walsh 26 Aug 1859 16 Mar 1929 69
30 May 1929 Gordon Macdonald [kt 1946],later [1949] 1st
Baron Macdonald of Gwaensygor 27 May 1888 29 Jan 1966 77
20 Oct 1942 Thomas James Brown 12 Aug 1886 10 Nov 1970 84
15 Oct 1964 Michael Thomas Francis McGuire  3 May 1926
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
INVERCLYDE
5 May 2005 John David Cairns 7 Aug 1966 9 May 2011 44
30 Jun 2011 Iain McKenzie Apr 1959
  INVERNESS (INVERNESS-SHIRE)
26 May 1708 Alexander Duff 1657 22 Aug 1726 69
27 Oct 1710 George Mackenzie,later [1728] 4th baronet c 1662 1 Apr 1760
17 Sep 1713 William Steuart 25 May 1686 13 Sep 1768 82
13 Apr 1722 Alexander Gordon   [he was unseated on    Mar 1753
petition in favour of Duncan Forbes
23 Oct 1722]
23 Oct 1722 Duncan Forbes 10 Nov 1685 10 Dec 1747 62
21 Jul 1737 Duncan Urquhart 11 Jan 1742
28 May 1741 Kenneth Mackenzie    Nov 1717 18 Oct 1761 43
22 Jul 1747 Alexander Brodie 28 Apr 1770
 9 May 1754 John Campbell        1695  6 Sep 1777 82
20 Apr 1761 Sir Alexander Grant,5th baronet  1 Aug 1772
11 Apr 1768 Hector Munro  [kt 1779]        1726 27 Dec 1805 79
30 Jul 1802 Alexander Penrose Cumming-Gordon,later
[1804] 1st baronet 19 May 1749 10 Feb 1806 56
26 Dec 1803 George Cumming 20 Nov 1752  1 May 1834 81
24 Nov 1806 Francis William Grant,later [1840] 6th Earl of
Seafield  6 Mar 1778 30 Jul 1853 75
30 May 1807 Peter Baillie        1771  1 Sep 1811 40
 4 Nov 1811 Charles Grant,later [1835] 1st Baron Glenelg 26 Oct 1778 23 Apr 1866 87
11 Jul 1818 George Cumming 20 Nov 1752  1 May 1834 81
3 Jul 1826 Robert Grant 15 Jan 1780 9 Jul 1838 58
23 Aug 1830 John Baillie 10 May 1772 20 Apr 1833 60
23 May 1831 Charles Lennox Cumming-Bruce 20 Feb 1790  1 Jan 1875 84
24 Dec 1832 John Baillie 10 May 1772 20 Apr 1833 60
17 May 1833 Charles Lennox Cumming-Bruce 20 Feb 1790  1 Jan 1875 84
29 Jul 1837 Roderick MacLeod 24 Nov 1786 13 Mar 1853 66
 4 Mar 1840 James Morrison 6 Sep 1789 30 Oct 1857 68
 6 Aug 1847 Alexander Matheson,later [1882] 1st baronet 16 Jan 1805 26 Jul 1886 81
17 Nov 1868 Aeneas William Mackintosh 7 Sep 1819 18 Jun 1900 80
 9 Feb 1874 Charles Fraser-Mackintosh        1828 25 Jan 1901 72
30 Nov 1885 Robert Bannatyne Finlay,later [1919] 1st
Viscount Finlay 11 Jul 1842  9 Mar 1929 86
   Jul 1892 Gilbert Beith         1827  5 Jul 1904 77
20 Jul 1895 Robert Bannatyne Finlay,later [1919] 1st
Viscount Finlay 11 Jul 1842  9 Mar 1929 86
19 Jan 1906 John Annan Bryce        1841 25 Jun 1923 81
14 Dec 1918 Thomas Brash Morison 21 Nov 1868 28 Jul 1945 76
16 Mar 1922 Sir Murdoch Macdonald  6 May 1866 24 Apr 1957 90
23 Feb 1950 Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton 12 Nov 1909 21 Jul 1964 54
For further information on the death of this
MP,see the note at the foot of this page
 21 Dec 1954 Neil Loudon Desmond McLean 28 Nov 1918 17 Nov 1986 67
15 Oct 1964 David Russell Johnston [kt 1985],later [1997]
Baron Russell-Johnston [L] 28 Jul 1932 27 Jul 2008 75
NAME ALTERED TO "INVERNESS,NAIRN &
LOCHABER" 1983
INVERNESS,NAIRN & LOCHABER
 9 Jun 1983 David Russell Johnston [kt 1985],later [1997]
Baron Russell-Johnston [L] 28 Jul 1932 27 Jul 2008 75
NAME ALTERED TO "INVERNESS EAST,NAIRN
& LOCHABER" 1997
INVERNESS EAST,NAIRN & LOCHABER
1 May 1997 David John Stewart 5 May 1956
NAME ALTERED TO "INVERNESS,NAIRN
BADENOCH & STRATHSPEY" 2005
INVERNESS, NAIRN, BADENOCH
& STRATHSPEY
5 May 2005 Daniel Grian Alexander 15 May 1972
  INVERNESS-SHIRE
21 Jun 1708 Alexander Grant after 1673 19 Aug 1719
3 Nov 1710 Alexander McKenzie c 1683 3 Jun 1755
24 Feb 1715 John Forbes     c 1673 18 Dec 1734
12 Apr 1722 Sir James Grant,6th baronet 28 Jul 1679 16 Jan 1747 67
25 May 1741 Norman Macleod        1706 21 Feb 1772 65
16 May 1754 Pryse Campbell        1727 14 Dec 1768 41
 2 May 1761 Simon Fraser 19 Oct 1726  8 Feb 1782 55
28 Mar 1782 Archibald Campbell Fraser 16 Aug 1736  8 Dec 1815 79
29 Apr 1784 Lord William Gordon 15 Aug 1744  1 May 1823 78
27 Jul 1790 Norman Macleod  4 Mar 1754 16 Apr 1801 47
24 Jun 1796 John Simon Frederick Fraser    Sep 1765  6 Apr 1803 37
 3 Aug 1802 Charles Grant    Mar 1746 31 Oct 1823 77
14 Jul 1818 Charles Grant,later [1835] 1st Baron Glenelg 26 Oct 1778 23 Apr 1866 87
15 May 1835 Alexander William Chisholm c 1811  8 Sep 1838
12 Jun 1838 Francis William Grant  5 Oct 1814 11 Mar 1840 25
31 Mar 1840 Henry James Baillie    Mar 1803 16 Dec 1885 82
19 Nov 1868 Donald Cameron  5 Apr 1835 30 Nov 1905 70
 5 Dec 1885 Charles Fraser-Mackintosh        1828 25 Jan 1901 72
   Jul 1892 Donald MacGregor         1839 20 Jul 1911 72
13 Jun 1895 James Evan Bruce Baillie 8 Jan 1859  6 May 1931 72
11 Oct 1900 John Alexander Dewar,later [1907] 1st baronet
and [1917] 1st Baron Forteviot  6 Jun 1856 23 Nov 1929 73
2 Jan 1917 Thomas Brash Morison 21 Nov 1868 28 Jul 1945 76
   SPLIT INTO VARIOUS DIVISIONS 1918 
SEE "INVERNESS","ROSS AND CROMARTY"
AND "WESTERN ISLES"
  IPSWICH (SUFFOLK)
11 Apr 1660 Nathaniel Bacon 12 Dec 1593    Aug 1660 66
Francis Bacon  (to 1661) 30 Sep 1600 c Sep 1663 62
29 Oct 1660 Sir Frederick Cornwallis,1st baronet,later
[1661] 1st Baron Cornwallis 14 Mar 1611  7 Jan 1662 50
17 Apr 1661 John Sicklemore     c 1612    mid 1670
William Blois  (to 1674)  7 Jul 1600 13 Nov 1673 73
 9 Nov 1670 John Wright  (to 1685)  9 Apr 1615 29 Nov 1683 68
22 Jan 1674 Gilbert Lindfield        1680
14 Dec 1680 Sir John Barker,4th baronet  (to 1696)     c 1655 14 Aug 1696
16 Mar 1685 Sir Nicholas Bacon     c 1622        1687
12 Jan 1689 Peyton Ventris    Nov 1645  6 Apr 1691 45
28 May 1689 Sir Charles Blois,1st baronet 14 Sep 1657 10 Apr 1738 80
31 Oct 1695 Charles Whitaker  (to 1698) c 1642 19 Jun 1715
10 Nov 1696 Richard Philips  (to Jan 1701) c 1640 8 Jan 1720
26 Jul 1698 Samuel Barnardiston,later [1707] 2nd baronet 28 Jan 1660 3 Jan 1710 49
9 Jan 1701 Joseph Martin  [kt 1712] c 1649 16 Aug 1729
  Sir Charles Duncombe 16 Nov 1648 9 Apr 1711 62
9 Dec 1701 Charles Whitaker   (to 1705) c 1642 19 Jun 1715
Richard Philips  c 1640 8 Jan 1720
29 Jul 1702 John Bence  (to 1708) 27 Sep 1670 18 Oct 1718 48
11 May 1705 Henry Poley 5 Jan 1654 7 Aug 1707 53
21 Nov 1707 William Churchill  (to 1714) 11 Aug 1661 Feb 1737 75
6 May 1708 Sir William Barker,5th baronet c 1685 23 Jul 1731
3 Sep 1713 William Thompson      c 1676 27 Oct 1739
[Both sitting members (Churchill and Thompson)
were unseated on petition in favour of
Richard Richardson and Orlando Bridgeman
1 Apr 1714]
1 Apr 1714 Richard Richardson c 1664 31 Dec 1714
Orlando Bridgeman 22 Jun 1680 24 Apr 1731 50
28 Jan 1715 William Thompson  [kt Jul 1715]   (to 1730)     c 1676 27 Oct 1739
William Churchill 11 Aug 1661 Feb 1737 75
13 Dec 1717 Francis Negus  (to 1733)  3 May 1670  9 Sep 1732 62
27 Jan 1730 Philip Broke  (to 1734)        1702 21 Sep 1762 60
19 Jan 1733 William Wollaston  (to 1741) 26 Apr 1693 20 Jun 1757 64
25 Apr 1734 Samuel Kent  (to 1759)     c 1683  8 Oct 1759
 8 May 1741 Edward Vernon 12 Nov 1684 30 Oct 1757 72
 7 Dec 1757 Thomas Staunton  (to 1784) 13 Mar 1707  1 Oct 1784 77
20 Nov 1759 George Montgomerie 30 Aug 1712 26 Mar 1766 53
27 Mar 1761 Francis Vernon,later [1762] 1st Baron Orwell [I]
and [1777] 1st Earl of Shipbrook [I]     c 1715 15 Oct 1783
16 Mar 1768 William Wollaston    Feb 1731 10 Nov 1797 66
 3 Apr 1784 William Fowle Middleton,later [1804] 1st baronet  8 Nov 1748 26 Dec 1829 81
(to 1790)
John Cator   [his election was declared 12 Mar 1728 21 Feb 1806 77
void 18 Jun 1784]
25 Jun 1784 Charles Alexander Crickett  (to 1803) 12 Jan 1736 16 Jan 1803 67
18 Jun 1790 Sir John Hadley D'Oyly,6th baronet    Jan 1754  5 Jan 1818 63
28 May 1796 Sir Andrew Snape Hamond,1st baronet 28 Dec 1738 12 Oct 1828 89
(to 1806)
 8 Feb 1803 William Fowle Middleton,later [1804] 1st baronet  8 Nov 1748 26 Dec 1829 81
29 Oct 1806 Richard Wilson  5 Oct 1759  7 Jun 1834 74
Robert Stopford  [kt 1815]  5 Feb 1768 25 Jun 1847 79
 6 May 1807 Home Riggs Popham [kt 1815] 12 Oct 1762 11 Sep 1820 57
Robert Alexander Crickett  (to Jun 1820)        1784  3 Jan 1832 47
[following the general election in Apr 1820,
his name was erased from the return and
that of Thomas Barrett-Leonard substituted
14 Jun 1820]
 5 Oct 1812 John Round  8 Mar 1783 28 Apr 1860 77
 4 Jul 1818 William Newton     c 1783  4 Nov 1862
14 Apr 1820 William Haldimand  (to 1827) 9 Sep 1784 20 Sep 1862 78
14 Jun 1820 Thomas Barrett-Lennard  4 Oct 1788  9 Jun 1856 67
17 Jun 1826 Robert Torrens        1780 27 May 1864 83
For further information on this MP,see the
note at the foot of this page
[the names of the sitting members (Haldimand
and Torrens) were erased from the return
and those of Robert Adam Dundas and 
Charles Mackinnon substituted 23 Feb 1827]
23 Feb 1827 Robert Adam Dundas (Christopher 1836-1855,
then Nisbet-Hamilton) 9 Feb 1804  9 Jun 1877 73
Charles Mackinnon 1773 19 Oct 1833 60
4 May 1831 James Morrison 6 Sep 1789 30 Oct 1857 68
Rigby Wason 12 Apr 1797 24 Jul 1875 78
 8 Jan 1835 Fitzroy Kelly  [kt 1845]  1 Oct 1796 18 Sep 1880 83
Robert Adam Dundas (Christopher 1836-1855,
then Nisbet-Hamilton) 9 Feb 1804  9 Jun 1877 73
Election declared void 9 Jun 1835
19 Jun 1835 James Morrison 6 Sep 1789 30 Oct 1857 68
Rigby Wason 12 Apr 1797 24 Jul 1875 78
27 Jul 1837 Thomas Milner Gibson  (to 1839)  3 Sep 1806 25 Feb 1884 77
Henry Tufnell   [he was unseated on petition        1805 15 Jun 1854 48
in favour of Fitzroy Kelly 26 Feb 1838]
26 Feb 1838 Fitzroy Kelly  [kt 1845]  (to 1841)  1 Oct 1796 18 Sep 1880 83
15 Jul 1839 Sir Thomas John Cochrane  5 Feb 1789 19 Oct 1872 83
 3 Jul 1841 Rigby Wason 12 Apr 1797 24 Jul 1875 78
George Rennie        1802 22 Mar 1860 57
Election declared void 25 Apr 1842
 3 Jun 1842 Otway O'Connor Cuffe,3rd Earl of Desart [I] 12 Oct 1818  1 Apr 1865 46
Thomas Gladstone,later [1851] 2nd baronet 25 Jul 1804 20 Mar 1889 84
Election declared void 30 Jul 1842
17 Aug 1842 John Neilson Gladstone 18 Jan 1807  7 Feb 1863 56
Sackville Walter Lane-Fox 24 Mar 1797 18 Aug 1877 80
30 Jul 1847 John Chevallier Cobbold 24 Aug 1797  6 Oct 1882 85
Sir Hugh Edward Adair,later [1886] 3rd
baronet (to 1874) 26 Dec 1815  2 Mar 1902 86
20 Nov 1868 Henry Wyndham West        1823 25 Nov 1893 70
 6 Feb 1874 John Patteson Cobbold 12 Jul 1831 10 Dec 1875 44
James Redfoord Bulwer  (to 1880) 22 May 1820  4 Mar 1899 78
 1 Jan 1876 Thomas Clement Cobbold  (to 1883) 22 Jul 1833 21 Nov 1883 50
2 Apr 1880 Jesse Collings  (to 1886) 2 Dec 1831 20 Nov 1920 88
12 Dec 1883 Henry Wyndham West   [following the  7 Nov 1823 25 Nov 1893 70
general election in Nov 1885, the two
sitting members (Collings and West) were
unseated on petition 1 Apr 1886]
14 Apr 1886 Sir Charles Dalrymple,1st baronet  (to 1906) 15 Oct 1839 20 Jun 1916 76
Hugo Richard Charteris,styled Lord Elcho,
later [1914] 11th Earl of Wemyss [S] 25 Aug 1857 12 Jul 1937 79
15 Jul 1895 Daniel Ford Goddard  [kt 1907]  (to 1918) 17 Jan 1850  6 May 1922 72
12 Jan 1906 Felix Thornley Cobbold 8 Sep 1841  6 Dec 1909 68
15 Jan 1910 Charles Silvester Horne 15 Apr 1865  2 May 1914 49
23 May 1914 Francis John Childs Ganzoni,later [1929] 1st
baronet and [1938] 1st Baron Belstead  (to 1923) 19 Jan 1882 15 Aug 1958 76
REPRESENTATION REDUCED
TO ONE MEMBER 1918
 6 Dec 1923 Robert Frederick Jackson 28 May 1880 28 Jan 1951 70
29 Oct 1924 Francis John Childs Ganzoni,later [1929] 1st
baronet and [1938] 1st Baron Belstead  (to 1938) 19 Jan 1882 15 Aug 1958 76
16 Feb 1938 Richard Rapier Stokes 27 Jan 1897  3 Aug 1957 60
24 Oct 1957 Dingle Mackintosh Foot [kt 1964] 24 Aug 1905 18 Jun 1978 72
18 Jun 1970 Ernle David Drummond Money 17 Feb 1931 Apr 2013 82
10 Oct 1974 Kenneth Thomas Weetch 17 Sep 1933
11 Jun 1987 Michael Fraser Irvine 21 Oct 1939
9 Apr 1992 James Charles Cann 28 Jun 1946 15 Oct 2001 55
22 Nov 2001 Christopher David Mole 16 Mar 1958
6 May 2010 Benedict Michael Gummer 19 Feb 1978
  ISLE OF ELY
14 Dec 1918 Colin Reith Coote  [kt 1962] 18 Oct 1893 8 Jun 1979 85
15 Nov 1922 Norman Coates 27 Apr 1890
 6 Dec 1923 Henry Ludwig Mond,later [1930] 2nd 
Baron Melchett 10 May 1898 22 Jan 1949 50
29 Oct 1924 Sir Hugh Vere Huntly Duff Lucas-Tooth (Munro-
Lucas-Tooth from 1965),1st baronet 13 Jan 1903 18 Nov 1985 82
30 May 1929 James Armand Edmond de Rothschild  1 Dec 1878  7 May 1957 78
26 Jul 1945 Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke  [kt 1960] 16 May 1914 21 May 1973 59
26 Jul 1973 Clement Raphael Freud  [kt 1987] 24 Apr 1924 15 Apr 2009 84
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
  ISLE OF THANET (KENT)
 1 Dec 1885 Edward Robert King-Harman        1838 10 Jun 1888 49
29 Jun 1888 James Lowther  1 Dec 1840 12 Sep 1904 63
 7 Oct 1904 Harry Hananel Marks  9 Apr 1855 22 Dec 1916 61
25 Jan 1910 Norman Carlyle Craig 15 Nov 1868 14 Oct 1919 50
15 Nov 1919 Esmond Cecil Harmsworth,later [1940] 2nd
Viscount Rothermere 29 May 1898 12 Jul 1978 80
30 May 1929 Harold Harington Balfour,later [1945]
1st Baron Balfour of Inchrye  1 Nov 1897 21 Sep 1988 90
26 Jul 1945 Edward Carson 17 Feb 1920 6 Mar 1987 67
12 Mar 1953 William Rupert Rees-Davies 19 Nov 1916 12 Jan 1992 75
 SEAT SPLIT INTO "THANET EAST" AND
"THANET WEST" FEB 1974
  ISLE OF WIGHT
17 Dec 1832 Sir Richard Godin Simeon,2nd baronet 21 May 1784 11 Jan 1854 69
10 Aug 1837 William Henry Ashe A'Court-Holmes,
later [1860] 2nd Baron Heytesbury 11 Jul 1809 21 Apr 1891 81
10 Aug 1847 John Simeon,later [1854] 3rd baronet  5 Feb 1815 21 May 1870 55
29 May 1851 Edward Dawes c 1801 27 Jan 1856
23 Jul 1852 Francis Vernon Harcourt  6 Jan 1801 23 Apr 1880 79
 6 Apr 1857 Charles Cavendish Clifford,later [1892] 4th
baronet  7 Jan 1821 22 Nov 1895 74
22 Jul 1865 Sir John Simeon  5 Feb 1815 21 May 1870 55
13 Jun 1870 Alexander Dundas Wishart Ross Baillie-
Cochrane,later [1880] 1st Baron Lamington 24 Nov 1816 15 Feb 1890 73
10 Apr 1880 Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley 24 Jul 1836 16 Nov 1907 71
28 Nov 1885 Sir Richard Everard Webster,later [1899] 1st
baronet and [1913] 1st Viscount Alverstone 22 Dec 1842 15 Dec 1915 72
23 May 1900 John Edward Bernard Seely,later [1933]
1st Baron Mottistone 31 May 1868  7 Nov 1947 79
24 Jan 1906 Godfrey Baring 18 Apr 1871 24 Nov 1957 86
21 Jan 1910 Douglas Bernard Hall  [kt 1919] 24 Dec 1866 30 Jun 1923 66
15 Nov 1922 Sir Edgar Chatfeild-Clarke 17 Feb 1863 16 Apr 1925 62
 6 Dec 1923 John Edward Bernard Seely,later [1933]
1st Baron Mottistone 31 May 1868  7 Nov 1947 79
29 Oct 1924 Peter Drummond Macdonald  [kt 1945]        1895  2 Dec 1961 66
 8 Oct 1959 Harold Frederick Martin Woodnutt 23 Nov 1918  6 Nov 1974 55
28 Feb 1974 Stephen Sherlock Ross,later [1987] Baron
Ross of Newport [L]  6 Jul 1926 10 May 1993 66
11 Jun 1987 Barry John Anthony Field 4 Jul 1946
1 May 1997 Peter Brand 16 May 1947
7 Jun 2001 Andrew John Turner 24 Oct 1953
  ISLINGTON CENTRAL
28 Feb 1974 John Douglas Grant 16 Oct 1932 29 Sep 2000 67
CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1983
  ISLINGTON EAST
28 Nov 1885 Henry Bret Ince        1830  7 May 1889 58
 6 Jul 1886 Isaac Cowley Lambert        1850 16 Oct 1918 68
   Jul 1892 Benjamin Louis Cohen,later [1905] 1st baronet 18 Nov 1844  8 Nov 1909 64
15 Jan 1906 George Heynes Radford  [kt 1916]        1851  5 Oct 1917 66
23 Oct 1917 Edward Smallwood 29 Aug 1861 26 Feb 1939 77
14 Dec 1918 Alfred Baldwin Raper  8 May 1889 30 Apr 1941 51
15 Nov 1922 Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson,later [1942]
1st baronet  6 Feb 1897 29 Nov 1956 59
 6 Dec 1923 Arthur Strettell Comyns-Carr  [kt 1949] 19 Sep 1882 20 Apr 1965 82
29 Oct 1924 Robert Inigo Tasker  [kt 1931]        1868 28 Feb 1959 90
30 May 1929 Ethel Bentham  5 Jan 1861 19 Jan 1931 70
19 Feb 1931 Elizabeth Leah Manning 14 Apr 1886 15 Sep 1977 91
27 Oct 1931 Thelma Cazalet Keir 28 May 1899 13 Jan 1989 89
26 Jul 1945 Eric George Molyneux Fletcher [kt 1964],later
[1970] Baron Fletcher [L] 26 Mar 1903 9 Jun 1990 87
18 Jun 1970 John Douglas Grant 16 Oct 1932 29 Sep 2000 67
 CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974 
  ISLINGTON NORTH
28 Nov 1885 George Christopher Trout Bartley  [kt 1902] 22 Nov 1842 13 Sep 1910 67
15 Jan 1906 David Sydney Waterlow 18 Dec 1857 25 Aug 1924 66
   Dec 1910 George Alexander Touche [kt 1917],later [1920]
1st baronet 24 May 1861  7 Jul 1935 74
14 Dec 1918 Sir Newton James Moore 17 May 1870 28 Oct 1936 66
 6 Dec 1923 Sir William Henry Cowan 22 May 1862 11 Jan 1932 69
30 May 1929 Reginald Stanley (Robert) Young 28 May 1891 20 Mar 1985 93
27 Oct 1931 Albert William Goodman        1880 22 Aug 1937 57
13 Oct 1937 Leslie Haden Haden-Guest,later [1950] 1st
Baron Haden-Guest 10 Mar 1877 20 Aug 1960 83
23 Feb 1950 Ronw Moelwyn Hughes  6 Oct 1897  1 Nov 1955 58
25 Oct 1951 Wilfred Fienburgh 4 Nov 1919  3 Feb 1958 38
For information on the death of this MP,
see the note at the foot of this page
15 May 1958 Gerald William Reynolds 17 Jul 1927  7 Jun 1969 41
30 Oct 1969 Michael Joseph O'Halloran 20 Aug 1933 29 Nov 1999 66
 9 Jun 1983 Jeremy Bernard Corbyn 26 May 1949
  ISLINGTON SOUTH
28 Nov 1885 Henry Spicer        1837 18 Oct 1915 78
 6 Jul 1886 Sir Albert Kaye Rollit        1842 12 Aug 1922 80
15 Jan 1906 Thomas Wiles 19 Jun 1861 18 May 1951 89
14 Dec 1918 Charles Frederick Higham  [kt 1921] 17 Jan 1876 24 Dec 1938 62
15 Nov 1922 Charles Samuel Garland 23 Jun 1887  6 Dec 1960 73
 6 Dec 1923 William Sampson Cluse 20 Dec 1875  8 Sep 1955 79
27 Oct 1931 Tom Forrest Howard 23 Dec 1888 12 Jun 1953 64
14 Nov 1935 William Sampson Cluse 20 Dec 1875  8 Sep 1955 79
   CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950 
  ISLINGTON SOUTH & FINSBURY
28 Feb 1974 George Cunningham 10 Jun 1931
 9 Jun 1983 Christopher Robert Smith,later [2005] Baron
Smith of Finsbury [L] 24 Jul 1951
5 May 2005 Emily Anne Thornberry 27 Jul 1960
  ISLINGTON SOUTHWEST
23 Feb 1950 Albert Evans 10 Jun 1903 4 Dec 1988 85
18 Jun 1970 George Cunningham 10 Jun 1931
 CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED FEB 1974 
  ISLINGTON WEST
28 Nov 1885 Richard Chamberlain        1840  2 Apr 1899 58
   Jul 1892 Thomas Lough        1850 11 Jan 1922 71
14 Dec 1918 Sir George Samuel Elliott        1847  4 May 1925 77
15 Nov 1922 James Archibald St.George Fitzwarenne
Despencer-Robertson  7 Nov 1886  5 May 1942 55
 6 Dec 1923 Frederick Montague,later [1947] 1st
Baron Amwell  8 Oct 1876 15 Oct 1966 90
27 Oct 1931 Patrick William Donner  [kt 1953] 4 Dec 1904 19 Aug 1988 83
14 Nov 1935 Frederick Montague,later [1947] 1st
Baron Amwell  8 Oct 1876 15 Oct 1966 90
25 Sep 1947 Albert Evans 10 Jun 1903 4 Dec 1988 85
 CONSTITUENCY ABOLISHED 1950 
ISLWYN (GWENT)
 9 Jun 1983 Neil Gordon Kinnock,later [2005] Baron 
Kinnock [L] 28 Mar 1942
16 Feb 1995 James Donnelly Touhig,later [2010] Baron
Touhig [L] 5 Dec 1947
6 May 2010 Christopher James Evans
  ITCHEN (SOUTHAMPTON)
23 Feb 1950 Ralph Morley 25 Oct 1882 14 Jun 1955 72
26 May 1955 Horace Maybray King,later [1971] Baron
Maybray-King [L] 25 May 1901 3 Sep 1986 85
27 May 1971 Richard Charles Mitchell 22 Aug 1927 18 Sep 2003 76
 9 Jun 1983 Christopher Robert Chope 19 May 1947
9 Apr 1992 John Yorke Denham 15 Jul 1953
Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton, MP for Inverness 1950-1954
Lord Malcolm was the third son of the 13th Duke of Hamilton and 10th Duke of Brandon.
The plane which Lord Malcolm was flying disappeared between Monrovia, Liberia and Douala,
Cameroon on 21 July 1964. The following articles appeared in 'The Times' -
28 July 1964:-
New York, July 27 - Pan-American Airways and the United States Army Air Rescue Service
have joined in the search for Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, whose aircraft is missing over
West Africa, friends of the family said here today. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, aged 55
[sic], was reported missing on Saturday. His small aircraft was believed to have come down
on a flight to Douala, Cameroon. 
Brazzaville, Congolese Republic, July 27 - French Air Force aircraft today conducted a search
for Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton and two others whose aircraft is believed to be down
somewhere between here and Liberia. The Air Force base near here said that it was receiving
mysterious S O S signals, leading officers to believe that there are at least one or more
survivors. Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton was accompanied by his son Niall [aged 21] and
another person who is believed to be an American. A commando of French parachute troops,
including a medical team, is standing by.
11 August 1964:-
A ground search is now under way for Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, his son Niall, and a
passenger, whose aircraft disappeared over West Africa on a flight from Monrovia, Liberia and
Douala, Cameroon, on July 21. Helicopters of the Cameroon Air Transport Company are taking
part. A substantial reward has been offered by Dr. J.N. Foncha, Prime Minister of the Federal
Republic of Cameroon, and 80 villages in the area have been alerted.
The Duke of Hamilton, who has been taking part in the search for his missing brother, has
expressed appreciation of the energetic action taken by the French Air Force. Their search 
has been continued intensely for 14 days in difficult flying conditions and at times at grave 
risk, and has covered over 10,000 square miles. The aircraft carried supplies and parachutists 
ready to jump if anything was seen.
30 January 1965:-
New York, Jan 29 - According to a statement issued here by his wife, the six-month search for
Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, who has been missing in West Africa since last summer, may 
be coming to a tragic close. Since his disappearance while flying an aircraft with his young 
son, Niall, as passenger, over virgin jungle in the Cameroons, repeated efforts to find him have
met with no success.
These efforts, after the initial two-week official search by the French Air Force was 
abandoned, were sponsored by the Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Search Fund, organized by 
his wife and supported by his friends and admirers all over the world.
Two weeks ago, Colonel Daniel T. Brigham, an experienced American air rescue pilot and a 
close friend of Lord Malcolm, was sent by the search fund to join Mr. James Balmain, British 
Consul in west Cameroon, who has been in charge of the local aspects of the search. Colonel 
Brigham arrived on January 10 in Douala, the city in the Republic of the Cameroon which Lord
Malcolm was approaching and to which he radioed seven minutes before his expected arrival.
At considerable personal risk to themselves, Colonel Brigham and Mr. William Bond, an 
experienced British jungle pilot, flew over many thousands of square miles. They were obliged 
to do this at 300ft to 400ft altitudes, because of low-lying clouds over rain forests and 
swamps.
In a final attempt to retrace Lord Malcolm's flight pattern, Colonel Brigham and Mr. Bond found
that the northwest side of Mt. Cameroon forms an intense magnetic field, capable of
distorting radio beacon signals, thus leading pilots up to eight to 10 miles off course. Returning
to examine more closely this dangerous area, Colonel Brigham spotted a narrow gorge three-
eighths of a mile deep, slashed in the side of the mountain with a 7,000ft drop to the floor.
On the north-west side of the gorge, near the top, Colonel Brigham reported seeing what 
appeared to be a fresh scar, which reflected glints of light.
He said this spot would have been directly on Lord Malcolm's inferential course and altitude in
his normal approach to the city of Douala - unaware of the existence of the dangerous 
magnetic distortion in this section of Mt. Cameroon. Colonel Brigham subsequently determined
that this section was charted as a "danger area" on French military maps of the region. This
information, however, was not carried on either British or American official air maps, apparently
because it had not been communicated to international agencies. Lord Malcolm was flying with
both American and British maps.
Colonel Brigham returned to Buea, where he was based, and reported his findings to the British
authorities. A new ground party search was immediately organized which left Buea on 
Saturday, January 16, to go overland to search the floor of the nearly inaccessible 7,000ft 
gorge down which it is feared that Lord Malcolm's aircraft and its occupants fell after impact.
Robert Torrens, MP for Ipswich 1826-1827, Ashburton 1831-1832 and Bolton 
1832-1834, and his son, Sir Robert Richard Torrens, MP for Cambridge 1868-1874
Both of these MPs had a profound influence upon Australian history. The following article
appeared in the Australian monthly magazine "Parade" in its issue for January 1972:-
  'An Anglo-Irishman with the gift of the blarney and an exaggerated sense of his own import-
ance and dignity bankrupted South Australia in its foundling days. He was Robert Torrens, a 
retired colonel of the Royal Marines, a born publicist and a serious student of political 
economics. He was also one of the band of diverse individuals whose clashing ambitions,
personalities and aims made South Australia in its early days a paradise of discord.
 
'For the colony's early bankruptcy, however, the energetic, religious-minded but politically
naive Governor George Gawler [1795-1869] was made the scapegoat. He had arrived in South
Australia to find an empty treasury, a stack of unpaid bills and a set of factious, negligent and,
in some cases, incompetent officials, and he set about retrieving the position in a decisive
manner, relying upon his actions being approved and endorsed in England because of the 
peculiar circumstances which confronted him. Gawler was too trustful, too artless, too 
confident that his disregard of his instructions would be overlooked because of the needs of
necessity. Instead, he found himself accused of irregularities and extravagance, blamed for
having sent the colony broke. 
 
'The real blame, however, lay elsewhere. It was the mismanagement of the Colonisation
Commissioners, and especially of Robert Torrens, their chairman, which led to South Australia's
bankruptcy. Torrens allowed his persuasive tongue, his flair for publicity and his personal
ambitions to override his good sense as a student of economics and politics.
 
'Born in Ireland in 1773 [actually 1780], he was the son of Robert Torrens, of Harveyhill, 
County Londonderry. His mother had been Elizabeth Bristow, the daughter of a clergyman in a
nearby parish. He first emerges from the obscurity of his boyhood on February 1, 1796, when
he was 23 [16] years old. On that day he became a second lieutenant in the Royal Marines. 
His first years of service in the marines were humdrum enough. He was posted to the Channel 
Fleet, in which service was always hard and arduous; for the Channel Fleet kept the seas in all
kinds of weather and even its short sojourns in port at infrequent intervals meant hard work 
for all in getting ready for sea again.
'Torrens gained his first lieutenancy and by 1806 had been promoted captain, but he had to
wait several years for an opportunity to distinguish himself in the service. In May 1809, at the
cost of one corporal killed and two privates wounded, a British expedition had seized from the
Danes the island of Anholt in the Kattegat. The British needed it as a convenient depot and so
that they might keep the lighthouse burning to enable them to navigate the Kattegat without
risk of shipwreck to their vessels. Earlier in the year a lightship they had stationed near Anholt
to guide their ships had been wrecked, and it was feared that if the Danes doused the light-
house more Royal Navy ships might be wrecked.
 
'Anholt was garrisoned by a detachment of marines, and in August 1810 Torrens was made 
their commander. On March 27, 1811, the Danes launched an assault for the recapture of
Anholt. The alarm was given just before dawn, when lookouts reported the Danish flotilla off
the island. But the Danes were, in fact already ashore, for they had landed under cover of
darkness and fog, and when Torrens advanced with his marines he found that he was out-
flanked on both wings by the Danish line.
'Instead of opposing their landing he found he had to retreat into the island's fixed defences.
He was heavily outnumbered - about 2000 to 400. However, the defence had been
strengthened by the arrival off the previous evening of the frigate Tartar and the sloop
Sheldrake, but they were on the opposite side of the island and with the wind against them
were unable to attack the Danish ships. When the Dames tried to storm the British batteries
they were flung back by the accurate fire of the marine artillery and, after heavy losses in 
two unsuccessful attacks, surrendered. The Danish rearguard, under cover of the guns of 
their ships, was evacuated. Torrens, who had been wounded, was rewarded for his part in
the defence of Anholt by being promoted to the brevet rank of major, and on his departure
from the island received a sword of 100 guineas from the Royal Marines and another of 100
100 guineas from the officers.
'The remainder of Torrens' service with the Marines seems to have been uneventful. He was
made brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1819 and was placed on half-pay in 1823. However, he
returned to full pay in 1830, but presumably, because he had become interested in
immigration schemes and the foundation of new British colonies, resigned from the service
on October 17, 1834. 
'By now Torrens was a fellow of the Royal Society (1818), the founder of the Political Economy
Club (1821) and proprietor of the Whig Traveller. He tried, at first unsuccessfully, to enter the
House of Commons [he was returned for Ipswich in 1826, but his name was subsequently 
erased from the return], and was eventually elected in 1831 [for Ashburton. He also sat for
Bolton 1832-1834]. An inveterate publicist, his controversial writings were winning Torrens a
name and bringing him before the public. He had been interested in a plan to found a 
settlement at the Bay of Islands in New Zealand and in the Swan River venture of Thomas
Peel [c 1795-1864], but it was not until he actively canvassed for a charter for the South
Australian Land Company that he became personally involved in emigration schemes.
'After the company failed in 1833, he joined the South Australian Association. As long ago as
1816 he had been hopeful of being appointed Governor of New South Wales, and it seems
that he now anticipated receiving the post of Governor in South Australia. Torrens did not get
the post, but in May 1835 he was made chairman of the Colonisation Commission. It was a
tragic appointment, for a streak in Torrens' character made him entirely unsuited to be an 
administrator. Yet there was no doubt about his energy. He was tireless in his advocacy of
South Australia as a colony. He wrote and lectured about it for six years, seeking to induce
capitalists to sink their money in the venture and to recruit emigrants willing to settle in South
Australia. 
 
  'But his administration was a calamity. Almost thoughtlessly, he spent money on publicity to
obtain capital and emigrants. He authorised costly surveys which completely disrupted the
work of surveying the colony. He insisted that emigrants with capital should receive prefer-
ence, but set up no machinery to check their claims to the possession of capital, and to
satisfy his own vanity he dispensed free passages to the colony with a capriciousness and
lavishness that ignored the regulations. Much expenditure that should have been a charge to
the company was saddled on the Land Revenue, and generally the finances of the colony were
permitted to fall into chaos. Moreover, no real effort was made to direct or control Gawler,
who was left to grapple with the practical difficulties of lack of roads, buildings and many other
essential works without much help from England.
 
'So South Australia went bankrupt and in 1842 became a Crown colony, and while it would be
unfair to lay all the blame on Torrens, he more than any other man was responsible for the
failure of this first attempt at systemic colonisation on the principles advanced by Edward
Gibbon Wakefield [1796-1862, a leading force in the colonisations of South Australia, Canada
and New Zealand]. Yet Torrens did not desert South Australia despite his failure. In the 1840s
he helped to form companies to mine copper and to build railways in the distant colony he had
never seen.
'Torrens was a strange mixture. He was no administrator or financier, but he established a 
reputation as a writer on economic subjects and was accepted as an authority on this subject.
Politically, he was both a Liberal and a Conservative. He advocated vote by ballot, spoke out
against monopolies and urged the need to restrict them; and he was an advocate of civil and
religious liberty. Yet he was a firm supporter of entrenched authority. He opposed universal
suffrage. He believed that political power should remain firmly in the hands of the property
owners and moneyed classes. Loquacious and digressive, quick tempered, very concerned
about his own dignity, Torrens had not inaptly been described as "a utopian castle builder of
baseless fabrics." 
 
'It was probably inevitable that South Australia should become a Crown colony, but Torrens
undoubtedly hastened the process, perhaps for South Australia's advantage. Yet, when all is
said and done, Torrens is probably best remembered today for having lent his name as a place
name. The river on which Adelaide stands, the island in the Port River on which the quarantine
station is located, the great salt lake which Eyre discovered in 1839, the Adelaide suburb of 
Torrensville, and the more melodious Torrens Vale for the place south-east of Yankalilla which
once was known drearily as Daisy Flats - all these commemorate on the map the man who
bankrupted South Australia. 
'But Torrens Park in Adelaide is not named for Robert Torrens, but for his son. The latter not
only migrated to South Australia and resided in Adelaide, but was during the whole of the
month of September 1857 its Premier and he gave it, and many other parts of the world as 
well, something more durable and beneficial than simply a name on its maps.
 
'Robert Richard Torrens was born in Cork in 1814. When he decided to emigrate to South
Australia in 1839 he was a clerk in the London Customs House, and on his arrival in Adelaide he
he became Collector of Customs. His month-long term as Premier and Colonial Secretary 
followed his election to the House of Assembly after the introduction of responsible govern-
ment in October 1856. If he was disappointed that his Ministry should have fallen so rapidly,
he was at least consoled by the success he achieved in bringing about a simplified system of
land registration. 
 
'In January 1858 his Act was passed, and the following June he resigned his parliamentary
seat to become head of the Land Titles Department, for he wanted to ensure that his Real
Property Act would be given a fair trial. Until the introduction of the Torrens Title system,
establishing a land title under the old conveyancing system was a costly, time-consuming and
risky business. It involved locating and inspecting a whole series of deeds, stretching for many
years back, to ensure, firstly, that the seller possessed a good title in the land he was 
disposing of and, secondly, that there were no encumbrances on the property. Many people
had their fingers burnt because the system was complicated. A document might be missed and,
having made his purchase, the buyer might suddenly discover that the seller did not have a 
good title to the land or that there was an undischarged mortgage that had to be repaid.
 
'The system which Torrens introduced was simplicity itself. It was title by registration. At one
sweep, Torrens replaced the long series of deeds stretching back almost indefinitely into the
past with a single page of a register book at the Titles Office. His reform, of course, was 
bitterly opposed by the legal profession, which saw the profitable conveyancing work slipping
from their grasp. Not only did solicitors draw up the deeds by which titles to land passed from
one person to another, but when a sale was made they charged for the lengthy investigation
they had to make into the deeds to ensure that their clients were not being taken down. Once
a title had been accepted by the Titles Office and inscribed in the Torrens Title Register it was
unchallengeable. Any defect which might once have existed was removed. When a property
changed hands, all the purchaser had to do was to inspect the Torrens Title Register. He had
only one document to deal with instead of perhaps two or three dozen.
 
'The reform proved its worth in South Australia very quickly, and once it had proved itself,
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and New Zealand.
Torrens Title was adopted, too, in the United States and Canada [to a limited extent], Europe,
and later, in England. 
 
'[Robert] Richard Torrens himself wanted to introduce it in England. He left Adelaide in 1863, 
determined to enter the House of Commons. Thrice he stood and thrice he was defeated.
It was not until 1868 that he was elected [for Cambridge]. But no opportunity presented
itself for him to introduce his cherished Bill, and in 1874, two years after he had been knighted,
he lost his seat. Not until 50 years later was the Torrens System adopted in England.'
 
Wilfred Fienburgh, MP for Islington North 1951-1958
 
Fienburgh died following a car accident. The report of the subsequent inquest appeared in
'The Irish Times' of 11 February 1958:-
'Mr. Wilfred Fienburgh, the 38-year-old Labour M.P. for North Islington, was looking tired and
not his "usual gay self" on the day his car crashed into a lamp-post at Mill Hill, London, and
he received fatal injuries. This was stated at the Hendon inquest yesterday, where a verdict
of accidental death was recorded.
'Mr. Robert John Edwards, deputy editor of the Sunday Express, said that Mr. Fienburgh
drove him from Hemel Hempstead (Hertfordshire) to London on February 1st. "He was 
complaining of a bad cough. He said it had kept him awake all night, and he did look very tired
and was pale. He was not his usual gay self," he said.
'Mr. Fienburgh, of Little Cox Pond Farm, Leatherstock Green road, Hemel Hempstead, died in
Edgware General Hospital on February 3rd from a fractured skull.
'Mr. Edwards said that Mr. Fienburgh had a wartime injury to one leg, and had injured the same
leg in a fall from his garage about 18 months ago. He walked with a limp.
'Michael Young, of St. Catherine's Precincts, Regent's Park, London, said that on the Saturday
morning he saw Mr. Fienburgh, who was working on a survey of housing conditions in East
London. He complained of feeling tired and of a cough which was keeping him awake. "We also
had some conversation about his car, and he said he was driving it very carefully, because it
had a new engine."
'Mr. Harold John Rogers, of Uphill road, London N.W., said that he saw Mr. Fienburgh's car in
the centre of the road, travelling at about 50-60 m.p.h. "I braked because I saw I was over-
taking it, and would not be able to pass it freely. I did not see anything unusual about it," he
said. "Then I noticed that although the road turns slightly, the little blue car appeared to be
going straight.
"I was continuing to brake all this time, when I suddenly realised that the driver of this car 
was not doing anything to correct the position. This went on until eventually, of course, the 
offside wheels mounted the centre island. The car still continued to go straight until it hit the 
standard. There was no evidence of any loss of control."
'Mr. F. Mathersdale, of the Public Carriage Office at Scotland Yard, said he could find nothing,
when he examined the car, which could have caused or contributed to the accident. But he
added that damage was so extensive that it provided little to go by.
'Summing up, the Coroner, Mr. A.P. Cogwell, said: "How, and why, this happened there is no
evidence. You have heard how Mr. Fienburgh had not been very well and had not slept well.
He had this slight defect in one leg. Whether that played any part in it, is pure supposition."
Copyright @ 2003-2013 Leigh Rayment