1820

Dates: Tuesday 7 Mar. - Saturday 11 Mar. 1820

Poll book reference: The poll at the election... (Northampton: J. Freeman, [1820])

Candidates: Sir George Robinson (Independent Whig); William Leader Maberly (Whig); and Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, Earl Compton (Tory).

Sir George Robinson of Cranford owned property in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Middlesex. He was the son of a Whig MP for Northampton who sat for the constituency from 1774 to 1780.

Lord Compton was a returning candidate, having been returned for Northampton since 1812. He came from a Tory family but often voted against Tory Prime Minister Lord Liverpool's ministry. William Maberly also regularly opposed Lord Liverpool's government.

Lord Althorp closely monitored the campaign, writing to his father, Lord Spencer, 'Robinson is likely to come in at last. Maberly's people have quarrelled with Compton's, and they both split their votes upon Robinson. Maberly has shown great skill, he had not paid his bills, but he has contrived to throw all the odium of it upon Compton, and the probability is that Compton will be beaten. He has been pelted and abused in the most violent manner during all his canvass (Althorp Letters, 101).

Unlike other elections, prior to the 1820 poll, there were 'no ribbands, flags or liquor' being distributed in Northampton.

The election returned Robinson and Maberly, resulting in Lord Compton withdrawing the family's interest in the constituency. The Morning Post reported that, 'It was with the greatest difficulty that the unsuccessful Candidate could prevail on his kind escort [of supportive voters] to relinquish their intention of drawing his carriage to Castle Ashby, the seat of his noble father, the Marquis of Northampton...' (Morning Post 17 March 1820).