Oct
1710
cambridge university
Contested
GENERAL ELECTION
Poll book data from:
Holding: Cambridge UL
Citation: University/CUR 50/6(4)
Source: History of Parliament Trust.
Timeline & Key Statistics
Contexts & Remarks
Date: Thursday 5 Oct. 1710.
Poll book reference: Cambridge UL, University/CUR 50/6(4).
The poll sheet is included in a University Registry guard book, which were assembled from the 1860s onwards to accommodate loose papers. Therefore, the exact provenance of the poll is unclear.
The poll book includes 418 names, of which 260 voted (62 per cent turnout).
Candidates: the Honourable Dixie Windsor (Tory), Thomas Paske (Tory), William Shaw (Tory), and Westby Gill (Tory).
Dixie Windsor was the younger son of the earl of Plymouth and a returning candidate, having been elected on the Tory interest in 1705. He ran in harnessin harness with Thomas Paske of Clare Hall, who had acted as Arthur Annesley's unofficial election agent.
However, these two candidates faced a challenge from Westby Gill of Jesus College and William Shaw of St John's College.
The election returned Windsor and Paske as MPs for the University of Cambridge.
Poll Book
Below is a digitised version of the poll book for this election:
