Hi Bryan!
Thanks for accepting my list as your answer. And thanks for the
hush-hush stuff about Allen - interesting that he kept company with
Moseley *and* Burgess.
I already had a handful of later 20th century M.Ps. plus Wilkes and
Bottomley when I found this interesting page about expulsions from the
House of Commons:
http://www.election.demon.co.uk/expulsions.html
Expulsion seems to be better documented than imprisonment per se,
presumably because it has to be recorded officially. The BBC has this
to say about it:
"Imprisoned MPs
Anyone convicted of an offence and sentenced to imprisonment for more
than one year, who is serving that sentence at the time of an
election, cannot stand for Parliament.
A sitting MP convicted and imprisoned for more than one year must
vacate their seat.
The Speaker normally reports the imprisonment of a member to the
House, except perhaps in cases where the stay in prison is very short.
Since 1945 only two MPs have left or been expelled from the House for
this reason - P Baker (Conservative) in 1954, and John Stonehouse
(Labour) in 1976.
Sinn Fein MP Bobby Sands although imprisoned, was not sentenced, and
could therefore stand for Parliament, though he never took his seat.
Mr Sands was in prison in Northern Ireland and was elected while on
hunger strike in April 1981. He died shortly afterwards.
Terry Fields, Labour MP from 1983-92, was imprisoned for non-payment
of the community charge, but not for long enough to disqualify him
from Parliament."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/h-l/82467.stm
Then there's this extract from a 1991 Parliamentary debate:
" The Representation of the People Act 1981 consolidated earlier
measures and included the rule that if anyone has been imprisoned for
one or more acts here in Britain or in Ireland for more than 12
months, he or she cannot sit as a Member of this place. There have
been only five occasions over the past 100 years when that rule has
been brought into operation. It will come as no surprise to hon.
Members when I say that two cases involved Liberals and the other
three involved Tories. The Opposition have a clean sheet."
Dave Nellist was speaking there, but not quite correctly. Stonehouse
must have been one of his "five occasions" and he was a Labour MP.
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199091/cmhansrd/1991-10-16/Debate-3.html
This inspired me to find one more name:
"Mr. George W. Hastings, M.P., misappropriating to himself, a trustee,
about 20,000l.,the property of the children of Major John Brown,
pleaded guilty ; sentenced to 5 years' penal servitude March, 1892"
http://www.yeoldesussexpages.co.uk/misc/genealog/trials10.txt
Perhaps not surprisingly, it looks as if most M.Ps. who end up in jail
are there for financial crime or for law-breaking inspired by
beliefs/principles.
===============================
18 M.Ps.who have been in prison
===============================
Robert Walpole
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page174.asp
John Wilkes - in the Tower like Walpole
http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/society7.htm
Benjamin Walsh ("the prisoner" then pardoned)
http://www.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/newgate5/walsh.htm
Thomas Cochrane - this page says he was innocent
http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycochrane.htm
Charles Bradlaugh - "freethinker"
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRbradlaugh.htm
http://athena.english.vt.edu/~jmooney/3044biosa-g/bradlaugh.html
Edward Samuel Wesley de Cobain - "gross indecency"
http://www.election.demon.co.uk/expulsions.html
(The list in the link above suggests more possible names for library
research.)
George Hastings - 5 years penal servitude
http://www.yeoldesussexpages.co.uk/misc/genealog/trials10.txt
Horatio Bottomley - breakfasted on kippers and champagne, no prison
uniform to fit him
http://www.aftermathww1.com/horatio2.asp
http://www.sussexlife.co.uk/gils_guide/upper_dicker.html
Oswald Moseley - interned
http://www.shef.ac.uk/library/special/bunion.html
John Beckett - interned
http://members.lycos.co.uk/mere_pseud_mag_ed/History/MadDogs1.htm
Maule Ramsay - interned
http://members.lycos.co.uk/mere_pseud_mag_ed/History/MadDogs1.htm
Peter Baker - forgery
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/e-g/82139.stm
John Stonehouse - found after faking his own death
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/226643.stm
Bobby Sands - IRA
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/10/newsid_2453000/2453183.stm
Bernadette Devlin - Irish republican
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/17/newsid_2524000/2524881.stm
Terry Fields - poll tax rebel
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/a-z_of_parliament/h-l/82467.stm
Jeffrey Archer - the writer
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Archer
Jonathan Aitken - "geezer with wonderful joined-up writing"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/364174.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2133337.stm
For me, this was an interesting mixture of familiar and unfamiliar
names, and I enjoyed looking into your question. As you know, you're
very welcome to ask for clarification as needed.
Regards - Leli
My searches involved shuffling round these search terms:
MP MPs member members parliament
prison jail gaol imprisoned jailed sentenced convicted expelled
interned internee internees
and searching on individual names |
