1901 Maidstone by-election
This decision was made by Mr Justice Kennedy and Mr Justice Channel sitting at the sessions house in Maidstone on hearing an election petition from the defeated Conservative candidate, Fiennes Cornwallis who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone from 1885 to 1895 and then again from 1898 to 1900.[1] The judges held that there was evidence of bribery of electors by agents acting for Sir John Barker, the Liberal candidate who had won the seat from Cornwallis by 38 votes.[4] The Conservatives first hoped that Cornwallis might be persuaded to stand again,[5] but he did not wish to put his name forward and they chose instead Sir Thomas Milvain, KC, the former MP for Durham and a barrister, having been called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1869.The unseated Barker had also helped Evans in the campaign,[8] so it was difficult to discern any political advantage accruing to the Conservative Party as a result of the court case.The Conservative Party became increasingly divided over the issue of tariff reform and the Liberals gained heart from the decline of the government over the coming years.
MilvainLiberalConservativeSir John BarkerViscount Castlereaghby-electionEnglandHouse of CommonsMaidstonegeneral election of 1900Fiennes CornwallisMember of ParliamentbriberySir Francis EvansSouthamptonThomas MilvainDurhamcalled to the barMiddle TempleFrancis EvansTurnouttariff reformLord CastlereaghLib-LabLabourConservative Central OfficeBy-elections27th Parliament of the United KingdomPrestonGuildfordWellingtonWoodbridgeWest DerbyshireBlackpoolNorth MonaghanStretfordMonmouth BoroughsMid CorkOswestrySaffron WaldenStratford-on-AvonWokinghamAndoverNorth East LanarkshireHampsteadDewsburySouth DownNorth KilkennySouth MonaghanWoolwichLeeds NorthClitheroeTivertonEast WorcestershireBelfast SouthSevenoaksDevonportClevelandLiverpool East ToxtethOrkney and ShetlandNewmarketLiverpool West DerbySouth AntrimEast PerthshireDublin UniversityCamborneSouth KildareBarnard CastleArgyllshireSt Andrews BurghsRochesterNorth LeitrimSouth MeathBelfast WestWarwick and LeamingtonWesthoughtonFarehamLondonderryChorleyDulwichLewishamLudlowAshburtonNorwichGatesheadAyr BurghsCity of LondonSt AlbansBirmingham SouthNormantonRossendaleEast DorsetDublin St Stephen's GreenIsle of WightWest CavanHarboroughSowerbyChertseyReadingCork CityIsle of ThanetWest MonmouthshireHorshamStalybridgeMile EndNorth DorsetNorth KildareLiverpool EvertonApplebyButeshireBrightonWhitbyChichesterNorth DonegalFinsbury EastKingswinfordWest DownCarlisleElgin BurghsBelfast NorthBarkston AshNew Forest1801–18061806–18181818–18321832–1847