John Broadhurst (MP)

Not to be confused with with the Catholic priest John Broadhurst.

John Broadhurst (1778 – 15 September 1861) was a Whig politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis between October 1812 and June 1813, Hedon from December 1813 to June 1818 and Sudbury from June 1818 to March 1820.^[1][2][3][4]

John Broadhurst
Member of Parliament for Sudbury
In office 19 June 1818 – 7 March 1820 Serving with William Heygate
Preceded by	Charles Wyatt and Sir John Hippisley
Succeeded by	Charles Augustus Tulk
Member of Parliament for Hedon
In office 4 December 1813 – 18 June 1818 Serving with Anthony Browne
Preceded by	George Johnstone
Succeeded by	Edmund Turton and Robert Farrand
Member of Parliament for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
In office 27 October 1812 – 9 June 1813 Serving with Thomas Wallace Henry Trail and General Sir John Murray
Preceded by	Charles Adams, Richard Steward and Joseph Hume
Succeeded by	Christopher Idle Viscount Cranborne and Masterton Ure
Personal details
Born	1778 (1778)
Died	15 September 1861(1861-09-15) (aged 82–83)
Political party	Whig
Alma mater	Eton College
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Battles/wars	Peninsular War

Early life

Broadhurst attended Eton College.^[4] He was a soldier, and fought in the Peninsular War and was present at the retreat of Corunna.

Parliamentary career

Broadhurst's election as MP for Waymouth and Melcombe Regis was petitioned and overturned, with his election being declared void. Thomas Wallace, Henry Trail and Broadhurst was declared void after being found to have violated the Exemptions of Apothecaries Act 1694, and a by-election was held.^[5][6]

He was elected to Hedon in December 1813 in a by-election following the death of George Johnstone and then went on to stand for Sudbury in the 1818 general election, serving until the 1820 general election where he did not seek re-election.^[2][3]

Broadhurst never had a recorded speech in Parliament's Hansard during his time as an MP, however, The History of Parliament states that his only known speech was on 7 May 1818 where "he opposed a clause proposed for the Poor Law Amendment Bill which would take pauper children out of their parents’ care."^[1][4]