Launceston (UK Parliament constituency)

The right to vote was vested theoretically in the mayor, aldermen and those freemen of the borough who were resident at the time they became freemen; but in practice the vote was exercised only by members of the corporation, who were chosen mainly with a view to maintaining the influence of the "patron".

Up to 1775, this was generally the head of the Morice family,[2] who also controlled Newport, but in that year Humphry Morice sold his interest in both boroughs to the Duke of Newcastle, whose family retained hold on both until the Great Reform Act 1832.

Under the Great Reform Act 1832 the boundaries were extended to encompass the whole town (including Newport, which was abolished as a separate borough), bringing the population up to 5,394.

The borough was eventually abolished in 1885, but the name of the town was transferred to the new county constituency in which it was placed, strictly the North-Eastern or Launceston Division of Cornwall, which also elected a single member.

The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;