Tankerville Chamberlayne

Tankerville Chamberlayne (9 August 1843 – 17 May 1924)[1] was a landowner in Hampshire and a member of parliament, serving the Southampton constituency three times, as an Independent and Conservative.

He was deprived of his seat after the 1895 general election because of the indiscretion of one of his campaign workers and his having headed a procession which raised suspicion of having supplied beer to supporters.

At the 1895 general election he stood for re-election on a joint ticket with Sir John Barrington Simeon of the Liberal Unionist Party.

Although he retained his seat, the victory was challenged in an election petition lodged by two local Liberals, Walter Austen and John Rowland.

The petitioners claimed that Chamberlayne and Simeon had been responsible for various corrupt and illegal practices, and had engaged in "treating" (supplying free food and drink to voters).

The case came to trial at the Hartley Institute (now part of the University of Southampton) at the end of November 1895, and some of the claims were quickly disposed of: evidence that Chamberlayne had made a speech at Bitterne where he had slapped his pocket and alluded to money was regarded as untrustworthy by the judges.

It was shown that Albert Blackman, chairman of Trinity Ward Conservative Association, had sent a telegram to Alfred Powell, a Southampton wood-carver who was working in Winchester, urging him "Every vote wanted.

[11] Mr Justice Wright noted that such a payment was "made in direct contravention of the law", but that the judges could disregard it if the election was in other respects faultless.

Several costermonger's carts, bearing "certain symbols of drink", headed by a carriage on which Chamberlayne sat, spent two hours moving through the streets of Southampton, stopping at pubs and Conservative supporting clubs.

[14] Therefore, both judges concluded that Chamberlayne had not taken all reasonable means to prevent corrupt practices, and his election was void; however, they refused to award the petitioners costs save in respect of the railway fare allegation.

[17] Chamberlayne was a keen sportsman and took an active interest in many sports, including cricket, rugby, football, fox hunting and yachting.

The ground was laid out by the Newport Corporation, and dedicated to the public by Princess Henry of Battenberg, Governor of the Isle of Wight, on 28 August 1902.

[29] In 1904, he donated land at Hursley Road, Chandler's Ford for the building of St. Boniface Church, laying the foundation stone on 1 April 1904.

[26] Chamberlayne continued to live at Weston Grove after his political career had ended although he later moved to the family home at Cranbury Park, near Hursley outside Winchester.

[31] In 1909, an Act of Parliament required that Chamberlayne sell 189 acres (76 ha) of land in Weston to the London and South Western Railway for the purpose of building an enormous dry dock some 1,600 ft long (490 m).

Although the land was acquired, the project was never undertaken;[32] the site was subsequently sold to the Ministry of Munitions and the Rolling Mills were built instead.