The Nominations: The nomination of candidates for the vacant seat in the representation of the borough of Devonport and East Stonehouse took place on Wednesday morning n the large Session Hall of the Devonport Town Hall, which was crammed to excess. The witness boxes, prisoners’ bar, counsel table, and other erections and fittings except the jury boxes and the magistrates’ bench, had been removed, in order to afford the greatest amount of space of which the hall is capable. … The boxes on the Monument side, at the upper end of the hall, were occupied by the friends of the Liberal cause, limited in number by the contracted space at disposal: amongst them were … Major-General Hutchinson, Commander-in-Chief of the Western District, Colonel Nesham, Colonel Szyrma, Captain Somerville, R.N., Captain Edye, Captain Russell, the Rev. J. Stock; Messrs. R. M. Watson, J. C. Graves, W. Edye, J. Hatch, … (continues) … (includes) … R. S. Pinsent … The opposite boxes were allotted to the Conservatives, among whom were: The Hon. Capt. George Edgcumbe, Col. Russell, Commander Moorman, Commander Cragg, the Rev. Aeneas B. Hutchison … (continues) … At the extreme end of the hall, behind the bench occupied by the Mayor, the candidates and the gentlemen who took an active part in the proceedings, was a space set apart for the accommodation of the ladies, who mustered in considerable force. Amongst these were – the Mayoress (Mrs. R. J. Laity), Mrs. Hutchinson, Miss Hutchinson, Mrs. R. M. Watson, Mrs. Pinsent, Mrs. Trotter … … (long discussion and intense political debate) … … (conservatives won the vote) … …
Transcribed in whole or part from scanned originals: Presented with or without modified text and punctuation. For absolute accuracy refer to the original newspapers. Source: The British Newspaper Archive.
Referenced
GRO0119 Devonport: Catherine Agnes Ross: 1830 – 1906
GRO0741 Devonport: Richard Steele Pinsent: 1820 – 1864