Dunwich

In 1754 Dunwich was a pocket borough of Sir Jacob Garrard Downing. The number of freemen was restricted and Downing allowed them to live rent-free, but before taking up their freedom compelled them to sign a bond as a guarantee of loyalty. Elections were uncontested and the candidates did not bother to make an appearance.

On Downing’s death in 1764 his widow hoped to maintain control over the borough. But the freemen offered the seat to Miles Barne, and Barne came to an agreement with Sir Joshua Vanneck that the two families should be joint patrons of the borough. Lady Downing did not yield without a struggle. She issued writs against all thirteen freemen, and the payment of their debts and the legal expenses devolved upon the new patrons. They decided to limit the number of resident freemen to sixteen, eight chosen by Vanneck and eight by Barne, and to have sixteen non-resident freemen. They built a house at Dunwich, where each patron lived for a few weeks each year, keeping open house for the freemen; and there seems to have been no opposition to their joint interest during the remainder of this period.1On Dunwich see: Town recs. in custody of Dunwich Town Trust; letter bk. of Henry Negus, attorney for Vanneck, in possession of Hon. Andrew Vanneck; ‘Memorandum respecting the borough of Dunwich’, Barne mss., East Suff. RO; mss. of Hon. Mrs. Peel, Barton Hall, Norf.