§ The Parliamentary Elections Act, 1868. The Parliamentary Elections and Corrupt Practices Act, 1879.
§ The Parliamentary Elections and Corrupt Practices Act, 1880.
§ To the Right Honourable The Speaker of the House of Commons.
§ We, the Right Honourable Sir Robert Lush, knight, and the Honourable Sir Henry Manisty, knight, Judges of the High Court of Justice, and two of the Judges for the time being for the trial of Election Petitions in England, do 535 hereby, in pursuance of the said Acts, certify that upon the 14th, l0th, 16th, 17th, and 18th. days of June 1880, We duly held a Court at the Town Hall in the Borough of Westbury, in the County of Wilts, for the trial of, and did try, the Election Petition for the said Borough between Abraham Laverton, Petitioner; and Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps, Respondent.
§ And, in further pursuance of the said Acts, We certify and report that, at the conclusion of the said trial, we determined that the said Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps, being the Member whose Election and Return were complained of in the said Petition, was duly Elected and Returned, and we do hereby certify in writing such our determination to you.
§ And whereas charges were made of corrupt practices having been committed at the said Election we, in further pursuance of the said Acts, Report as follows:—
- (a.) That no corrupt practice was proved to have been committed by or with the knowledge or consent of any candidate at such Election;
- (b.) We further Report that the following persons have been proved, at the trial, to have been guilty of the corrupt practice of bribery:— George Cornish, of Lower Road, West-bury, farmer, William Cornish, senior, of Westbury; (c.) That there is no reason to believe that corrupt practices have extensively prevailed at the Election for the Borough of Westbury, to which the said Petition relates.
§ Dated this 18th day of June 1880.
§ ROUT. LUSH.
§ HENRY MANISTY.
§ And the said Certificates and Reports were ordered to be entered in the Journals of this House.