HC Deb 27 February 1883 vol 276 cc1016-7

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 Honourable Sir Charles Edward Pollock, knight (Baron of the Exchequer), and the Honourable Sir Henry Manisty, knight, Justices of the High Court of Justice, and two of the Judges for the time being for the trial of Election Petitions in England, do hereby, in pursuance of the said Acts, certify that, upon the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 26th days of February 1883, we duly held a Court at the Council House, in the Borough of Salisbury, in the County of Wilts, for the trial of, and did try, the Election Petition for the said Borough, between William Robert Moore, Henry Hale, George Medway, Charles Jewell, and Charles Massey, Petitioners, and Coleridge John Ken-nard, Respondent, which prayed that it might be determined that the said Coleridge John Kennard was not duly Elected or duly Returned, and that the Election and Return of the said Coleridge John Kennard were and are wholly null and void.

And, in further pursuance of the said Acts, we report that, at the conclusion of the said trial, we determined that the said Coleridge John Kennard, 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 in the said Petition of corrupt practices having been committed at the said Election, we, in further pursuance of the said Acts, report as follows:—

  1. (a.) That no corrupt practice was proved to have been committed by or with the knowledge or consent of any Candidate at such Election;
    2. 1017
  2. (b.) That the following persons were proved at the trial to have been guilty of the corrupt practice of bribery:—
  3. (c.) We further report that there is no reason to believe that corrupt practices have extensively prevailed at the Election for the Borough of Salisbury, to which the said Petition relates.

Dated this 26th day of February, 1883.

And the said Certificate and Report were ordered to be entered in the Journals of this House.

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