Thomas Cochrane, the son of the ninth Earl of Dundonald, was born
in Annsfield, Lanarkshire in 1775. He was educated at home and after
a brief spell at the Chauvet Military Academy in London,
he joined the Royal Navy. Cochrane became captain of H.M.S. Speedy
in 1800 and he soon established a reputation for his daring and brilliant
seamanship against the French Navy.
Cochrane came into conflict with the authorities when they refused
to support his campaign against corruption in the navy. In 1806 Thomas
Cochrane met the radical journalist William
Cobbett, who had also been involved in attempting to expose corruption
in the armed forces. The two men became close friends and Cobbett
encouraged Cochrane to win election to the House
of Commons where he would have an opportunity to expose those
members of the armed forces who were misusing their power.
Cochrane was elected to represent Honiton in 1806. However, Cochrane's
ideas were too progressive for the electors of Honiton and in 1807
he decided to accept the invitation to stand with Sir
Francis Burdett as one of the two Radical candidates for the Westminster
constituency.
After his election to the House of Commons
Captain Cochrane spent much of his time at sea in the war against
the French. When in Parliament, Cochrane made several speeches attacking
corruption in the Royal Navy. The naval authorities were furious with
Cochrane and he demoted. Aware that he had lost the opportunity of
advancing his naval career, Cochrane concentrated his efforts on campaigning
for parliamentary reform.
In 1814 Cochrane was accused with his uncle and his stockbroker of
fraud on the stock market. Cochrane claimed he had been framed but
he was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to a year's imprisonment,
a fine of £1,000 and two hours in the pillory. When Sir
Francis Burdett threatened to stand next to Cochrane in the pillory,
this part of the sentence was withdrawn to avoid a riot taking place.
After his release from prison Cochrane gave support to Major
John Cartwright and the formation of the Hampden
Clubs. He also argued in favour of universal suffrage and spoke
against the Gagging Acts.
In 1818 Cochrane resigned from the House of
Commons and took up an appointment as commander of the Chilean
Navy. After periods working for the governments of Peru and Brazil,
Cochrane took command of the naval force that had been formed to assist
the liberation of Greece.
In 1831 Thomas Cochrane became the tenth Earl of Dundonald. The following
year, King William IV awarded him a
free pardon for his alleged role in the 1814 stock market fraud. He
was also reinstated as a Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy. Thomas Cochrane,
Earl of Dundonald, died on 31st October 1860.
The Westminster Election in 1807 by
James Gilray
Sir Francis Burdett and Thomas Cochrane
are at
the top of the poll and are followed by the defeated
candidates in the election.
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Last updated: 12th May, 2002
(1)
In his autobiography, Thomas Cochrane described how his defeat in
the 1805 Honiton election led to his victory in the following year.
To the intense disgust of the majority of the electors, I refused
to bribe at all, announcing my determination to "stand on patriotic
principles' which, in the electioneering parlance of those days, meant
'no bribery'. To my astonishment, however, a considerable number of
the respectable inhabitants voted in my favour.
Having had decisive proof as to the nature of Honiton politics, I
made up my mind that the next time there was a vacancy in the borough,
the seat should be mine without bribery. Accordingly, immediately
after my defeat, I sent the bellman round the town, having first primed
him with an appropriate speech, intimating that "all who had
voted for me, might repair to my agent and receive ten pounds ten."
The novelty of a defeated candidate paying double the current price
expended by the successful one made a great sensation. The impression
produced was simply this - that if I gave ten guineas for being beaten,
my opponent had not paid half enough for being elected.
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