"Shrewsbury Election.—The state of the Poll on Monday was as follows:—Sir W. Pulteney, 1607; John Hill, Esq., 834; Hon. W. Hill, 832. The Election, it is thought, will cost Sir Richard Hill £100,000. The expence to each party is about £1000 per day."—(Times, June 9, 1796.)
"A certain new Member for a Borough in the West of England, is indebted to the family Jewels of his wife for bearing the expence of his Election. Not only her diamonds, but the greater part of her cloaths have been withheld. Those that were returned to her, would have disgraced her waiting woman."—(Times, July 4, 1796.)
"Yesterday conformable to an ancient ridiculous custom, came on the Election, at Wandsworth, for a Mayor of Garratt. The candidates were two—Sir George Cooke, Greengrocer and Inhabitant of Lambeth: and Sir Harry Dimsdale, a Muffin Baker. Sir George set off from his house in the morning, surrounded by all the appendages of grandeur, and placed in an open landau, drawn by six beautiful horses, with postillions on the first four, elegantly attired in red. A coach and four preceded him all the way in equal style.
"After he had arrived at the entrance of Wandsworth, his horses were taken out by the mob, and he was drawn by them to the Hustings, where he joined his opponent, who was little short of Sir George in point of etiquette. After a long preamble from each party, promising unremitting attention to the duties of the office, the honours of the day were conferred on Sir George Cooke."—(Times, Aug. 25, 1796.)
"Garrat Election.—Most of the Morning Prints of yesterday misstated this business. It was Sir Harry Dimsdale, and not Sir George Cooke, who was returned. Those who supported Sir George, did not even put him in nomination. He was drawn there, it is true, but he made no stand: he gave up the contest, and Sir Harry was crowned with a green bough, and the horses taken from his carriage by the populace, who drew him in triumph to the Bull, at East Sheen, to dinner, where above six hundred people sat down to a plentiful dinner. After dinner, it was proposed that Sir Harry should go, on Friday, in State, to the Royal Circus, in St. George's Fields, and this motion being carried, we understand the Muffin Knight will actually be there this evening."—(Times, Aug. 26, 1796.)
This was the last of these mock elections—and we may well pause for a while, and examine this curious institution—unique in its way—not thoroughly well-known—and whose origin, even, is in dispute.
Not far from Wandsworth, on the road to Tooting, is found the hamlet of Garrett, or Garrat, which, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, appears to have consisted of a single house, called "the Garvett." This was, at the time of its destruction, about the year 1760, in the possession of the Broderick family, and its grounds were then let to a market gardener. Lyson's, writing in 1792, says the hamlet consisted of about 50 houses—but it grew until it became incorporated into Wandsworth, and its site is still known by "Garret Lane," "Garret Green," "Garret Hill," &c.
As regards the curious mock election which took place here with each new Parliament, nothing certain is known, and opinions are divided, as to its origin. Dr. Ducarel, an antiquary, writing in 1754, tells us, that as far as he can find out, it began, some 60 or 70 years previously, with some Wandsworth Watermen, who went to a public house, called the Leather Bottle, at Garrat, to spend a merry day—and, it being a general election, they, in fun, chose one of their number as Member for Garrat.
Jeffrey Dunstan,—Ordinary Costume.