The little man who made it in a big way

So wrote William Hay in an essay on deformity a year before his death.

Despite being born a hunchback, William struggled to ignore his disability and the attitudes of the time. He was educated at Lewes Grammar School and at Oxford and was called to the bar in 1723. He was described as having 'good features and an agreeable nature' and he 'willingly mixed in company and conversation and wrote little pieces of poetry to his friends.'

At the age of 39, William Hay married into politics by marrying Elizabeth, the daughter of the powerful MP and local landowner, Sir Thomas Pelham. He became an MP himself in January 1734, representing the town of Seaford, no doubt assisted by his influential father-in-law. In the House of Commons he was described as an acute and intelligent speaker and he went on to represent Seaford for the Whigs (Liberals) for more than 20 years. In 1738 he became the Commander for Victualling the Navy and six years later was made the Keeper of Records at the Tower of London.

When William Hay died in 1755, the Prime Minister, Sir Thomas Holles-Pelham wrote: 'His Majesty has lost a very faithful and useful servant in the House of Commons, who, in 20 years attendance there, was scarce ever absent at one question and never gave a wrong vote.'

Hay was a good speaker and lived locally, unlike Henry Flood who represented Seaford from 1786 until 1790.

Flood was born in Kilkenny in 1732, the illegitimate son of the Irish Chief of Justice. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, and despite being an Irish Member of Parliament for many years, was frustrated that important decisions were made in London. He resolved to become a Westminster MP and did this by 'purchasing' a parliamentary seat in Winchester where he served for seven years. His first speech was an inauspicious occasion when he spoke at 4am on the East India Bill, a subject which he admitted he knew nothing about!

In 1786 Flood lost his Winchester seat and stood for Seaford where the election of the previous year had been declared null and void. It is unlikely that Flood had any local support but he managed to top the poll undoubtedly by means of bribery. The returning officer however decided to return the opposition 'Treasury MP' but Flood complained and the election was declared void. Flood won the election a second time but the hardy returning officer yet again returned the opposition candidate! Flood launched an appeal and despite obvious local opposition was eventually formally elected.

On being elected to represent Seaford, Flood resigned as an Irish MP and moved to England where he used his time in Parliament to campaign for Irish interests and independence. He refused to join the two English political parties and after one speech in Parliament was described as having a voice 'barbarous to the English ear' and his demeanour as being 'disgusting and unlikely to make the slightest impression'. Despite buying his first seat and using bribery to be elected to Seaford, he campaigned for parliamentary reform in his later years, suggesting that MPs be 'selected by ordinary household residents.'

He died in Ireland in 1791 and left his estate to fund the study of Irish History at Dublin University.

George Medley was another MP who campaigned for parliamentary reform. He was born at Friston in 1722 the son of rich parents who owned Buxted Place. His grandfather, Sir Samuel Dashwood was Lord Mayor of London and his great-grandfather was a Speaker in the House of Commons.

George became a successful wine merchant owning many estates in Portugal. However, many of these were destroyed in the great earthquake of 1755. He returned to Sussex where he was lucky to have inherited the estates of Coneyborough Place in Barcombe, Friston Place and Buxted Park.

In 1768 George declared himself as a candidate in the elections at Seaford against the wishes of the local landowner, the Duke of Newcastle who described him as a 'rich mad man.' He was able to bribe himself into becoming Seaford's representative in Parliament, where, like Henry Flood he refused to join any political party, standing as an Independent MP saying that he would 'never either ask for, or accept any favour from the crown'.

He remained a Seaford MP for 12 years and died in 1796 aged 76.

KEVIN GORDON