1891 Cardiff County Borough Council election
The 1891 Cardiff County Borough Council election was held on Monday 2 November 1891 to elect councillors to Cardiff County Borough Council in Cardiff, Wales. These were the third all-Cardiff elections since the creation of the county borough. The previous elections were in November 1890 and the next elections were in November 1892
The result of the election saw no overall change in composition of the council.
Background
Cardiff had become a county borough in April 1889. In July 1890 the town's ward boundaries were redrawn, increasing the number of electoral wards from five to ten. On 25 July the General Purposes Committee of the council had redistributed the existing councillors over the ten wards. Not all council seats were included in each contest, because the three councillors in each ward stood down for election in three-yearly rotation. [1]
Elections normally took place on 1 November each year. Because 1 November 1891 fell on a Sunday, the 1891 elections took place on 2 November.
The council consisted of 30 councillors who were elected by the town's voters and ten aldermen who were elected by the councillors.[2] Ten seats were up for election in November 1891.
Overview of the result
Contests took place in seven of the ten electoral wards, namely Canton, Cathays, Central, Grangetown, Riverside, Roath and South. In three wards - Adamsdown, Park and Splott - the (Liberal) councillors were elected unopposed.[3]
Prior to the election, three of the seven contested seats were held by the Liberal Party and four by the Conservatives. This remained the case after the results were announced. In comparison with 1890, the Liberals had an overall increase in votes of 299, in comparison with 127 for the Conservatives.[4]
The Conservatives concentrated their campaigning in the Central and South wards, though in the South ward the retiring Conservative councillor only won by one vote.[4]
Council composition
Following these elections, the council's Liberal majority remained, with 26 Liberal members, 13 Conservatives and one Liberal Unionist.[3]
Ward results
Adamsdown
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | James Munn | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Canton
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Lewis * | 592 | |||
Conservative | R. Worthy Blake | 503 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Cathays
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry White | 569 | |||
Liberal | Charles Merrett | 511 | |||
Labour | Alfred Good | 306 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Central
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | W. Evans | 627 | |||
Liberal | F. H. Jotham * | 623 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing |
Grangetown
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Samuel A. Brain * | 544 | |||
Lib-Lab | John Gardner | 286 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Fireworks were let off after the result was announced, celebrating Brain's re-election.[4]
Park
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Ebenezer Beavan * | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Riverside
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frank J. Beavan | 767 | |||
Conservative | Dr Morgan Williams | 459 | |||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing |
Beavan had previously lost his council seat in the South ward in November 1890.[4]
Roath
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Augustus Lewis | 625 | |||
Conservative | Mr Waring | 510 | |||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing |
South
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Thomas Morel * | 529 | |||
Liberal | Dr Alfred Rees | 528 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Morel, a ship owner, had been the sitting councillor for six years.[3] There was more than one recount and the results were not announced until 10 p.m. The winning candidate was not present at the count, being ill with pleurisy.[4]
Splott
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Jacob Comley | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
* = 'retiring' ward councillor for re-election
References
- ^ "New Municipal Boundaries At Cardiff". The Western Mail. 6 August 1890. p. 7 – via Welsh Newspapers Online.
- ^ B. W. Row, F. G. Squire (1974), Cardiff 1889-1974 - The Story of the County Borough, The Corporation of Cardiff, City Hall, Cardiff, pp. 14–16
- ^ a b c d "The Municipal Elections - Cardiff - Close Fighting". The Western Mail. 3 November 1891. p. 6 – via Welsh Newspapers Online.
- ^ a b c d e "Municipal Elections - Polling Yesterday - Cardiff". South Wales Daily News. 3 November 1891. p. 5 – via Welsh Newspapers Online.