Epsom (UK Parliament constituency)
Epsom | |
---|---|
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Location of Surrey within England | |
County | Surrey |
Major settlements | Epsom, Ewell and Ashtead, others to east before 1945, to west before 1950 |
1885–1974 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | parts of West Surrey and Mid Surrey |
Replaced by | Epsom and Ewell and Mole Valley (as to the former Leatherhead Urban District) |
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of: | Sutton and Cheam Esher Surbiton |
Epsom was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. From its creation in 1885 until its abolition in 1974, it was won by eight Conservatives. The winner took less than 50% of the votes in its contested elections once, in 1945, receiving 49.9% of the vote in a three-party contest. Six elections, the last being a by-election in 1912, were uncontested.
History
Geographical history
- Creation and abolition
The seat was established under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as the Mid or Epsom division of Surrey for the 1885 general election. The Mid designation was lesser used, since it could be misleading, as its extent until 1885 was a long strip to the east bounded by among other parishes: Lambeth, Streatham, Croydon, Burstow, Capel and Sutton.
- Scope
The Act of 1885 set up the seat so as to comprise:[1]
- Epsom sessional division
- all parts of Kingston (& Elmbridge) sessional division not within Kingston parish, nor municipal borough; which meant outlying parishes to the south-west, south and south-east
- Effingham (parish)
- Mickleham (parish)
Thus the seat drew on Mid Surrey as to Tolworth, New Malden, Malden, Worcester Park, Surbiton, Hook, Coombe and Long Ditton in the Kingston Hundred and Sessional Division. It drew on West Surrey as to: Ashtead; Banstead; Great Bookham; Little Bookham; Cheam; Chessington; Cuddington; Epsom; Ewell; Fetcham; Headley; Leatherhead; Sutton; Walton on the Hill; Cobham; Thames Ditton; Esher; East Molesey; West Molesey; Stoke D'Abernon; and Walton on Thames.[2][3][4]
The Representation of the People Act 1918 cut the area down to its south-eastern third namely:[5]
- the borough of Epsom and Ewell
- Leatherhead Urban District
- Sutton Urban District
The Representation of the People Act 1948 confirmed a 1945-implemented split-up of all seats of more than 100,000 electors, of Sutton and Cheam Urban District to create Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency) to the north-east.[6] Removal of a broad western area to form Esher ensued in 1950. As such it remained in the 1970 review-implementing Order.[7] The 1983 reforms saw more than its renaming and technical abolition, the seat shed in the south the former Leatherhead Urban District to Mole Valley created that year.
The seat was abolished for the February 1974 general election, replaced by Epsom and Ewell except for its south which contributed to the new seat of Mole Valley.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Epsom and Kingston (comprising most of Elmbridge) as excluding "the part of the civil parish of Kingston [and] the Municipal Borough of Kingston-on-Thames", and the (mainly rural) civil parishes of Effingham and Mickleham to the south-west and south respectively.
1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Epsom, Leatherhead, and Sutton, and the Rural District of Epsom.
1945–1974: The Municipal Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Urban District of Leatherhead.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member[8] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Constituency created. | ||
1885 | George Cubitt | Conservative | |
1892 | Thomas Bucknill | Conservative | |
1899 by-election | William Keswick | Conservative | |
1912 by-election | Henry Keswick | Conservative | |
1918 | George Blades | Conservative | |
1928 by-election | Sir Archibald Southby | Conservative | |
1947 by-election | Malcolm McCorquodale | Conservative | |
1955 | Peter Rawlinson | Conservative | |
Feb 1974 | Constituency abolished. See Epsom and Ewell. |
Elections
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Epsom_election_history.png)
Elections in the 1880s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Cubitt | 4,621 | 66.1 | ||
Liberal | Richard Harris[11] | 2,368 | 33.9 | ||
Majority | 2,253 | 32.2 | |||
Turnout | 6,989 | 77.6 | |||
Registered electors | 9,009 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Cubitt | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1890s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Thomas Bucknill | 5,123 | 65.3 | N/A | |
Liberal | Thomas Brassey | 2,720 | 34.7 | New | |
Majority | 2,403 | 30.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 7,843 | 75.7 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 10,354 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Thomas Bucknill | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/William_Keswick.jpg/120px-William_Keswick.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Keswick | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1900s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Keswick | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a3/Alfred_Withall_Aston.jpg/120px-Alfred_Withall_Aston.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Keswick | 7,313 | 54.0 | N/A | |
Liberal | Alfred Withall Aston | 6,221 | 46.0 | New | |
Majority | 1,092 | 8.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,534 | 84.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 15,933 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1910s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Thinktank_Birmingham_-_Rollit_A.jpg/120px-Thinktank_Birmingham_-_Rollit_A.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Keswick | 10,919 | 67.6 | +13.6 | |
Liberal | Albert Rollit | 5,232 | 32.4 | −13.6 | |
Majority | 5,687 | 35.2 | +27.2 | ||
Turnout | 16,151 | 85.8 | +0.9 | ||
Registered electors | 18,821 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +13.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | William Keswick | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Henry_Keswick.png/120px-Henry_Keswick.png)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Henry Keswick | Unopposed | |||
Unionist hold |
General election 1914–15:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Unionist: Henry Keswick
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Rowland Blades | 13,556 | 73.9 | N/A |
Labour | James Chuter Ede | 4,796 | 26.1 | New | |
Majority | 8,760 | 47.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 18,352 | 56.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 32,590 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Rowland Blades | 16,249 | 71.2 | −2.7 | |
Labour | Somerville Hastings | 6,571 | 28.8 | +2.7 | |
Majority | 9,678 | 42.4 | −5.4 | ||
Turnout | 22,820 | 65.3 | +9.0 | ||
Registered electors | 34,945 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Rowland Blades | 14,230 | 71.0 | −0.2 | |
Labour | John Langdon-Davies | 5,807 | 29.0 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 8,423 | 42.0 | −0.4 | ||
Turnout | 20,037 | 55.6 | −9.7 | ||
Registered electors | 36,055 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −0.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Rowland Blades | 20,017 | 79.5 | +8.5 | |
Labour | Philip Butler | 5,149 | 20.5 | −8.5 | |
Majority | 14,868 | 59.0 | +17.0 | ||
Turnout | 25,166 | 67.1 | +11.5 | ||
Registered electors | 37,515 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | +8.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Archibald Southby | 13,364 | 60.2 | −19.3 | |
Liberal | Samuel Parnell Kerr | 5,095 | 23.0 | New | |
Labour | Helen Mary Keynes | 3,719 | 16.8 | −3.7 | |
Majority | 8,269 | 37.2 | −21.8 | ||
Turnout | 22,178 | 51.2 | −15.9 | ||
Registered electors | 43,292 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −7.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Archibald Southby | 24,720 | 57.8 | −21.7 | |
Liberal | Samuel Parnell Kerr | 10,422 | 24.3 | N/A | |
Labour | Stanley Morgan | 7,662 | 17.9 | −2.6 | |
Majority | 14,298 | 33.5 | −25.5 | ||
Turnout | 42,804 | 67.7 | +0.6 | ||
Registered electors | 63,268 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −9.6 |
Elections in the 1930s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archibald Southby | 44,076 | 85.34 | ||
Labour | Stanley Morgan | 7,571 | 14.66 | ||
Majority | 36,505 | 70.68 | |||
Turnout | 51,647 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archibald Southby | 49,948 | 72.14 | ||
Labour | Stanley Morgan | 19,286 | 27.86 | ||
Majority | 30,662 | 44.28 | |||
Turnout | 69,234 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
General election 1939–40:
Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
- Conservative: Archibald Southby
- Labour: C Hackforth-Jones[15]
- Liberal: John Pickering Hughes
Elections in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Archibald Southby | 27,081 | 49.91 | ||
Labour | Edward Shackleton | 20,533 | 37.84 | ||
Liberal | James Morgan Fowler | 6,643 | 12.24 | New | |
Majority | 6,548 | 12.07 | |||
Turnout | 54,257 | 74.87 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 33,633 | 61.0 | +11.1 | |
Labour | R. Bishop | 17,339 | 31.5 | −6.3 | |
Liberal | David Cairns | 4,121 | 7.5 | −4.7 | |
Majority | 16,447 | 33.0 | +20.9 | ||
Turnout | 16,294 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 33,103 | 60.73 | ||
Labour | Frank Martin Hardie | 15,256 | 27.99 | ||
Liberal | N. Geoffrey Hudson | 6,153 | 11.29 | ||
Majority | 17,847 | 32.74 | |||
Turnout | 54,512 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 36,333 | 68.66 | ||
Labour | Frank Martin Hardie | 16,584 | 31.34 | ||
Majority | 19,749 | 37.32 | |||
Turnout | 52,917 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Rawlinson | 36,779 | 71.44 | ||
Labour | Arthur Bertram Spencer Soper | 14,706 | 28.56 | ||
Majority | 22,073 | 42.88 | |||
Turnout | 51,485 | 77.56 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Rawlinson | 35,484 | 62.88 | ||
Labour | D. Eric Heather | 11,039 | 19.56 | ||
Liberal | Robert William M. Walsh | 9,910 | 17.56 | New | |
Majority | 24,445 | 43.32 | |||
Turnout | 56,433 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Rawlinson | 31,959 | 55.05 | ||
Liberal | Robert William M. Walsh | 13,968 | 24.06 | ||
Labour | Alan Lee Williams | 12,131 | 20.89 | ||
Majority | 17,991 | 30.99 | |||
Turnout | 58,058 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Rawlinson | 31,434 | 54.59 | ||
Labour | Cyril Carter | 13,841 | 24.04 | ||
Liberal | Robert William M. Walsh | 12,305 | 21.37 | ||
Majority | 17,593 | 30.55 | |||
Turnout | 57,580 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Rawlinson | 35,541 | 61.41 | ||
Labour | E. Guy Wilson | 12,767 | 22.06 | ||
Liberal | Peter Hasler Billenness | 9,563 | 16.52 | ||
Majority | 22,774 | 39.35 | |||
Turnout | 57,871 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing |
See also
References
- ^ "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, 48 & 49 Vict. C. 23". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports – via archive.org.
- ^ "CHERTSEY PETTY SESSIONAL DIVISION: RECORDS (summary of PS1-PS7 of Surrey History Centre, 7 Petty Sessional Divisions scope". National Archives. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Dickens, Jr, Charles (1879). "Combined petty sessional division: Kingston and Elmbridge as dealt with under heading Kingston sessional division in the 1885 Act". Dickens's Dictionary of London. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885: Appendix D - county constituencies". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports – via archive.org.
- ^ "Representation of the People Act 1918" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "SI 1970 No. 1674: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1970" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
- ^ a b c d Liberal Yearbook 1907.
- ^ a b c d e f g Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
- ^ "Election Intelligence". London Evening Standard. 28 September 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons, 1901.
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons, 1916
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F. W. S. Craig, Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949.
- ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939.
- ^ a b c d e f g British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973, by F. W. S. Craig, Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1973.