Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Gainsborough
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Boundary of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire for the 2010 general election.
Location of Lincolnshire within England.
County	Lincolnshire
Electorate	73,795 (December 2010)
Major settlements	Gainsborough
1885, 1997 (1885, 1997)–1983 (1983)
Number of members	One
European Parliament constituency	East Midlands

Gainsborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

The constituency was reformed as Gainsborough and Horncastle due to boundary changes between 1983 and 1997.

It is a safe Conservative seat, represented since 1983 by Edward Leigh.

Boundaries

This constituency is centred on the town of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, and comprises the West Lindsey district, and the Wragby ward of the East Lindsey district.

Constituency profile

This vast rural seat north of Lincoln is named after the small market town at its western boundary. Market Rasen, best known for its racecourse, is the largest town to the east. Regeneration projects are attempting to reduce pockets of severe deprivation in the constituency, but most of the area is affluent, albeit isolated. Though arable farming dominates the landscape, agriculture is in decline and the service sector dominates. The seat has elected Conservative MPs since 1924.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Joseph Bennett	Liberal
	1886	Henry Eyre	Conservative
	1892	Joseph Bennett	Liberal
	1895	Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge
	1900	Seymour Fitzroy Ormsby-Gore
	1906	Alexander Leslie Renton	Liberal
	1907		Conservative
	Jan 1910	George Jackson Bentham	Liberal
	1918	John Elsdale Molson	Coalition Conservative
	1922		Conservative
	1923	Sir Richard Winfrey	Liberal
	1924	Harry Crookshank	Conservative
	1956	Marcus Kimball	Conservative
	1983	Edward Leigh	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2010: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Leigh	24,266	49.3	+5.4
	Liberal Democrat	Pat O'Connor	13,707	27.8	+1.8
	Labour	Jamie McMahon	7,701	15.6	-10.5
	UKIP	Steven Pearson	2,065	4.2	+0.1
	BNP	Malcolm Porter	1,512	3.1	+3.1
Majority			10,559	21.4
Turnout			49,251	68.3	+3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.8

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Leigh	20,040	43.9	-2.3
	Liberal Democrat	Adrian Heath	12,037	26.4	-0.3
	Labour	John Knight	11,744	25.7	-1.4
	UKIP	Steven Pearson	1,860	4.1	+4.1
Majority			8,003	17.5
Turnout			45,681	64.6	+0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.0

General Election 2001: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Leigh	19,555	46.2	+3.1
	Labour	Alan Rhodes	11,484	27.1	-1.7
	Liberal Democrat	Steve Taylor	11,280	26.7	-1.5
Majority			8,071	19.1
Turnout			42,319	64.2	-10.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Leigh	20,593	43.1
	Labour	P Taylor	13,767	28.8
	Liberal Democrat	N Taylor	13,436	28.1	-1.5
Majority			6,826	14.3
Turnout				74.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections results following boundary changes

For 1983 - 1992, see Gainsborough and Horncastle (UK Parliament constituency)

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	24,040	46.4
	Liberal	Roger B Blackmore	16,885	32.6
	Labour	W S Bach	10,335	20.0
	Independent Conservative	R E August	570	1.1
Majority			7,155	13.6
Turnout				79.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	19,163	41.5
	Liberal	Roger B Blackmore	15,195	32.9
	Labour	T Lansbury	11,797	25.6
Majority			3,968	8.6
Turnout				74.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	22,177	44.2
	Liberal	Roger B Blackmore	15,967	31.8
	Labour	T Lansbury	12,011	24.0
Majority			6,210	12.4
Turnout				82.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1970: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Richard Kimball	22,163	50.2
	Labour	Maurice P Tracy	14,454	32.7
	Liberal	Roger B Blackmore	7,543	17.1
Majority			7,709	17.5
Turnout				74.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	18,770	54.4
	Labour	D Owen	13,455	24.6
	Liberal	J D Lees	11,532	21.1
Majority			16,324	29.8
Turnout				74.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1964: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	19,235	47.7
	Labour	D R Poirier	12,126	30.1
	Liberal	R Douglas	8,930	22.2
Majority			7,109	17.6
Turnout				78.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Kimball	20,056	49.6
	Labour	Henry Walston	13,247	32.8
	Liberal	R Douglas	7,147	17.7
Majority			6,809	16.8
Turnout				80.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1955: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Crookshank	22,576	55.8
	Labour	G R Hawkins	17,107	44.2
Majority			4,469	11.6
Turnout				76.8
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1951: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Crookshank	19,915	49.1
	Labour	G R Hawkins	16,074	39.6
	Liberal	J Gregory	4,580	11.3
Majority			3,841	9.5
Turnout				80.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1950: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Crookshank	17,066	41.4
	Labour	G S Saville	14,890	36.1
	Liberal	I Spence	9,276	22.5
Majority			2,176	5.3
Turnout				83.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Election in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Crookshank	11,081	38.5
	Labour	G S Saville	9,436	32.8
	Liberal	R D Robinson	8,284	28.8
Majority			1,645	5.7
Turnout				75.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Election in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Gainsborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Harry Crookshank	12,597	44.8
	Liberal	J J Ferens	10,840	38.5
	Labour	E Pittwood	4,698	16.7
Majority			1,757	6.2
Turnout				80.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Lincolnshire
• The town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire

Sources

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd edition ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X. 
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 1)