Westmorland (UK Parliament constituency)

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Not to be confused with Westmorland (federal electoral district).

Westmorland
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Context: 1832–1868. Extract from 1837 result: the most central 'doubly' blue area
1918–1983
Seatsone
Created fromAppleby and Kendal
Replaced byPenrith & The Border and Westmorland & Lonsdale
1290–1885
Seatstwo
Replaced byAppleby and Kendal

Westmorland was a constituency covering the county of Westmorland in the North of England, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency had two separate periods of existence.

Until 1885
It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. For the string of elections from 1885 general election it split in two: Appleby and Kendal, both of which had been parliamentary boroughs but were reconstituted as county constituencies.
1918–1983
The constituency was recreated as a single-seater for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1983 general election.

In the boundary changes in 1983 the southern part of the constituency became part of the new seat of Westmorland and Lonsdale and the northern area was transferred to Penrith and The Border

Boundaries[edit]

The 1918 – 1983 seat corresponded to the county of Westmorland even after the abolition of the administrative county in 1974.

Members of Parliament[edit]

  • Constituency created (1290)

MPs 1290–1640[edit]

Parliament First member Second member
1290 Sir Richardus de Prestonne Sir Williemus de Stirkland
1302 Thomas de Betham
1305 Sir Hugh de Lowther Nicholas de Leyburne
1308–1309 Thomas de Betham
1309 Robert L'Angleys
1311–1312 Thomas de Betham
1311–1312 Robert L'Angleys
1313 Sir Matthew de Redman
1324 Sir Robertus de Sandeford
1328 Sir Nicholas de Preston
1331–1332 Sir Walter de Strickland
1341–1342 Sir Thomas de Musgrave
1343 Sir Richard de Preston Sir Thomas de Musgrave
1344–1345 Sir Thomas de Musgrave
1353 Sir Richard de Preston (Jnr)
1355 William de Windesere
1357 Sir Matthew de Redman
1362 Sir John Preston
1363 James Pickering
1366 Sir John Preston James Pickering
1368 Sir John Preston
1371 Sir John Preston
1377–c1400 Hugh Salkeld I
1382 Sir John Preston
1384 John de Mansergh
1386 Sir John Derwentwater Robert Clibern[1]
1388 (Feb) Sir Thomas Blenkinsop Thomas Strickland[1]
1388 (Sep) Robert de Sandford Hugh Salkeld I[1]
1390 (Jan) John Crackenthorpe Hugh Salkeld I[1]
1390 (Nov) Sir Christopher Moresby Hugh Salkeld I[1]
1391 Sir William Curwen William Thornburgh[1]
1393 John Crackenthorpe Hugh Salkeld I[1]
1394 Sir William Curwen William Thornburgh[1]
1395 Sir Walter Strickland William Crackenthorpe I[1]
1397 (Jan) John Lancaster Hugh Salkeld I[1]
1397 (Sep) Sir William Curwen William Crackenthorpe I[1]
1399 Sir Thomas de Musgrave John Crackenthorpe[1]
1401 William Thornburgh Hugh Salkeld II[1]
1402 Sir William Threlkeld (Sir) William Crackenthorpe I[1]
1404 (Jan) Roland Thornburgh Sir Richard Duckett[1]
1404 (Oct) Sir Robert Leybourne Thomas Strickland II[1]
1406 Sir John Beetham (Sir) John Lancaster I[1]
1407 Sir Alan Pennington Thomas Warcop[1]
1410
1411 Sir Robert Leybourne Christopher Moresby[1]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May) Robert Crackenthorpe John Hutton[1]
1414 (Apr) Robert Mauchell Richard Wharton[1]
1414 (Nov) Thomas Warcop William Thornburgh[1]
1415 Robert Warcop Thomas Warcop[1]
1416 (Mar) Roland Thornburgh Robert Crackenthorpe[1]
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419 Roland Thornburgh Robert Crackenthorpe[1]
1420 William Beauchamp Thomas Greem II[1]
1421 (May) Robert Warcop Robert Preston[1]
1421 (Dec) (Sir) John Lancaster I William Blenkinsop[1]
1429 Thomas Strickland II
1431 Thomas Strickland II
1435 Sir Thomas Parr
1449 Sir Thomas Parr
1450 Sir Thomas Parr
1455 Sir Thomas Parr
1459 ?Sir Thomas Parr
1467 William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal
1473 William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal
1510–1523 No Names Known[2]
1529 Sir William Musgrave Thomas Blenkinsop[2]
1536
1539
1542 Sir James Leyburn Nicholas Bacon [2]
1545 Sir Ingram Clifford Sir James Leyburn [2]
1547 Sir Charles Brandon, died
and replaced in January 1552 by Sir Robert Bowes		 Thomas Warcop [2]
1553 (Mar)
1553 (Oct) Thomas Fallowfield Thomas Warcop [2]
1554 (Apr) Thomas Fallowfield Thomas Warcop [2]
1554 (Nov) Thomas Percy Thomas Warcop [2]
1555
1558 Anthony Kempe Thomas Sackville[2]
1559 (Jan) Lancelot Lancaster Thomas Warcop[3]
1562–1563 Walter Strickland Gerard Lowther[3]
1571 Alan Bellingham Thomas Warcop[3]
1572 Thomas Knyvet Thomas Warcop [3]
1584 Francis Clifford Thomas Warcop [3]
1586 Francis Clifford Thomas Warcop [3]
1588 (Oct) Francis Dacre Thomas Warcop [3]
1593 Sir William Bowes (Sir) Edward Denny [3]
1597 (Sep) (Sir) Walter Harcourt Henry Cholmley [3]
1601 (Oct) George Wharton Thomas Strickland [3]
1604–1611 Sir Richard Musgrave Sir Thomas Strickland
1614 Lord Clifford Sir Thomas Wharton
1621 Lord Clifford Sir Thomas Wharton
1624 Sir John Lowther Robert Strickland
1625 Sir John Lowther Sir Henry Bellingham
1626 Sir John Lowther Sir Henry Bellingham
1628 Sir John Lowther John Lowther
1629–1640 No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1885[edit]

Year First member First party Second member Second party
April 1640 Sir Philip Musgrave Royalist Sir Henry Bellingham Royalist
November 1640
March 1643 Musgrave disabled to sit – seat vacant
October 1645 Bellingham disabled to sit – seat vacant
1646 Henry Lawrence James Bellingham
December 1648 Lawrence excluded in Pride's Purge – seat vacant Bellingham not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge
1653 Westmorland was not separately represented in the Barebones Parliament.
The following were nominated for The Four Northern Counties collectively:
Major-General Charles Howard, Robert Fenwick, Henry Dawson, Henry Ogle
1654 Jeremy Baynes Christopher Lister
1656 Thomas Burton
January 1659 Thomas Wharton
May 1659 Not represented in the restored Rump
April 1660 Sir John Lowther Sir Thomas Wharton
1661 Sir Thomas Strickland Sir Philip Musgrave
1677 Sir John Lowther
1678 Alan Bellingham
1679 Christopher Philipson
1681 Sir John Lowther
January 1689 Henry Wharton
December 1689 Goodwin Wharton Whig
1690 Sir Christopher Musgrave
1695 Sir Richard Sandford
1696 William Fleming
January 1701 Sir Christopher Musgrave Henry Graham
December 1701 Sir Richard Sandford
1702 Sir Christopher Musgrave
1704 William Fleming
1705 Robert Lowther
1707 Michael Fleming
1708 Daniel Wilson James Grahme
1722 Anthony Lowther
1727 Daniel Wilson
1741 Sir Philip Musgrave
1747 Edward Wilson John Dalston
1754 Sir George Dalston
1759 Robert Lowther
1761 Sir James Lowther John Upton
1763 Robert Lowther
1764 John Robinson
1768 Thomas Fenwick
1774 Sir James Lowther[4] Tory Sir Michael le Fleming Tory[5]
1775 James Lowther Tory[5]
1806 The Lord Muncaster Tory[5]
1812 Henry Lowther Tory[5]
1813 Viscount Lowther Tory[5]
1831 Alexander Nowell Whig[5]
1832 Viscount Lowther Tory[5]
1834 Conservative[5] Conservative[5]
1841 William Thompson Conservative[5]
1854 Earl of Bective Conservative
1868 William Lowther Conservative
1871 Earl of Bective Conservative

Notes[edit]

MPs 1918–1983[edit]

Election Member Party
1918 John Weston Coalition Conservative
1924 Oliver Stanley Conservative
1945 William Fletcher-Vane Conservative
1964 Michael Jopling Conservative
1983 constituency abolished: see Westmorland and Lonsdale

Election results 1290–1885[edit]

Election results taken from the History of Parliament Trust series.

Elections in the 18th century[edit]

General election 1715: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Daniel Wilson Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan James Grahme Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1722: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Anthony Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan James Grahme Unopposed N/A N/A
  • Lowther appointed a Commissioner of the Revenue in Ireland
By-Election 16 June 1726: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Anthony Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan hold Swing N/A
General election 1727: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Anthony Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan Daniel Wilson Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 1734: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Anthony Lowther Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan Daniel Wilson Unopposed N/A N/A
General election 28 May 1741: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Daniel Wilson 1,281 39.97 N/A
Nonpartisan Philip Musgrave 1,079 33.67 N/A
Nonpartisan John Dalston 845 26.37 N/A
General election 1747: Westmorland (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Edward Wilson Unopposed N/A N/A
Nonpartisan John Dalston Unopposed N/A N/A

Elections in the 1830s[edit]

General election 1830: Westmorland[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Lowther Unopposed
Tory Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors c. 3,500
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 1831: Westmorland[5][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Lowther Unopposed
Whig Alexander Nowell (MP) Unopposed
Registered electors c. 3,500
Tory hold
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1832: Westmorland[5][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Lowther 2,052 36.6
Tory Henry Lowther 1,948 34.7
Whig John Barham 1,611 28.7
Majority 337 6.0
Turnout 3,584 81.6
Registered electors 4,392
Tory hold
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1835: Westmorland[7][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,644
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Westmorland[7][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,775
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s[edit]

General election 1841: Westmorland[7][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,384
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

William Lowther was appointed Postmaster General of the United Kingdom and called to the House of Lords as Baron Lowther, causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 September 1841: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Thompson Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Thompson Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,078
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s[edit]

General election 1852: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Thompson Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,062
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Thompson's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 31 March 1854: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,168
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,214
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s[edit]

General election 1865: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,237
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Lowther's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 8 January 1868: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1868: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 5,240
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s[edit]

Taylour succeeded to the peerage, becoming Marquess of Headfort and causing a by-election at which his son was elected unopposed.

By-election, 21 February 1871: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1874: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour Unopposed
Conservative William Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 5,177
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s[edit]

General election 1880: Westmorland[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Taylour 2,641 37.1 N/A
Conservative William Lowther 2,522 35.4 N/A
Liberal Henry Tufton 1,963 27.5 New
Majority 559 7.9 N/A
Turnout 4,545 (est) 83.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,442
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Election results 1918–1983[edit]

Westmorland election results

Elections in the 1910s[edit]

General election 1918: Westmorland[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist John Weston Unopposed
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s[edit]

General election 1922: Westmorland[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Weston Unopposed N/A N/A
Unionist hold
General election 1923: Westmorland[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Weston Unopposed N/A N/A
Unionist hold
General election 1924: Westmorland[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Stanley 17,935 71.2 N/A
Labour Reginald Penrith Burnett 7,242 28.2 New
Majority 10,693 43.0 N/A
Turnout 25,177 80.2 N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Stanley 17,101 49.6 −21.6
Liberal William Gretton Ward 13,223 38.3 New
Labour W. Bone 4,184 12.1 −16.1
Majority 3,878 11.3 −31.7
Turnout 34,508 81.9 +1.7
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s[edit]

General election 1931: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Stanley Unopposed N/A N/A
Conservative hold
General election 1935: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Stanley 22,634 68.5 N/A
Labour E V Short 10,417 31.5 New
Majority 12,217 37.0 N/A
Turnout 33,051 73.8 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s[edit]

General election 1945: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Fletcher-Vane 19,717 53.3 −15.2
Labour Harold Banning Richardson 9,674 26.1 −5.4
Liberal Geoffrey Acland 7,313 19.8 New
Independent Francis Basil Price-Heywood 306 0.8 New
Majority 10,043 27.1 -9.9
Turnout 37,010 77.0 +3.2
Conservative hold Swing −4.9

Elections in the 1950s[edit]

General election 1950: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Fletcher-Vane 22,228 55.1 +1.8
Liberal Geoffrey Acland 9,054 22.5 +2.7
Labour Paul Wilson 9,031 22.4 −3.7
Majority 13,174 28.4 +1.3
Turnout 40,313 85.5 +8.5
Conservative hold Swing −0.5
General election 1951: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Fletcher-Vane 23,227 58.3 +3.2
Labour Paul Wilson 9,119 22.9 +0.5
Liberal Geoffrey Acland 7,493 18.8 −3.7
Majority 14,108 35.4 +7.0
Turnout 39,839 83.5 +2.0
Conservative hold Swing +1.3
General election 1955: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Fletcher-Vane 21,048 57.4 −0.9
Labour Ivor Ralph Million 7,901 21.6 −1.3
Liberal Geoffrey Acland 7,688 21.0 +2.2
Majority 13,147 35.8 +0.4
Turnout 36,637 77.6 −5.9
Conservative hold Swing +0.2
General election 1959: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Fletcher-Vane 20,676 55.8 −1.6
Liberal Geoffrey Acland 8,984 24.3 +3.3
Labour Corin Hughes-Stanton 7,359 19.9 −1.7
Majority 11,692 31.5 −4.3
Turnout 37,019 78.8 +2.2
Conservative hold Swing −2.5

Elections in the 1960s[edit]

General election 1964: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 19,125 51.75
Liberal Aubrey Herbert 11,078 29.98
Labour Norman Plamping 6,752 18.27
Majority 8,047 21.77
Turnout 36,955 78.82
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 17,907 50.55
Liberal Alistair Bell 9,052 25.55
Labour John E Dayton 8,465 23.90
Majority 8,855 25.00
Turnout 35,424 75.46
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s[edit]

General election 1970: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 21,253 55.3 +4.8
Liberal Gurney Pease 9,426 24.5 -1.0
Labour Roger Ward 7,757 20.2 -3.7
Majority 11,827 30.8 +5.8
Turnout 38,436 71.0 -4.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 22,036 50.13
Liberal A Nixon 15,502 35.27
Labour PJ Hildrew 6,419 14.60
Majority 6,534 14.86
Turnout 43,957 79.27
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 20,559 50.85
Liberal BN Wates 12,844 31.77
Labour M Taylor 7,028 17.38
Majority 7,715 19.08
Turnout 40,431 72.35
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Westmorland
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Jopling 25,274 56.62
Liberal K Hulls 12,867 28.83
Labour A Potts 6,497 14.55
Majority 12,407 27.79
Turnout 44,638 74.45
Conservative hold Swing

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  4. ^ Sir James Lowther was also elected for Cumberland, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Westmorland in this Parliament
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 102–104. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b Escott, Margaret. "Westmorland". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 478–479. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  8. ^ a b British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
  9. ^ a b British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  10. ^ North Devon Journal, 16 Jun 1938

Sources[edit]

  • D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
  • Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [1]
  • F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
  • F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
  • Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
  • Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig – Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)
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