1907 Carmarthenshire County Council election

The seventh election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1907.^[1] It was preceded by the 1904 election and followed by the 1910 election.

Overview of the result

The Liberals retained a strong majority. With a few exceptions, members were returned unopposed.^[2]

Boundary changes

There were minor boundary changes leading to the creation of two additional wards, namely Ammanford and Llandissilio. The new Ammanford ward, which comprised the urban district of Ammanford was created by the division of the Bettws Ward into two.^[3] Significant population growth had taken place in the eastern part of the county as a result of the growth of the anthracite coal trade but demands for further additional wards to be formed in the Llanelli district were rejected. The second new ward was at Llandissilio in the western part of the county, on the Pembrokeshire border. It was formed out of portions of the existing Whitland and Llanboidy wards.^[3] There was less unanimity in favour of the new Llandissilio ward than was the case at Ammanford, and there were suggestions that an additional rural ward was being created to counterbalance the new industrial ward at Ammanford. A proposal for a third new ward, at Newchurch on the outskirts of Carmarthen was rejected in due course.

As a result of these boundary changes, the Council included 53 elected members as opposed to 51 previously. The number of aldermen remained at 17.

Retiring aldermen

The aldermen who retired at the election were

John Bevan,
Joseph Joseph,
Sir Lewis Morris,
Daniel Stephens,
H J Thomas,
Thomas Watkins,
Joseph Mayberry,
Augustus Brigstocke,

Candidates and unopposed returns

Contested elections

There were only a small number of contested elections and the majorities were small in most instances.

Summary of results

This section summarises the detailed results which are noted in the following sections. In some cases there is an ambiguity in the sources over the party affiliations and this is explained below where relevant.

This table summarises the result of the elections in all wards. 51 councillors were elected.

Carmarthesnhire County Council 1901: elected members
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal
	Conservative
	Liberal Unionist
	Independent

Carmarthenshire County Council 1901 : following election of new aldermen
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal
	Conservative
	Liberal Unionist
	Independent

Carmarthenshire County Council 1889 : following election of new aldermen and by-elections
Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal
	Conservative
	Liberal Unionist
	Independent

Ward results

Abergwili

Abergwili 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Lloyd*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Ammanford

New ward. Boundary change.

Bettws 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Col. David Morris	349
	Liberal	D.J. Jones	281
Majority
	Liberal win (new seat)

Bettws

Boundary change

Bettws 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Tom Morris	349
	Liberal	William Thomas	121
Majority
	Labour win (new seat)

Caio

Caio 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Sir James Hills-Johnes	234
	Liberal	T. Francis Jones*	182
Majority
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division)

Brigstocke contested previous elections as a Conservative.

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division) 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	T.E. Brigstocke*	unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Upper Division)

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Upper Division) 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Rev Andrew Fuller-Mills*	247
		Thomas Parke Jones	71
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Carmarthen Western Ward (Lower Division)

Carmarthen Western Ward (Lower Division) 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	John Lewis*	161
	Conservative	P.R. Lewis	144
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Carmarthen Western Ward (Upper Division)

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division) 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Professor D.E. Jones*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Cenarth

Cenarth 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev D.D. Walters	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Cilycwm

Cilycwm 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rees Williams	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Conwil

Conwil 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Jones*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Kidwelly

Kidwelly 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
		Samuel H. Anthony	283
	Conservative	Alfred Stephens*	263
Majority
	Conservative hold		Swing

Laugharne

Laugharne 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	W.H. Dempster	189
	Liberal	John D. Morse	187
Majority			2
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanarthney

Llanarthney 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Henry Jones-Davies*	313
	Independent	David Farr-Davies	261
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanboidy

Llanboidy 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Evans	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandebie

Llandebie 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Davies*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandilo Rural

Llandilo Rural 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	L.N. Powell	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandilo Urban

Gwynne Hughes had now returned to the Liberal fold.

Llandilo Urban 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J.W. Gwynne Hughes*	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing

Llandovery

Llandovery 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J.R. James*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandyssilio

Boundary Change

Llandyssilio 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Benjamin John	unopposed
	Liberal win (new seat)

Llanedy

Llanedy 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	John Ll. Thomas*	340
	Liberal	Griffith V. Davies	205
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanegwad

Llanegwad 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Delme Davies-Evans	266
	Liberal	T. Lewis	224
Majority			42
	Independent gain from Liberal		Swing

Llanelly Division.1

Griffiths described himself as an Unionist in 1904

Llanelly Division.1 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	W. Griffiths	unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 2

Llanelly Division 2 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Simlett	unopposed
	Labour gain from Liberal		Swing

Llanelly Division 3

Llanelly Division.3 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	William David*	260
	Labour	Colwyn Morgan	53
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 4

Llanelly Division 4 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 5

Llanelly Division 5 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D.C. Parry*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 6

Llanelly Division 6 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joseph Roberts*	unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 7

Llanelly Division 7 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	R.A. Nevill	unopposed
	Independent gain from Liberal		Swing

Llanelly Division 8

Llanelly Division 8 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Williams*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Berwick

Llanelly Rural, Berwick 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	D. Harry	199
	Liberal	H.J. Hopkins	161
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Hengoed

Llanelly Rural, Hengoed 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	W.B. Jones	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Westfa and Glyn

Llanelly Rural, Westfa and Glyn 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev Benjamin Humphreys	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanfihangel Aberbythick

Llanfihangel Aberbythick 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Earl Cawdor*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth

The sitting member was elected on the casting vote of the returning officer.^[1]

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Thomas Barrett*	206
	Conservative	Thomas Rees Jones	206
Majority			0
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Llangadock

Llangadock 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mervyn Lloyd Peel	245
	Liberal	William Davies*	235
Majority			10
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Llangeler

Llangeler 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Colonel W.P. Lewes*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llangendeirne

Llangendeirne 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Rev R.H. Jones	237
	Independent	Thomas Davies	175
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangennech

Llangennech 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangunnor

Llangunnor 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	C.E. Morris*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanon

Llanon 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Greville*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llansawel

Llansawel 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir J.H.W. Drummond, Bart.*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanstephan

Llanstephan 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Johns*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanybyther

Williams had been elected as a Conservative in 1904.

Llanybyther 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Williams	234
	Liberal hold		Swing

Mothvey

Mothvey 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Davies*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Pembrey North

Pembrey North 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev J.H. Rees*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Pembrey South

Pembrey South 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	George Eynon Bowen	368
	Liberal	Richard Thomas Hammond*	296
Majority
	Independent gain from Liberal		Swing

Quarter Bach

Quarter Bach 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	W.J. Williams	389
	Liberal	Gwilym Vaughan	277
Majority
	Liberal hold		Swing

Rhydcymmerai

Rhydcymmerai 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Benjamin Evans*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

St Clears

St Clears 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Phillips*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

St Ishmael

St Ishmael 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Lloyd Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Trelech

Trelech 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Whitland

Whitland 1907
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Dr R.L. Thomas	226
	Liberal	John Scourfield*	167
Majority
	Independent gain from Liberal		Swing

Election of aldermen

In addition to the 51 councillors the council consisted of 17 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the elections the following eight aldermen were elected (with the number of votes in each case).

References

^ ^a ^b "Carmarthenshire County Council Elections. Clerical Attack Ends in a Fiasco". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter (supplement). 15 March 1907. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
^ "County Council Nominations". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter (supplement). 8 March 1907. p. 1. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
^ ^a ^b "County Council Electoral Divisions". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter. 22 June 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[CWR_15-3-07_CarmsRes-1] "Carmarthenshire County Council Elections. Clerical Attack Ends in a Fiasco". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter (supplement). 15 March 1907. p. 1. Retrieved 20 September 2015.

[CWR_8-3-07_CarmsNoms-2] "County Council Nominations". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter (supplement). 8 March 1907. p. 1. Retrieved 19 September 2015.

[CWR_22-6-06_Carms_wards-3] "County Council Electoral Divisions". Carmarthen Weekly Reporter. 22 June 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

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