East Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

For the constituency alternatively called East Hertfordshire between 1885 and 1918,, see Hertford (UK Parliament constituency).

East Hertfordshire
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
1955–1983
Seats	one
Replaced by	Broxbourne, Hertford & Stortford and Stevenage

East Hertfordshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Hertfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Boundaries

1955-1974: The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Sawbridgeworth, and Ware, and the Rural Districts of Braughing (the civil parishes of Albury, Anstey, Ardeley, Aspenden, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Broadfield, Buckland, Buntingford, Cottered, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Hormead, Little Hadham, Meesden, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, Thorley, Throcking, Westmill, and Wyddial) and Ware (the civil parishes of Broxbourne, Eastwick, Gilston, Great Amwell, Great Munden, Hunsdon, Little Munden, Standon, Stanstead Abbots, Stanstead St Margaret, Thundridge, Ware Rural, Widford, and Wormley).

1974-1983: The Urban Districts of Bishop's Stortford, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, and Sawbridgeworth, and the Rural Districts of Braughing (the civil parishes of Albury, Anstey, Ardeley, Aspenden, Braughing, Brent Pelham, Buckland, Buntingford, Cottered, Furneux Pelham, High Wych, Hormead, Little Hadham, Meesden, Much Hadham, Stocking Pelham, Thorley, Westmill, and Wyddial) and Ware.

History

The constituency was created for the 1955 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election.

On its abolition, most of the seat (including Bishop's Stortford and Sawbridgeworth) was amalgamated with the Hertford and Ware half of Hertford and Stevenage to form the new Hertford and Stortford constituency, while Cheshunt and Hoddesdon were carved off to create the heart of the new Broxbourne constituency.

The writer and TV playwright Dennis Potter was the Labour Party candidate in the constituency at the 1964 general election, but finished second behind the Conservative incumbent.

Member of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" |	1955	Sir Derek Walker-Smith	Conservative
1983		constituency abolished: see Hertford and Stortford & Broxbourne

Elections

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1955: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	26,936	56.88
	Labour	William Samuel Hilton	20,418	43.12
Majority			6,518	13.76
Turnout				79.11

General Election 1959: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	28,201	51.39
	Labour	Sydney James Bidwell	18,020	32.84
	Liberal	Kenneth John Whitehead Spargo	8,656	15.77
Majority			10,181	18.55
Turnout				82.01

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	29,749	48.20
	Labour	Dennis Christopher George Potter	21,887	35.46
	Liberal	Eric W Morgan	10,088	16.34
Majority			7,862	12.74
Turnout				81.02

General Election 1966: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	29,618	46.62
	Labour	Brian CS Murphy	24,412	38.43
	Liberal	Eric W Morgan	9,501	14.95
Majority			5,206	8.19
Turnout				80.09

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	37,668	54.74
	Labour	Michael Stuart Thomas	23,601	34.30
	Liberal	David Walsh	7,538	10.96
Majority			14,067	20.44
Turnout				73.51

General Election February 1974: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	32,032	44.96
	Labour	MM Keir	20,674	29.02
	Liberal	PC Clark	18,546	26.03
Majority			11,358	15.94
Turnout				80.98

General Election October 1974: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	29,334	44.59
	Labour	MM Keir	20,999	31.92
	Liberal	PC Clark	15,446	23.48
Majority			8,335	12.67
Turnout				74.04

General Election 1979: East Hertfordshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Derek Colclough Walker-Smith	41,599	55.50
	Labour	IJ Evans	20,139	26.87
	Liberal	Lesley Julia Abdela	11,393	15.20
	National Front	J Smith	1,819	2.43
Majority			21,460	28.63
Turnout				77.81

References

• Robert Waller, The Almanac of British Politics (1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983)
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)