Gravesend (UK Parliament constituency)
Gravesend | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Gravesend in Kent, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983 | |
1868–1983 | |
Seats | one |
Created from | West Kent |
Replaced by | Gravesham and Medway[1] |
Gravesend was a county constituency centred on the town of Gravesend, Kent which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election. It is most notable for being a bellwether, with the winner of Gravesend (and its successor Gravesham) winning every election from 1918 through to the present day except for 1929, 1951, and 2005.
Boundaries
[edit]1868–1885: The parishes of Gravesend, Milton, and Northfleet.[2]
1918–1950: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban District of Northfleet, and the Rural Districts of Hoo and Strood.
1950–1955: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban Districts of Northfleet and Swanscombe,[3] and the Rural District of Strood.
1955–1983: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban District of Northfleet, and the Rural District of Strood.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election results
[edit]Elections in the 1860s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles John Wingfield | 1,237 | 53.6 | ||
Conservative | Bedford Pim | 1,069 | 46.4 | ||
Majority | 168 | 7.2 | |||
Turnout | 2,306 | 84.7 | |||
Registered electors | 2,722 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) |
Elections in the 1870s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Bedford Pim | 1,355 | 54.3 | +7.9 | |
Liberal | Charles John Wingfield | 1,142 | 45.7 | −7.9 | |
Majority | 214 | 8.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 2,497 | 87.4 | +2.7 | ||
Registered electors | 2,856 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.9 |
Elections in the 1880s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Thomas Bevan | 1,544 | 52.1 | +6.4 | |
Conservative | Francis Wyatt Truscott | 1,422 | 47.9 | −6.4 | |
Majority | 122 | 4.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 2,966 | 90.3 | +2.9 | ||
Registered electors | 3,286 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.4 |
The 1880 election was declared void on account of bribery, whereby Bevan had "given his men a holiday and paid them their wages".[5]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Sydney Waterlow | 1,504 | 53.9 | +1.8 | |
Conservative | Robert Peel | 1,284 | 46.1 | −1.8 | |
Majority | 220 | 7.8 | +3.6 | ||
Turnout | 2,788 | 84.8 | −5.5 | ||
Registered electors | 3,286 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +1.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Bazley White | 1,916 | 50.9 | +3.0 | |
Liberal | Thomas Bevan | 1,850 | 49.1 | −3.0 | |
Majority | 66 | 1.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 3,766 | 89.7 | −0.6 | ||
Registered electors | 4,200 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Bazley White | 1,938 | 57.5 | +6.6 | |
Liberal | Edward Smyth Pryce | 1,430 | 42.5 | −6.6 | |
Majority | 508 | 15.0 | +13.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,368 | 80.2 | −9.5 | ||
Registered electors | 4,200 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.6 |
Elections in the 1890s
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ce/John_Greenwood_Shipman.jpg/120px-John_Greenwood_Shipman.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Dampier Palmer | 2,370 | 59.4 | +1.9 | |
Liberal | John Greenwood Shipman | 1,619 | 40.6 | −1.9 | |
Majority | 751 | 18.8 | +3.8 | ||
Turnout | 3,989 | 82.7 | +2.5 | ||
Registered electors | 4,821 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/James_Dampier_Palmer.jpg/120px-James_Dampier_Palmer.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Dampier Palmer | 2,405 | 66.4 | +7.0 | |
Lib-Lab | Leslie Morton Johnson | 1,218 | 33.6 | −7.0 | |
Majority | 1,187 | 32.8 | +14.0 | ||
Turnout | 3,623 | 72.4 | −10.3 | ||
Registered electors | 5,001 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +7.0 |
Palmer resigned, causing a by-election.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/1905_Walter_Runciman.jpg/120px-1905_Walter_Runciman.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Ryder | 2,372 | 54.8 | −11.6 | |
Liberal | Walter Runciman | 1,955 | 45.2 | +11.6 | |
Majority | 417 | 9.6 | −23.2 | ||
Turnout | 4,327 | 82.0 | +9.6 | ||
Registered electors | 5,276 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -11.6 |
Elections in the 1900s
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Hildebrand_Aubrey_Harmsworth.jpg/120px-Hildebrand_Aubrey_Harmsworth.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gilbert Parker | 2,542 | 58.5 | −7.9 | |
Liberal | Hildebrand Harmsworth | 1,804 | 41.5 | +7.9 | |
Majority | 738 | 17.0 | −15.8 | ||
Turnout | 4,346 | 77.6 | +5.2 | ||
Registered electors | 5,600 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −7.9 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Portrait_of_Gilbert_Parker.jpg/120px-Portrait_of_Gilbert_Parker.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gilbert Parker | 3,102 | 57.6 | −0.9 | |
Liberal | Sir William Nevill Montgomerie Geary, 5th Baronet | 1,413 | 26.2 | −15.3 | |
Labour Repr. Cmte. | James Macpherson | 873 | 16.2 | New | |
Majority | 1,689 | 31.4 | +14.4 | ||
Turnout | 5,388 | 82.0 | +4.4 | ||
Registered electors | 6,568 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +7.2 |
Elections in the 1910s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gilbert Parker | 3,286 | 55.7 | −1.9 | |
Liberal | Samuel Roberts Jenkins | 2,612 | 44.3 | +18.1 | |
Majority | 674 | 11.4 | −20.0 | ||
Turnout | 5,898 | 87.6 | +5.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -10.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gilbert Parker | 3,108 | 55.4 | −0.3 | |
Liberal | Samuel Roberts Jenkins | 2,506 | 44.6 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 602 | 10.8 | −0.6 | ||
Turnout | 5,614 | 83.4 | −4.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.3 |
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: Gilbert Parker
- Liberal:
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Alexander Richardson | 1,312 | 44.0 | −11.4 | |
Ind. Unionist | Henry Edward Davis | 1,106 | 37.1 | New | |
Independent Labour | Harry Hinkley | 562 | 18.9 | New | |
Majority | 206 | 6.9 | −3.9 | ||
Turnout | 2,980 | 36.6 | −46.8 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Alexander Richardson | 7,841 | 51.6 | −3.8 |
Labour | James Butts | 3,254 | 21.5 | New | |
Ind. Unionist | Henry Edward Davis | 1,817 | 12.0 | N/A | |
Liberal | Charles Edward Best | 1,271 | 8.4 | −36.2 | |
National | Harry Hinkley | 985 | 6.5 | New | |
Majority | 4,587 | 30.1 | +19.3 | ||
Turnout | 15,168 | 48.8 | −34.6 | ||
Registered electors | 31,070 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | +21.6 | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Alexander Richardson | 8,166 | 40.6 | −11.0 | |
Labour | George Isaacs | 7,180 | 35.6 | +14.1 | |
Ind. Unionist | *Henry Edward Davies | 4,796 | 23.8 | +11.8 | |
Majority | 986 | 5.0 | −25.1 | ||
Turnout | 20,142 | 63.0 | +14.2 | ||
Registered electors | 31,972 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −12.6 |
* Davies stood for election as an 'Anti-Waste' candidate, but was not officially supported by the Anti-Waste League
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Isaacs | 9,776 | 43.4 | +7.8 | |
Unionist | Alexander Richardson | 9,657 | 42.8 | +2.2 | |
Liberal | Laurence Harry Duniam Jones | 3,123 | 13.8 | New | |
Majority | 119 | 0.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 22,556 | 68.8 | +5.8 | ||
Registered electors | 32,781 | ||||
Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +2.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Irving Albery | 15,410 | 58.4 | +15.6 | |
Labour | George Isaacs | 10,969 | 41.6 | −1.8 | |
Majority | 4,441 | 16.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 26,379 | 78.0 | +9.2 | ||
Registered electors | 33,840 | ||||
Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +8.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Irving Albery | 14,644 | 46.1 | −12.3 | |
Labour | William James Humphreys | 12,871 | 40.6 | −1.0 | |
Liberal | Frederick William Kershaw | 4,220 | 13.3 | New | |
Majority | 1,773 | 5.5 | −13.3 | ||
Turnout | 31,735 | 71.8 | −6.2 | ||
Registered electors | 44,226 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −5.7 |
Elections in the 1930s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Irving Albery | 22,410 | 64.2 | +18.1 | |
Labour | Ben Greene | 12,488 | 35.8 | −4.8 | |
Majority | 9,922 | 28.4 | +22.9 | ||
Turnout | 34,898 | 75.7 | +3.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +11.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Irving Albery | 20,438 | 56.1 | −8.1 | |
Labour | Ben Greene | 15,994 | 43.9 | +8.1 | |
Majority | 4,444 | 12.2 | −16.2 | ||
Turnout | 36,432 | 72.4 | −3.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −8.1 |
Elections in the 1940s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Garry Allighan | 21,609 | 52.5 | +8.6 | |
Conservative | Irving Albery | 14,553 | 35.3 | −20.8 | |
Liberal | Reginald Edwin Goodfellow | 5,033 | 12.2 | New | |
Majority | 7,056 | 17.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 41,195 | 74.5 | +2.1 | ||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | 14.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Richard Acland | 24,692 | 51.8 | −0.7 | |
Conservative | Frank K. Taylor | 23,017 | 48.2 | +12.9 | |
Majority | 1,675 | 3.6 | −13.6 | ||
Turnout | 47,709 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −6.1 |
Elections in the 1950s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Richard Acland | 28,297 | 53.07 | ||
Conservative | John Gerrard Lowe | 22,726 | 42.62 | ||
Liberal | Mavis Doreen Ayliffe | 2,298 | 4.31 | ||
Majority | 5,571 | 10.45 | |||
Turnout | 53,321 | 86.29 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Richard Acland | 30,055 | 55.29 | ||
Conservative | Charles P T Burke | 24,300 | 44.71 | ||
Majority | 5,755 | 10.58 | |||
Turnout | 54,355 | 85.74 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Kirk | 22,058 | 46.22 | ||
Labour | Victor Mishcon | 19,149 | 40.13 | ||
Independent | Richard Acland | 6,514 | 13.65 | ||
Majority | 2,909 | 6.09 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 47,721 | 80.75 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Peter Kirk | 27,124 | 52.08 | +5.86 | |
Labour | Victor Mishcon | 24,962 | 47.92 | +7.79 | |
Majority | 2,162 | 4.16 | −1.93 | ||
Turnout | 52,086 | 82.29 | +1.54 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -1.0 |
Elections in the 1960s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Albert Murray | 26,074 | 45.41 | −3.81 | |
Conservative | Peter Kirk | 25,326 | 44.11 | −7.97 | |
Liberal | Jack Harris Barnett | 6,015 | 10.48 | New | |
Majority | 748 | 1.30 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 57,415 | 80.40 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Albert Murray | 30,276 | 49.75 | +4.34 | |
Conservative | Roger White | 25,484 | 41.88 | −2.23 | |
Liberal | Jack Harris Barnett | 5,092 | 8.37 | −2.11 | |
Majority | 4,792 | 7.87 | +6.57 | ||
Turnout | 60,852 | 82.04 | |||
Labour hold | Swing | +3.3 |
Elections in the 1970s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Roger White | 29,924 | 46.85 | +4.97 | |
Labour | Albert Murray | 28,711 | 44.95 | −4.80 | |
Liberal | Michael J Dunn | 5,234 | 8.19 | −0.18 | |
Majority | 1,213 | 1.90 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 63,869 | 75.93 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Ovenden | 29,571 | 40.83 | ||
Conservative | Roger White | 27,989 | 38.65 | ||
Liberal | DC Mumford | 13,136 | 18.14 | ||
National Front | JD Turner | 1,726 | 2.38 | New | |
Majority | 1,582 | 2.18 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 72,422 | 83.73 | |||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Ovenden | 29,569 | 43.09 | ||
Conservative | Richard Needham | 27,264 | 39.73 | ||
Liberal | L Cartier | 10,244 | 14.93 | ||
National Front | JD Turner | 1,304 | 1.90 | ||
More Prosperous Britain | Tom Keen | 239 | 0.35 | New | |
Majority | 2,305 | 3.36 | |||
Turnout | 68,620 | 78.63 | |||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Tim Brinton | 37,592 | 51.95 | ||
Labour | John Ovenden | 28,246 | 39.04 | ||
Liberal | Ian Goodwin | 5,917 | 8.18 | ||
National Front | George Willden | 603 | 0.83 | ||
Majority | 9,346 | 12.91 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 72,358 | 81.40 | |||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'Gravesend', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ In 1955 Swanscombe was returned to the westerly Dartford seat where it was temporarily removed from and where it remains.
- ^ a b c d Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
- ^ "The Week". Eddowes's Journal, and General Advertiser for Shropshire, and the Principality of Wales. 16 June 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 27 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ a b c d e f g The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
- ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
Bibliography
[edit]- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 2)