Liverpool Exchange
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1974 (1974)
SeatsOne
Created fromLiverpool
Replaced byLiverpool Scotland Exchange

Liverpool Exchange was a borough constituency within the city of Liverpool in England, centred on Liverpool Exchange railway station. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

The constituency was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. It was abolished for the February 1974 election, when it was merged with Liverpool Scotland to form Liverpool Scotland Exchange.

Boundaries

The constituency covered the centre of the city of Liverpool, bordering on the River Mersey. It included the commercial area of the city, as well as poorer housing. It originally consisted of the wards of Vauxhall, St Ann Street, Lime Street, Exchange, and St Paul's.

1885–1918

The Exchange Ward, with a significant Conservative business vote, was combined with the St Anne's and Vauxhall wards (which were more Liberal and contained a substantial Irish vote).

The Scotland division, to the north of this seat, was more heavily Irish and returned an Irish Nationalist MP. Exchange was a Liberal/Conservative and Allies marginal constituency and its elections were influenced by what guidance the electors were given by Nationalist leaders.

1918–1950

In this period the seat was defined as comprising the Abercromby, Castle Street, Exchange, Great George, St Anne's, St Peter's, and Vauxhall wards.

In this era the area was represented by Conservative Members of Parliament, until the Labour Party captured the seat in 1945.

1950–1955

Brunswick, and Granby wards were added to those previously in the seat.

1955–1974

The constituency comprised Abercromby, Central, Granby, Low Hill, and St James wards.

In the redistribution which took effect in 1974, this seat disappeared. However the successor constituency was named Liverpool Scotland Exchange, combining as it did the central and northern riverside parts of the city.

Members of Parliament

Year Member[1] Party[2][3]
1885 Laurence Baily Conservative
1886 David Duncan Liberal
1887 Ralph Neville Liberal
1895 John Bigham Liberal Unionist
1897 Charles McArthur Liberal Unionist
1906 Richard Cherry Liberal
1910 Max Muspratt Liberal
1910 Leslie Scott Conservative
1929 Sir James Reynolds Conservative
1933 John Shute Conservative
1945 Bessie Braddock Labour
1970 Robert Parry Labour
1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

O'Shea
General election 1885: Liverpool Exchange [4][5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Laurence Richardson Baily 2,964 50.2
Liberal William O'Shea 2,909 49.2
Independent Liberal Thomas English Stephens 36 0.6
Majority 55 1.0
Turnout 5,909 72.3
Registered electors 8,171
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Liverpool Exchange [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Duncan 2,920 51.5 +2.3
Conservative Laurence Richardson Baily 2,750 48.5 −1.7
Majority 170 3.0 N/A
Turnout 5,670 69.4 −2.9
Registered electors 8,171
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.0

Duncan's death caused a by-election.

Goschen
By-election, 26 Jan 1887: Liverpool Exchange[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ralph Neville 3,217 50.1 −1.4
Liberal Unionist George Goschen 3,210 49.9 +1.4
Majority 7 0.2 −2.8
Turnout 6,427 81.2 +11.8
Registered electors 7,911
Liberal hold Swing −1.4

Elections in the 1890s

Bigham
General election 1892: Liverpool Exchange [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ralph Neville 2,721 50.6 −0.9
Liberal Unionist John Bigham 2,655 49.4 +0.9
Majority 66 1.2 −1.8
Turnout 5,376 71.5 +2.1
Registered electors 7,518
Liberal hold Swing −0.9
General election 1895: Liverpool Exchange [4][5][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Bigham 2,884 52.3 +2.9
Liberal William Bowring 2,630 47.7 −2.9
Majority 254 4.6 N/A
Turnout 5,514 78.1 +6.6
Registered electors 7,063
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +2.9

Bigham is appointed a judge on the Queen's Bench division of the High Court of Justice, and resigned.

Rea
1897 Liverpool Exchange by-election[4][5][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Charles McArthur 2,711 50.5 −1.8
Liberal Russell Rea 2,657 49.5 +1.8
Majority 54 1.0 −3.6
Turnout 5,368 76.0 −2.1
Registered electors 7,060
Liberal Unionist hold Swing −1.8

Elections in the 1900s

Verney
General election 1900: Liverpool Exchange [4][5][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Charles McArthur 2,811 65.0 +12.7
Liberal Frederick Verney 1,514 35.0 ―12.7
Majority 1,297 30.0 +25.4
Turnout 5,325 64.4 ―13.7
Registered electors 6,718
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +12.7
Cherry
General election 1906: Liverpool Exchange [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Cherry 2,291 51.4 +16.4
Liberal Unionist Charles McArthur 2,170 48.6 −16.4
Majority 121 2.8 N/A
Turnout 4,461 75.7 +11.3
Registered electors 5,891
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +16.4

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Liverpool Exchange [4][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Max Muspratt 2,392 51.7 +0.3
Conservative Leslie Scott 2,231 48.3 −0.3
Majority 161 3.4 +0.6
Turnout 4,623 82.5 +6.8
Liberal hold Swing
General election December 1910: Liverpool Exchange [4][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Leslie Scott 2,330 51.6 +3.3
Liberal Max Muspratt 2,187 48.4 −3.3
Majority 143 3.2 N/A
Turnout 4,517 80.6 −1.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.3

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1918: Liverpool Exchange[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Leslie Scott 10,286 55.6 +4.0
Irish Nationalist Austin Harford 8,225 44.4 New
Majority 2,061 11.2 +8.0
Turnout 18,511 52.0 −28.6
Unionist hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

1922 Liverpool Exchange by-election[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leslie Scott Unopposed N/A N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
Devlin
General election 1922: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leslie Scott 15,650 55.4 N/A
Irish Nationalist Joseph Devlin 12,614 44.6 New
Majority 3,036 10.8 N/A
Turnout 28,264 74.8 N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1923: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leslie Scott 10,551 50.5 ―4.9
Irish Nationalist William Grogan 10,322 49.5 +4.9
Majority 229 1.0 −9.8
Turnout 20,873 51.9 −22.9
Unionist hold Swing −4.9
General election 1924: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Leslie Scott Unopposed N/A N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist James Reynolds 17,179 50.3 N/A
Labour William Albert Robinson 16,970 49.7 New
Majority 209 0.6 N/A
Turnout 34,149 65.9 N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Reynolds 24,038 68.8 +18.5
Labour Tom McLean 10,894 31.2 −18.5
Majority 13,144 37.6 +37.0
Turnout 34,902 69.0 +3.1
Conservative hold Swing +18.5
By-election 1933: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Shute 15,198 55.0 ―13.8
Labour Sydney Silverman 12,412 45.0 +13.8
Majority 2,786 10.0 ―26.6
Turnout 27,610 55.2 ―13.8
Conservative hold Swing ―13.8
General election 1935: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Shute 17,439 57.2 +2.2
Labour S. Mahon 13,027 42.8 ―2.2
Majority 4,412 14.4 +4.4
Turnout 30,466 65.7 +10.5
Conservative hold Swing +2.2

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Liverpool Exchange [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 8,494 52.0 +9.2
Conservative John Shute 7,829 48.0 ―9.2
Majority 665 4.0 N/A
Turnout 16,323 60.9 ―4.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +9.2

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 19,492 57.3 +5.3
Conservative John Reynolds 14,150 41.6 ―6.4
Independent Labour A.G. Cleather 381 1.1 New
Majority 5,342 15.7 +11.7
Turnout 34,023 72.8 +11.9
Labour hold Swing +5.9
General election 1951: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 19,887 60.4 +3.1
Conservative John O. Tiernan 13,052 39.6 ―2.0
Majority 6,835 20.8 +5.1
Turnout 32,939 69.2 ―3.6
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 19,457 56.1 ―4.3
Conservative Anne Elizabeth Papworth 12,271 35.4 ―4.2
Independent Labour Lawrence Murphy 2,928 8.4 New
Majority 7,186 20.7 ―0.1
Turnout 34,656 62.5 ―6.7
Labour hold Swing ±0.0
General election 1959: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 18,916 61.3 +5.2
Conservative Tom Beattie-Edwards 11,945 38.7 +3.3
Majority 6,971 22.6 +1.9
Turnout 30,861 60.5 ―2.0
Labour hold Swing +1.0

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 16,985 70.1 +8.8
Conservative Vincent Burke 7,239 29.9 ―8.8
Majority 9,746 40.2 +17.6
Turnout 24,224 54.4 ―6.1
Labour hold Swing +8.8
General election 1966: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bessie Braddock 15,089 73.7 +3.6
Conservative Barry Vincent Groombridge 5,372 26.3 ―3.6
Majority 9,717 47.4 +7.2
Turnout 20,461 50.7 ―3.7
Labour hold Swing +3.6

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Liverpool Exchange [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Parry 12,995 70.6 ―3.1
Conservative Anthony G. Phillips 4,638 25.2 ―1.1
Communist Roger O'Hara 775 4.2 New
Majority 8,357 45.4 ―2.0
Turnout 18,408 53.4 +2.7
Labour hold Swing ―1.0

References

  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
  2. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1989]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 141. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  3. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 176. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
  5. ^ a b c d e f g The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  6. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  7. ^ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 170 (194 in web page)
  8. ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  9. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig
  11. ^ a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 195–1973, FWS Craig
  12. ^ a b c d e f g The Times House of Commons, 1950–70

See also

Categories