53°42′29″N 2°14′24″W / 53.708°N 2.240°W / 53.708; -2.240

Rossendale
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Rossendale in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
CountyLancashire
Major settlementsRawtenstall
1885–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromNorth East Lancashire
Replaced byRossendale and Darwen
Bury North

Rossendale was a parliamentary constituency in the Lancashire, England. Created in 1885, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system. When created it comprised the districts of Rawtenstall, Bacup, and Haslingden; Ramsbottom district was added to the constituency in 1950.

The constituency ceased to exist with the implementation of the 1983 boundary changes and was replaced by the Rossendale and Darwen constituency. The exact nature of the changes were as follows: 9,882 electors of the Rossendale seat were transferred to Bury North. 25,918 electors were added from the abolished Darwen constituency and 5,267 from Heywood and Royton.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Rossendale, and part of the Borough of Bacup.

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Bacup, Haslingden, and Rawtenstall.

1950–1983: The Boroughs of Bacup, Haslingden, and Rawtenstall, and the Urban District of Ramsbottom.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Spencer Cavendish Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 by-election John Maden Liberal
1900 by-election Sir William Mather Liberal
1904 by-election Lewis Harcourt Liberal
1917 by-election Sir John Maden Liberal
1918 Robert Waddington Coalition Conservative
1922 David Halstead Conservative
1923 Robert Waddington Conservative
1929 Arthur Law Labour
1931 Ronald Cross Conservative
1945 George Walker Labour
1950 Tony Greenwood Labour
1970 Ronald Bray Conservative
Oct 1974 Michael Noble Labour
1979 David Trippier Conservative
1983 constituency abolished: see Rossendale and Darwen

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

Hartington
General election 1885: Rossendale [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Spencer Cavendish 6,060 58.9
Conservative William Farrer Ecroyd 4,228 41.1
Majority 1,832 17.8
Turnout 10,288 89.9
Registered electors 11,450
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Rossendale [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Spencer Cavendish 5,399 57.8 +16.7
Liberal Thomas Newbigging 3,949 42.2 −16.7
Majority 1,450 15.6 N/A
Turnout 9,348 81.6 −8.3
Registered electors 11,450
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +16.7

Elections in the 1890s

Cavendish succeeded to the peerage, becoming Duke of Devonshire and causing a by-election.

1892 Rossendale by-election[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Maden 6,066 55.6 +13.4
Liberal Unionist Thomas Brooks 4,841 44.4 −13.4
Majority 1,225 11.2 N/A
Turnout 10,907 93.4 +11.8
Registered electors 11,679
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +13.4
General election 1892: Rossendale [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Maden 6,058 58.3 +16.1
Conservative Arthur Goldsmith Sparrow 4,334 41.7 −16.1
Majority 1,724 16.6 N/A
Turnout 10,392 89.0 +7.4
Registered electors 11,679
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +16.1
General election 1895: Rossendale [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Maden Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1900s

William Mather
1900 Rossendale by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Mather 5,936 56.5 N/A
Conservative George Kingsbury 4,564 43.5 New
Majority 1,372 13.0 N/A
Turnout 10,500 86.4 N/A
Registered electors 12,148
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1900: Rossendale [8] Electorate 12,148
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Mather Unopposed
Liberal hold
Lewis Harcourt
1904 Rossendale by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Harcourt Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1906: Rossendale [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Harcourt 6,881 59.6 N/A
Conservative John Kebty-Fletcher 4,662 40.4 New
Majority 2,219 19.2 N/A
Turnout 11,543 90.4 N/A
Registered electors 12,765
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Rossendale [10] Electorate 12,765
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Harcourt 7,185 57.4 −2.2
Conservative John Kebty-Fletcher 4,695 37.5 −2.9
Women's Suffrage Arthur Bulley 639 5.1 New
Majority 2,490 19.9 +0.7
Turnout 12,519 94.7 +4.3
Registered electors 13,217
Liberal hold Swing +0.4
General election December 1910: Rossendale [11] Electorate 12,765
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Harcourt 6,619 56.0 −1.4
Conservative Joshua Craven Hoyle 5,206 44.0 +6.5
Majority 1,413 12.0 −7.9
Turnout 11,825 89.5 −5.2
Registered electors 13,217
Liberal hold Swing −4.0

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;

1917 Rossendale by-election[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Maden 6,019 76.9 +20.9
Independent Labour and Peace by Negotiation Albert Taylor 1,804 23.1 New
Majority 4,215 53.8 +41.8
Turnout 7,823 57.2 −32.3
Registered electors 13,682
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1918: Rossendale[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Robert Waddington 8,907 39.2 −4.8
Labour Gilbert Wright Jones 7,984 35.1 New
Liberal John Maden 5,837 25.7 −30.3
Majority 923 4.1 N/A
Turnout 22,728 63.6 −25.9
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +12.8
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Rossendale[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist David Halstead 12,881 42.6 +3.4
Labour Gilbert Wright Jones 11,029 36.5 +1.4
Liberal Richard Durning Holt 6,327 20.9 -4.8
Majority 1,852 6.1 +2.0
Turnout 30,237 85.0 +21.4
Unionist hold Swing
Norman Angell
General election 1923: Rossendale [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Waddington 11,362 37.6 -5.0
Liberal Ernest Young 9,592 31.8 +10.9
Labour Norman Angell 9,230 30.6 -5.9
Majority 1,770 5.8 -0.3
Turnout 30,184 83.8 -1.2
Unionist hold Swing -8.0
General election 1924: Rossendale[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Waddington 12,836 41.7 +4.1
Labour James Bell 9,951 32.4 +1.8
Liberal Ernest Young 7,958 25.9 -5.9
Majority 2,885 9.3 +3.5
Turnout 30,745
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Rossendale[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Arthur Law 14,624 36.0 +3.6
Liberal Edwin Bayliss 13,747 33.9 +8.0
Unionist Wilfrid Sugden 12,225 30.1 -11.6
Majority 877 2.1 N/A
Turnout 40,596 87.7
Labour gain from Unionist Swing -2.2

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Rossendale [20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Cross 16,206 40.1 +10.0
Liberal William Furness Dean 13,089 32.4 -1.5
Labour Arthur Law 11,135 27.5 -8.5
Majority 3,117 7.7 N/A
Turnout 40,430 87.6 -0.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Rossendale [21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Cross 15,650 39.4 -0.7
Labour Evelyn Walkden 14,769 37.1 +9.6
Liberal Arthur Holgate 9,343 23.5 -8.9
Majority 881 2.3 -5.4
Turnout 39,762 86.1 -1.5
Conservative hold Swing

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;

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Rossendale[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Walker 15,741 43.6 +6.5
Conservative Ronald Cross 10,153 28.1 -11.3
Liberal Arthur Ward Jones 8,542 23.7 +0.2
Communist William Whittaker 1,663 4.6 New
Majority 5,588 15.5 N/A
Turnout 36,099 83.2 -2.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 21,596 45.15
Conservative Thomas Mercer Backhouse 19,483 40.73
Liberal Lillian May Tomlinson 6,757 14.13
Majority 2,113 4.42
Turnout 47,836 88.94
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 24,814 51.74
Conservative Thomas Mercer Backhouse 23,144 48.26
Majority 1,670 3.48
Turnout 47,958 88.59
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 23,472 53.31
Conservative John E Parkinson 20,561 46.69
Majority 2,911 6.62
Turnout 44,033 84.21
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 20,743 47.52
Conservative James Richard Trist Holt 18,152 41.59
Liberal Alan Cooper 4,752 10.89 New
Majority 2,591 5.93
Turnout 43,647 86.30
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 21,371 53.97
Conservative Colin Clive Baillieu 18,230 46.03
Majority 3,141 7.94
Turnout 39,601 81.83
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tony Greenwood 21,093 55.40
Conservative Colin Clive Baillieu 16,984 44.60
Majority 4,109 10.80
Turnout 38,077 80.40
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Bray 20,448 52.4 +7.8
Labour Betty Boothroyd 18,568 47.6 -7.8
Majority 1,880 4.8 N/A
Turnout 39,016 78.2 -2.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election February 1974: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ronald Bray 16,040 38.4 -14.0
Labour Michael Noble 15,243 36.5 -11.1
Liberal JA Hamilton 10,478 25.09 New
Majority 797 1.91 -2.9
Turnout 41,761 83.50 +5.3
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Michael Noble 16,156 39.6 +3.1
Conservative Ronald Bray 15,953 39.1 +0.7
Liberal J.A. Hamilton 8,693 21.3 -3.8
Majority 203 0.5 N/A
Turnout 40,802 80.9 -2.6
Labour gain from Conservative Swing 1.2
General election 1979: Rossendale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Trippier 20,370 48.0 +8.9
Labour Michael Noble 18,497 43.6 +4.0
Liberal P. Arnold 3,534 8.3 −13.0
Majority 1,873 4.4 N/A
Turnout 42,401 83.8 +2.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

See also

References

  1. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  2. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. ^ The Times, 25 January 1892 p7
  4. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  5. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  7. ^ The Times, 14 February 1900 p8
  8. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  11. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  12. ^ The Times, 14 February 1917 p8
  13. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  14. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  15. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  16. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  18. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  19. ^ The Times House of Commons, 1931
  20. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  21. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  22. ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  23. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
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