West Staffordshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyStaffordshire
1868–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromSouth Staffordshire
North Staffordshire
Replaced byLichfield Division, North-Western Division (both created of part only in 1885) Wolverhampton West, Stafford, Cannock (remainder)
1885–1918
SeatsOne
Type of constituencyCounty constituency

West Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament until 1885, and then one member until 1918.

History

The constituency was created for the 1868 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Pirehill South, Cuttlestone and Seisdon (excluding the parish of Rushall), and the Townships of Willenhall and Wednesfield.[1][2]

1885–1918: The sessional divisions of Penkridge (except the parishes of Great Wyrley and Norton Canes), Stafford (including the whole of the parish of Gnosall), and Stone, and the Municipal Borough of Stafford.[3]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1868–1885

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1868 Sir Smith Child, Bt. Conservative Hugo Meynell-Ingram Conservative
1871 Francis Monckton Conservative
1874 Alexander Staveley Hill Conservative
1885 representation reduced to one member

MPs 1885–1918

Election Member Party
1885 Hamar Bass Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1898 by-election Sir Alexander Henderson Liberal Unionist
1906 Henry McLaren Liberal
1910 George Lloyd Liberal Unionist
1912 Conservative
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: West Staffordshire (2 seats)[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Smith Child 3,909 27.5
Conservative Hugo Meynell-Ingram 3,773 26.5
Liberal William Orme Foster 3,295 23.2
Liberal Henry Hodgetts-Foley 3,244 22.8
Majority 478 3.3
Turnout 7,111 (est) 71.5 (est)
Registered electors 9,942
Conservative win (new seat)
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1870s

Ingram's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 13 Jun 1871: West Staffordshire (1 seat)[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Monckton Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1874: West Staffordshire (2 seats)[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Staveley Hill Unopposed
Conservative Francis Monckton Unopposed
Registered electors 10,365
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Staffordshire (2 seats)[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Staveley Hill 4,123 27.5 N/A
Conservative Francis Monckton 3,967 26.5 N/A
Liberal William Anson 3,564 23.8 New
Liberal James Hall Renton[6] 3,344 22.3 New
Majority 403 2.7 N/A
Turnout 7,499 (est) 66.4 (est) N/A
Registered electors 11,288
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1885: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hamar Bass 4,820 54.0 +7.9
Conservative Francis Monckton 4,106 46.0 −8.0
Majority 714 8.0 N/A
Turnout 8,926 83.9 +17.5 (est)
Registered electors 10,636
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.0
General election 1886: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Hamar Bass Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Hamar Bass 5,227 64.5 N/A
Liberal John Kempster 2,879 35.5 New
Majority 2,348 29.0 N/A
Turnout 8,106 78.0 N/A
Registered electors 10,395
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Hamar Bass Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold

Bass's death caused a by-election.

1898 West Staffordshire by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Alexander Henderson 4,769 54.4 N/A
Liberal William Adams[8] 3,993 45.6 New
Majority 776 8.8 N/A
Turnout 8,762 82.8 N/A
Registered electors 10,580
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Alexander Henderson Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
General election 1906: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry McLaren 5,586 54.3 New
Liberal Unionist Alexander Henderson 4,708 45.7 N/A
Majority 878 8.6 N/A
Turnout 10,294 88.9 N/A
Registered electors 11,584
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

George Lloyd
General election January 1910: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist George Lloyd 5,892 52.5 +6.8
Liberal Henry McLaren 5,327 47.5 −6.8
Majority 565 5.0 N/A
Turnout 11,219 92.0 +3.1
Registered electors 12,197
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +6.8
General election December 1910: West Staffordshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist George Lloyd 5,602 52.2 −0.3
Liberal Walter Meakin 5,123 47.8 +0.3
Majority 479 4.4 −0.6
Turnout 10,725 87.9 -4.1
Registered electors 12,197
Liberal Unionist 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;

References

  1. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ^ "The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 31 & 32 Victoria, 1867-8. The Boundary Act, 1868". London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1868. pp. 119–166. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. ^ "Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "West Staffordshire". Staffordshire Advertiser. 21 November 1868. p. 1. Retrieved 18 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "West Staffordshire: The Nominations". Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial & General Advertiser. 10 April 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 11 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 390. ISBN 9781349022984.
  8. ^ "Penkridge, in the Western Division after the Third Reform Act, 1884". Fragments from the History of Penkridge.

Sources

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