Bournemouth East and Christchurch (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bournemouth East and Christchurch
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County Hampshire
1950–February 1974
SeatsOne
Created from Bournemouth, and New Forest and Christchurch
Replaced by Bournemouth East and Christchurch & Lymington

Bournemouth East and Christchurch was a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It returned one Member of Parliament, using the first past the post electoral system from the 1950 United Kingdom general election until the constituency was abolished in 1974.

Contents

The seat was based upon the eastern part of the seaside resort of Bournemouth and the neighbouring town of Christchurch, which were united for parliamentary purposes in 1950. The constituency was in the south west of the historic county of Hampshire in South East England.

It was held by the Conservative Party for the entirety of its existence, with the party gaining more than half of the votes cast at each election.

Boundaries

The County Borough of Bournemouth wards of Boscombe East, Boscombe West, King's Park, Queen's Park, Southbourne, and West Southbourne, and the Borough of Christchurch.

Before 1918 the County Borough of Bournemouth formed part of the then parliamentary borough of Christchurch. Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, Bournemouth became a single-member constituency, with the same boundaries as the then county borough. Christchurch became part of the new New Forest and Christchurch constituency.

In the 1950 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the Representation of the People Act 1948 provided for the division of Bournemouth and Christchurch into Bournemouth East and Christchurch and Bournemouth West.

In the 1974 redistribution, this constituency disappeared. The two new seats of Bournemouth East & Christchurch and Lymington then came into existence.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1950 Brendan Bracken Conservative Previously MP for Bournemouth from by-election in 1945. Resigned January 1952 on being raised to the peerage
1952 by-election Nigel Nicolson Conservative
1959 John Cordle Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see Bournemouth East & Christchurch and Lymington

Elections

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brendan Bracken 27,677 58.81
Labour Dodo Lees 12,79027.18
Liberal James Charles Holland6,59414.01
Majority 14,88731.63
Turnout 47,06184.98
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1951: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Brendan Bracken 29,138 63.31
Labour Hallam J. Barnes11,55025.09
Liberal James Charles Holland5,33811.60
Majority 17,58838.22
Turnout 46,02680.84
Conservative hold Swing
1952 Bournemouth East and Christchurch by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nigel Nicolson 22,480 61.85 −1.46
Labour R. D. Rees8,49823.38−1.71
Liberal James Charles Holland3,67310.11−1.49
Independent S. Kermode1,6934.66New
Majority 13,98238.47+0.25
Turnout 36,334
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nigel Nicolson 28,757 65.55
Labour David Buckle 10,25923.39
Liberal Brian Patrick Molony4,85111.06
Majority 18,49842.16
Turnout 43,86775.51
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Cordle 29,014 62.34
Labour Jack D. Rutland9,22219.81
Liberal W.J. Wareham8,30817.85
Majority 19,79242.53
Turnout 46,54476.73
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Cordle 26,852 56.41
Labour Alan G. Reynard10,44721.95
Liberal Alastair Campbell McLeish10,30421.65
Majority 16,40534.46
Turnout 47,60374.67
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Bournemouth East and Christchurch
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Cordle 27,047 55.95
Labour Clive S. Sabel12,59826.06
Liberal Alastair Campbell McLeish8,69817.99
Majority 14,44929.89
Turnout 48,34374.71
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Bournemouth East and Christchurch [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Cordle 31,104 62.36
Labour Tony C. Bisson10,59421.24
Liberal George K. Musgrave8,18216.40
Majority 20,51041.12
Turnout 49,88070.80
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig