Caernarvonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Caernarvonshire
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
1918–1950
Created from	Arfon and Eifion
Replaced by	Caernarvon and Conway
1542–1885
Replaced by	Arfon and Eifion

Caernarvonshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885 and from 1918 until 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system.

Members of Parliament

• Constituency created (1542)

MPs 1542–1604

Parliament	Member
1542	?John "Wynn" ap Maredudd [1]
1545	John Puleston [1]
1547	Sir John Puleston, died 1552 and replaced by John "Wynn" ap Maredudd} [1]
1553 (Mar)	John Wynn ap Hugh [1]
1553 (Oct)	Morris Wynn [1]
1554 (Apr)	Morris Wynn [1]
1554 (Nov)	David Lloyd ap Thomas [1]
1555	Sir Rhys Gruffydd [1]
1558	William Wynn Williams [1]
1558–1559	Robert Pugh [2]
1563 (Jan)	Morris Wynn [2]
1571	John Wynn ap Hugh [2]
1572 (Apr)	John Gwynne, died 1574 and replaced by William Thomas [2]
1584	William Thomas [2]
1586	John Wynn [2]
1588 (Oct)	Hugh Gwyn Bodvel [2]
1593	William Maurice [2]
1597 (Oct)	William Griffith [2]
1601 (Sep)	William Jones [2]

MPs 1604–1950

Year		Member	Party
	1604	Sir William Maurice
	1614	Richard Wynn
	1621	John Griffith
	1624	Thomas Glynn
	1625	Thomas Glynn
	1626	John Griffith
	1628	John Griffith
	1640 April	Thomas Glynn
	1640 November	John Griffith junior	disabled 1642
	1647	Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet
	1653	Not represented in Barebones Parliament

Year	First Member	Second Member
Two members in first and second protectorate parliaments
1654	Sir John Glynne	Thomas Madryn
1656	Sir John Glynne Henry Lawrence	Robert Williams

Year		Member	Party
1659		William Glynne
1660		Sir John Glynne
1661		Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet
1675		Robert Bulkeley, 2nd Viscount Bulkeley
1679		Thomas Bulkeley
1689		Sir William Williams, 6th Baronet
1697		Thomas Bulkeley
1705		Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet
1713		William Griffith
1715		John Griffith
1740		John Wynn
1741		William Bodvell
1754		Sir John Wynn, 2nd Baronet
1761		Sir Thomas Wynn, 3rd Baronet
1774		Thomas Assheton Smith
1780		John Parry
1790		Sir Robert Williams, 9th Baronet	Whig [3]
1826		Sir Thomas Wynn, 3rd Baronet	Non Partisan
1830		Charles Griffith-Wynne	Tory [3]
1832		Thomas Assheton Smith	Tory [3]
1834			Conservative [3]
1837		John Ormsby-Gore	Conservative [3]
1841		Edward Douglas-Pennant	Conservative [3]
1866		George Douglas-Pennant	Conservative
1868		Love Jones-Parry	Liberal
1874		Hon. George Douglas-Pennant	Conservative
April 1880		Watkin Williams	Liberal
December 1880		William Rathbone	Liberal
1885	Constituency abolished
1918	Constituency re-created
1918		Charles Edward Breese	Coalition Liberal
1922		Robert Jones	Labour
1923		Goronwy Owen	Liberal
1945		Goronwy Roberts	Labour
1950	Constituency abolished

Uncontested elections 1830–1865

General election 1830: Caernarvonshire ^{[3] [4]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Griffith-Wynne	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 1,500
	Tory gain from Nonpartisan

General election 1831: Caernarvonshire ^{[3] [4]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Griffith-Wynne	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 1,500
	Tory hold

General election 1832: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Thomas Assheton Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,688
	Tory hold

General election 1835: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Assheton Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,642
	Conservative hold

General election 1837: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Ormsby-Gore	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,791
	Conservative hold

General election 1841: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,162
	Conservative hold

General election 1847: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,117
	Conservative hold

General election 1852: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,913
	Conservative hold

General election 1857: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,060
	Conservative hold

General election 1859: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,116
	Conservative hold

General election 1865: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,190
	Conservative hold

Elections 1866–1885

Elections in the 1860s

Pennant was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Penrhyn, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 Aug 1866: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Douglas-Pennant	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1868: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Love Jones-Parry	1,968	52.0	New
	Conservative	George Douglas-Pennant	1,815	48.0	N/A
Majority			153	4.0	N/A
Turnout			3,783	78.0	N/A
Registered electors			4,852
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Douglas-Pennant	2,750	54.3	+6.3
	Liberal	Love Jones-Parry	2,318	45.7	−6.3
Majority			432	8.6	N/A
Turnout			5,068	80.6	+2.6
Registered electors			6,286
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+6.3

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Caernarvonshire ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Watkin Williams	3,303	60.0	+14.3
	Conservative	George Douglas-Pennant	2,206	40.0	−14.3
Majority			1,097	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5,509	82.8	+2.2
Registered electors			6,652
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+14.3

Williams resigned after being appointed a judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice

By-election, 2 Dec 1880: Caernarvonshire ^{[6] [5]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Rathbone	3,180	59.7	−0.3
	Conservative	Hugh Ellis-Nanney [7]	2,151	40.3	+0.3
Majority			1,029	19.4	−0.6
Turnout			5,331	80.1	−2.7
Registered electors			6,652
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.3

Elections 1918–1945

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Liberal	Charles Edward Breese	10,488	44.5
	Independent Labour	Robert Jones	8,145	34.6
	Independent Liberal	Ellis William Davies	4,937	21.0
Majority			2,343	9.9
Turnout			23,570	64.6
	Liberal win (new seat)
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Robert Jones	14,016	53.0	+18.4
	National Liberal	Charles Edward Breese	12,407	47.0	+2.5
Majority			1,609	6.0	−3.9
Turnout			26,423	70.6	+6.0
	Labour gain from National Liberal		Swing

General election 1923: Caernarvonshire ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	15,043	52.7	+5.7
	Labour	Robert Jones	13,521	47.3	−5.7
Majority			1,522	5.4	N/A
Turnout			28,564	74.9	+4.3
	Liberal gain from Labour		Swing	+5.7

General election 1924: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	15,033	50.8	−1.9
	Labour	Robert Jones	14,564	49.2	+1.9
Majority			469	1.6	−3.8
Turnout			29,597	76.6	+1.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.9

General election 1929: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	18,507	47.8	−3.0
	Labour	Robert Jones	14,867	38.5	−10.7
	Unionist	D. Fowden Jones	4,669	12.1	New
	Plaid Cymru	Lewis Valentine	609	1.6	New
Majority			3,640	9.3	+7.7
Turnout			38,652	81.4	+4.8
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	14,993	39.0	−8.8
	Labour	Elwyn Jones	14,299	37.2	−1.3
	National	W P O Evans	7,990	20.8	New
	Plaid Cymru	John Edward Daniel	1,136	3.0	+1.4
Majority			694	1.8	−7.5
Turnout			38,418	80.0	−1.4
	Liberal hold		Swing

• Owen opposed the National Government

General election 1935: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	17,947	48.6	+9.6
	Labour	Elwyn Jones	16,450	44.5	+7.3
	Plaid Cymru	John Edward Daniel	2,534	6.9	+3.9
Majority			1,497	4.1	+2.3
Turnout			36,931	74.9	−5.1
	Liberal 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Goronwy Owen
• Labour: Elwyn Jones

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Caernarvonshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Goronwy Roberts	22,043	55.3	+10.8
	Liberal	Goronwy Owen	15,637	39.3	−9.3
	Plaid Cymru	Ambrose Bebb	2,152	5.4	−1.5
Majority			6,406	16.0	N/A
Turnout			39,832	77.7	+2.8
	Labour gain from Liberal		Swing	+10.0

External links

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 1)

References

1. "History of Parliament" . Retrieved 29 August 2011.
2. "History of Parliament" . Retrieved 29 August 2011.
3. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p.  185 . Retrieved 5 May 2020– via Internet Archive.
4. Escott, Margaret. "Caernarvonshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
5. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 519. ISBN   978-1-349-02349-3.
6. "Carnarvonshire Election". The Cornishman. No. 125. 2 December 1880. p. 5.
7. "The Nanney-Ites in Carnarvonshire" . Liverpool Mercury . 16 November 1880. p. 7. Retrieved 18 December 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
8. Etholiadau'r ganrif 1885-1997, Beti Jones