Chertsey (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Chertsey
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Surrey
18851974 (1974)
SeatsOne
Created from West Surrey (part)
Mid Surrey (small parts)
Replaced by Farnham (part in 1918) [1]
Esher (part in 1950)
Chertsey & Walton (part in 1974)
North West Surrey (part in 1974)

Chertsey sometimes seen as Surrey North Western, equally the North Western Division of Surrey was created as one of six county constituencies of Surrey for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The seat underwent two net reductions and variously included and excluded growing suburban settlements: Egham, Frimley, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames and Woking.

Contents

History

Context and contents

It was formed by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. The 1885 Act in drawing for Surrey six county divisions first cast a much broader metropolitan area of 16 new parliamentary borough status seats (stretching from the old Lambeth and old Southwark seats (subdivided) to newly included Battersea, Clapham, Camberwell, Peckham, Dulwich, Norwood, Norbury, Croydon, Streatham and Wandsworth). This spelt the loss of all three large, overpopulated and dual-member divisions (namely West, Mid and East) but Chertsey was one of the six non-metropolitan seats created in their large rural-suburban fringe (from Richmond and Hindhead to Lingfield and Warlingham); to do so Kingston was created as a seat which took in Richmond to its north and the Guildford seat was radically enlarged into a county division. Creation of the County of London and Croydon County Borough circa 1889 meant that the 16 metropolitan seats (also known as the parliamentary boroughs in north-east Surrey) fell into those units administratively. [2]

The seat at first comprised:

The seat was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Political history

The seat elected Conservatives for 75 of its 79 years; for the 1906 Parliament and in the standing-record 1906 landslide result of that year it elected Marnham, a Liberal. Tories took most of the votes cast except in the 1960s elections (1964 and 1966) when the candidate, in line with national trends, slid to the narrowest majority seen, 13.6%.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Chertsey, the Woking Hundred part of the Sessional Division of Guildford save for Stoke-next-Guildford, and the parish of Frimley. [3] The first listed was chiefly Godley Hundred which contained the modern Borough Runnymede. The second mentioned area resembled the modern boroughs Woking combined with Surrey Heath.[ citation needed ]

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Chertsey, East and West Molesey, Egham, Esher and the Dittons, Walton-upon-Thames, and Weybridge, and the Rural District of Chertsey.

1950–1974: The Urban Districts of Chertsey and Egham, and the Rural District of Bagshot.

The seat lost a broad southern area for an eastern gain in 1918. The seat lost that eastern gain in 1950 but gained Bagshot and surrounding villages.

The first form stretched from Egham in the north via Thorpe, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Longcross, Lyne, Windlesham, Bagshot, Chobham, Addlestone, Weybridge and Byfleet to Woking and Ripley in the south. To the south-west it stretched to Frimley Green and included the inchoate makings of Camberley a town established in the late 20th century. The second form of the seat shed the areas to the south-west, Woking to the south and new urban district containing small former parishes adjoining instead Hersham and Walton-on-Thames joined the seat from the Epsom division to the east. The final form of the seat became nearly as compact as the early 21st century seat of Runnymede and Weybridge substituting Weybridge with Bagshot, Windlesham, Chobham, West End and Lightwater. [4]

To the north and other directions, forming a large bend, lay the River Thames, at all times in the seat's history.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Frederick Hankey Conservative
1892 by-election Charles Harvey Combe Conservative
1897 by-election Henry Leigh-Bennett Conservative
1903 by-election John Arthur Fyler Conservative
1904 by-election Hon. George Bingham Conservative
1906 Francis Marnham Liberal
Jan 1910 Donald Macmaster Conservative
1922 by-election Sir Philip Richardson Conservative
1931 Sir Archibald Boyd-Carpenter Conservative
1937 by-election Arthur Marsden Conservative
1950 Sir Lionel Heald Conservative
1970 Michael Grylls Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see Chertsey and Walton and North West Surrey

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederick Hankey 4,540 63.9
Liberal Sir Henry Denis Le Marchant, 2nd Baronet2,56036.1
Majority1,98027.8
Turnout 7,10077.0
Registered electors 9,220
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederick Hankey Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

Charles Combe Charles Harvey Combe.jpg
Charles Combe
1892 Chertsey by-election [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Combe 4,589 62.5 N/A
Liberal Lawrence Baker 2,75137.5New
Majority1,83825.0N/A
Turnout 7,34071.7N/A
Registered electors 10,239
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1892: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Combe Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1895: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Combe Unopposed
Conservative hold
1897 Chertsey by-election [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Henry Leigh-Bennett 4,845 54.9 N/A
Liberal Lawrence Baker 3,97745.1New
Majority8889.8N/A
Turnout 8,82275.5N/A
Registered electors 11,678
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Henry Leigh-Bennett 5,367 63.5 N/A
Liberal Hubert Longman 3,08036.5N/A
Majority2,28727.0N/A
Turnout 8,44768.7N/A
Registered electors 12,299
Conservative hold Swing N/A
1903 Chertsey by-election [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Arthur Fyler 5,700 55.7 7.8
Liberal Hubert Longman 4,52944.3+7.8
Majority1,17111.415.6
Turnout 10,22978.9+10.2
Registered electors 12,964
Conservative hold Swing 7.8
1904 Chertsey by-election [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Hon. George Bingham 5,425 52.7 10.8
Liberal I T Sadler4,87647.3+10.8
Majority5495.4-21.6
Turnout 10,30174.0+5.3
Registered electors 15,419
Conservative hold Swing 10.8
Francis Marnham Francis Marnham.jpg
Francis Marnham
General election 1906: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Francis Marnham 6,365 50.4 +13.9
Conservative Hon. George Bingham 6,26649.613.9
Majority990.8N/A
Turnout 12,63181.9+13.2
Registered electors 15,419
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.9

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Donald Macmaster 9,672 65.7 +16.1
Liberal Francis George Newbolt 5,05934.316.1
Majority4,61331.4N/A
Turnout 14,73188.1+6.2
Registered electors 16,723
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +16.1
General election December 1910: Chertsey [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Donald Macmaster Unopposed
Conservative hold

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;

General election 1918: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Donald Macmaster 13,53180.7N/A
Labour Thomas T Linsey3,23219.3New
Majority10,29961.4N/A
Turnout 16,76348.0N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

1922 Chertsey by-election [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Philip Richardson 11,811 55.4 -25.3
Liberal Hubert Gough 9,49045.6New
Majority2,32110.8-50.6
Turnout 21,30155.4+7.4
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1922: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Philip Richardson 14,081 60.4 +5.0
Liberal Henry Samson Clark9,22839.6-6.0
Majority4,85320.8+10.0
Turnout 23,30958.2+2.8
Unionist hold Swing +5.0
General election 1923: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Philip Richardson 13,333 55.5 -4.9
Liberal Reginald John Marnham10,69444.5+4.9
Majority2,63911.0-9.8
Turnout 24,02760.1+1.9
Unionist hold Swing -4.9
General election 1924: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Philip Richardson 18,310 71.0 +15.5
Liberal Walter Crawford Smith7,47129.0-15.5
Majority10,83942.0+31.0
Turnout 25,78162.7+2.6
Unionist hold Swing +15.5
General election 1929: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Philip Richardson 21,433 55.6 -15.4
Liberal Martin Bernard Browne17,14544.4+15.4
Majority4,28811.2-30.8
Turnout 38,57863.5+0.8
Unionist hold Swing -15.4

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Archibald Boyd-Carpenter 35,371 79.6 +24.0
Liberal Ifor Bowen Lloyd 9,06320.4-24.0
Majority26,30859.2+48.0
Turnout 44,43468.7+5.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Archibald Boyd-Carpenter 31,484 71.4 -8.2
Liberal Martin Bernard Browne12,60728.6+8.2
Majority18,87742.8-16.4
Turnout 44,09160.2-8.5
Conservative hold Swing -8.2
1937 Chertsey by-election [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Arthur Marsden 19,767 64.8 -6.6
Liberal 10,72235.2+6.6
Majority9,04529.6-13.2
Turnout 30,48939.2-21.0
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: Chertsey [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Arthur Marsden 37,456 52.32
Labour Brian Barker 25,19435.19New
Liberal William Ridgeway8,94012.49
Majority12,26217.13
Turnout 71,59069.30
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Chertsey [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 19,326 51.69
Labour Co-op Dennis Gordon14,09037.69
Liberal Gerald Edward Owen3,96910.62
Majority5,23614.00
Turnout 37,38582.74
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Chertsey [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 20,539 53.56
Labour Co-op Dennis Gordon14,84938.72
Liberal Gerald Edward Owen2,9617.72
Majority5,69014.84
Turnout 38,34981.06
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Chertsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 23,021 61.10
Labour Richard H Edwards14,65638.90
Majority8,36522.20
Turnout 37,67777.19
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Chertsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 24,836 56.28
Labour John Stuart Barr14,15032.06
Liberal Arthur Russell Mayne5,14611.66
Majority10,68624.22
Turnout 44,13279.36
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Chertsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 22,497 49.06
Labour Anthony J Edwards14,51331.65
Liberal Frederick Michael John Lee8,84419.29
Majority7,98417.41
Turnout 45,85477.77
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Chertsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel Heald 22,584 48.39
Labour Anthony J Edwards16,23134.78
Liberal Frederick Michael John Lee7,85216.83
Majority6,35313.61
Turnout 46,66777.98
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1970s

General election 1970: Chertsey
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Michael Grylls 27,239 56.59
Labour Christopher P Slater15,65332.52
Liberal R Alfred F Cook5,23910.88
Majority11,58625.07
Turnout 48,13171.01
Conservative hold Swing

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References

  1. From the taken parts of which, approximately, the seat of Woking was formed in 1950
  2. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.(1979) pp. 764-766
  3. 1 2 Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
  4. "Bagshot U.D. - units covering this place" Vision of Britain - University of Portsmouth and others. Accessed 2017-06-04
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  7. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  8. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1950.
  9. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.