Cirencester and Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
County Gloucestershire
Major settlements Cirencester, Tewkesbury
1918–1997
SeatsOne
Created from Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Replaced by The Cotswolds
Tewkesbury

Cirencester and Tewkesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1997 general election when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Cotswold and Tewkesbury.

Contents

History

The only party to have returned an MP for this constituency was the Conservatives, who represented it for most of the seat's existence. The exception was the period from 1951 to 1959, when William Morrison, first elected as a Conservative, became the Speaker of the House of Commons, a role in which the incumbent is traditionally unaffiliated to a party. The seat centred on the towns of Cirencester and Tewkesbury, covering much of the Cotswolds, a picturesque rolling landscape designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966. [1] The seat was divided between the Cotswold (later renamed The Cotswolds) and Tewkesbury constituencies. Its last MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, went on to represent the Cotswold constituency upon its 1997 creation. At elections contested by the major parties, Cirencester and Tewkesbury generally elected Conservatives with large majorities, and thus could usually have been classed as a safe seat for the party.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban Districts of Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Tetbury, the Rural Districts of Campden, Cirencester, Marston Sicca, Northleach, and Pebworth, and parts of the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Faringdon, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury, Tewkesbury, and Winchcombe.

1950–1955: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban District of Cirencester, and the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, Northleach, and Tetbury.

1955–1974: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban District of Cirencester, and the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, and Northleach.

1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–1997: The District of Cotswold wards of Ampneys, Beacon, Blockley, Bourton-on-the-Water, Campden, Churn Valley, Cirencester Abbey, Cirencester Beeches, Cirencester Chesterton, Cirencester Stratton, Cirencester Watermoor, Coln, Ermin, Evenlode Vale, Fairford, Fossehill, Fosseridge, Hampton, Kempsford, Lechlade, Mickleton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Sandywell, Sherborne Brook, Stow-on-the-Wold, Thames Head, Three Rivers, Vale, and Water Park, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Ashchurch, Bishop's Cleeve East, Bishop's Cleeve North, Bishop's Cleeve South, Cleeve Hill, Coombe Hill, Crickley, Dumbleton, Gotherington, Shurdington, Swindon, Tewkesbury Mitton, Tewkesbury Newtown, Tewkesbury Prior's Park, Tewkesbury Town, Twyning, and Winchcombe.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [2] Party
1918 Sir Thomas Davies Conservative
1929 William Morrison Conservative
1951 Speaker
1959 Nicholas Ridley Conservative
1992 Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Conservative
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [3] [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Geoffrey Clifton-Brown 40,258 55.6 +0.2
Liberal Democrats Edward J. Weston24,20033.4−2.6
Labour Trevor A. Page7,26210.0+1.8
Natural Law R Clayton4490.6New
Independent PA Trice-Rolph2870.4New
Majority16,05822.2+2.8
Turnout 72,45682.1+4.2
Registered electors 88,299+5.0
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 36,272 55.4 −1.8
Liberal Philip Beckerlegge23,61036.0+1.9
Labour Doug Naysmith 5,3428.2−0.5
Male OAPMacDonald Curtis2830.4New
Majority12,66219.4−3.7
Turnout 65,50777.9+3.0
Registered electors 84,071+5.0
Conservative hold Swing −1.9
General election 1983: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [6] [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 34,282 57.2 +1.2
Liberal Philip T Beckerlegge20,45534.1+7.3
Labour Terence JR Penny5,2438.7−8.5
Majority13,82723.1−6.1
Turnout 59,98074.9−5.8
Registered electors 80,067+8.6
Conservative hold Swing −3.0

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 37,651 56.0 +9.1
Liberal Philip T Beckerlegge18,05726.8−3.6
Labour RS Trafford11,57517.2−5.5
Majority19,59429.2+12.7
Turnout 67,28378.7+2.0
Registered electors 85,444+6.3
Conservative hold Swing +6.3
General election October 1974: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 28,930 46.9 −0.4
Liberal RG Otter18,77030.4−1.4
Labour JR Booth13,97322.7+1.8
Majority10,16016.5+1.0
Turnout 61,67376.7−5.9
Registered electors 80,388+0.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
General election February 1974: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 31,163 47.3 −8.7
Liberal RG Otter20,96231.8+17.7
Labour RG Fox13,77520.9−9.0
Majority10,20115.5−10.6
Turnout 65,90082.6+8.7
Registered electors 79,739
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 30,217 56.0 −2.2
Labour Howard G Lovell16,13129.9−11.9
Liberal Denys Robinson7,59314.1New
Majority14,08626.1+9.7
Turnout 53,94173.9−1.0
Registered electors 72,980+14.8
Conservative hold Swing +4.9

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 27,690 58.2 +6.7
Labour Michael George Dalling19,91941.8+9.5
Majority7,77116.4−2.8
Turnout 47,60974.9−3.1
Registered electors 63,568+3.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.5
General election 1964: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 24,786 51.5 −11.8
Labour John M Bowyer15,51832.3−4.4
Liberal Arnold Geoffroy de Montmorency7,79016.2New
Majority9,26819.2−7.4
Turnout 48,09478.0+1.4
Registered electors 61,626+6.1
Conservative hold Swing −3.7

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 28,169 63.3 N/A
Labour John M Bowyer16,31436.7New
Majority11,85526.6N/A
Turnout 44,48376.6+8.3
Registered electors 58,099+5.1
Conservative gain from Speaker
General election 1955: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Speaker William Morrison 25,372 67.2 +7.7
Independent Labour Douglas C Cox12,39432.8New
Majority12,97834.4+15.4
Turnout 37,76668.3−9.7
Registered electors 55,305−4.8
Speaker gain from Conservative
General election 1951: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Morrison 26,978 59.5 +7.6
Labour Albert E Sumbler18,35340.5+6.5
Majority8,62519.0+1.0
Turnout 45,33178.0−3.3
Registered electors 58,103+2.4
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
General election 1950: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Morrison 23,942 51.9
Labour R.M Bennett15,66033.9
Liberal Norman Wilburn Gillett6,10213.2
Communist Wogan Philipps 4230.9
Majority8,28218.0
Turnout 46,12781.3
Registered electors 56,763
Conservative hold

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Morrison 19,490 48.1 N/A
Labour Alan Ernest Gwynn Hawkins12,38030.5New
Liberal Christopher Money Harris8,68121.4New
Majority7,11017.6N/A
Turnout 40,55167.7N/A
Registered electors 59,890N/A
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1930s

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;

General election 1935: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Morrison Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1931: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Morrison 28,170 82.8 +27.2
Labour John Griffin5,86817.2−2.6
Majority22,30265.6+34.5
Turnout 34,03871.7−4.6
Registered electors 47,467+2.9
Conservative hold Swing +17.6

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist William Morrison 19,584 55.6 −16.4
Liberal Christopher a'Beckett Williams8,62924.5New
Labour E.W. Fredman6,98719.8−8.2
Majority10,95531.1−12.9
Turnout 35,20076.3+7.9
Registered electors 46,109+24.8
Unionist hold
General election 1924: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 18,201 72.0 +5.8
Labour Joseph Alpass 7,07828.0−5.8
Majority11,12344.0+11.6
Turnout 25,27968.4+4.8
Unionist hold Swing +5.8
General election 1923: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 15,406 66.2 +2.0
Labour William Robert Robins 7,84933.8−2.0
Majority7,55732.4+4.0
Turnout 23,25563.6−7.7
Registered electors 36,573+1.6
Unionist hold Swing +2.1
General election 1922: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 16,463 64.2 +7.5
Labour William Robert Robins 9,19535.8New
Majority7,26828.4+15.0
Turnout 25,65871.3+15.0
Registered electors 36,008+2.7
Unionist hold

Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Cirencester and Tewkesbury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Thomas Davies 11,17156.7
Independent Labour Joseph Alpass 8,54643.3
Majority2,62513.4
Turnout 19,71756.3
Registered electors 35,049
Unionist win (new seat)
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Cotswold District Council - Cotswolds AONB". www.cotswold.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  3. ↑ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  5. ↑ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. ↑ Percentage change and swing for 1983 is calculated relative to the BBC/ITN 1979 notional constituency result, not actual 1979 result. See British Broadcasting Corporation; Independent Television News. The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
  8. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  9. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  11. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  12. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  13. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  14. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  15. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig

Sources

  • F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the speaker
1951–1959		Succeeded by
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