Knutsford (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Knutsford
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Knutsford1974Constituency.svg
Boundary of Knutsford in Cheshire, boundaries 1974–83
County Cheshire
18851983
Seatsone
Created from Mid Cheshire
Replaced by Tatton, Altrincham & Sale, Congleton and Davyhulme [1]

Knutsford was a county constituency in Cheshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.

Contents

History

Knutsford was first created as one of eight single-member divisions of Cheshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

It was abolished following the reorganisation of local authorities in 1974 by the Third Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for the 1983 general election, when it was divided primarily between Altrincham and Sale and the new constituencies of Congleton and Tatton.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Bucklow, parts of the Sessional Divisions of Daresbury, Prestbury, Leftwich, Northwich, and Stockport, and the part of the Borough of Warrington in the county of Cheshire. [2]

The seat was centred around the town of Knutsford and stretched from Daresbury to the west, Disley to the east, and Holmes Chapel to the south.

1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Bollington, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, Knutsford, and Wilmslow, and parts of the Rural Districts of Bucklow, Congleton, Macclesfield, Northwich, and Runcorn. [3]

Gained Hazel Grove from Hyde and Bramhall from Altrincham.  Lost eastern fringe, including Disley, to Macclesfield.

1945–1950: The County Boroughs of Stockport (part) and Warrington (part)1, the Urban Districts of Alderley Edge (part), Bollington, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, Knutsford, Marple (part)1 and Wilmslow, and parts of the Rural Districts of Bucklow, Congleton, Macclesfield, Northwich, Runcorn and Warrington1. [3]

1Trivial parts of electorate.

As part of an interim review of abnormally large constituencies (those exceeding an electorate of 100,000) in time for the 1945 election, the definition of the constituency's boundaries was altered to reflect changes in local authority boundaries. The only non-trivial adjustment to the electorate was to include the area comprising the former Urban District of Handforth, which had been absorbed into the Urban District of Wilmslow, transferred from the abolished Altrincham constituency.

1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Alsager, Bowdon, Hale, Knutsford, Sandbach and Wilmslow, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton. [3]

Major realignment of boundaries, losing eastern and western parts, whilst being extended to the north and south:

1955–1974: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Bowdon, Hale, Knutsford, and Wilmslow, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton. [3]

Alsager and Sandbach transferred to Crewe.

1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Bowdon, Hale, and Knutsford, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton. [3]

Alderley Edge transferred to Macclesfield and Wilmslow to Cheadle.

From 1 April 1974 until the constituency was abolished at the next boundary review which came into effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency comprised parts of the newly formed Boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield and Vale Royal in Cheshire, the City of Manchester (parish of Ringway) and the Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester (Bowdon, Hale and the parishes of Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington and Warburton), but its boundaries were unchanged.

On abolition, the constituency was broken up as follows:

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [4] PartyNotes
1885 Alan Egerton Conservative
1906 Alfred John King Liberal
Jan 1910 Alan Sykes Conservative
1922 Ernest Makins Conservative
1945 Walter Bromley-Davenport Conservative
1970 John Davies Conservative Resigned November 1978
1979 by-election Jock Bruce-Gardyne Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

Alan Egerton Alan Egerton.jpg
Alan Egerton
General election 1885: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Egerton 4,663 57.7
Liberal John Barlow 3,41942.3
Majority1,24415.4
Turnout 8,08286.8
Registered electors 9,314
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Egerton Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Egerton 4,754 63.0 N/A
Liberal Alexander Mere Latham2,79237.0New
Majority1,96226.0N/A
Turnout 7,54680.7N/A
Registered electors 9,348
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Egerton Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Egerton Unopposed
Conservative hold
Alfred John King Alfred John King.jpg
Alfred John King
General election 1906: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Alfred King 5,296 53.5 New
Conservative Alan Egerton 4,59646.5N/A
Majority7007.0N/A
Turnout 9,89288.8N/A
Registered electors 11,141
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Sykes 6,199 54.9 +8.4
Liberal Alfred King 5,08445.1-8.4
Majority1,1159.8N/A
Turnout 11,28392.9+4.1
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing
General election December 1910: Knutsford [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Sykes 6,127 56.8 +1.9
Liberal J.H. Whitworth4,65843.2-1.9
Majority1,46913.6+3.8
Turnout 10,78588.8-4.1
Conservative hold Swing +1.9

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: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Alan Sykes Unopposed
Unionist hold
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Ernest Makins 15,650 57.9 N/A
Liberal Percy Butlin11,38842.1New
Majority4,26215.8N/A
Turnout 27,03877.2N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1923: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Ernest Makins 13,838 50.1 -7.8
Liberal Arthur Stanley 13,75849.9+7.8
Majority800.2-15.6
Turnout 27,59676.8-1.4
Unionist hold Swing -7.8
General election 1924: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Ernest Makins 18,199 60.5 +10.4
Liberal John Paul McDougall11,88539.5-10.4
Majority6,31421.0+20.8
Turnout 30,08480.9+4.1
Unionist hold Swing +10.4
General election 1929: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Ernest Makins 22,605 53.5 -7.0
Liberal Arthur Jalland 19,62946.5+7.0
Majority2,9767.0-14.0
Turnout 42,23480.5-0.4
Unionist hold Swing -7.0

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Knutsford
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Makins Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1935: Knutsford
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ernest Makins 30,252 63.7 N/A
Liberal Harold Heathcote-Williams 17,25336.3New
Majority12,99927.4N/A
Turnout 47,50576.3N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

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;

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Knutsford [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 33,056 56.2 -7.5
Labour Frederick Lockwood Tyler14,41624.5New
Liberal Lawrence Lauderdale Maitland10,70318.2-18.1
Common Wealth Frank William Young6281.1New
Majority18,64031.7+4.3
Turnout 58,17577.1+0.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 29,707 59.17
Labour Cyril Hamnett 12,79425.48
Liberal Lawrence Lauderdale Maitland7,70315.34
Majority16,91333.69
Turnout 50,204
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 34,114 69.97
Labour Cyril Hamnett 14,64030.03
Majority19,47439.94
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 29,074 75.20
Labour Cyril Hamnett 9,58824.80
Majority19,48650.40
Turnout 38,662
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 27,270 62.9 -12.3
Liberal Frank Tetlow 8,11718.8New
Labour Norman Selwyn7,94518.3-6.5
Majority19,15344.1-6.3
Turnout 43,33281.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 26,826 53.4 -9.5
Liberal Michael J Hunkin12,49924.9+6.1
Labour David Dollimore10,88221.7+3.4
Majority14,32728.5-15.6
Turnout 50,20780.34 [9] -1.5
Conservative hold Swing -7.8
General election 1966: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Walter Bromley-Davenport 26,550 51.5 -1.9
Liberal Geoff Tordoff 12,83924.90.0
Labour Keith J Hill12,17423.6+1.9
Majority13,71126.6-1.9
Turnout 51,56379.1-1.2
Conservative hold Swing -1.0

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Knutsford [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Davies 33,194 59.82
Labour Andrew Bennett 11,61220.93
Liberal Geoff Tordoff 10,68419.25
Majority21,58238.89
Turnout 55,49074.75
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Knutsford [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Davies 23,632 52.50
Liberal Brian M. Lomax12,54227.86
Labour Barry W. McColgan8,84019.64
Majority11,09024.64
Turnout 45,014
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Knutsford
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Davies 21,636 51.02
Liberal Brian M. Lomax11,21026.43
Labour D.L. Swain9,56522.55
Majority10,42624.59
Turnout 42,41176.8
Conservative hold Swing
1979 Knutsford by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Jock Bruce-Gardyne 22,086 67.13 +16.11
Liberal Robert Ingham5,20615.82−10.61
Labour Alan G Barton5,12415.57-6.98
Ind. Conservative Michael Byrne4861.48New
Majority16,88051.31+26.72
Turnout 32,902
Conservative hold Swing +13.4
General election 1979: Knutsford [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Jock Bruce-Gardyne 26,795 59.58 +8.56
Labour Alan G Barton8,99219.99-2.56
Liberal Robert Ingham8,49918.90-7.53
Ind. Conservative J Brown6901.53N/A
Majority17,80339.59+15.00
Turnout 44,976
Conservative hold Swing

See also

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References

  1. "'Knutsford', Feb 1974 – May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885–1972. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN   0-900178-09-4. OCLC   539011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 2)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British parliamentary election results, 1885–1918 (Craig)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  7. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 British parliamentary election results, 1950–1973 by FWS Craig
  9. "UK General Election results October 1964, part 12". Richard Kimber's Politics Resources. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  10. 1 2 British parliamentary election results, 1974–1983 by FWS Craig