Leek (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Leek
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
County Staffordshire
Major settlements Leek
18851983
SeatsOne
Created from North Staffordshire
Replaced by Staffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent North [1]

Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Contents

Centred on the market town of Leek, it was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished nearly 100 years later for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Staffordshire Moorlands constituency.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [2] [3] [4] Party
1885 Charles Crompton Liberal
1886 Harry Davenport Conservative
1892 Charles Bill Conservative
1906 Robert Pearce Liberal
1910, Jan Arthur Heath Conservative
1910, Dec Sir Robert Pearce Liberal
1918 William Bromfield Labour
1931 Arthur Ratcliffe Conservative
1935 William Bromfield Labour
1945 Harold Davies Labour
1970 David Knox Conservative
1983 constituency abolished. see Staffordshire Moorlands

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Leek [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Charles Crompton 4,225 51.0
Conservative Harry Davenport 4,06349.0
Majority 1622.0
Turnout 8,28881.0
Registered electors 10,234
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Leek [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Harry Davenport 4,324 54.1 +5.1
Liberal Charles Crompton 3,66945.95.1
Majority 6558.2N/A
Turnout 7,99378.12.9
Registered electors 10,234
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.1

Elections in the 1890s

Charles Bill Charles Bill.jpg
Charles Bill
General election 1892: Leek [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,576 52.1 2.0
Liberal Joshua Oldfield Nicholson [7] [8] 4,21347.9+2.0
Majority 3634.24.0
Turnout 8,78980.2+2.1
Registered electors 10,961
Conservative hold Swing 2.0
General election 1895: Leek [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,705 53.5 +1.4
Liberal Robert Pearce 4,09146.51.4
Majority 6147.0+2.8
Turnout 8,79678.71.5
Registered electors 11,182
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Leek [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,800 54.3 +0.8
Liberal Robert Pearce 4,04145.70.8
Majority 7598.6+1.6
Turnout 8,84180.3+1.6
Registered electors 11,006
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
Robert Pearce Robert Pearce.jpg
Robert Pearce
General election 1906: Leek [9] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,749 57.4 +11.7
Conservative Charles Bill 4,27542.611.7
Majority 1,47414.8N/A
Turnout 10,02486.8+6.5
Registered electors 11,545
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +11.7

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Leek [9] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Arthur Heath 5,463 50.0 +7.4
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,45350.07.4
Majority 100.0N/A
Turnout 10,91690.4+3.6
Registered electors 12,079
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +7.4
General election December 1910: Leek [9] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,742 52.7 +2.7
Conservative William Bromley-Davenport 5,15247.32.7
Majority 5905.4N/A
Turnout 10,89490.20.2
Registered electors 12,079
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.7

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: Leek [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 10,510 51.7 New
C Liberal Guy Gaunt 9,83248.34.4
Majority 6783.4N/A
Turnout 20,34267.722.5
Registered electors 30,055
Labour gain from Liberal Swing
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 12,857 50.8 0.9
Unionist Enoch Hill12,47349.2N/A
Majority 3841.61.8
Turnout 25,33078.7+11.0
Registered electors 32,175
Labour hold Swing
General election 1923: Leek [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 13,913 53.6 +2.8
Unionist Enoch Hill12,06646.42.8
Majority 1,8477.2+5.6
Turnout 25,97977.31.4
Registered electors 33,596
Labour hold Swing +2.8
General election 1924: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 14,256 51.7 1.9
Unionist Thomas Cholmondeley 13,30548.3+1.9
Majority 9513.43.8
Turnout 27,56179.5+2.2
Registered electors 34,686
Labour hold Swing 1.9
General election 1929: Leek [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 22,458 58.5 +6.8
Unionist Edward Hulton 15,95341.56.8
Majority 6,50517.0+13.6
Turnout 38,41182.4+2.9
Registered electors 46,588
Labour hold Swing +6.8

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Arthur Ratcliffe 20,067 51.39
Labour William Bromfield 18,97948.61
Majority 1,0882.78N/A
Turnout 39,046
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Leek [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Bromfield 23,432 57.36
National Labour Leslie Thomas 17,41942.64
Majority 6,01314.72N/A
Turnout 40,851
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1940s

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 1945: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 32,567 67.19
Conservative T.W. Gimson15,90432.81
Majority 16,66334.38
Turnout 48,47176.74
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Leek [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 30,444 53.78
Conservative Rupert Speir 25,82046.22
Majority 4,2247.56
Turnout 56,26486.05
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Leek [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 29,502 51.67
Conservative Richard Body 27,59248.33
Majority 1,9103.34
Turnout 57,09486.18
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Leek [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 28,273 50.95
Conservative Mervyn Pike 27,21449.05
Majority 1,0591.90
Turnout 55,48781.52
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Leek [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 31,096 50.94
Conservative John Wedgwood 29,94749.06
Majority 1,1491.88
Turnout 61,04383.88
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Leek [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 33,558 53.29
Conservative Harry Goodwin29,40946.71
Majority 4,4196.58
Turnout 62,967
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Leek [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Davies 35,334 56.17
Conservative Frank Swinnerton 27,57343.83
Majority 7,76112.34
Turnout 62,907
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Leek [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Knox 27,899 46.13
Labour Harold Davies 26,35943.59
Liberal Richard Malcolm Burman6,21910.28New
Majority 1,5402.54N/A
Turnout 60,47767.44
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election February 1974: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Knox 31,526 45.57
Labour Roy Delville Roebuck 25,79437.29
Liberal Richard Malcolm Burman11,86017.14
Majority 5,7328.28
Turnout 69,180
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Knox 30,796 46.74
Labour B Whittam26,47240.18
Liberal M Holden8,61513.08
Majority 4,3246.56
Turnout 65,88378.50
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Leek
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Knox 36,508 51.88
Labour Mark Fisher 25,93736.86
Liberal M Conway6,4749.20
RatepayerCI Bailey1,4512.06New
Majority 10,57115.02
Turnout 70,37080.42
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. "'Leek', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
  3. Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 387. ISBN   0-900178-27-2.
  4. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 463. ISBN   0-900178-06-X.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Liberal Year Book 1907
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN   9781349022984.
  7. "The General Election". Birmingham Daily Post . 13 July 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  8. "Yesterday's Nominations". Dundee Courier . 6 July 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  10. Debrett's House of Commons, 1922
  11. 1 2 3 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  12. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  14. 1 2 F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973