Torquay (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Torquay
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Seatsone
Created from East Devon
Replaced by Torbay

Torquay was a county constituency in Devon, South West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Contents

It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the February 1974 general election. The area it represented became part of the Torbay constituency.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Borough of Dartmouth and the Sessional Division of Paignton.

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Dartmouth and Torquay, the Urban Districts of Brixham and Paignton, the parishes of Churston Ferrers, Kingswear, Marldon, and Stoke Gabriel in the Rural District of Totnes, and the parishes of Cockington and Stokeinteignhead in the Rural District of Newton Abbot.

1950–1974: The Borough of Torquay, the Urban Districts of Brixham and Paignton, and the parishes of Churston Ferrers and Kingswear in the Rural District of Totnes.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Lewis McIver Liberal
1886 Richard Mallock Conservative
1895 Arthur Philpotts Conservative
1900 Francis Layland-Barratt Liberal
Dec 1910 Charles Burn Liberal Unionist
1912 Conservative Party
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Conservative
1923 Piers Thompson Liberal
1924 Charles Williams Conservative
1955 by-election Frederic Bennett Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Torquay [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Lewis McIver 3,509 52.6
Conservative Richard Mallock3,16147.4
Majority3485.2
Turnout 6,67086.2
Registered electors 7,738
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Torquay [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Mallock 3,135 50.6 +3.2
Liberal Unionist Lewis McIver 3,05549.43.2
Majority801.2N/A
Turnout 6,19080.06.2
Registered electors 7,738
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.2

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Torquay [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Mallock 4,157 52.5 +1.9
Liberal Arthur Hayter 3,76347.51.9
Majority3945.0+3.8
Turnout 7,92084.2+4.2
Registered electors 9,404
Conservative hold Swing +1.9
General election 1895: Torquay [3] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Arthur Philpotts 4,205 51.1 1.4
Liberal Francis Layland-Barratt 4,03048.9+1.4
Majority1752.22.8
Turnout 8,23582.02.2
Registered electors 10,039
Conservative hold Swing 1.4

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Torquay [3] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Francis Layland-Barratt 4,020 50.8 +1.9
Conservative James Reginald Lea Rankin3,89149.21.9
Majority1291.6N/A
Turnout 7,91184.9+2.9
Registered electors 9,313
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +1.9
Layland-Barratt Francis Layland Barratt.jpg
Layland-Barratt
General election 1906: Torquay [1] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Francis Layland-Barratt 4,856 52.5 +1.7
Conservative Henry Lopes 4,39647.51.7
Majority4605.0+3.4
Turnout 9,25289.5+4.6
Registered electors 10,343
Liberal hold Swing +1.7

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Torquay [4] [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Francis Layland-Barratt 5,104 50.1 2.4
Conservative Henry Lopes 5,09349.9+2.4
Majority110.24.8
Turnout 10,19790.7+1.2
Registered electors 11,241
Liberal hold Swing 2.4
General election December 1910: Torquay [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Unionist Charles Burn 5,101 50.6 +0.7
Liberal Francis Layland-Barratt 4,97149.40.7
Majority1301.2N/A
Turnout 10,07289.61.1
Registered electors 11,241
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +0.7

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: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Charles Burn 14,06866.2+15.6
Labour Alfred Trestrail 4,02918.9New
Liberal Russell Cooke3,17314.934.5
Majority10,03947.3+46.1
Turnout 21,27065.324.3
Unionist hold Swing +25.1
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Charles Burn 14,676 52.2 −14.0
Liberal Piers Thompson 13,42547.8+32.9
Majority1,2514.4−42.9
Turnout 28,10178.5+13.2
Unionist hold Swing -23.5
General election 1923: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Piers Thompson 15,294 50.6 +2.8
Unionist Charles Williams 14,92249.4−2.8
Majority3721.2N/A
Turnout 30,21680.0+1.5
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +2.8
General election 1924: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Charles Williams 18,119 55.2 +5.8
Liberal Piers Thompson 11,95836.4−14.2
Labour Arthur Moyle 2,7528.4New
Majority6,16118.8N/A
Turnout 32,82984.4+4.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +10.0
General election 1929: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Charles Williams 21,690 49.7 −5.5
Liberal Richard Acland 16,33737.5+1.1
Labour Hubert Medland 5,57612.8+4.4
Majority5,35312.2−6.6
Turnout 43,60381.7−2.7
Unionist hold Swing -3.3

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 34,690 82.5 +32.8
Labour Hubert Medland 7,35117.5+4.7
Majority27,33965.03+52.8
Turnout 42,04174.6−7.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 27,008 63.6 −18.9
Liberal Harry Samways9,07321.4New
Labour F Scardifield6,38715.0−2.5
Majority17,93542.2−22.8
Turnout 42,46871.0−3.6
Conservative hold Swing

Election 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1945: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 25,479 48.9 −14.7
Labour George Cornes13,59026.1+11.1
Liberal Gorley Putt 13,00325.0+3.6
Majority11,88922.8−19.4
Turnout 52,07271.4+0.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 29,153 53.56
Labour Robert Briscoe14,28726.25
Liberal Stuart Townend 10,98720.19
Majority14,86627.31
Turnout 54,42782.83
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 31,441 59.16
Labour Robert Briscoe14,80127.85
Liberal Deryck Abel 6,90412.99
Majority16,64031.31
Turnout 53,14679.97
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Williams 29,777 60.36
Labour Robert Briscoe12,54725.43
Liberal Peter Bessell 7,01214.21
Majority17,23034.93
Turnout 49,33675.49
Conservative hold Swing
1955 Torquay by-election [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederic Bennett 20,964 50.98 −9.38
Labour William Hamling 10,38325.25−0.18
Liberal Peter Bessell 9,77523.77+9.56
Majority10,58125.73−9.20
Turnout 41,122
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederic Bennett 29,527 56.79
Labour William V Cooper11,78422.66
Liberal Thomas Kellock 10,68520.55
Majority17,74334.13
Turnout 51,99676.91
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederic Bennett 28,801 52.38
Liberal Hugo Brunner 13,65224.83
Labour Thelma W Thompson12,53022.79
Majority15,14927.55
Turnout 54,98375.04
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederic Bennett 28,693 49.44
Labour Raymond S Dash16,59428.59
Liberal Hugo Brunner 12,75021.97
Majority12,09920.85
Turnout 58,03777.40
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1970s

General election 1970: Torquay
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Frederic Bennett 33,996 55.6 +6.2
Labour Paul ST Bryers15,94826.1−2.5
Liberal Keith P. Jenkins11,16318.3−3.7
Majority18,04829.54+8.7
Turnout 61,10773.72−3.7
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Liberal Year Book, 1908
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN   9781349022984.
  3. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  4. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  5. Western Times 11 May 1914
  6. British Parliamentary Elections Results 1950-1973 by FWS Craig