Widnes (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Widnes
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Widnes1974Constituency.svg
Widnes in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
1885–1983
Seatsone
Created from South West Lancashire
Replaced by Halton, Knowsley South and St Helens South [1]

Widnes was a county constituency in England, based on the town of Widnes, in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Contents

History

The constituency was formed as a Parliamentary division of Lancashire in 1885, including Allerton, Cronton, Ditton, Garston, Hale, Halewood, Huyton with Roby, Little Woolton, Much Woolton, Speke, Tarbock, Whiston and Widnes.

In 1918 it was redefined to cover the municipal borough of Widnes, along with the urban districts of Prescot and Huyton with Roby and the Whiston Rural District. The two urban districts and part of the rural district (the parishes of Eccleston, Kirkby, Knowsley, and Windle) became part of a new Huyton constituency in 1950, with Widnes retaining the borough and the remainder of the rural district. In 1971 Widnes featured the last by-election to date to have only a Labour and a Conservative candidate. Its boundaries remained unchanged in 1974. In 1983 Widnes constituency was abolished and replaced by Halton constituency. [2]

Boundaries

1950–1983: The borough of Widnes, and the rural district of Whiston except the parishes of Eccleston, Kirkby, Knowsley, and Windle. [3]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Tom Edwards-Moss Conservative
1892 John Saunders Gilliat Conservative
1900 William Walker Coalition Conservative
1919 by-election Arthur Henderson Labour
1922 Christopher Clayton Conservative
1929 Alexander Gordon Cameron Labour
1931 Roland Robinson Conservative
1935 Richard Pilkington Conservative
1945 Christopher Shawcross Labour
1950 James MacColl Labour
1971 by-election Gordon Oakes Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gordon Oakes 32,03355.2−4.0
Conservative B.G. Holder21,75237.5+10.0
Liberal L.A. Self4,2907.4-5.9
Majority10,28117.7
Turnout 58,07574.2+3.3
Labour hold Swing −7.0
General election October 1974: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gordon Oakes 31,53259.2−5.9
Conservative A.H.K. Maynard14,66127.5−7.5
Liberal A. Turner7,06713.3N/A
Majority16,87131.7
Turnout 53,26070.9−2.8
Labour hold Swing +0.8
General election February 1974: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gordon Oakes 35,65465.1+7.4
Conservative A.H.K. Maynard19,15535.0−7.3
Majority16,49930.1
Turnout 54,80973.7+5.0
Labour hold Swing +7.4
By-election 1971: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Gordon Oakes 22,88069.1+11.4
Conservative David Stanley10,21930.9−11.4
Majority12,66138.3
Turnout 33,099
Labour hold Swing +11.4
General election 1970: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 28,38457.7−3.0
Conservative Griffith H. Pierce20,84142.3+3.0
Majority7,54315.3
Turnout 49,22568.7
Labour hold Swing −3.0

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 26,61360.7+3.9
Conservative Alan Pickering17,23539.3−3.9
Majority9,37821.4
Turnout 43,84872.8−5.1
Labour hold Swing +3.9
General election 1964: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 24,44656.8+4.8
Conservative Alan Pickering18,57243.2−4.8
Majority5,87413.7
Turnout 43,01877.9−5.5
Labour hold Swing +4.8

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 21,21852.0+0.1
Conservative Bruce L. Butcher19,62048.0−0.1
Majority1,5983.9
Turnout 40,83883.4+7.0
Labour hold Swing +0.1
General election 1955: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 19,82351.9−2.3
Conservative Beata Brookes 18,37448.1+2.3
Majority1,4493.8
Turnout 38,19776.4
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 21,68854.2+0.1
Conservative Francis H. Wilson18,31545.8−0.1
Majority3,3738.4
Turnout 40,00387.4−0.8
Labour hold Swing +0.1
General election 1950: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour James MacColl 21,25354.1−4.7
Conservative Richard Pilkington 18,03345.9+4.7
Majority3,2208.2
Turnout 39,28688.2+12.2
Labour hold Swing −4.7

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Christopher Shawcross 41,98058.8+14.8
Conservative Richard Pilkington 29,38241.2−14.8
Majority12,59817.7
Turnout 71,36276.0−3.7
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +14.8

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Richard Pilkington 24,45756.0−6.1
Labour Alexander Gordon Cameron 19,18744.0+6.1
Majority5,27012.1
Turnout 43,64479.7−7.8
Conservative hold Swing −6.1
General election 1931: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Roland Robinson 25,12362.1
Labour Alexander Gordon Cameron 15,30937.9
Majority9,81424.3
Turnout 40,43287.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Alexander Gordon Cameron 19,12551.0+4.7
Unionist Christopher Clayton 18,37649.0-4.7
Majority7492.09.4
Turnout 37,50184.8-1.0
Labour gain from Unionist Swing {{{swing}}}
General election 1924: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Christopher Clayton 15,47653.7
Labour Joe Cotter 13,32646.3
Majority2,1507.4
Turnout 28,80285.8
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1923: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Christopher Clayton 12,80847.1-6.1
Labour Joe Cotter 12,02044.2-2.6
Liberal Harry Trevor Ellis2,3558.7n/a
Majority7882.9-3.5
Turnout 27,18383.0-3.8
Unionist hold Swing -1.7
General election 1922: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Christopher Clayton 14,67953.2
Labour Arthur Henderson 12,89746.8
Majority1,7826.4
Turnout 27,57686.8
Unionist gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1910s

Widnes by-election, August 30 1919
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Arthur Henderson 11,40452.3+11.9
C Unionist Francis Fisher 10,41747.7−11.9
Majority9874.6N/A
Turnout 21,82171.1+8.1
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +11.9
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
General election 1918: Widnes
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist William Walker 11,51559.6N/A
Labour Tom Williamson 7,82140.4N/A
Majority3,69419.2N/A
Turnout 19,33663.0N/A
Unionist hold Swing N/A
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
By-election, 1916: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist William Walker Unopposed
Unionist hold
General election December 1910: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Walker Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election January 1910: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Walker 5,75855.2+0.6
Liberal Louis Bernacchi 4,66644.8−0.6
Majority1,09210.4+1.2
Turnout 10,42488.5+5.1
Registered electors 11,780
Conservative hold Swing −1.2

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Walker 5,01754.6−15.0
Liberal John Swinburne 4,16545.4+15.0
Majority8529.2−30.0
Turnout 9,18283.4+11.7
Registered electors 11,005
Conservative hold Swing −15.0
General election 1900: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative William Walker 4,71669.6+16.1
Liberal M. C. Macinerney2,06230.4−16.1
Majority2,65439.2+32.2
Turnout 6,77871.7−10.9
Registered electors 9,447
Conservative hold Swing +16.1

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Saunders Gilliat 3,97353.5+2.1
Liberal Henry Wade Deacon [5] 3,45646.5−2.1
Majority5177.0+4.2
Turnout 7,42982.6−0.9
Registered electors 8,998
Conservative hold Swing +2.1
General election 1892: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Saunders Gilliat 3,86651.4−4.6
Liberal Henry Wade Deacon [5] 3,66148.6+4.6
Majority2052.8−9.2
Turnout 7,52783.5+2.7
Registered electors 9,014
Conservative hold Swing −4.6

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tom Edwards-Moss 3,71956.0−6.0
Liberal Augustine Birrell 2,92744.0+6.0
Majority79212.0−12.0
Turnout 6,64680.8−4.0
Registered electors 8,223
Conservative hold Swing −12.0
General election 1885: Widnes [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Tom Edwards-Moss 4,32762.0N/A
Liberal Edmund Knowles Muspratt [6] 2,65038.0N/A
Majority1,67724.0N/A
Turnout 6,97784.8N/A
Registered electors 8,223
Conservative win (new seat)

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References

  1. ↑ "'Widnes', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 2
  3. ↑ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch.1), retrieved 23 July 2023
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN   9781349022984.
  5. 1 2 "Liberal Meeting at Widnes". Liverpool Mercury . 23 February 1892. p. 6. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  6. ↑ "The General Election" . London Evening Standard . 4 December 1885. p. 5. Retrieved 14 December 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.

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