Wirral (UK Parliament constituency)

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Wirral
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Wirral1974Constituency.svg
Boundary of Wirral in Cheshire, boundaries 1974-83
County Cheshire
18851983
Seatsone
Created from West Cheshire
Replaced by Ellesmere Port and Neston, Wirral South, Wirral West and Birkenhead [1]

Wirral was a county constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Contents

The constituency was located on the Wirral Peninsula, historically part of Cheshire in North West England.

History

Wirral was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. As the population of the Wirral peninsula grew, its boundaries were redrawn to allow for additional constituencies to be created. From 1974, its territory was split between the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, part of the metropolitan county of Merseyside, and the borough of Ellesmere Port and Neston which remained part of Cheshire.

It was abolished for the 1983 general election, and was succeeded by the constituencies of Ellesmere Port and Neston, Wirral South and Wirral West.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Borough of Birkenhead, and the Hundred of Wirral. [2]

Created as one of eight single-member divisions of Cheshire, replacing the three 2-member divisions. It covered the whole of the historical hundred of Wirral, which included Birkenhead, Wallasey, Neston, Bebington, Ellesmere Port and extended south to the City of Chester. Birkenhead was a separate parliamentary borough, but non-resident freeholders were entitled to vote in the constituency.

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Bromborough, Ellesmere Port and Whitby, Higher Bebington, Hoylake and West Kirby, Lower Bebington, and Neston and Parkgate, and the Rural District of Wirral. [3]

Wallasey was created as a new parliamentary borough. Southern-most parts transferred to the enlarged City of Chester constituency.

1950–1974: The Urban Districts of Ellesmere Port, Hoylake, Neston, and Wirral. [3]

Parts of the constituency absorbed by the County Boroughs of Birkenhead and Wallasey transferred to the respective constituencies.  Area comprising the Municipal Borough of Bebington formed the basis of the new constituency of that name.  Other minor changes resulting from reorganisation of local authorities.

The Urban District of Ellesmere Port became a Municipal Borough in 1955. [4]

1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Hoylake, Neston, and Wirral, and the County Borough of Birkenhead wards of Prenton and Upton. [3]

Ellesmere Port transferred to the new constituency of Bebington and Ellesmere Port. Prenton transferred from Bebington, which was now abolished, and Upton transferred from Birkenhead.

From 1 April 1974 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election, Neston remained in Cheshire whilst the rest of the constituency comprised parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, but its boundaries were unchanged.

On abolition, Hoylake was included in Wirral West, Heswall (the main town in the Urban District of Wirral) in Wirral South and Neston in Ellesmere Port and Neston.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1885 Edward Cotton Conservative surname changed to Cotton-Jodrell
1900 Joseph Hoult Conservative
1906 William Lever Liberal
1910 Gershom Stewart Conservative
1923 Stephen Dodds Liberal
1924 John Grace Conservative
1931 Christopher Clayton Conservative
1935 Alan Graham Conservative
1945 Selwyn Lloyd Conservative
1971 Speaker Resigned 1976
1976 by-election David Hunt Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Elections results

Elections in the 1880s

Cotton Edward Cotton-Jodrell.jpg
Cotton
General election 1885: Wirral [5] [6] [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Cotton 4,756 59.3
Liberal James Tomkinson 3,26140.7
Majority 1,49518.6
Turnout 8,01782.0
Registered electors 9,772
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Wirral [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Cotton Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Wirral [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Cotton-Jodrell 5,599 64.7 N/A
Liberal Bernard March-Phillipps De Lisle3,05135.3New
Majority 2,54829.4N/A
Turnout 8,65074.5N/A
Registered electors 11,610
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Wirral [5] [6] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Edward Cotton-Jodrell Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Wirral [5] [6] [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Joseph Hoult 6,084 54.5 N/A
Liberal William Lever 5,07945.5New
Majority 1,0059.0N/A
Turnout 11,16374.9N/A
Registered electors 14,899
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Lever William Lever.jpg
Lever
General election 1906: Wirral [5] [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal William Lever 8,833 55.3 +9.8
Conservative Joseph Hoult 7,13244.7−9.8
Majority 1,70110.6N/A
Turnout 15,96582.3+7.4
Registered electors 19,388
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +9.8

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Wirral [5] [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gershom Stewart 10,309 53.8 +9.1
Liberal E. Peter Jones8,86246.2−9.1
Majority 1,4477.6N/A
Turnout 19,17185.9+3.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +9.1
General election December 1910: Wirral [5] [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Gershom Stewart 10,043 56.5 +2.7
Liberal Arthur Jacob Ashton7,72743.5−2.7
Majority 2,31613.0+5.4
Turnout 17,77079.6−6.3
Conservative hold Swing

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: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist Gershom Stewart Unopposed
Unionist hold
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Wirral [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Gershom Stewart 12,888 51.0 N/A
Liberal Stephen Roxby Dodds 8,01431.7New
Labour James Edward Cameron Grant4,36317.3New
Majority 4,87419.3N/A
Turnout 25,26574.0N/A
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1923: Wirral [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Stephen Roxby Dodds 13,631 53.6 +21.9
Unionist Gershom Stewart 11,79146.4−4.6
Majority 1,8407.2N/A
Turnout 25,42271.6−2.4
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +13.3
General election 1924: Wirral [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist John Grace 17,705 60.2 +13.8
Liberal Stephen Roxby Dodds 11,69739.8−13.8
Majority 6,00820.4N/A
Turnout 29,40279.0+7.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General election 1929: Wirral [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist John Grace 23,522 47.5 −12.7
Liberal Stephen Roxby Dodds 15,15830.6−8.2
Labour George Beardsworth10,87621.9New
Majority 8,36416.9−3.5
Turnout 49,55678.7−0.3
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Christopher Clayton 44,935 81.53
Labour Stanley Wormald10,17718.47
Majority 34,75863.06
Turnout 55,05277.02
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Alan Graham 41,617 72.58
Labour Stanley Wormald15,80127.52
Majority 25,81644.96
Turnout 57,41869.67
Conservative hold 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1945: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 42,544 51.40
Labour Lois Bulley 25,91931.32
Liberal Eric Dorman-Smith 14,30217.28New
Majority 16,62520.08
Turnout 82,76575.40
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 29,232 57.05
Labour HA Kelly15,99331.21
Liberal Thomas Mercer Banks6,01811.74
Majority 13,23925.84
Turnout 51,24385.92
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 32,631 65.23
Labour Reg Chrimes 17,39234.77
Majority 15,23930.46
Turnout 50,02381.74
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 33,027 67.40
Labour Reg Chrimes 15,97632.60
Majority 17,05134.80
Turnout 49,00376.46
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 39,807 67.92
Labour Frederick W Venables18,80532.08
Majority 21,00235.84
Turnout 58,61282.52
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 32,084 50.05
Labour Millicent Aspin17,44527.21
Liberal Peter Howell Williams14,57422.74New
Majority 14,63922.84
Turnout 64,10381.29
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 31,477 48.12
Labour Dennis V Hunt21,62433.06
Liberal Peter Howell Williams12,31318.82
Majority 9,85315.06
Turnout 65,41479.72
Conservative hold Swing +3.9

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Selwyn Lloyd 38,655 55.1 +7.0
Labour R Gordon Paterson22,19731.7−1.4
Liberal Geraldine Jones9,27613.2−5.6
Majority 16,45823.4+8.3
Turnout 70,12874.2−5.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Speaker Selwyn Lloyd 38,452 51.2 −3.9
Labour A. J. Whipp22,60530.1−1.6
Liberal Michael Gayford14,12318.8+5.6
Majority 15,84721.1−2.4
Turnout 75,18081.5+7.3
Speaker gain from Conservative Swing
General election October 1974: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Speaker Selwyn Lloyd 35,705 50.8 −0.4
Labour P. R. Thomas22,21731.6+1.5
Liberal Michael Gayford12,34517.6−1.2
Majority 13,48819.2−1.9
Turnout 70,26775.5−6.0
Speaker hold Swing
1976 Wirral by-election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Hunt 34,675 66.78 +15.97
Labour Adrian Bailey 10,56220.34−11.26
Liberal Michael Gayford5,91411.39−6.21
English National Frank Hansford-Miller 4660.90New
Ind. Conservative Hilary Miller3070.59New
Majority 24,11246.44+27.24
Turnout 51,924
Conservative gain from Speaker Swing
General election 1979: Wirral
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David Hunt 44,519 59.0 +8.2
Labour C. Ryder21,18828.1−3.5
Liberal R. Barnett9,76912.9−4.7
Majority 23,33130.9+11.7
Turnout 75,47677.8+2.3
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. "'Wirral', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 24 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 Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN   0-900178-09-4. OCLC   539011.
  4. "Ellesmere Port UD".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 237. ISBN   9781349022984.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  7. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  8. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  9. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  10. 1 2 3 4 British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 Craig, F.W.S. (1983) ISBN   0-900178-06-X.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the chancellor of the Exchequer
1960–1962
Succeeded by
Preceded by Constituency represented by the speaker
1971–1976
Succeeded by