Wirral | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Boundary of Wirral in Cheshire, boundaries 1974-83 | |
County | Cheshire |
1885–1983 | |
Seats | one |
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.
The constituency was located on the Wirral Peninsula, historically part of Cheshire in North West England.
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.
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.
Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edward Cotton | 4,756 | 59.3 | ||
Liberal | James Tomkinson | 3,261 | 40.7 | ||
Majority | 1,495 | 18.6 | |||
Turnout | 8,017 | 82.0 | |||
Registered electors | 9,772 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edward Cotton | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edward Cotton-Jodrell | 5,599 | 64.7 | N/A | |
Liberal | Bernard March-Phillipps De Lisle | 3,051 | 35.3 | New | |
Majority | 2,548 | 29.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 8,650 | 74.5 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 11,610 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Edward Cotton-Jodrell | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Joseph Hoult | 6,084 | 54.5 | N/A | |
Liberal | William Lever | 5,079 | 45.5 | New | |
Majority | 1,005 | 9.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 11,163 | 74.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 14,899 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Lever | 8,833 | 55.3 | +9.8 | |
Conservative | Joseph Hoult | 7,132 | 44.7 | −9.8 | |
Majority | 1,701 | 10.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 15,965 | 82.3 | +7.4 | ||
Registered electors | 19,388 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gershom Stewart | 10,309 | 53.8 | +9.1 | |
Liberal | E. Peter Jones | 8,862 | 46.2 | −9.1 | |
Majority | 1,447 | 7.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 19,171 | 85.9 | +3.6 | ||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +9.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Gershom Stewart | 10,043 | 56.5 | +2.7 | |
Liberal | Arthur Jacob Ashton | 7,727 | 43.5 | −2.7 | |
Majority | 2,316 | 13.0 | +5.4 | ||
Turnout | 17,770 | 79.6 | −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;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Gershom Stewart | Unopposed | ||
Unionist hold | |||||
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Gershom Stewart | 12,888 | 51.0 | N/A | |
Liberal | Stephen Roxby Dodds | 8,014 | 31.7 | New | |
Labour | James Edward Cameron Grant | 4,363 | 17.3 | New | |
Majority | 4,874 | 19.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 25,265 | 74.0 | N/A | ||
Unionist hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Stephen Roxby Dodds | 13,631 | 53.6 | +21.9 | |
Unionist | Gershom Stewart | 11,791 | 46.4 | −4.6 | |
Majority | 1,840 | 7.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 25,422 | 71.6 | −2.4 | ||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +13.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | John Grace | 17,705 | 60.2 | +13.8 | |
Liberal | Stephen Roxby Dodds | 11,697 | 39.8 | −13.8 | |
Majority | 6,008 | 20.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,402 | 79.0 | +7.4 | ||
Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | John Grace | 23,522 | 47.5 | −12.7 | |
Liberal | Stephen Roxby Dodds | 15,158 | 30.6 | −8.2 | |
Labour | George Beardsworth | 10,876 | 21.9 | New | |
Majority | 8,364 | 16.9 | −3.5 | ||
Turnout | 49,556 | 78.7 | −0.3 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Christopher Clayton | 44,935 | 81.53 | ||
Labour | Stanley Wormald | 10,177 | 18.47 | ||
Majority | 34,758 | 63.06 | |||
Turnout | 55,052 | 77.02 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alan Graham | 41,617 | 72.58 | ||
Labour | Stanley Wormald | 15,801 | 27.52 | ||
Majority | 25,816 | 44.96 | |||
Turnout | 57,418 | 69.67 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
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;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 42,544 | 51.40 | ||
Labour | Lois Bulley | 25,919 | 31.32 | ||
Liberal | Eric Dorman-Smith | 14,302 | 17.28 | New | |
Majority | 16,625 | 20.08 | |||
Turnout | 82,765 | 75.40 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 29,232 | 57.05 | ||
Labour | HA Kelly | 15,993 | 31.21 | ||
Liberal | Thomas Mercer Banks | 6,018 | 11.74 | ||
Majority | 13,239 | 25.84 | |||
Turnout | 51,243 | 85.92 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 32,631 | 65.23 | ||
Labour | Reg Chrimes | 17,392 | 34.77 | ||
Majority | 15,239 | 30.46 | |||
Turnout | 50,023 | 81.74 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 33,027 | 67.40 | ||
Labour | Reg Chrimes | 15,976 | 32.60 | ||
Majority | 17,051 | 34.80 | |||
Turnout | 49,003 | 76.46 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 39,807 | 67.92 | ||
Labour | Frederick W Venables | 18,805 | 32.08 | ||
Majority | 21,002 | 35.84 | |||
Turnout | 58,612 | 82.52 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 32,084 | 50.05 | ||
Labour | Millicent Aspin | 17,445 | 27.21 | ||
Liberal | Peter Howell Williams | 14,574 | 22.74 | New | |
Majority | 14,639 | 22.84 | |||
Turnout | 64,103 | 81.29 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 31,477 | 48.12 | ||
Labour | Dennis V Hunt | 21,624 | 33.06 | ||
Liberal | Peter Howell Williams | 12,313 | 18.82 | ||
Majority | 9,853 | 15.06 | |||
Turnout | 65,414 | 79.72 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Selwyn Lloyd | 38,655 | 55.1 | +7.0 | |
Labour | R Gordon Paterson | 22,197 | 31.7 | −1.4 | |
Liberal | Geraldine Jones | 9,276 | 13.2 | −5.6 | |
Majority | 16,458 | 23.4 | +8.3 | ||
Turnout | 70,128 | 74.2 | −5.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaker | Selwyn Lloyd | 38,452 | 51.2 | −3.9 | |
Labour | A. J. Whipp | 22,605 | 30.1 | −1.6 | |
Liberal | Michael Gayford | 14,123 | 18.8 | +5.6 | |
Majority | 15,847 | 21.1 | −2.4 | ||
Turnout | 75,180 | 81.5 | +7.3 | ||
Speaker gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Speaker | Selwyn Lloyd | 35,705 | 50.8 | −0.4 | |
Labour | P. R. Thomas | 22,217 | 31.6 | +1.5 | |
Liberal | Michael Gayford | 12,345 | 17.6 | −1.2 | |
Majority | 13,488 | 19.2 | −1.9 | ||
Turnout | 70,267 | 75.5 | −6.0 | ||
Speaker hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Hunt | 34,675 | 66.78 | +15.97 | |
Labour | Adrian Bailey | 10,562 | 20.34 | −11.26 | |
Liberal | Michael Gayford | 5,914 | 11.39 | −6.21 | |
English National | Frank Hansford-Miller | 466 | 0.90 | New | |
Ind. Conservative | Hilary Miller | 307 | 0.59 | New | |
Majority | 24,112 | 46.44 | +27.24 | ||
Turnout | 51,924 | ||||
Conservative gain from Speaker | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Hunt | 44,519 | 59.0 | +8.2 | |
Labour | C. Ryder | 21,188 | 28.1 | −3.5 | |
Liberal | R. Barnett | 9,769 | 12.9 | −4.7 | |
Majority | 23,331 | 30.9 | +11.7 | ||
Turnout | 75,476 | 77.8 | +2.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
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