West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
West Fife | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
Subdivisions of Scotland | Fife |
1885–1974 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | Fife |
Replaced by | Central Fife, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy[1] |
West Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1974. Along with East Fife, it was formed by dividing the old Fife constituency.
Willie Gallacher of the Communist Party of Great Britain is notable as the longest-serving Member of Parliament (from 1935 to 1950) and the last MP in Parliament (until 1950) for the party.
Boundaries
[edit]1885–1918:
1918–1950:
1950–1974: The Burghs of Culross, Leslie, and Markinch; the Districts of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, and Lochgelly; and part of the District of Wemyss.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election | Member[2] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Robert Preston Bruce | Liberal | |
1889 | Augustine Birrell | Liberal | |
1900 | John Deans Hope | Liberal | |
1910 | William Adamson | Labour | |
1931 | Charles Milne | Unionist | |
1935 | Willie Gallacher | Communist | |
1950 | Willie Hamilton | Labour | |
Feb 1974 | constituency abolished |
Elections
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Fife_West_election_results.png)
Elections in the 1880s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Preston Bruce | Unopposed | |||
Liberal win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Preston Bruce | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold |
Bruce's resignation caused a by-election.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/1895_Augustine_Birrell.jpg/120px-1895_Augustine_Birrell.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 3,551 | 56.3 | N/A | |
Liberal Unionist | Rosslyn Wemyss | 2,758 | 43.7 | New | |
Majority | 793 | 12.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 6,309 | 71.6 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 8,812 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1890s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 5,215 | 76.2 | N/A | |
Liberal Unionist | Robert Yellowlees | 1,633 | 23.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,582 | 52.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 6,848 | 69.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 9,800 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 4,719 | 61.4 | −14.8 | |
Liberal Unionist | Randolph Wemyss | 2,965 | 38.6 | +14.8 | |
Majority | 1,754 | 22.8 | −29.6 | ||
Turnout | 7,684 | 72.2 | +2.3 | ||
Registered electors | 10,637 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -14.8 |
Elections in the 1900s
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7c/John_Deans_Hope.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Deans Hope | 4,352 | 64.7 | +3.3 | |
Conservative | Gavin William Ralston | 2,374 | 35.3 | −3.3 | |
Majority | 1,978 | 29.4 | +6.6 | ||
Turnout | 6,726 | 60.0 | −12.2 | ||
Registered electors | 11,206 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +3.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Deans Hope | 6,692 | 79.0 | +14.3 | |
Conservative | Nelson B Constable | 1,776 | 21.0 | −14.3 | |
Majority | 4,916 | 58.0 | +28.6 | ||
Turnout | 8,468 | 55.4 | −4.6 | ||
Registered electors | 15,272 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +14.3 |
Elections in the 1910s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Deans Hope | 6,159 | 47.8 | −31.2 | |
Labour | William Adamson | 4,736 | 37.7 | New | |
Conservative | Gavin William Ralston | 1,994 | 15.5 | −5.5 | |
Majority | 1,423 | 10.1 | −47.9 | ||
Turnout | 12,889 | 73.1 | +17.7 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Cropped_photograph_of_William_Adamson.jpg/120px-Cropped_photograph_of_William_Adamson.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | 6,128 | 53.0 | +15.3 | |
Liberal | John Deans Hope | 5,425 | 47.0 | −0.8 | |
Majority | 703 | 6.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 11,553 | 61.4 | −11.7 | ||
Labour gain from Liberal | 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;
- Labour: William Adamson
- Unionist: Joseph Hume Menzies [22]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | 10,664 | 72.6 | +19.6 | |
C | Unionist | Joseph Hume Menzies | 4,020 | 27.4 | New |
Majority | 6,644 | 45.2 | +39.2 | ||
Turnout | 14,684 | 48.2 | −13.2 | ||
Registered electors | 30,452 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | Unopposed | |||
Labour hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | 12,204 | 65.4 | N/A | |
Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan Mineworkers' Reform Union | Philip Hodge | 6,459 | 34.6 | New | |
Majority | 5,745 | 30.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 18,663 | 57.4 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 32,491 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | 14,685 | 70.9 | +5.5 | |
Unionist | J MacRobert | 6,015 | 29.1 | New | |
Majority | 8,670 | 41.8 | +11.0 | ||
Turnout | 20,700 | 63.0 | +5.6 | ||
Registered electors | 32,882 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William Adamson | 17,668 | 60.0 | −10.9 | |
Communist | Willie Gallacher | 6,040 | 20.5 | New | |
Unionist | A.B. Brown | 5,727 | 19.5 | −9.6 | |
Majority | 11,628 | 39.5 | −2.3 | ||
Turnout | 29,435 | 69.7 | +6.7 | ||
Registered electors | 42,252 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −0.7 |
Elections in the 1930s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Charles Milne | 12,977 | 42.1 | +22.6 | |
Labour | William Adamson | 11,063 | 35.8 | −24.2 | |
Communist | Willie Gallacher | 6,829 | 22.1 | +1.6 | |
Majority | 1,914 | 6.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 30,889 | 71.4 | +1.7 | ||
Unionist gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Communist | Willie Gallacher | 13,462 | 37.4 | +15.4 | |
Labour | William Adamson | 12,869 | 35.7 | −0.1 | |
Unionist | Charles Milne | 9,667 | 26.9 | −15.2 | |
Majority | 593 | 1.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 35,998 | 77.8 | +6.4 | ||
Communist gain from Unionist | Swing |
Elections in the 1940s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Communist | Willie Gallacher | 17,636 | 42.1 | +4.7 | |
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 15,580 | 37.3 | +1.6 | |
National Liberal | Robert Scott Stevenson | 8,597 | 20.6 | −6.3 | |
Majority | 2,056 | 4.8 | +3.1 | ||
Turnout | 41,813 | 75.4 | −2.4 | ||
Communist hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 23,576 | 54.8 | +17.5 | |
National Liberal | Patrick William Neill Fraser | 10,131 | 23.6 | +3.0 | |
Communist | Willie Gallacher | 9,301 | 21.6 | −20.5 | |
Majority | 13,445 | 31.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 43,008 | 84.9 | +9.5 | ||
Labour gain from Communist | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 29,195 | 64.9 | +10.1 | |
National Liberal | John Patterson Fyfe | 11,038 | 24.6 | +1.0 | |
Communist | William Lauchlan | 4,728 | 10.5 | −11.1 | |
Majority | 18,157 | 40.3 | +9.1 | ||
Turnout | 44,961 | 85.6 | +0.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 26,849 | 62.6 | −2.3 | |
Unionist | Norman Wylie | 10,638 | 24.8 | +0.2 | |
Communist | William Lauchlan | 5,389 | 12.6 | +2.1 | |
Majority | 16,211 | 37.8 | −2.5 | ||
Turnout | 42,876 | 80.3 | −5.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 25,554 | 56.1 | −6.5 | |
Unionist | Alick Buchanan-Smith | 11,257 | 24.7 | −0.1 | |
Fife Socialist League | Lawrence Daly | 4,886 | 10.7 | New | |
Communist | William Lauchlan | 3,828 | 8.4 | −4.2 | |
Majority | 14,297 | 31.4 | −6.4 | ||
Turnout | 45,525 | 81.3 | +1.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 28,806 | 65.5 | +9.4 | |
Unionist | John B. M. Gall | 11,880 | 27.0 | +2.3 | |
Communist | William Lauchlan | 3,273 | 7.5 | −0.9 | |
Majority | 16,926 | 38.5 | +7.1 | ||
Turnout | 43,959 | 78.6 | −2.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 27,123 | 63.1 | −2.4 | |
Conservative | John B. M. Gall | 8,300 | 19.3 | −7.7 | |
SNP | Robert R. Patrick | 6,046 | 14.1 | New | |
Communist | Archibald D. MacMillan | 1,542 | 3.6 | −3.9 | |
Majority | 18,823 | 43.8 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 43,011 | 76.8 | −1.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Willie Hamilton | 29,929 | 61.1 | −2.0 | |
Conservative | Gary McLaughlan | 12,837 | 26.2 | +6.9 | |
SNP | Jimmy Halliday | 5,386 | 11.0 | −3.1 | |
Communist | Archibald D. MacMillan | 855 | 1.7 | −1.9 | |
Majority | 17,092 | 34.9 | −8.9 | ||
Turnout | 49,007 | 74.2 | −2.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
References
[edit]- ^ Statutory Instrument 1970 No. 1680 (section Part II) The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
- ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
- ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
- ^ Daily Record 22 May 1914
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
Sources
[edit]- Election results, 1950 - 1974 Archived 5 May 2004 at the Wayback Machine
- F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 - 1949
- F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1885 - 1918