Newcastle_upon_Tyne_(UK_Parliament_constituency)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK Parliament constituency)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801–1918


Newcastle-upon-Tyne was a parliamentary borough in the county of Northumberland of the House of Commons of England from 1283 to 1706, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system.

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Newcastle first sent Members to Parliament in 1283, although it was not always possible to act upon the writ of summons, which was disregarded on at least four occasions (1315, 1327, 1332 and 1337) because of warfare with the Scots.[1]

The constituency was abolished in 1918, being split into four divisions; Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Newcastle-upon-Tyne North and Newcastle-upon-Tyne West.[2]

Boundaries

The constituency was based upon the town, later city, of Newcastle upon Tyne in the historic county of Northumberland in North East England. In 1848, the constituency boundaries were described in A Topographical Dictionary of England.[3]

The borough first exercised the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward the First, since which time it has returned two members to parliament: the present electoral limits are co-extensive with those of the county of the town, comprising 5730 acres; the old boundaries, which were abrogated in 1832, included 2700 acres only.

When the House of Commons debated the boundaries to be used from 1832, the Tory Party suggested including Gateshead (to the south) and South Shields (to the east) within the Newcastle-upon-Tyne constituency. The Whigs resisted this idea, so these two neighbouring settlements were not incorporated into this seat.[4]

The contents of the parliamentary borough, as defined by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 (2 and 3 Wm. 4, c. 64) were:

The Town and County of the Town of Newcastle and the several Townships of Byker, Heaton, Jesmond, Westgate, and Elswick.[5][6]

The boundaries remained unchanged from 1832 until the area was divided into single member constituencies in 1918.[7] These were not necessarily identical to the boundaries used for local government purposes.

In the period after 1885, the constituency was surrounded by Wansbeck to the west and north, Tyneside to the north east and east, Jarrow to the south east, Gateshead to the south, and Chester-le-Street to the south west.[8]

Members of Parliament

Party affiliations are derived from Stook Smith and Craig (see reference section below). Tory is used prior to the 1835 general election and Conservative from that time. Liberal candidates (as listed by Craig) before the formal creation of the party, shortly after the 1859 general election, are listed as Whig or Radical if the information is available in the work by Stooks Smith.

MPs, who were known by the same name, are distinguished in the table below and the election results by a number in brackets after the name. It is not suggested that such numbers were used by contemporaries of the individuals so numbered.

MPs 1336–1660

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MPs 1660–1918

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Elections

The bloc vote electoral system was used in elections to fill two seats and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote (if applicable).

The reference to some candidates as Non Partisan does not, necessarily, mean that they did not have a party allegiance. It means that the sources consulted did not specify a party allegiance.

Before the Representation of the People Act 1832, the borough had an electorate limited to its freemen. There were about 2,500 voters in the second half of the 18th century.[27]

1710s1720s1730s1740s1750s1760s1770s1780s1790s1800s1810s1820s1830s

Elections of the 1710s

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Elections of the 1720s

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  • Death of Blackett, in 1728
  • On petition Carr vice Blackett

Elections of the 1730s

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Elections of the 1740s

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Elections of the 1750s

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Elections of the 1760s

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Elections of the 1770s

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  • Death of Blackett
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Elections of the 1780s

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Elections of the 1790s

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  • Resignation of Brandling in December 1797
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Elections of the 1800s

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Elections of the 1810s

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  • Ridley succeeded as the 3rd Baronet, upon the death of his father (and predecessor as MP) in 1813
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Elections of the 1820s

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Elections of the 1830s

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Ridley's death caused a by-election.

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Elections in the 1840s

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Elections in the 1850s

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Blackett resigned due to ill health, causing a by-election.[35]

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Headlam was appointed Judge-Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.

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Elections in the 1860s

Ridley resigned after being appointed a Copyhold, Inclosure and Tithe Commissioner.

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Elections in the 1870s

Cowen's death caused a by-election, at which his son was elected.

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Elections in the 1880s

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Dilke's resignation caused a by-election.

John Morley
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  • Cowen lost the support of the local Liberal Association during the campaign period, and Liberal supporters were urged to only vote for Morley.

Morley was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

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Armstrong
Ridley
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Elections in the 1890s

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Morley is appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

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Elections in the 1900s

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Walter Hudson
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Elections in the 1910s

Edward Shortt
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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;

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See also


Notes

  1. "Newcastle-upon-Tyne | History of Parliament Online". www.histparl.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  2. Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell. pp. 447–448.
  3. 'Newbottle - Newcastle-upon-Tyne', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 379-389. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51171 Date accessed: 15 December 2008.
  4. Seymour Electoral Reform in England and Wales
  5. Britain, Great (1832). The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Passed in the ... [1807-69]. His Majesty's statute and law Printers. p. 353.
  6. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. p. 162. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
  7. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. Map on p 188. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
  8. "BISHOPDALE, William (d.1398), of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumb". History of Parliament. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  9. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  10. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  11. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  12. The 1727 election was disputed. As a result of an election petition, the House of Commons decided to seat Carr vice Blackett (who had died in 1728) in 1729.
  13. Pages 95 to 99,Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1957)
  14. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 245–246. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  15. Rapp, Dean (Spring 1982). "The Left-Wing Whigs: Whitbread, the Mountain and Reform, 1809-1815". The Journal of British Studies. 21 (2): 35–66. doi:10.1086/385789. JSTOR 175533.
  16. Escott, Margaret (2009). "ORD, William (1781–1855), of Whitfield Hall, Northumb and 17 Berkeley Square, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  17. "A truly Noble brew on a journey back home". The Journal. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  18. "Close of the Poll". Leeds Intelligencer. 31 July 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. "Newcastle-on-Tyne". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 7 July 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. Purdue, A. W. (2012). Newcastle: The Biography. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 9781445609348. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  21. "Bury and Norwich Post". 13 February 1856. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 9 June 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. Namier and Brooke The House of Commons 1754-1790
  23. Escott, Margaret. "Newcastle-upon-Tyne". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  24. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  25. "29 July 1837". Newcastle Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  26. "Newcastle Election". Newcastle Journal. 29 July 1837. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. "Election Intelligence". Essex Standard. 25 August 1854. p. 4. Retrieved 14 May 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  28. "Election Intelligence". Hertford Mercury and Reformer. 26 August 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 14 May 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  29. Walford, Edward, ed. (1857). Hardwicke's Annual biography. London: Robert Hardwicke. p. 59. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  30. "Electioneering Warfare". Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury. 28 March 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 9 June 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  31. "Notice to the Freemen of Newcastle-on-Tyne". Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury. 25 June 1859. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  32. "The Newcastle Election". Kendal Mercury. 10 November 1860. p. 5. Retrieved 6 March 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  33. "Political Intelligence". Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser. 8 December 1860. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  34. "Ecclesiastical Intelligence". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 22 February 1883. p. 8. Retrieved 5 December 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
  35. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  36. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  37. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  38. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  39. Newcastle Journal 3 Jun 1914
  40. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer 14 Sep 1914

References

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
  • Electoral Reform in England and Wales, by Charles Seymour (David & Charles Reprints 1970)
  • The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F. W. S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)

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