Northwich_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1983
Northwich was a constituency in Cheshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
| Northwich | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Northwich in Cheshire, boundaries 1974-83 | |
| County | Cheshire |
| 1885–1983 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Mid Cheshire and West Cheshire |
| Replaced by | Eddisbury and Tatton[1] |
Northwich was first created as one of eight single-member divisions of Cheshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
It was abolished following the reorganisation of local authorities in 1974 by the Third Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for the 1983 general election, when it was divided roughly equally between the re-established constituency of Eddisbury and the new constituency of Tatton.
1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Runcorn, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Eddisbury, Leftwich and Northwich.[2]
Comprised the towns of Runcorn, Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich, and surrounding rural areas.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Middlewich, Northwich, Runcorn, Sandbach and Winsford, and parts of the Rural Districts of Congleton, Northwich and Runcorn.[3]
Sandbach transferred from Crewe.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Middlewich, Northwich and Winsford, and the Rural Districts of Northwich and Tarvin.[4]
Gained the Rural District of Tarvin from the additional parts of the Rural District of Northwich from the abolished constituency of Eddisbury. Sandbach and the part of the Rural District of Congleton transferred to Knutsford, and Runcorn (including the part of the rural district thereof) transferred to the new constituency of Runcorn.
1955–1983: The Urban District of Northwich, and parts of the Rural Districts of Northwich and Tarvin.[4]
Middlewich, Winsford, the southern part of the Rural District of Tarvin and a small part of the Rural District of Northwich transferred to the new constituency of Nantwich.
From 1 April 1974 until the constituency was abolished at the next boundary review which came into effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency was primarily situated in the newly formed District of Vale Royal, but its boundaries were unchanged.
On abolition, Northwich and eastern areas were included in the new constituency of Tatton. Cuddington, Weaverham and western areas included in the re-established constituency of Eddisbury.
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | John Brunner | Liberal | |
| 1886 | Robert Verdin | Liberal Unionist | |
| 1887 by-election | Sir John Brunner | Liberal | |
| Jan 1910 | Sir John Brunner II | Liberal | |
| 1918 | Harry Dewhurst | Coalition Conservative | |
| 1922 | Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart | Conservative | |
| 1945 | Sir John Foster | Conservative | |
| Feb 1974 | Alastair Goodlad | Conservative | |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | ||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 5,023 | 55.7 | ||
| Conservative | William Henry Verdin [6] | 3,995 | 44.3 | ||
| Majority | 1,028 | 11.4 | |||
| Turnout | 9,018 | 85.3 | |||
| Registered electors | 10,577 | ||||
| Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Robert Verdin | 4,416 | 52.7 | +8.4 | |
| Liberal | John Brunner | 3,958 | 47.3 | −8.4 | |
| Majority | 458 | 5.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 8,374 | 79.2 | −6.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,577 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.4 | |||
Verdin's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 5,112 | 56.2 | +8.9 | |
| Liberal Unionist | Henry Grosvenor | 3,983 | 43.8 | −8.9 | |
| Majority | 1,129 | 12.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,095 | 83.7 | +4.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,868 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +8.9 | |||
Elections in the 1890s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 5,580 | 56.3 | +9.0 | |
| Conservative | George Whiteley | 4,325 | 43.7 | −9.0 | |
| Majority | 1,255 | 12.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,905 | 84.3 | +5.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,750 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +9.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 5,706 | 58.4 | +2.1 | |
| Conservative | Thomas Ward | 4,068 | 41.6 | −2.1 | |
| Majority | 1,638 | 16.8 | +4.2 | ||
| Turnout | 9,774 | 82.9 | −1.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,788 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +2.1 | |||
Elections in the 1900s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 5,377 | 53.5 | −4.9 | |
| Conservative | Charles Leopold Samson [7] | 4,678 | 46.5 | +4.9 | |
| Majority | 699 | 7.0 | −9.8 | ||
| Turnout | 10,055 | 83.3 | +0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,067 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −4.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 6,343 | 58.2 | +4.7 | |
| Liberal Unionist | Bordrigge North [8] | 4,551 | 41.8 | −4.7 | |
| Majority | 1,792 | 16.4 | +9.4 | ||
| Turnout | 10,894 | 87.0 | +3.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,527 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +4.7 | |||
Elections in the 1910s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 6,661 | 54.6 | −3.6 | |
| Liberal Unionist | Charles Williams | 5,542 | 45.4 | +3.6 | |
| Majority | 1,119 | 9.2 | −7.2 | ||
| Turnout | 12,203 | 91.1 | +4.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 13,389 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −3.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | John Brunner | 6,071 | 51.4 | −3.2 | |
| Conservative | Julius John Jersey de Knoop | 5,740 | 48.6 | +3.2 | |
| Majority | 331 | 2.8 | −6.4 | ||
| Turnout | 11,811 | 88.2 | −2.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 13,389 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −3.2 | |||
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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: John Brunner
- Unionist: Julius John Jersey de Knoop
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Unionist | Harry Dewhurst | 15,444 | 61.4 | +12.8 |
| Liberal | John Brunner | 9,723 | 38.6 | −12.8 | |
| Majority | 5,721 | 22.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 25,167 | 64.1 | −24.1 | ||
| Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.8 | |||
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. | |||||
Elections in the 1920s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 15,454 | 54.2 | -7.2 | |
| Labour | John Williams | 13,066 | 45.8 | New | |
| Majority | 2,388 | 8.4 | -14.4 | ||
| Turnout | 28,520 | 71.6 | +7.5 | ||
| Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 11,835 | 38.5 | -15.7 | |
| Liberal | Arthur Mort | 9,765 | 31.7 | New | |
| Labour | John Williams | 9,183 | 29.8 | -16.0 | |
| Majority | 2,070 | 6.8 | -1.6 | ||
| Turnout | 30,783 | 76.1 | +4.5 | ||
| Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 14,545 | 43.2 | +4.7 | |
| Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 11,630 | 34.6 | +4.8 | |
| Liberal | Arthur Mort | 7,465 | 22.2 | -9.5 | |
| Majority | 2,915 | 8.6 | +1.8 | ||
| Turnout | 33,640 | 80.7 | +4.6 | ||
| Unionist hold | Swing | 0.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 15,477 | 34.3 | -8.9 | |
| Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 15,473 | 34.3 | -0.3 | |
| Liberal | John Barlow | 14,163 | 31.4 | +9.2 | |
| Majority | 4 | 0.0 | -8.6 | ||
| Turnout | 45,113 | 83.6 | +2.9 | ||
| Unionist hold | Swing | -4.3 | |||
Elections in the 1930s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 30,061 | 65.6 | +31.3 | |
| Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 15,746 | 34.4 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 14,315 | 31.2 | +31.2 | ||
| Turnout | 45,807 | 82.8 | -3.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 24,316 | 54.5 | -11.1 | |
| Labour | Thomas Reid | 20,289 | 46.5 | +12.1 | |
| Majority | 4,027 | 9.0 | -22.2 | ||
| Turnout | 44,605 | 77.9 | -4.9 | ||
| 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;
- Conservative: John Foster
- Labour: Robert Chorley
- Liberal: Felix Brunner
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 20,198 | 41.4 | -13.1 | |
| Labour | Robert Chorley | 20,183 | 41.3 | -5.2 | |
| Liberal | Felix Brunner | 8,460 | 17.3 | New | |
| Majority | 15 | 0.1 | -8.9 | ||
| Turnout | 48,841 | 78.1 | -1.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 25,144 | 48.4 | +7.0 | |
| Labour | Charles Mapp | 19,886 | 38.2 | -3.1 | |
| Liberal | Walter Norman Leak | 6,989 | 13.4 | -3.9 | |
| Majority | 5,258 | 10.2 | +10.1 | ||
| Turnout | 52,019 | 87.7 | +9.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 29,375 | 56.8 | +8.4 | |
| Labour | Robert Patrick Walsh | 22,300 | 43.2 | +5.0 | |
| Majority | 7,075 | 13.6 | +3.4 | ||
| Turnout | 51,675 | 83.7 | -4.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 20,697 | 59.4 | +2.6 | |
| Labour | Derek Page | 14,142 | 40.6 | -2.6 | |
| Majority | 6,555 | 18.8 | +5.2 | ||
| Turnout | 34,889 | 79.7 | -4.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 20,396 | 54.5 | -4.9 | |
| Labour | John Crawford | 12,426 | 33.2 | -7.4 | |
| Liberal | Richard Eric Lewis | 4,602 | 12.3 | New | |
| Majority | 7,970 | 21.3 | +2.5 | ||
| Turnout | 37,424 | 84.5 | +4.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1960s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 17,277 | 47.4 | -7.1 | |
| Labour | John Crawford | 12,892 | 35.3 | +2.1 | |
| Liberal | Geoff Tordoff | 6,331 | 17.3 | New | |
| Majority | 4,385 | 12.1 | -9.2 | ||
| Turnout | 36,500 | 83.0 | -1.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 16,483 | 45.1 | -2.3 | |
| Labour | Barry Jones | 15,780 | 43.1 | +7.8 | |
| Liberal | Douglas Bedford Taylor | 4,310 | 11.8 | -5.5 | |
| Majority | 703 | 2.0 | -10.1 | ||
| Turnout | 36,573 | 82.3 | -0.7 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1970s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Foster | 20,366 | 51.3 | +6.2 | |
| Labour | Alfred Bates | 15,746 | 39.6 | -3.5 | |
| Liberal | Thomas Noel Armstrong | 3,604 | 9.1 | -2.7 | |
| Majority | 4,620 | 11.7 | +9.7 | ||
| Turnout | 39,716 | 78.5 | -3.8 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 19,778 | 45.36 | ||
| Labour Co-op | S. G. Benyon | 13,485 | 30.92 | ||
| Liberal | R. Reaper | 10,344 | 23.72 | ||
| Majority | 6,293 | 14.44 | |||
| Turnout | 43,607 | 83.68 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 18,663 | 45.12 | ||
| Labour | Peter Kent | 14,053 | 33.98 | ||
| Liberal | D Reaper | 8,645 | 20.90 | ||
| Majority | 4,610 | 11.14 | |||
| Turnout | 41,361 | 78.59 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 23,201 | 52.77 | ||
| Labour | PA Kent | 14,455 | 32.88 | ||
| Liberal | G Little | 6,311 | 14.35 | ||
| Majority | 8,746 | 19.89 | |||
| Turnout | 43,967 | 80.88 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
- "'Northwich', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
- Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the people act, 1918 : with explanatory notes. University of California Libraries. London : Sweet and Maxwell.
- Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0-900178-09-4. OCLC 539011.
- British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- VERDIN, William Henry’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 1 Oct 2017
- ‘SAMSON, Charles Leopold’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 1 Oct 2017
- ‘NORTH, Brig.-Gen. Bordrigge North’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 1 Oct 2017
- British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
- British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
- F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973