Darwen | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Darwen in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983 | |
1885–1983 | |
Seats | one |
Created from | North East Lancashire |
Replaced by | Rossendale & Darwen, Blackburn, Bolton North East and Ribble Valley[1] |
Darwen was a county constituency in Lancashire, centred on the town of Darwen. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.
During the 1920s, the constituency was a fiercely contested marginal between the Liberal and Conservative Parties, with the sitting MP defeated at each election. At the 1924 general election, it saw a 92.7% turnout, a record for an English constituency. Following the defeat of Liberal leader Sir Herbert Samuel in 1935, the seat became a safe Conservative seat for the remainder of its existence.
It was largely replaced by the new Rossendale & Darwen constituency.
Boundaries
[edit]1885–1918: The Boroughs of Over Darwen and Blackburn, the Sessional Divisions of Darwen and Walton-le-Dale, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Blackburn and Clitheroe.
1918–1950: The Borough of Darwen, the Urban District of Turton, and the Rural District of Blackburn.
1950–1955: The Borough of Darwen, the Urban Districts of Turton and Withnell, and the Rural District of Blackburn. Withnell Urban District was added from the pre-1950 Chorley constituency.
1955–1983: The St. Andrew's, St. Francis's and St. Mark's wards of the County Borough of Blackburn, the Borough of Darwen, the Urban District of Turton, and the Rural District of Blackburn.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election results
[edit]Elections in the 1880s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Gascoyne-Cecil | 5,878 | 50.0 | ||
Liberal | John Gerald Potter | 5,873 | 50.0 | ||
Majority | 5 | 0.0 | |||
Turnout | 11,751 | 93.0 | |||
Registered electors | 12,629 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Gascoyne-Cecil | 6,085 | 53.2 | +3.2 | |
Liberal | John Slagg[4] | 5,359 | 46.8 | −3.2 | |
Majority | 726 | 6.4 | +6.4 | ||
Turnout | 11,444 | 90.6 | −2.4 | ||
Registered electors | 12,629 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 |
Elections in the 1890s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Charles Huntington | 6,637 | 50.8 | +4.0 | |
Conservative | James Gascoyne-Cecil | 6,423 | 49.2 | −4.0 | |
Majority | 214 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,060 | 94.3 | +3.7 | ||
Registered electors | 13,844 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.0 |
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Sir_John_Rutherford%2C_1st_Baronet.jpg/120px-Sir_John_Rutherford%2C_1st_Baronet.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Rutherford | 7,058 | 53.2 | +4.0 | |
Liberal | Charles Huntington | 6,217 | 46.8 | −4.0 | |
Majority | 841 | 6.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,275 | 93.4 | −0.9 | ||
Registered electors | 14,220 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +4.0 |
Elections in the 1900s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Rutherford | 7,228 | 51.7 | −1.5 | |
Liberal | Charles Huntington | 6,758 | 48.3 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 470 | 3.4 | −3.0 | ||
Turnout | 13,986 | 91.4 | −2.0 | ||
Registered electors | 15,308 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −1.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Rutherford | 7,792 | 50.1 | −1.6 | |
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 7,767 | 49.9 | +1.6 | |
Majority | 25 | 0.2 | −3.2 | ||
Turnout | 15,559 | 94.0 | +2.6 | ||
Registered electors | 16,544 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -1.6 |
Elections in the 1910s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 8,639 | 50.6 | +0.7 | |
Conservative | John Rutherford | 8,428 | 49.4 | −0.7 | |
Majority | 211 | 1.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 17,067 | 96.2 | +2.2 | ||
Registered electors | 17,734 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Rutherford | 8,384 | 50.6 | +1.2 | |
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 8,169 | 49.4 | −1.2 | |
Majority | 215 | 1.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 16,553 | 93.3 | −2.9 | ||
Registered electors | 17,734 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.2 |
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 and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
- Unionist: John Rutherford
- Liberal: Frederick Hindle
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | John Rutherford | 9,014 | 40.5 | −10.1 |
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 8,031 | 36.1 | −13.3 | |
Labour | John McGurk | 5,211 | 23.4 | New | |
Majority | 983 | 4.4 | +3.2 | ||
Turnout | 22,256 | 71.3 | −22.0 | ||
Registered electors | 31,203 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | +1.6 | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Frank Sanderson | 12,218 | 42.6 | +2.1 | |
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 11,944 | 41.6 | +5.5 | |
Labour | John McGurk | 4,528 | 15.8 | −7.6 | |
Majority | 274 | 1.0 | −3.4 | ||
Turnout | 28,690 | 91.4 | +20.1 | ||
Registered electors | 31,379 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 14,242 | 48.8 | +7.2 | |
Unionist | Frank Sanderson | 11,432 | 39.1 | −3.5 | |
Labour | George Thompson | 3,527 | 12.1 | −3.7 | |
Majority | 2,810 | 9.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,201 | 90.6 | −0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 32,220 | ||||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Frank Sanderson | 13,017 | 43.0 | +3.9 | |
Liberal | Frederick Hindle | 12,082 | 39.9 | −8.9 | |
Labour | Thomas Ramsden | 5,188 | 17.1 | +5.0 | |
Majority | 935 | 3.1 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 30,287 | 92.7 | +2.1 | ||
Registered electors | 32,671 | ||||
Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +6.4 |
![](Https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8d/Herbert_Samuel.jpg/120px-Herbert_Samuel.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Herbert Samuel | 15,714 | 40.9 | +1.0 | |
Unionist | Frank Sanderson | 15,252 | 39.6 | −3.4 | |
Labour | Thomas Ramsden | 7,504 | 19.5 | +2.4 | |
Majority | 462 | 1.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 38,470 | 92.3 | −0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 41,664 | ||||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +2.2 |
Elections in the 1930s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Herbert Samuel | 18,923 | 48.85 | ||
Conservative | Alan Graham | 14,636 | 37.78 | ||
Labour | Charles Rothwell | 5,184 | 13.38 | ||
Majority | 4,287 | 11.07 | |||
Turnout | 38,743 | 92.18 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stuart Russell | 15,292 | 41.11 | ||
Liberal | Herbert Samuel | 14,135 | 37.99 | ||
Labour | Frances Kerby | 7,778 | 20.90 | ||
Majority | 1,157 | 3.13 | |||
Turnout | 37,212 | 89.91 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing |
Elections in the 1940s
[edit]A General election was due to take place before the end of 1940, but was postponed due to the Second World War. By 1939, the following candidates had been selected to contest this constituency;
- Conservative: Stuart Russell
- Liberal: Phillip Rea
- Labour: Ronald Haines
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stanley Prescott | 8,869 | 50.2 | +9.1 | |
Independent Liberal | Honor Balfour | 8,799 | 49.8 | New | |
Majority | 70 | 0.4 | −2.7 | ||
Turnout | 17,668 | 45.0 | −43.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stanley Prescott | 13,623 | 41.43 | ||
Labour | Ronald Haines | 11,282 | 34.31 | ||
Liberal | Honor Balfour | 7,979 | 24.26 | ||
Majority | 2,341 | 7.12 | |||
Turnout | 32,884 | 82.68 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1950s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stanley Prescott | 17,903 | 48.5 | +7.1 | |
Labour | Ronald Haines | 13,334 | 36.1 | +1.8 | |
Liberal | James Booth | 5,656 | 15.3 | −9.0 | |
Majority | 4,569 | 12.4 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 36,893 | 89.6 | +6.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 17,785 | 48.6 | +0.1 | |
Labour | Ronald Haines | 14,605 | 39.9 | +3.8 | |
Liberal | Roy Francis Leslie | 4,236 | 11.6 | −3.7 | |
Majority | 3,180 | 8.7 | −3.7 | ||
Turnout | 36,626 | 88.6 | −1.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 26,729 | 58.7 | +10.1 | |
Labour | Ronald Haines | 18,813 | 41.3 | +1.4 | |
Majority | 7,916 | 17.4 | +8.7 | ||
Turnout | 45,542 | 82.3 | −6.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 27,483 | 59.0 | +0.3 | |
Labour | Trevor Park | 19,141 | 41.0 | −1.3 | |
Majority | 8,342 | 18.0 | +0.6 | ||
Turnout | 46,624 | 84.1 | +1.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 20,343 | 41.9 | −17.1 | |
Labour | Bob Cryer | 15,559 | 32.0 | −9.0 | |
Liberal | Stephen C. Holt | 12,641 | 26.0 | New | |
Majority | 4,784 | 9.9 | −8.0 | ||
Turnout | 48,543 | 83.7 | −0.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 20,598 | 42.2 | +0.3 | |
Labour | Brian Whittam | 18,863 | 38.6 | +6.6 | |
Liberal | Stephen C. Holt | 9,339 | 19.1 | −6.9 | |
Majority | 1,735 | 3.6 | −6.3 | ||
Turnout | 48,800 | 82.6 | −1.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 26,728 | 52.4 | +10.2 | |
Labour | Brian Whittam | 17,634 | 34.6 | −4.0 | |
Liberal | Alan Cooper | 6,663 | 13.1 | −6.0 | |
Majority | 9,094 | 17.8 | +14.2 | ||
Turnout | 51,025 | 76.6 | −6.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 25,495 | 44.9 | −7.5 | |
Labour | Dale Campbell-Savours | 16,185 | 28.5 | −6.1 | |
Liberal | Alan Cooper | 15,060 | 26.5 | +13.4 | |
Majority | 9,310 | 16.4 | −1.4 | ||
Turnout | 56,740 | 81.0 | +4.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 23,577 | 43.6 | −1.3 | |
Labour | Dale Campbell-Savours | 17,926 | 33.2 | +4.7 | |
Liberal | Alan Cooper | 12,572 | 23.3 | −3.2 | |
Majority | 5,651 | 10.4 | −6.0 | ||
Turnout | 54,075 | 76.6 | −4.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Fletcher-Cooke | 30,789 | 52.6 | +9.0 | |
Labour | Louise Ellman | 17,763 | 30.4 | −2.8 | |
Liberal | Alan Cooper | 9,928 | 17.0 | −6.3 | |
Majority | 13,026 | 22.3 | +11.9 | ||
Turnout | 58,480 | 78.0 | +1.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "'Darwen', Feb 1974 – May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ "Election Intelligence". Huddersfield Chronicle. 22 June 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918