Lancaster (UK Parliament constituency)

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Lancaster
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Lancashire
1885–1997
Number of members One
Replaced by Lancaster and Wyre, Morecambe and Lunesdale, Fylde
Created from North Lancashire
1523–1867
Number of members Two
Type of constituency Borough constituency
Replaced by North Lancashire
Created from Lancashire
1295–1376
Type of constituency Borough constituency

Lancaster was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1867, centred on the historic city of Lancaster in north-west England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until the constituency was disenfranchised for corruption in 1867.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Lancaster was re-established for the 1885 general election as a county constituency. It then returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, with elections held under the first-past-the-post system. This constituency in turn was abolished when it was largely replaced by the new Lancaster and Wyre constituency for the 1997 general election.

History

Lancaster returned Members to Parliament between 1295 and 1331 but is not known to have done so again, on the grounds of the poverty of the town's burgesses, until the election of William Banester in 1523.

Representation was reduced during the protectorate: Lancaster was not represented in the Barebones Parliament and sent only one Member to the first and second Protectorate Parliaments.

The two Member constituency was disenfranchised in 1867 for corruption and representation not restored until 1885 as a one Member constituency. The constituency was finally abolished in 1997 and replaced by the constituency of Lancaster and Wyre.

Members of Parliament

Lancaster borough

1295-1640

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Parliament First member Second member
1523 William Banester  ?Lawrence Starkey [1]
1529 Lawrence Starkey Richard Southworth [1]
1536  ?
1539  ?
1542  ?
1545 Sir John Baker Sir Nicholas Hare [1]
1547 Sir Thomas Chaloner Stephen Vaughan died
and repl. by Jan 1552 by William Ward [1]
1553 (Mar) John Caryll Thomas Carus [1]
1553 (Oct) Sir Thomas Tresham Thomas Carus [1]
1554 (Apr) John Heywood George Felton [1]
1554 (Nov) Richard Baker Richard Weston [1]
1555 Thomas Carus Thomas Hungate [1]
1558 Sir Clement Heigham William Rice [1]
1559 (Jan) Sir Thomas Benger William Fleetwood[2]
1562/1563 John Hales William Fleetwood [2]
1571 Henry Sadler Miles Sandys [2]
1572 Thomas Sadler Henry Sadler [2]
1584 (Nov) Henry Sadler Thomas Gerard [2]
1586 Thomas Gerard Henry Sadler [2]
1588 Roger Dalton John Atherton [2]
1593 John Preston John Awdeley [2][3]
1597 (Oct) Sir Thomas Hesketh Edward Hubberd [2]
1601 (Oct) Sir Jerome Bowes Sir Carew Reynell [2]
1604 Sir Thomas Hesketh, died
and repl. 1605 by Sir Thomas Howard		 Thomas Fanshawe
1614 Thomas Fanshawe William Fanshawe
1621 Sir Humphrey May Thomas Fanshawe
1624 Sir Humphrey May, sat for Leicester
and repl. by John Selden		 Thomas Fanshawe
1625 Sir Humphrey May Sir Thomas Fanshawe
1626 Sir Thomas Fanshawe Thomas Jermyn
1628 Sir Thomas Fanshawe Francis Bindlosse
1629-1640 No Parliaments summoned

1640–1867

Year First member[4] First party Second member[4] Second party
April 1640 Roger Kirkby John Harrison
November 1640 Thomas Fanshawe Royalist John Harrison Royalist
September 1642 Fanshawe disabled from sitting - seat vacant
September 1643 Harrison disabled from sitting - seat vacant
1645 Thomas Fell Sir Robert Bindlosse
December 1648 Bindlosse excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant
1653 Lancaster was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 Major Henry Porter Lancaster had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656
January 1659 Henry Porter, junior Colonel William West
May 1659 Thomas Fell One seat vacant
April 1660 Sir Gilbert Gerard William West
1661 Richard Kirkby Sir John Harrison
1669 Richard Harrison
1679 William Spencer
1685 Roger Kirkby Henry Crispe
January 1689 Curwen Rawlinson Thomas Preston
November 1689 Roger Kirkby
1697 Fitton Gerard
1698 Robert Heysham
1702 Sir William Lowther
1705 William Heysham
1715 Dodding Bradyll
1716 William Heysham, junior
1722 Sir Thomas Lowther
1727 Christopher Tower
1734 Robert Fenwick
1745 Francis Reynolds
1747 Edward Marton
1758 (Sir) George Warren [5]
1773 Lord Richard Cavendish
1780 Wilson Braddyll Abraham Rawlinson
1784 Captain Francis Reynolds
1786 Sir George Warren
1790 John Dent
1796 Richard Penn
1802 Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton Whig
1806 John Fenton-Cawthorne
1807 Peter Patten
1812 John Fenton-Cawthorne Tory Gabriel Doveton Whig
1818 John Gladstone Tory
1820 John Fenton-Cawthorne Tory
1824 Thomas Greene Tory
1831 Patrick Maxwell Stewart Whig
1834 Conservative
1837 George Marton Conservative
1847 Samuel Gregson [6] Whig
1848 Robert Baynes Armstrong [7] Whig
1852 Samuel Gregson Whig
1853 Thomas Greene Conservative
1857 William James Garnett Conservative
1859 Liberal
1864 Edward Matthew Fenwick Liberal
1865 Henry William Schneider Liberal
1867 Constituency disfranchised for corruption [8]

Lancaster county constituency

1885-1997

Election Member[4] Party
1885 Constituency re-created
1885 George Marton Conservative
1886 James Williamson Liberal
1895 William Foster Conservative
1900 Norval Helme Liberal
1918 Archibald Hunter Coalition Conservative
1922 John Singleton Conservative
1923 John O'Neill Liberal
1924 Gerald Strickland Conservative
1928 by-election Robert Tomlinson Liberal
1929 Herwald Ramsbotham Conservative
1941 by-election Fitzroy Maclean Conservative
1959 Humphry Berkeley Conservative
1966 Stan Henig Labour
1970 Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman Conservative
1997 constituency abolished: see Lancaster and Wyre

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Lancaster [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Blucher Heneage Marton 4,387 55.4 n/a
Liberal J C McCoan 3,530 44.6 n/a
Majority 857 10.8 n/a
Turnout 88.3 n/a
Conservative win (new seat)
General Election 1886: Lancaster [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Williamson 3,886 51.3
Conservative George Blucher Heneage Marton 3,691 48.7
Majority 195 2.6
Turnout 84.6
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Lancaster [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Williamson 4,755 53.9
Liberal Unionist Sir T Storey 4,075 46.1
Majority 680 7.8
Turnout 88.3
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 1895: Lancaster [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Henry Foster 5,028 53.4
Liberal I S Leadam 4,394 46.6
Majority 634 6.8
Turnout
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1900s

File:Norval Helme.jpg
Norval Helme
General Election 1900: Lancaster [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Norval Watson Helme 5,113 50.2
Conservative William Henry Foster 5,069 49.8
Majority 44 0.4
Turnout
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1906: Lancaster [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Norval Watson Helme 6,524 53.6
Conservative William Henry Foster 5,640 46.4
Majority 884 7.2
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Lancaster [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Norval Watson Helme 7,132 54.1
Conservative E Russell-Taylor 6,048 45.9
Majority 1,084 8.2
Turnout 89.1
Liberal hold Swing
General Election December 1910: Lancaster [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Norval Watson Helme 6,186 50.5
Conservative Herwald Ramsbotham 6,052 49.5
Majority 116 1.0
Turnout 82.6
Liberal 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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

Archibald Hunter
General Election 1918
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist 14,403 59.6
Liberal Sir Norval Watson Helme 9,778 40.4
Majority 4,625 19.2
Turnout 65.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
  • endorsed by the Coalition Government.

Elections in the 1920s

Fenner Brockway
General Election 1922: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Edward Singleton 19,571 68.4
Labour Archibald Fenner Brockway 9,043 31.6
Majority 10,528 36.8
Turnout
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1923: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Joseph O'Neill 17,763 59.2 n/a
Unionist John Edward Singleton 12,263 40.8 -17.6
Majority 5,500 18.4 55.2
Turnout 80.0
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing n/a
Strickland
General Election 1924: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland 15,243 47.8 +7.0
Liberal John Joseph O'Neill 11,085 34.7 -24.5
Labour Harold Mostyn Watkins 5,572 17.5 +17.5
Majority 4,158 13.1 31.5
Turnout 82.9 +2.9
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +15.5
Lancaster by-election, 1928
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Parkinson Tomlinson 14,689 43.7 +8.9
Unionist Herwald Ramsbotham 12,860 38.2 -9.6
Labour Rev. David R Davies 6,101 18.1 +0.6
Majority 1,829 5.5 18.6
Turnout 82.7 -0.2
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +9.4
General Election 1929: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Herwald Ramsbotham 17,414 39.3 +1.2
Liberal Robert Parkinson Tomlinson 16,977 38.3 -5.4
Labour Reginald Penrith Burnett 9,903 22.4 +4.3
Majority 437 1.0 6.5
Turnout 83.9 +1.2
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +3.2

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Herwald Ramsbotham 32,185
Labour R Carrington-Willis 10,309
Majority 21,876
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
  • George H Bryans was adopted as Liberal candidate but in October 1931 had a heart attack and withdrew.
1935 General Election : Lancaster [17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rt Hon. Herwald Ramsbotham 26,632 53.7
Liberal Robert Parkinson Tomlinson 13,054 26.3 n/a
Labour Charles Royle 9,938 20.0
Majority 13,578 27.4
Turnout 49,624 79.0
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;

Lancaster by-election, 1941
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lt. Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean 15,783 56.9
Independent Liberal Lt-Col. William C Ross 6,551 23.6
Ind. Labour Party Archibald Fenner Brockway 5,418 19.5
Majority
Turnout 41.9
Conservative hold Swing 1.5
General Election 1945: Lancaster [17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Brig. Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean 27,090 49.42
Labour Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer 19,367 35.33
Liberal Capt. Eric Seymour Thewlis Johnson 8,357 15.25
Majority 7,723 14.09
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean 18,437 48.27 −1.2
Labour Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer 15,341 40.17 +4.84
Liberal Cllr. H Rogerson 4,416 11.56 -3.69
Majority 3,096 8.11 -5.98
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1951: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean 20,555
Labour Miss Dodo Lees 18,099
Majority 2,456
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean 19,873 56.46 +8.19
Labour Christopher S B Atlee 15,324 43.54 +3.37
Majority 4,549 12.92 +4.81
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Humphry John Berkeley 20,783 56.67 +1.21
Labour Ernest Gardner 15,255 42.33 -1.21
Majority 5,528 15.34 +2.42
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Humphry John Berkeley 18,811 53.53 -4.14
Labour Ernest Gardner 16,330 46.47 +4.14
Majority 2,481 7.06 -8.28
Turnout 79.74
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1966: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stanley Henig 18,168 52.62 +6.15
Conservative Humphry John Berkeley 16,357 47.38 -6.15
Majority 1,811 5.25
Turnout 79.17
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett 18,584 49.08 +1.7
Labour Stanley Henig 16,843 44.48 −8.1
Liberal Andrew Paton 2,436 6.43 N/A
Majority 1,741 4.60
Turnout 79.50
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election February 1974: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 17,666 43.47 −5.6
Labour David Owen 15,197 37.40 −7.1
Liberal Anthony Walstan Drury 6,898 17.0 +10.5
Independent Liberal Philip Edgar Wallace 631 1.6
Independent Geoffrey Darnton 245 0.6
Majority 2,493 6.1 +1.5
Turnout 40,637 82.45
Conservative hold Swing −5.6
General Election October 1974: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 16,540 42.61 -0.86
Labour D Owen 15,119 38.95 +1.15
Liberal Michael Mumford 7,161 18.45 +1.48
Majority 1,421 3.66 -2.42
Turnout 38,820 83.23
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 19,400 47.64 +5.03
Labour Ruth Beatrice Henig 15,174 37.27 -1.68
Liberal Michael Mumford 5,949 14.61 -3.84
BNP David F. White 196 0.48
Majority 4,266 10.38 +6.72
Turnout 40,719 79.45 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing −5.6

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1983: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 21,050 50.3 +2.7
Labour Colin Harkins 10,414 24.9 −12.4
Liberal William Booth 10,214 24.4 +9.8
Independent Stuart R. Leach 179 0.4
Majority 10,636 25.4 +15.0
Turnout 74.69 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing +7.6
General Election 1987: Lancaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 21,142 46.7 −3.6
Labour Joseph Gallacher 14,689 32.4 +7.5
Liberal Kathleen Claire Brooks 9,003 19.9 −4.5
Green Peter Frederick Ffoulkes Jones 473 1.0 n/a
Majority 6,453 14.2 −11.2
Turnout 45,307 79.17 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing −5.6

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1992: Lancaster[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dame Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman 21,084 45.6 −1.1
Labour Ruth Beatrice Henig 18,131 39.2 +6.8
Liberal Democrat John C. Humberstone 6,524 14.1 −5.8
Green Ms. Gina Dowding 433 0.9 −0.1
Natural Law Robert Barcis 83 0.2 +0.2
Majority 2,953 6.4 −7.9
Turnout 46,255 78.9 −0.3
Conservative hold Swing −3.9

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Awdeley was also elected for Stockbridge
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)[self-published source][better source needed]
  5. ↑ Knighted (KB), 1761
  6. ↑ On petition, Gregson's election was declared void and a by-election was held
  7. ↑ On petition, Armstrong's re-election in 1852 was declared void and a by-election was held
  8. ↑ Fenwick and Schneider were re-elected at the general election of 1865, but on petition their election was declared void. The constituency's writ was suspended, and a Royal Commission appointed to investigate. Following the Commission's report that it had found evidence of extensive bribery, the constituency was abolished and incorporated into the Northern Lancashire county division from the start of the next Parliament.
  9. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  11. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  12. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  13. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  14. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  15. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  16. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.

Sources

  • Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
  • D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
  • Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [2]
  • The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
  • F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
  • Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988) [3]
  • J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
  • J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
  • Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
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