Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)

Darwen
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
18851983
Number of members one
Replaced by Rossendale & Darwen, Blackburn, Bolton North East and Ribble Valley[1]
Created from North East Lancashire

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.

It was largely replaced by the new Rossendale & Darwen constituency.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Municipal Boroughs of Blackburn and Over Darwen, the Sessional Divisions of Darwen and Walton-le-Dale, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Blackburn and Clitheroe.

1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Darwen, the Urban District of Turton, and the Rural District of Blackburn.

1950-1983: The Municipal Borough of Darwen, the Urban Districts of Turton and Withnell, and the Rural District of Blackburn.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 James Gascoyne-Cecil Conservative
1892 Charles Philip Huntington Liberal
1895 Ald. John Rutherford Conservative
Jan 1910 Frederick George Hindle Liberal
Dec 1910 Ald. John Rutherford Conservative
1922 Sir Frank Bernard Sanderson Conservative
1923 Frederick Hindle Liberal
1924 Sir Frank Bernard Sanderson Conservative
1929 Sir Herbert Samuel Liberal
1935 Stuart Russell Conservative
1943 by-election Stanley Prescott Conservative
1951 Sir Charles Fletcher-Cooke Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Darwen[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 5,878 50.0 n/a
Liberal John Gerald Potter 5,873 50.0 n/a
Majority 5 0.0 n/a
Turnout 93.0 n/a
Conservative win (new seat)
General Election 1886: Darwen[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 6,085 53.2 +3.2
Liberal J Slagg 5,359 46.8 -3.2
Majority 726 6.4 +6.4
Turnout 90.6 -2.4
Conservative hold Swing +3.2

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Darwen[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Philip Huntington 6,637 50.8 +
Conservative James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, Viscount Cranborne 6,423 49.2 -
Majority 214 1.6
Turnout 94.3 +
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
John Rutherford
General Election 1895: Darwen[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Rutherford 7,058 53.2 +4.0
Liberal Charles Philip Huntington 6,217 46.8 -4.0
Majority 841 6.4 8.0
Turnout 93.4 -0.9
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +4.0

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Darwen[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Rutherford 7,228 51.7
Liberal Charles Philip Huntington 6,758 48.3
Majority 470 3.4
Turnout 91.4
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1906: Darwen[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Rutherford 7,792 50.1 -1.6
Liberal Frederick George Hindle 7,767 49.9 +1.6
Majority 25 0.2 -3.2
Turnout 94.0 +2.6
Conservative hold Swing -1.6

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Darwen[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Frederick George Hindle 8,639 50.6 +
Conservative John Rutherford 8,428 49.4 -
Majority 211 1.2
Turnout 96.2
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +
General Election December 1910[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Rutherford 8,384 50.6 +1.2
Liberal Frederick George Hindle 8,169 49.4 -1.2
Turnout 16,553 93.3 -2.9
Majority 215 1.2 2.4
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;

General Election 1918: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative 9,014 40.5
Liberal Frederick Hindle 8,031 36.1
Labour John McGurk 5,211 23.4
Majority 983 4.4
Turnout 71.3
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Frank Bernard Sanderson 12,218 42.6
Liberal Frederick Hindle 11,944 41.6
Labour John McGurk 4,528 15.8
Majority 274 1.0
Turnout 91.4
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1923: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Frederick Hindle 14,242 48.8 +7.2
Unionist Frank Bernard Sanderson 11,432 39.1 -3.5
Labour George Thompson 3,527 12.1 -6.1
Majority 2,810 9.7
Turnout 90.6 -0.8
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +5.4
General Election 1924: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir Frank Bernard 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 12.8
Turnout 92.7
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +6.4
Sir H. Samuel
General Election 1929: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Rt Hon. Sir Herbert Louis Samuel 15,714 40.9 +1.0
Unionist Sir Frank Bernard Sanderson 15,252 39.6 -3.4
Labour Thomas Ramsden 7,504 19.5 +2.4
Majority 462 1.3 4.4
Turnout 92.3
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +2.2

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Rt Hon. Sir Herbert Louis Samuel 18,923 48.85
Conservative Alan Crosland Graham 14,636 37.78
Labour Charles Rothwell 5,184 13.38
Majority 4,287 11.07
Turnout 92.18
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 1935: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Stuart Hugh Minto Russell 15,299 41.11
Liberal Rt Hon. Sir Herbert Louis Samuel 14,135 37.99
Labour Frances Kerby 7,778 20.90
Majority 1,164 3.13
Turnout 89.91
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1940s

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;

Darwen by-election, 1943
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Robert Stanley Prescott 8,869 50.2 +9.1
Independent Liberal Honor Balfour 8,799 49.8 N/A
Majority 70 0.4 2.7
Turnout 17,668 45.0 43.9
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1945
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Robert 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 82.68
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Robert Stanley Prescott 17,903 48.5
Labour Ronald Haines 13,334 36.1
Liberal James Booth 5,656 15.3
Majority 4,569 12.4
Turnout 89.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1951: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 17,785 48.6
Labour Ronald Haines 14,605 39.9
Liberal Roy Francis Leslie 4,236 11.6
Majority 3,180 8.7
Turnout 88.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 26,729 58.7
Labour Ronald Haines 18,813 41.3
Majority 7,916 17.4
Turnout 82.3
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 27,483 59.0
Labour Joseph Trevor Park 19,141 41.0
Majority 8,342 17.9
Turnout 84.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 20,343 41.9
Labour George Robert Cryer 15,559 32.0
Liberal Stephen C. Holt 12,641 26.0
Majority 4,784 9.9
Turnout 48,543 83.7
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1966: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 20,598 42.2
Labour Brian Whittam 18,863 38.6
Liberal Stephen C. Holt 9,339 19.1
Majority 1,735 3.6
Turnout 48,800 82.6
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 26,728 52.4
Labour Brian Whittam 17,634 34.6
Liberal Alan Cooper 6,663 13.1
Majority 9,094 17.8
Turnout 76.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 25,495 44.9
Labour Dale Campbell-Savours 16,185 28.5
Liberal Alan Cooper 15,060 26.5
Majority 9,310 16.4
Turnout 81.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 23,577 43.6
Labour Dale Campbell-Savours 17,926 33.2
Liberal Alan Cooper 12,572 23.3
Majority 5,651 10.4
Turnout 76.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 30,789 52.6
Labour Louise Joyce Ellman 17,763 30.4
Liberal Alan Cooper 9,928 17.0
Majority 13,026 22.3
Turnout 78.0
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References

  1. "'Darwen', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  4. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  5. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  7. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  8. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
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