1911 Bristol East by-election

A by-election was held in Bristol East constituency in 1911 to fill a vacancy in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Vacancy

Rt Hon. Charles Hobhouse had been Liberal MP for Bristol East since 1900. In October 1911 he was made a member of Asquith's cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and in accordance with the practice at the time, was required to resign his seat and seek re-election.[1]

Electoral history
General election December 1910: Bristol East[2] Electorate 14,938
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Hobhouse 7,229 62.9
Conservative Patrick Hannon 4,263 37.1
Majority 2,966 25.8
Turnout 11,492 76.9
Liberal hold Swing

Candidates

Given that this seat had been Liberal since it was created in 1885, it was not surprising that the Conservatives did not contest the seat. Walter Moore stood as an Independent.

Result

There was a collapse in voter turnout, perhaps due to the absence of an official Unionist candidate. Despite this, the Liberal share of the vote remained static;

By-Election 3 November 1911: Bristol East[3] Electorate 14,951
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Hobhouse 4,913 62.8 -0.1
Independent Walter Moore 2,913 37.2 New
Majority 2,000 25.6 -0.2
Turnout 7,826 52.3 -24.6
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Aftermath

A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election;

Due to the outbreak of war, the election did not take place until 1918;

General election 14 December 1918: Bristol East[4] Electorate 33,679
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Liberal *George Bryant Britton 9,434 49.6 New
Labour Luke H Bateman 8,135 42.8 New
Liberal Charles Hobhouse 1,447 7.6 -55.2
Majority 1,299 6.8 N/A
Turnout 19,016 56.5 +4.2
Coalition Liberal gain from Liberal Swing N/A
  • Britton was the endorsed candidate of the Coalition Government.

References
  1. Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com
  2. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
  3. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
  4. Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
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