Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)

Bermondsey was a borough constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London, England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first-past-the-post voting system.

For the current constituency, see Bermondsey and Old Southwark (UK Parliament constituency).
Bermondsey
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Bermondsey in London 1885-1918
Bermondsey in London 1950-74
1885–1918
Number of membersone
Replaced byBermondsey West and Rotherhithe
Created fromSouthwark
1950–1983
Replaced bySouthwark and Bermondsey
Created fromBermondsey West and Rotherhithe

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1918 general election, when almost all its territory was represented by the new Bermondsey West and a very small amount going into the existing Rotherhithe constituency.

A new Bermondsey constituency was created for the 1950 general election including Rotherhithe, was and abolished for the 1983 election, when it was largely replaced by the new Southwark and Bermondsey constituency.

History

The 1983 by-election was one of the most bitterly contested by-elections in the United Kingdom as it involved Bob Mellish, the retired Labour MP, running a highly personal and homophobic campaign against the Labour candidate, Peter Tatchell. The result was the election of Simon Hughes as a Liberal in a former Labour stronghold.

Boundaries

1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Bermondsey.

1974–1983: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Abbey, Bricklayers, Browning, Cathedral, Chaucer, Dockyard, Riverside, and Rotherhithe.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1918
Election Member[1] Party[2]
1885Thorold RogersLiberal
1886Alfred LafoneConservative
1892Reuben BarrowLiberal
1895Alfred LafoneConservative
1900Henry CustConservative
1906George CooperLiberal
1909 by-electionJohn DumphreysConservative
1910Harold GlanvilleLiberal
1918 Constituency abolished: see Rotherhithe and Bermondsey West

MPs 1950–1983
ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1950Bob MellishLabourLabour Chief Whip 1969-1976. Resigned November 1982
1983 by-electionSimon HughesLiberal
1983 constituency abolished: see Southwark and Bermondsey

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thorold Rogers 3,469 50.6
Conservative Alfred Lafone 3,386 49.4
Majority 83 1.2
Turnout 6,855 72.7
Registered electors 9,433
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Lafone 3,356 52.8 +3.4
Liberal Thorold Rogers 2,998 47.2 −3.4
Majority 358 5.6 N/A
Turnout 6,354 67.4 −5.3
Registered electors 9,433
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.4

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Reuben Barrow 4,390 54.1 +6.9
Conservative Alfred Lafone 3,732 45.9 −6.9
Majority 658 8.2 N/A
Turnout 8,122 75.9 +8.5
Registered electors 10,702
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +6.9
General election 1895[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Lafone 4,182 52.2 +6.3
Liberal Reuben Barrow 3,822 47.8 −6.3
Majority 360 4.4 N/A
Turnout 8,004 73.2 −2.7
Registered electors 10,935
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.3

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Cust 4,017 51.9 −0.3
Liberal John William Benn 3,717 48.1 +0.3
Majority 300 3.8 −0.6
Turnout 7,734 69.0 −4.2
Registered electors 11,211
Conservative hold Swing −0.3
George Cooper
General election January 1906[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Cooper 4,775 61.3 +13.2
Conservative Henry Cust 3,016 38.7 −13.2
Majority 1,759 22.6 N/A
Turnout 7,791 73.4 +4.4
Registered electors 10,619
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.2
Spencer Hughes
1909 Bermondsey by-election[4][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Dumphreys 4,278 47.5 +8.8
Liberal Spencer Leigh Hughes 3,291 36.6 −24.7
Labour Alfred Salter 1,435 15.9 New
Majority 987 10.9 N/A
Turnout 9,004 73.6 +0.2
Registered electors 12,233
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +16.8

Elections in the 1910s
Harold Glanville
General election January 1910[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold Glanville 5,477 54.9 −6.4
Conservative John Dumphreys 4,508 45.1 +6.4
Majority 969 9.8 −12.8
Turnout 9,985 82.4 +9.0
Registered electors 12,115
Liberal hold Swing −6.4
General election December 1910[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold Glanville 4,911 57.1 +2.2
Conservative John Dumphreys 3,695 42.9 −2.2
Majority 1,216 14.2 +4.4
Turnout 8,606 71.0 −11.4
Registered electors 12,115
Liberal hold Swing +2.2
Bermondsey historical election results

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Bermondsey[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 26,018 76.9
Conservative F Warwick 5,964 17.6
Liberal Bridget Elizabeth Talbot 1,852 5.5
Majority 20,054 59.3
Turnout 33,834 79.7
Labour win (new seat)
General election 1951: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 26,267 78.85 +1.95
Conservative Ralph Manders 5,265 15.81 -1.79
Liberal Harry Wilson 1,779 5.34 -0.16
Majority 21,002 63.04 +3.74
Turnout 33,311 78.22 -1.48
Labour hold Swing +1.87
General election 1955: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 21,709 76.75 -2.10
Conservative Catherine Orr-Ewing 4,309 15.23 -0.58
Liberal Harry Wilson 1,554 5.49 +0.15
Ind. Labour Party H Birkett 715 2.53 New
Majority 17,400 61.52 -1.52
Turnout 28,287 69.51 -8.51
Labour hold Swing -1.34
General election 1959: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 20,528 76.84 +0.09
Conservative Kenneth Payne 6,187 23.16 +7.93
Majority 14,341 53.68 -7.84
Turnout 27,715 70.45 +0.94
Labour hold Swing +4.01

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 17,481 79.28 +2.44
Conservative Jeremy GLM Porter 4,568 20.72 -2.44
Majority 12,913 58.56 +4.88
Turnout 22,049 63.28 -7.17
Labour hold Swing +2.44
General election 1966: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 16,605 80.63 +1.35
Conservative Jeremy GLM Porter 3,990 19.37 -1.35
Majority 12,615 61.25 -2.03
Turnout 20,095 60.91 -2.37
Labour hold Swing +1.35

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 13,908 76.92 -3.71
Conservative George HJ Nicholson 4,172 23.08 +3.71
Majority 9,736 53.84 -7.4
Turnout 18,090 52.91 -8.00
Labour hold Swing +3.71
General election February 1974: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 24,847 68.62 -8.30
Conservative Howard Flight 6,126 16.92 -6.16
Liberal C Hewittson 3,751 10.36 New
National Front G Davey 1,485 4.10 New
Majority 18,721 51.70 -1.21
Turnout 32,706 65.95 +13.04
Labour hold Swing +7.73
General election October 1974: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 22,875 73.37 +4.45
Conservative Howard Flight 4,294 13.77 -3.15
Liberal Thomas Taylor 2,520 8.08 -2.28
National Front G Davey 1,488 4.77 +0.67
Majority 18,581 59.60 +5.90
Turnout 31,177 56.42
Labour hold Swing +3.80
General election 1979: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Mellish 19,338 63.6 −9.8
Conservative Alexander Duma 7,582 24.9 +11.1
Liberal Thomas Taylor 2,072 6.8 −1.3
National Front James Sneath 1,175 3.9 −0.9
Workers Revolutionary Anthony Moore 239 0.8 New
Majority 11,756 38.7 −20.9
Turnout 30,406 59.3 -2.9
Labour hold Swing −10.5

Elections in the 1980s
1983 Bermondsey by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Simon Hughes 17,017 57.7 +50.9
Labour Peter Tatchell 7,698 26.1 −37.5
Real Bermondsey Labour John O'Grady 2,243 7.6 New
Conservative Robert Hughes 1,631 5.5 −19.4
National Front James Sneath 426 1.4 −2.5
Monster Raving Loony David Sutch 97 0.3 New
Independent Patriot Jane Birdwood 69 0.2 New
New Britain Michael Keulemans 62 0.2 New
Independent Labour Barry Giddings 50 0.2 New
Communist Robert Gordon 50 0.2 New
Ecology George Hannah 45 0.2 New
Revolutionary Communist Fran Eden 38 0.1 New
National Labour Party Ann King 25 0.1 New
United Democratic Party Alan Baker 15 0.1 New
Anti-Common Market Free Trade Party David Wedgwood 15 0.1 New
Systems Designer Esmond Bevan 8 0.0 New
Majority 9,319 31.6 N/A
Turnout 29,489 57.7 −1.6
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +44.2

Note: Esmond Bevan made a mistake and inserted his occupation rather than politics in the nomination paper. He was an Independent Labour candidate.

References
  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
  2. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 47. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  3. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  4. Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12357, 30 October 1909, Page 5
  5. British parliamentary election results 1950-1970, Craig, F.W.S.

Sources
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