Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)

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.

Darwen
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Darwen in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
1885–1983
Number of membersone
Replaced byRossendale & Darwen, Blackburn, Bolton North East and Ribble Valley[1]
Created fromNorth East Lancashire

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

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
ElectionMemberParty
1885James Gascoyne-CecilConservative
1892Charles Philip HuntingtonLiberal
1895Ald. John RutherfordConservative
Jan 1910Frederick George HindleLiberal
Dec 1910Ald. John RutherfordConservative
1922Sir Frank Bernard SandersonConservative
1923Frederick HindleLiberal
1924Sir Frank Bernard SandersonConservative
1929Sir Herbert SamuelLiberal
1935Stuart RussellConservative
1943 by-electionStanley PrescottConservative
1951Sir Charles Fletcher-CookeConservative
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Darwen[2]
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)
General election 1886: Darwen[3]
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
General election 1892: Darwen[5]
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
John Rutherford
General election 1895: Darwen[6]
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
General election 1900: Darwen[7]
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
General election 1906: Darwen[8]
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
General election January 1910: Darwen[9]
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
General election December 1910[10]
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;

General election 1918: Darwen
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
General election 1922: Darwen
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
General election 1923: Darwen
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
General election 1924: Darwen
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
Sir H. Samuel
General election 1929: Darwen
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
General election 1931: Darwen
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
General election 1935: Darwen
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stuart Russell 15,299 41.11
Liberal Herbert Samuel 14,135 37.99
Labour Frances Kerby 7,778 20.90
Majority 1,164 3.13
Turnout 37,212 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;

1943 Darwen by-election
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
General election 1945: Darwen
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
General election 1950: Darwen
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
General election 1951: Darwen
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
General election 1955: Darwen
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
General election 1959: Darwen
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
General election 1964: Darwen
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
General election 1966: Darwen
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
General election 1970: Darwen
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
General election February 1974: Darwen
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
General election October 1974: Darwen
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
General election 1979: Darwen
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

References
  1. "'Darwen', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  4. "Election Intelligence". Huddersfield Chronicle. 22 June 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  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 (Craig)
  10. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918
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