Heywood (UK Parliament constituency)

Heywood was a county constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[1] Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, it was represented by one Member of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1918.[2]

Heywood
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of membersone
Replaced byHeywood and Radcliffe
Created fromSouth East Lancashire

Boundaries and History

This area had previously been represented as part of the South East Lancashire multi-seat division. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the former constituency into eight new single-member seats, one of which was designated South-East Lancashire, Heywood Division.[3]

The constituency comprised the Municipal Borough of Heywood, the cotton town of Ramsbottom, and a number of surrounding townships, namely: Ainsworth, Ashworth, Pilkington, Tottington Higher End and the rural part of the parish of Spotland.[4]

The constituency was mostly industrial but it included some agriculture. The town of Heywood was the most Liberal part of the constituency, having an engineering-based economy; Ramsbottom was more marginal politically. The countryside element of the constituency was Conservative inclined. Overall the division was Liberal 1885–1895, Liberal Unionist 1895–1904 and after a change of allegiance by the sitting MP was Liberal again from 1904 until the constituency was abolished in 1918.

The constituency adjoined Westhoughton to the west, Rossendale to the north, Middleton and Rochdale to the east as well as Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth, Bury, and another part of the Middleton constituency to the south.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 abolished this constituency. The successor seat was Heywood and Radcliffe.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885Isaac HoyleLiberal
1892Thomas SnapeLiberal
1895George KempLiberal Unionist
1904Liberal
1906Sir Edward Holden, BtLiberal
Jan 1910Harold Thomas CawleyLiberal
1915 by-electionAlbert IllingworthLiberal
1918 constituency abolished: see Heywood and Radcliffe

Elections

Elections in the 1880s
Kenyon
General election 1885: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Isaac Hoyle 4,538 53.4
Conservative James Kenyon 3,955 46.6
Majority 583 6.8
Turnout 8,493 91.6
Registered electors 9,269
Liberal win (new seat)
Lawson
General election 1886: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Isaac Hoyle 4,206 52.8 -0.6
Conservative John Lawson 3,762 47.2 +0.6
Majority 444 5.6 -1.2
Turnout 7,968 86.0 -5.6
Registered electors 9,269
Liberal hold Swing -0.6

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Snape 4,366 53.8 +1.0
Liberal Unionist Sir Henry Hayes Lawrence, 2nd Baronet 3,745 46.2 -1.0
Majority 621 7.6 +2.0
Turnout 8,111 87.7 +1.7
Registered electors 9,251
Liberal hold Swing +1.0
Kemp
General election 1895: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist George Kemp 4,489 53.3 +7.1
Liberal Thomas Snape 3,933 46.7 -7.1
Majority 556 6.6 N/A
Turnout 8,422 90.2 +2.5
Registered electors 9,334
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +7.1

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist George Kemp 4,657 51.2 −2.1
Liberal Edward Holden 4,431 48.8 +2.1
Majority 226 2.4 −4.2
Turnout 9,088 90.7 +0.5
Registered electors 10,022
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -2.1
Holden
General election 1906: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Holden 5,351 55.8 +7.0
Liberal Unionist Mervyn Manningham-Buller 4,245 44.2 −7.0
Majority 1,106 11.6 N/A
Turnout 9,596 91.7 +1.0
Registered electors 10,463
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +7.0

Elections in the 1910s
Cawley
General election January 1910: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold Thomas Cawley 5,809 55.0 -0.8
Conservative Mervyn Manningham-Buller 4,750 45.0 +0.8
Majority 1,059 10.0 -1.6
Turnout 10,559 93.1 +1.4
Liberal hold Swing -0.8
General election December 1910: Heywood [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold Thomas Cawley 5,430 53.9 -1.1
Conservative Robert A L Hutchinson 4,641 46.1 +1.1
Majority 789 7.8 -2.2
Turnout 10,071 88.8 -4.3
Liberal hold Swing -1.1

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;

Illingworth
1915 Heywood by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Albert Holden Illingworth Unopposed
Liberal hold

References
  1. "Parliamentary Constituencies and their registers since 1832" (PDF). British Library.
  2. Water-supply Paper. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1931.
  3. Schedule 7: Counties at Large, Number of Members and Names and Contents of Divisions, Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885 (C.23)
  4. F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London, 1991
  5. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  6. Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser 18 May 1914

Sources
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 3)
  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
  • Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910. by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
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