Darwen (UK Parliament constituency)

Last updated

Darwen
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Darwen1974Constituency.svg
Darwen in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983
1885–1983
Seatsone
Created from North East Lancashire
Replaced by Rossendale & Darwen, Blackburn, Bolton North East and Ribble Valley [1]

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.

Contents

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
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]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative James Gascoyne-Cecil 5,878 50.0
Liberal John Gerald Potter 5,87350.0
Majority50.0
Turnout 11,75193.0
Registered electors 12,629
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Darwen [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative James Gascoyne-Cecil 6,085 53.2 +3.2
Liberal John Slagg [4] 5,35946.8-3.2
Majority7266.4+6.4
Turnout 11,44490.6-2.4
Registered electors 12,629
Conservative hold Swing +3.2

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Darwen [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Charles Huntington 6,637 50.8 +4.0
Conservative James Gascoyne-Cecil 6,42349.2−4.0
Majority2141.6N/A
Turnout 13,06094.3+3.7
Registered electors 13,844
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +4.0
John Rutherford Sir John Rutherford, 1st Baronet.jpg
John Rutherford
General election 1895: Darwen [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Rutherford 7,058 53.2 +4.0
Liberal Charles Huntington 6,21746.8-4.0
Majority8416.4N/A
Turnout 13,27593.4-0.9
Registered electors 14,220
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +4.0

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Darwen [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Rutherford 7,228 51.7 −1.5
Liberal Charles Huntington 6,75848.3+1.5
Majority4703.4−3.0
Turnout 13,98691.4−2.0
Registered electors 15,308
Conservative hold Swing −1.5
General election 1906: Darwen [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Rutherford 7,792 50.1 -1.6
Liberal Frederick Hindle 7,76749.9+1.6
Majority250.2-3.2
Turnout 15,55994.0+2.6
Registered electors 16,544
Conservative hold Swing -1.6

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Darwen [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Frederick Hindle 8,639 50.6 +0.7
Conservative John Rutherford 8,42849.4−0.7
Majority2111.2N/A
Turnout 17,06796.2+2.2
Registered electors 17,734
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +0.7
General election December 1910:Darwen [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Rutherford 8,384 50.6 +1.2
Liberal Frederick Hindle 8,16949.4-1.2
Majority2151.2N/A
Turnout 16,55393.3-2.9
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
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
C Unionist John Rutherford 9,01440.5−10.1
Liberal Frederick Hindle 8,03136.1−13.3
Labour John McGurk 5,21123.4New
Majority9834.4+3.2
Turnout 22,25671.3−22.0
Registered electors 31,203
Unionist hold Swing +1.6
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Frank Sanderson 12,218 42.6 +2.1
Liberal Frederick Hindle 11,94441.6+5.5
Labour John McGurk 4,52815.8−7.6
Majority2741.0−3.4
Turnout 28,69091.4+20.1
Registered electors 31,379
Unionist hold Swing −1.7
General election 1923: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Frederick Hindle 14,242 48.8 +7.2
Unionist Frank Sanderson 11,43239.1−3.5
Labour George Thompson3,52712.1−3.7
Majority2,8109.7N/A
Turnout 29,20190.6−0.8
Registered electors 32,220
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +5.4
General election 1924: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Unionist Frank Sanderson 13,017 43.0 +3.9
Liberal Frederick Hindle 12,08239.9−8.9
Labour Thomas Ramsden5,18817.1+5.0
Majority9353.1N/A
Turnout 30,28792.7+2.1
Registered electors 32,671
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +6.4
Sir H. Samuel Herbert Samuel.jpg
Sir H. Samuel
General election 1929: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Herbert Samuel 15,714 40.9 +1.0
Unionist Frank Sanderson 15,25239.6−3.4
Labour Thomas Ramsden7,50419.5+2.4
Majority4621.3N/A
Turnout 38,47092.3−0.4
Registered electors 41,664
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +2.2

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Herbert Samuel 18,92348.85
Conservative Alan Graham 14,63637.78
Labour Charles Rothwell5,18413.38
Majority4,28711.07
Turnout 38,74392.18
Liberal hold Swing
General election 1935: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stuart Russell 15,29241.11
Liberal Herbert Samuel 14,13537.99
Labour Frances Kerby 7,77820.90
Majority1,1573.13
Turnout 37,21289.91
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
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stanley Prescott 8,869 50.2 +9.1
Independent Liberal Honor Balfour 8,79949.8New
Majority700.4−2.7
Turnout 17,66845.0−43.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1945: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stanley Prescott 13,62341.43
Labour Ronald Haines11,28234.31
Liberal Honor Balfour 7,97924.26
Majority2,3417.12
Turnout 32,88482.68
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Stanley Prescott 17,903 48.5 +7.1
Labour Ronald Haines13,33436.1+1.8
Liberal James Booth 5,65615.3-9.0
Majority4,56912.4+5.3
Turnout 36,89389.6+6.9
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 17,785 48.6 +0.1
Labour Ronald Haines14,60539.9+3.8
Liberal Roy Francis Leslie4,23611.6-3.7
Majority3,1808.7-3.7
Turnout 36,62688.6-1.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 26,729 58.7 +10.1
Labour Ronald Haines18,81341.3+1.4
Majority7,91617.4+8.7
Turnout 45,54282.3-6.3
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 27,483 59.0 +0.3
Labour Trevor Park 19,14141.0-1.3
Majority8,34218.0+0.6
Turnout 46,62484.1+1.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 20,343 41.9 -17.1
Labour Bob Cryer 15,55932.0-9.0
Liberal Stephen C. Holt12,64126.0New
Majority4,7849.9-8.0
Turnout 48,54383.7-0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 20,598 42.2 +0.3
Labour Brian Whittam18,86338.6+6.6
Liberal Stephen C. Holt9,33919.1-6.9
Majority1,7353.6-6.3
Turnout 48,80082.6-1.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 26,728 52.4 +10.2
Labour Brian Whittam17,63434.6-4.0
Liberal Alan Cooper6,66313.1-6.0
Majority9,09417.8+14.2
Turnout 51,02576.6-6.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 25,495 44.9 -7.5
Labour Dale Campbell-Savours 16,18528.5-6.1
Liberal Alan Cooper15,06026.5+13.4
Majority9,31016.4-1.4
Turnout 56,74081.0+4.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 23,577 43.6 -1.3
Labour Dale Campbell-Savours 17,92633.2+4.7
Liberal Alan Cooper12,57223.3-3.2
Majority5,65110.4-6.0
Turnout 54,07576.6-4.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Darwen
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Fletcher-Cooke 30,789 52.6 +9.0
Labour Louise Ellman 17,76330.4-2.8
Liberal Alan Cooper9,92817.0-6.3
Majority13,02622.3+11.9
Turnout 58,48078.0+1.4
Conservative hold Swing

See also

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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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