Wells | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | Somerset |
Electorate | 79,989 (December 2010) [1] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1885 |
Member of Parliament | James Heappey (Conservative) |
Seats | One |
Created from | Mid Somerset and East Somerset |
1295–1868 | |
Seats | Two |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Replaced by | Mid Somerset |
Wells is a constituency [n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by James Heappey of the Conservative Party. [n 2]
Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be abolished and most of it will be transferred to the new constituency of Wells and Mendip Hills , to be first contested at the 2024 general election. [2]
The original two-member borough constituency was created in 1295, and abolished by the Reform Act 1867 with effect from the 1868 general election. Its revival saw a more comparable size of electorate across the country and across Somerset, with a large swathe of the county covered by this new seat, under the plans of the third Reform Act and the connected Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which was enacted the following year.
The seat was largely Conservative-held during the 20th century and has never elected a Labour MP. The only other political party to have been represented is the Liberal Democrats or their predecessor, the Liberal Party, who achieved a marginal victory in 2010, see marginal seat.
Sir William Hayter was chief government whip of the Commons under three Liberal Prime Ministers governing from the Lords, (Lord John) Russell, Aberdeen and Palmerston.
So too in this role was Lord Hylton from 1916 to 1922 alongside the Lord Colebrooke in the Conservative-Liberal National coalition.
Robert Sanders was Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons, 1918–1919, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, 1922–1924.
Robert Boscawen was a government whip (1988–1989).
David Heathcoat-Amory was Minister for Europe (1993–1994) and later a Shadow Cabinet member (1997–2001).
1885-1918: The Borough of Wells, and the Sessional Divisions of Axbridge and Wells (except the parish of Binegar).
1918-1950: The Boroughs of Glastonbury and Wells, the Urban Districts of Shepton Mallet and Street, the Rural Districts of Shepton Mallet, Wells, and Wincanton, and in the Rural District of Frome the parishes of Cloford, Marston Bigot, Nunney, Wanstrow, Whatley, and Witharn Friary.
1950-1983: The Boroughs of Glastonbury and Wells, the Urban Districts of Frome, Shepton Mallet, and Street, and the Rural Districts of Frome, Shepton Mallet, Wells, and Wincanton.
1983-2010: The District of Mendip wards of Ashwick, Avalon, Chilcompton and Ston Easton, Ebbor, Glastonbury St Benedict's, Glastonbury St Edmund's, Glastonbury St John's, Glastonbury St Mary's, Moor, Nedge, Pylcombe, Rodney, Sheppey, Shepton Mallet, Street North, Street South, Wells Central, Wells St Cuthbert's, and Wells St Thomas, and the District of Sedgemoor wards of Axbridge, Axe Vale, Berrow, Brent, Burnham North, Burnham South, Cheddar, Highbridge, Mark, Shipham, and Wedmore.
2010–present: The District of Mendip wards of Ashwick and Ston Easton, Avalon, Chilcompton, Glastonbury St Benedict's, Glastonbury St Edmund's, Glastonbury St John's, Glastonbury St Mary's, Knowle, Moor, Nedge, Pylcombe, Rodney and Priddy, St Cuthbert Out North and West, Shepton East, Shepton West, Street North, Street South, Street West, Wells Central, Wells St Cuthbert's, and Wells St Thomas, and the District of Sedgemoor wards of Axbridge, Axe Vale, Berrow, Brent North, Burnham North, Burnham South, Cheddar and Shipham, Highbridge, Knoll, and Wedmore and Mark.
Aside from energy, transportation, retail, and distribution which are major sectors, agriculture and tourism are still important areas to this central and quite quintessential part of Somerset which includes the coastal resort of Burnham-on-Sea, the city of Wells with its cathedral, and notable natural landmarks such as the Cheddar Gorge and Glastonbury Tor. The site of the Glastonbury Festival also lies within this seat, causing a major influx of visitors in late June. The founder of the festival, Michael Eavis, stood as the Labour candidate for the 1997 election, receiving 10,204 votes, the highest for Labour since 1974.
Workless claimants who were registered jobseekers were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.1% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . [3]
Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1832 | Norman Lamont | Whig [8] | John Lee Lee | Whig [8] | ||
1834 by-election | Nicholas Ridley-Colborne | Whig [8] | ||||
1837 | Richard Blakemore | Conservative [8] | William Hayter | Whig [9] [10] [11] [8] | ||
1852 | Robert Tudway | Conservative | ||||
1855 by-election | Hedworth Jolliffe | Conservative | ||||
1859 | Liberal | |||||
1865 | Arthur Hayter | Liberal | ||||
1868 | borough constituency abolished |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Heappey | 33,336 | 54.1 | +4.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Tessa Munt | 23,345 | 37.9 | +0.3 | |
Labour | Kama McKenzie | 4,304 | 7.0 | -4.7 | |
Independent | Dave Dobbs | 373 | 0.6 | New | |
Motherworld Party | Susie Quatermass | 270 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 9,991 | 16.2 | +3.7 | ||
Turnout | 61,628 | 73.5 | -0.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Heappey | 30,488 | 50.1 | +4.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Tessa Munt | 22,906 | 37.6 | +4.8 | |
Labour | Andy Merryfield | 7,129 | 11.7 | +5.1 | |
CPA | Lorna Corke | 320 | 0.5 | New | |
Majority | 7,582 | 12.5 | -0.8 | ||
Turnout | 60,843 | 73.95 | +2.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | James Heappey | 26,247 | 46.1 | +3.6 | |
Liberal Democrats | Tessa Munt | 18,662 | 32.8 | −11.2 | |
UKIP | Helen Hims | 5,644 | 9.9 | +6.8 | |
Labour | Chris Inchley | 3,780 | 6.6 | −0.9 | |
Green | Jon Cousins | 2,331 | 4.1 | +3.0 | |
Independent | Paul Arnold | 83 | 0.1 | New | |
Birthday | Dave Dobbs | 81 | 0.1 | New | |
Independent | Gypsy Watkins [17] | 76 | 0.1 | New | |
Majority | 7,585 | 13.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 56,904 | 71.7 | +1.4 | ||
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +7.4 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Tessa Munt | 24,560 | 44.0 | +6.1 | |
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 23,760 | 42.5 | -1.0 | |
Labour | Andy Merryfield | 4,198 | 7.5 | -8.1 | |
UKIP | Jake Baynes | 1,711 | 3.1 | +0.1 | |
BNP | Richard Boyce | 1,004 | 1.8 | New | |
Green | Chris Briton | 631 | 1.1 | New | |
Majority | 800 | 1.5 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 55,864 | 70.3 | +2.6 | ||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 23,071 | 43.6 | −0.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Tessa Munt | 20,031 | 37.8 | −0.5 | |
Labour | Dan Whittle | 8,288 | 15.6 | +0.2 | |
UKIP | Steve Reed | 1,575 | 3.0 | +0.8 | |
Majority | 3,040 | 5.8 | +0.3 | ||
Turnout | 52,965 | 68.0 | −1.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 22,462 | 43.8 | +4.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Graham Oakes | 19,666 | 38.3 | -0.2 | |
Labour | Andy Merryfield | 7,915 | 15.4 | -2.7 | |
UKIP | Steve Reed | 1,104 | 2.2 | New | |
Wessex Regionalist | Colin Bex | 167 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 2,796 | 5.5 | +4.6 | ||
Turnout | 51,314 | 69.2 | -8.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 22,208 | 39.4 | −10.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Peter Gold | 21,680 | 38.5 | +0.5 | |
Labour | Michael Eavis | 10,204 | 18.1 | +7.5 | |
Referendum | Patricia Phelps | 2,196 | 3.9 | New | |
Natural Law | Lynn Royse | 92 | 0.2 | New | |
Majority | 528 | 0.9 | -10.7 | ||
Turnout | 56,380 | 77.8 | -4.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 28,620 | 49.6 | −3.9 | |
Liberal Democrats | Humphrey Temperley | 21,971 | 38.0 | +0.4 | |
Labour | John Pilgrim | 6,126 | 10.6 | +1.9 | |
Green | Mike Fenner | 1,042 | 1.8 | New | |
Majority | 6,649 | 11.6 | −4.4 | ||
Turnout | 57,759 | 82.7 | +3.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 28,624 | 53.5 | +0.9 | |
Liberal | Alan Butt-Philip | 20,083 | 37.6 | -1.4 | |
Labour | Peter James | 4,637 | 8.7 | +0.9 | |
Independent | John Fish | 134 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 8,541 | 16.0 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 53,478 | 79.6 | +2.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | David Heathcoat-Amory | 25,385 | 52.6 | +1.2 | |
Liberal | Alan Butt-Philip | 18,810 | 39.0 | +8.2 | |
Labour | Andrew Leigh | 3,747 | 7.8 | -9.1 | |
Independent | G. Livings | 273 | 0.6 | -0.1 | |
Majority | 6,575 | 13.6 | -7.0 | ||
Turnout | 48,215 | 77.6 | -1.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Boscawen | 30,400 | 51.35 | ||
Liberal | Alan Butt-Philip | 18,204 | 30.75 | ||
Labour | Paul Murphy | 10,025 | 16.93 | ||
Independent | G. Livings | 421 | 0.71 | New | |
Wessex Regionalist | Viscount Weymouth | 155 | 0.26 | New | |
Majority | 12,196 | 20.60 | +6.59 | ||
Turnout | 59,205 | 79.24 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Boscawen | 23,979 | 43.64 | ||
Liberal | Alan Butt-Philip | 16,278 | 29.63 | ||
Labour | G. Mortimer | 13,909 | 25.31 | ||
United Democratic Party | P. Howard | 778 | 1.42 | New | |
Majority | 7,701 | 14.01 | |||
Turnout | 54,944 | 78.88 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Boscawen | 25,430 | 44.25 | ||
Liberal | Alan Butt-Philip | 17,645 | 30.70 | ||
Labour | D.K. Pearce | 14,399 | 25.05 | ||
Majority | 7,785 | 13.55 | |||
Turnout | 57,474 | 83.29 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Boscawen | 25,106 | 49.6 | +6.6 | |
Labour | Frank R. Thompson | 16,335 | 32.3 | -3.3 | |
Liberal | William Fedde J Pinching | 9,174 | 18.1 | -3.3 | |
Majority | 8,771 | 17.3 | +9.9 | ||
Turnout | 50,615 | 77.4 | -4.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lynch Maydon | 20,528 | 43.0 | -0.2 | |
Labour | John G Cousins | 16,989 | 35.6 | +4.1 | |
Liberal | Howard Fry | 10,224 | 21.4 | -3.9 | |
Majority | 3,539 | 7.4 | -4.3 | ||
Turnout | 47,741 | 81.5 | -0.9 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lynch Maydon | 20,663 | 43.2 | -5.4 | |
Labour | Reginald George White | 15,080 | 31.5 | -2.7 | |
Liberal | Howard Fry | 12,132 | 25.3 | +8.2 | |
Majority | 5,583 | 11.7 | -2.7 | ||
Turnout | 47,875 | 82.4 | -1.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lynch Maydon | 23,357 | 48.6 | -7.8 | |
Labour | Jon Antony A Evans | 16,452 | 34.2 | -9.3 | |
Liberal | Paul R Hobhouse | 8,220 | 17.1 | New | |
Majority | 6,905 | 14.4 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 48,029 | 83.6 | +4.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lynch Maydon | 25,624 | 56.4 | +1.2 | |
Labour | Maxwell Bresler | 19,745 | 43.5 | -1.3 | |
Majority | 5,879 | 12.9 | +2.5 | ||
Turnout | 45,369 | 79.5 | -4.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lynch Maydon | 26,524 | 55.2 | +12.6 | |
Labour | David Llewellyn | 21,481 | 44.8 | +7.6 | |
Majority | 5,043 | 10.4 | +5.0 | ||
Turnout | 48,005 | 84.2 | -3.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Dennis Boles | 20,613 | 42.6 | ||
Labour | Dorothy Archibald | 17,987 | 37.2 | ||
Liberal | Anthony Marreco | 9,771 | 20.2 | ||
Majority | 2,626 | 5.4 | |||
Turnout | 48,371 | 87.8 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Dennis Boles | 13,004 | 41.3 | -12.1 | |
Labour | Cyril Morgan | 10,539 | 33.5 | +13.0 | |
Liberal | Violet Bonham Carter | 7,910 | 25.2 | -0.9 | |
Majority | 2,465 | 7.8 | -19.5 | ||
Turnout | 31,453 | 75.0 | +1.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Dennis Boles | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Conservative hold | |||||
General Election 1939–40: Another general election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Anthony Muirhead | 14,898 | 53.4 | -5.3 | |
Liberal | Arnold Hilward Jones | 7,277 | 26.1 | -15.2 | |
Labour | William James Waring | 5,716 | 20.5 | New | |
Majority | 7,621 | 27.3 | +9.9 | ||
Turnout | 27,891 | 73.7 | -13.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Anthony Muirhead | 17,711 | 58.7 | +15.1 | |
Liberal | John Thompson | 12,440 | 41.3 | -0.1 | |
Majority | 5,271 | 17.4 | +15.2 | ||
Turnout | 30,151 | 87.5 | +5.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Anthony Muirhead | 13,026 | 43.6 | -9.0 | |
Liberal | Arthur Hobhouse | 12,382 | 41.4 | +5.3 | |
Labour | Ruby Davies | 4,472 | 15.0 | +3.7 | |
Majority | 644 | 2.2 | -14.3 | ||
Turnout | 29,880 | 82.5 | +0.3 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | -7.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Robert Sanders | 12,642 | 52.6 | +8.4 | |
Liberal | Arthur Hobhouse | 8,668 | 36.1 | +11.9 | |
Labour | Wilfred Thomas Young | 2,726 | 11.3 | +3.7 | |
Majority | 3,974 | 16.5 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 24,036 | 82.2 | +3.1 | ||
Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Arthur Hobhouse | 10,818 | 48.2 | +14.8 | |
Unionist | Robert Bruford | 9,909 | 44.2 | -3.5 | |
Labour | Charles Henry Whitlow | 1,713 | 7.6 | -11.3 | |
Majority | 909 | 4.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 22,440 | 79.1 | +1.3 | ||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +9.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Robert Bruford | 10,210 | 47.7 | -8.1 | |
Liberal | Arthur Hobhouse | 7,156 | 33.4 | -6.2 | |
Labour | Len Smith | 4,048 | 18.9 | New | |
Majority | 3,054 | 14.3 | -1.9 | ||
Turnout | 21,414 | 77.8 | +12.8 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Paget | 4,200 | 55.7 | ||
Liberal | Pandeli Ralli | 3,335 | 44.3 | ||
Majority | 865 | 11.4 | |||
Turnout | 7,535 | 79.3 | |||
Registered electors | 9,501 | ||||
Conservative win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Paget | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Paget | 4,335 | 56.1 | N/A | |
Liberal | Beaumont Morice | 3,395 | 43.9 | New | |
Majority | 940 | 12.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 7,730 | 75.6 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 10,230 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Hylton Jolliffe | 4,696 | 58.8 | +2.7 | |
Liberal | Beaumont Morice | 3,286 | 41.2 | −2.7 | |
Majority | 1,410 | 17.6 | +5.4 | ||
Turnout | 7,982 | 74.1 | −1.5 | ||
Registered electors | 10,771 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −5.4 | |||
Joliffe's elevation to the peerage, becoming Lord Hylton, caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Edmund Dickinson | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Edmund Dickinson | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Thomas Ball Silcock | 5,146 | 51.9 | New | |
Conservative | Robert Edmund Dickinson | 4,761 | 48.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 385 | 3.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 9,907 | 84.5 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 11,725 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Sandys | 6,167 | 55.9 | +7.8 | |
Liberal | Thomas Ball Silcock | 4,871 | 44.1 | −7.8 | |
Majority | 1,296 | 11.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 11,038 | 87.3 | +2.8 | ||
Registered electors | 12,642 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.8 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Sandys | 6,178 | 60.1 | +4.2 | |
Liberal | Arthur Lane Wills | 4,094 | 39.9 | −4.2 | |
Majority | 2,084 | 20.2 | +8.4 | ||
Turnout | 10,272 | 81.3 | −6.0 | ||
Registered electors | 12,642 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.2 | |||
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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Harry Greer | 9,786 | 55.8 | −4.3 |
Liberal | John Coleby Morland | 6,935 | 39.6 | −0.3 | |
National | G.C.S. Hodgson | 804 | 4.6 | New | |
Majority | 2,851 | 16.2 | −4.0 | ||
Turnout | 17,525 | 65.0 | −16.3 | ||
Registered electors | 26,951 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −2.0 | |||
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Norman Lamont (MP for Wells) | 169 | 30.2 | ||
Whig | John Lee Lee | 167 | 29.9 | ||
Whig | Nicholas Ridley-Colborne | 164 | 29.3 | ||
Tory | John Edwards-Vaughan | 59 | 10.6 | ||
Majority | 3 | 0.6 | |||
Turnout | 318 | 94.1 | |||
Registered electors | 338 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Whig gain from Tory |
Lamont's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Nicholas Ridley-Colborne | Unopposed | |||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Nicholas Ridley-Colborne | Unopposed | |||
Whig | John Lee Lee | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 377 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Blakemore | Unopposed | |||
Whig | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 402 | ||||
Conservative gain from Whig | |||||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Blakemore | Unopposed | |||
Whig | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 346 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Richard Blakemore | Unopposed | |||
Whig | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 375 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Whig hold | |||||
Hayter was appointed Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Whig hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Tudway | 187 | 40.4 | N/A | |
Whig | William Hayter | 175 | 37.8 | N/A | |
Radical | John Alexander Kinglake [35] | 101 | 21.8 | N/A | |
Turnout | 232 (est) | 71.2 (est) | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 325 | ||||
Majority | 12 | 2.6 | N/A | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Majority | 74 | 16.0 | N/A | ||
Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Tudway's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Hedworth Jolliffe | 146 | 54.7 | +14.3 | |
Radical | John Alexander Kinglake [36] | 121 | 45.3 | +23.5 | |
Majority | 25 | 9.4 | +6.8 | ||
Turnout | 267 | 70.3 | −0.9 | ||
Registered electors | 380 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −4.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Hedworth Jolliffe | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 343 | ||||
Whig hold | |||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Hedworth Jolliffe | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 327 | ||||
Liberal hold | |||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Arthur Hayter | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | Hedworth Jolliffe | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 274 | ||||
Liberal hold | |||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | John Edwards-Vaughan | 196 | 38.0 | ||
Whig | John Lee Lee | 195 | 37.8 | ||
Tory | Richard Blakemore | 125 | 24.2 | ||
Turnout | 308 | c. 88.0 | |||
Registered electors | c. 350 | ||||
Majority | 1 | 0.2 | |||
Tory hold | Swing | ||||
Majority | 70 | 13.6 | |||
Whig hold | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | John Edwards-Vaughan | Unopposed | |||
Whig | John Lee Lee | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | c. 350 | ||||
Tory hold | |||||
Whig hold | |||||
Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh. The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. Historically the area was known as the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor.
Bridgwater was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, until 2010 when it was replaced by the Bridgwater and West Somerset constituency. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
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Somerton and Frome is a constituency in Somerset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2023 by Sarah Dyke of the Liberal Democrats.
North West Norfolk is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by James Wild, a Conservative.
Tunbridge Wells is a constituency in Kent represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Greg Clark, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 2016 to 2019 and then as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2022 as part of a caretaker government led by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Beaconsfield is a constituency in Buckinghamshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Joy Morrissey of the Conservative Party. She succeeded Independent and former Conservative Dominic Grieve, whom she defeated following his suspension from the party. The constituency was established for the February 1974 general election.
Christchurch is a constituency in Dorset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Sir Christopher Chope of the Conservative Party.
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The A371 is a primary road in England running from Wincanton to Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset, through Shepton Mallet, Croscombe, Wells, Westbury-sub-Mendip, Rodney Stoke, Draycott, Cheddar, Axbridge, Winscombe, Banwell and Weston-super-Mare.
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The Cheddar Valley line was a railway line in Somerset, England, running between Yatton and Witham. It was opened in parts: the first section connecting Shepton Mallet to Witham, later extended to Wells, was built by the East Somerset Railway from 1858. Later the Bristol and Exeter Railway built their branch line from Yatton to Wells, but the two lines were prevented for a time from joining up. Eventually the gap was closed, and the line became a simple through line, operated by the Great Western Railway.
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Wells and Mendip Hills is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the 2024 general election.