Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury St Edmunds | |
---|---|
County constituency for the House of Commons | |
Boundary of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. | |
Location of Suffolk within England. | |
County | Suffolk |
Population | 113,678 (2011 census)[1] |
Electorate | 85,933 (December 2010)[2] |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1918 |
Member of parliament | Jo Churchill (Conservative) |
Number of members | One |
1614–1918 | |
Number of members |
1614–1885: Two 1885–1918: One |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Overlaps | |
European Parliament constituency | East of England |
Bury St Edmunds is a constituency in Suffolk centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds that elects a Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The electorate has elected Conservative Party candidates at the general elections and two by-elections since the Liberal Party victory of 1880 however the Labour Party candidate came 368 votes short of winning it in 1997, less than 1% of the vote short.
In terms of election expenses and type of returning officer it has been a county constituency since 1918, before which it was a borough constituency that was created in 1614, returning two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and from 1800 to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Its representation was reduced to one seat under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885; it was extended and its type was switched under the Representation of the People Act 1918.
Boundaries
1918-1950: The Municipal Borough of Bury St Edmunds, the Urban District of Newmarket, the Rural Districts of Brandon, Mildenhall, and Thedwastre (the civil parishes of Ampton, Beyton, Bradfield Combust, Bradfield St Clare, Drinkstone, Felsham, Fornham St Genevieve, Fornham St Martin, Gedding, Great Barton, Great Livermere, Great Welnetham, Hessett, Little Welnetham, Pakenham, Rattlesden, Rougham, Rushbrooke, Stanningfield, Thurston, Timworth, Tostock, and Woolpit), and parts of the Rural Districts of Moulton and Thingoe.
1950-1983: The Municipal Borough of Bury St Edmunds, the Urban Districts of Haverhill and Newmarket, and the Rural Districts of Clare (the civil parishes of Barnardiston with Monks Risbridge, Cavendish, Clare, Cowlinge, Denston, Depden, Great Bradley, Great Thurlow, Great Wratting, Hawkedon, Hundon, Kedington, Lidgate, Little Bradley, Little Thurlow, Little Wratting, Ousden, Poslingford, Stansfield, Stoke-by-Clare, Stradishall, Wickhambrook, Withersfield, and Wixoe), Mildenhall, Thedwastre, and Thingoe.
1983-1997: The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Barningham, Barrow, Chevington, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Honington, Horringer, Ixworth, Northgate, Pakenham, Risby, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Sextons, Southgate, Stanton, Westgate, and Whelnetham, and the District of Forest Heath.
1997-2010: The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Horringer Court, Northgate, Pakenham, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Sextons, Southgate, Westgate, and Whelnetham, and the District of Mid Suffolk wards of Badwell Ash, Elmswell, Gislingham, Haughley and Wetherden, Needham Market, Norton, Onehouse, Rattlesden, Rickinghall, Ringshall, Stowmarket Central, Stowmarket North, Stowmarket South, Stowupland, Thurston, Walsham-le-Willows, and Woolpit.
2010–present: The Borough of St Edmundsbury wards of Abbeygate, Eastgate, Fornham, Great Barton, Horringer and Whelnetham, Minden, Moreton Hall, Northgate, Pakenham, Risbygate, Rougham, St Olave's, Southgate, and Westgate, and the District of Mid Suffolk wards of Bacton and Old Newton, Badwell Ash, Elmswell and Norton, Gislingham, Haughley and Wetherden, Needham Market, Onehouse, Rattlesden, Rickinghall and Walsham, Ringshall, Stowmarket Central, Stowmarket North, Stowmarket South, Stowupland, Thurston and Hessett, and Woolpit.
The constituency contains the towns of Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Needham Market. Its boundaries do not match those of the borough of St Edmundsbury, which includes Haverhill (part of West Suffolk constituency), and excludes Stowmarket and Needham Market.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1614–1660
Parliament | First member | Second member |
---|---|---|
1614 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | Sir Robert Crane, 1st Baronet |
1621 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | John Woodford |
1624 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | Anthony Crofts |
1625 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | Sir William Spring |
1626 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | Emanuel Gifford |
1628 | Sir Thomas Jermyn | Sir William Hervey |
1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | |
1640 April | Sir Thomas Jermyn | John Godbolt |
1640 November | Thomas Jermyn, disabled on 14 February 1644 | Henry Jermyn, ennobled 6 Sep 1643 [3] |
1645 | Sir Thomas Barnardiston | Sir William Spring, excluded in Pride's Purge in 1648 |
1653 | Bury St Edmunds not represented in Barebones Parliament | |
1654 | Samuel Moody | John Clarke |
1656 | Samuel Moody | John Clarke |
1659 | John Clarke | Thomas Chaplin[4] |
1659 Restored Rump Parliament | Sir Thomas Barnardiston | Sir William Spring, 1st Baronet (died 1654) |
MPs 1660–1885
Two Members
MPs since 1885
Elections
Elections in the 2010s
General Election 2015: Bury St Edmunds[10][11] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Jo Churchill[12] | 31,815 | 53.6 | +6.1 | |
Labour | William Edwards [13] | 10,514 | 17.7 | +1.1 | |
UKIP | John Howlett | 8,739 | 14.7 | +9.6 | |
Green | Helen Geake [14] | 4,692 | 7.9 | +3.6 | |
Liberal Democrat | David Chappell | 3,581 | 6.0 | -20.4 | |
Majority | 21,301 | 35.9 | +6.1 | ||
Turnout | 59,341 | 69.0 | -0.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.5 | |||
General Election 2010: Bury St Edmunds[15] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | David Ruffley | 27,899 | 47.5 | +1.2 | |
Liberal Democrat | David Chappell | 15,519 | 26.4 | +6.7 | |
Labour | Kevin Hind | 9,776 | 16.7 | −10.7 | |
UKIP | John Howlett | 3,003 | 5.1 | +1.6 | |
Green | Mark Ereira-Guyer | 2,521 | 4.3 | +1.3 | |
Majority | 12,380 | 21.1 | +2.2 | ||
Turnout | 58,718 | 69.3 | +2.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
General Election 2005: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | David Ruffley | 24,332 | 46.2 | +2.7 | |
Labour | David Monaghan | 14,402 | 27.4 | −11.1 | |
Liberal Democrat | David Chappell | 10,423 | 19.8 | +5.9 | |
UKIP | John Howlett | 1,859 | 3.5 | +1.8 | |
Green | Graham Manning | 1,603 | 3.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 9,930 | 18.9 | +13.9 | ||
Turnout | 52,619 | 66.1 | +0.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.9 | |||
General Election 2001: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | David Ruffley | 21,850 | 43.5 | +5.1 | |
Labour | Mark Ereira-Guyer | 19,347 | 38.5 | +0.8 | |
Liberal Democrat | Richard Williams | 6,998 | 13.9 | −4.3 | |
UKIP | John Howlett | 831 | 1.7 | N/A | |
Independent | Michael Brundle | 651 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Socialist Labour | Michael Benwell | 580 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,503 | 5.0 | +4.3 | ||
Turnout | 50,257 | 66 | −9.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.1 | |||
Elections in the 1990s
General Election 1997: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | David Ruffley | 21,290 | 38.3 | −15.2 | |
Labour | Mark Ereira-Guyer | 20,922 | 37.7 | +14.1 | |
Liberal Democrat | David A. Cooper | 10,102 | 18.2 | −3.8 | |
Referendum | Ian C.H. McWhirter | 2,939 | 5.3 | N/A | |
Natural Law | Ms. Joanna B. Lillis | 272 | 0.5 | −0.4 | |
Majority | 368 | 0.7 | −29.3 | ||
Turnout | 55,525 | 75.0 | +0.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −14.6 | |||
General Election 1992: Bury St Edmunds[16] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Richard Spring | 33,554 | 53.5 | −5.8 | |
Labour | Tommy Sheppard | 14,767 | 23.6 | +6.3 | |
Liberal Democrat | John B. Williams | 13,814 | 22.0 | −0.5 | |
Natural Law | Ms. Joanna B. Lillis | 550 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 18,787 | 30.0 | −7.8 | ||
Turnout | 62,685 | 78.9 | +4.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −6.1 | |||
Elections in the 1980s
General Election 1987: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 33,672 | 59.3 | +0.3 | |
Social Democratic | Reginald Harland | 12,214 | 21.5 | −6.9 | |
Labour | Christopher Louis Greene | 9,841 | 17.3 | +4.8 | |
Green | Ida Mary Julia Wakelam | 1,057 | 1.9 | N/A | |
Majority | 21,458 | 37.8 | −40.8 | ||
Turnout | 76,619 | 74.1 | +1.8 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 | |||
General Election 1983: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 31,081 | 59.0 | −2.0 | |
Social Democratic | Reginald Harland | 14,959 | 28.4 | N/A | |
Labour | W. Mosczynski | 6,666 | 12.7 | −16.3 | |
Majority | 16,122 | 22.1 | −5.7 | ||
Turnout | 72,875 | 72.3 | −4.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1970s
General Election 1979: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 41,426 | 57.0 | +6.6 | |
Labour | A. Gibson | 21,167 | 29.0 | −4.0 | |
Liberal | G. Jones | 10,836 | 14.2 | −2.4 | |
Majority | 20,259 | 27.8 | +10.5 | ||
Turnout | 95,621 | 76.3 | +3.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +5.3 | |||
General Election October 1974: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 32,179 | 50.4 | +2.9 | |
Labour | J.K Stephenson | 21,097 | 33.0 | +4.3 | |
Liberal | G Jones | 10,631 | 16.6 | −7.2 | |
Majority | 11,082 | 17.3 | −1.5 | ||
Turnout | 87,321 | 73.2 | −8.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −0.7 | |||
General Election February 1974: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 33,424 | 47.5 | −14.2 | |
Labour | J.K Stephenson | 20,171 | 28.7 | 0.0 | |
Liberal | B. Boulton | 16,772 | 23.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 13,253 | 18.8 | −3.6 | ||
Turnout | 86,202 | 81.3 | +4.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | −7.2 | |||
General Election 1970: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 36,688 | 61.2 | +7.1 | |
Labour | Colin J.V. Seager | 23,286 | 38.8 | -7.1 | |
Majority | 13,402 | 22.4 | +13.3 | ||
Turnout | 77,665 | 77.2 | −1.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1960s
General Election 1966: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 27,782 | 54.6 | +4.4 | |
Labour | Colin J.V. Seager | 23,140 | 45.4 | +5.2 | |
Majority | 4,462 | 9.1 | -0.8 | ||
Turnout | 64,609 | 78.8 | -3.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.8 | |||
General Election 1964: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 25,206 | 50.2 | -8.6 | |
Labour | Noel James Insley | 20,216 | 40.2 | -1.1 | |
Liberal | Richard L. Afton | 4,840 | 9.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 4,990 | 9.9 | -7.6 | ||
Turnout | 61,143 | 82.2 | +3.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -7.5 | |||
Bury St Edmunds by-election, 1964 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Eldon Wylie Griffiths | 22,141 | |||
Labour | Noel James Insley | 19,682 | |||
Liberal | Richard L. Afton | 3,387 | |||
Majority | 2,459 | ||||
Turnout | |||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
General Election 1959: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | William Traven Aitken | 26,730 | 58.8 | +3.7 | |
Labour | Mrs. Alison Margaret A. Walter | 18,768 | 41.3 | -3.6 | |
Majority | 7,962 | 17.5 | +7.2 | ||
Turnout | 57,908 | 78.6 | +0.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +3.6 | |||
General Election 1955: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | William Traven Aitken | 24,532 | 55.1 | +0.7 | |
Labour | Neville Stanley | 19,962 | 44.9 | -0.7 | |
Majority | 4,570 | 10.3 | +1.5 | ||
Turnout | 56,854 | 78.3 | -1.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |||
General Election 1951: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | William Traven Aitken | 24,679 | 54.4 | +5.1 | |
Labour | Neville Stanley | 20,690 | 45.6 | +5.3 | |
Majority | 3,989 | 8.8 | -0.2 | ||
Turnout | 56,851 | 79.8 | -2.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.1 | |||
General Election 1950: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | William Traven Aitken | 22,559 | 49.3 | +0.6 | |
Labour | Miss Cecily Alicia McCall | 18,430 | 40.3 | +10.5 | |
Liberal | Henry William Sparham | 4,780 | 10.4 | -8.6 | |
Majority | 4,129 | 9.0 | -9.9 | ||
Turnout | 55,495 | 82.5 | +14.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -4.9 | |||
Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1945: Bury St Edmunds [17] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Geoffrey Benedict Clifton-Brown | 15,013 | 48.7 | -7.5 | |
Labour | Miss Cecily Alicia McCall | 9,195 | 29.8 | n/a | |
Liberal | Harold Charles Drayton | 5,863 | 19.0 | n/a | |
Common Wealth | Eric Cecil Gordon England | 750 | 2.4 | n/a | |
Majority | 5,818 | 18.9 | -6.5 | ||
Turnout | 30,821 | 67.8 | +17.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Following the death of Frank Heilgers on 16 January 1944 a by-election was held on 29 February 1944.
Bury St Edmunds by-election, 1944 [17] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Edgar Mayne Keatinge | 11,705 | 56.2 | n/a | |
Independent Liberal | Margery Irene Corbett Ashby | 9,121 | 43.8 | n/a | |
Majority | 2,584 | 12.4 | n/a | ||
Turnout | 20,828 | 50.8 | n/a | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Elections in the 1930s
General Election 1935: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers | Unopposed | n/a | n/a | |
Conservative hold | Swing | n/a | |||
General Election 1931: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Conservative | Frank Frederick Alexander Heilgers | Unopposed | n/a | n/a | |
Conservative hold | Swing | n/a | |||
Elections in the 1920s
General Election 1929: Bury St Edmunds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Unionist | Walter Edward Guinness | 16,462 | 54.2 | ||
Liberal | Malcolm Douglas Lyon | 11,344 | 37.4 | ||
Labour | Percy Austins | 2,490 | 8.2 | n/a | |
Majority | 5,118 | 16.9 | |||
Turnout | 30,372 | 78.0 | |||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
On Guinness's nomination as Minister of Agriculture a by-election in 1925 was required under the electoral law of the time, which he won.
Bury St Edmunds by-election, 1925 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Unionist | Walter Edward Guinness | 14,700 | 62.8 | ||
Liberal | George Nicholls | 8,703 | 37.2 | ||
Majority | 5,997 | 25.6 | |||
Turnout | 23,420 | 74.0 | |||
Unionist hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1924: Bury St Edmunds [18] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
Unionist | Walter Edward Guinness | 16,073 | 63.0 | n/a | |
Liberal | John Adam Day | 9,392 | 37.0 | n/a | |
Majority | 6,681 | 26.2 | n/a | ||
Turnout | 25,533 | 82.0 | n/a | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | n/a | |||
The Unionist candidate Walter Edward Guinness was elected unopposed in the 1918, 1922 and the 1923 general elections, so there are no votes for these elections.
See also
Notes and references
- References
- ↑ "Bury St Edmunds: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ↑ "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ↑ The parliamentary or constitutional history of England|||| being a faithful account of all the most remarkable transactions in Parliament, from the earliest times. Collected from the journals of both Houses, the records, ..., Volume 9
- ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=I65pAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PT16
- 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
- ↑ A double return was made, Thomas Chaplin and John Clarke were subsequently declared not duly elected.
- ↑ At the general election in May 1705, Davers was also returned for Suffolk, for which he chose to sit.
- ↑ Hon. Augustus John Hervey was also declared elected in April 1754, he and his uncle Felton having an equal number of votes. This election was declared void. At the subsequent by-election held on 9 Dec 1754, Felton Hervey was returned.
- ↑ "Bury St Edmunds 1660-". Hansard 1803-2005. UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
- ↑ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ↑ "Bury St Edmunds". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ "Jo Churchill selected as Bury St Edmunds candidate for next election". ITN. 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
- ↑ http://www.labour.org.uk/candidates
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-29906498
- ↑ "UK > England > Eastern > Bury St Edmunds". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- ↑ "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- 1 2 F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ↑ British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
- Sources
- Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
External links
- nomis Constituency Profile for Bury St Edmunds — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
Coordinates: 52°15′N 0°54′E / 52.25°N 0.90°E