Combined English Universities was a university constituency represented in the United Kingdom Parliament (from 1918 until 1950). It was formed by enfranchising and combining all the English Universities, except for Cambridge, Oxford and London, which were already separately represented.
Boundaries
This university constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 and abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.
The original proposal of the Speaker's Conference, which considered electoral reform before the 1918 legislation was prepared, was to combine all the English and Welsh universities except for Oxford and Cambridge into a three-member constituency. However, during consideration of the legislation it was agreed that London University alone should continue to return one member. The University of Wales was also given its own seat. The other universities, which were still to be combined, had their proposed representation reduced to two members. (Source: Pugh).
Combined English Universities was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the Universities included in the seat.
The universities represented by this constituency were Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Reading (from August 1928) and Sheffield.
The constituency returned two Members of Parliament, elected at general elections by the Single Transferable Vote method of Proportional Representation. However, the first past the post system was used in by-elections.
Members of Parliament
This is a list of people who were elected to represent these English Universities in the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1918 and 1950. The elections were not held on the polling dates for general elections in the territorial constituencies. The University constituency elections were held over five days, not on the ordinary polling date, so that plural voting graduates could vote in their place of residence and then visit their University to participate in its election.
- Constituency created (1918)
Elections
There were six contested STV elections. The MPs in 1935 were returned unopposed. By-elections, to fill a single seat, used the first past the post or relative majority electoral system.
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
- As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary
Eleanor Rathbone
| General Election 1929: Combined English Universities (2 seats) |
| Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 |
|
Unionist |
Sir William Martin Conway |
26.8 |
2,679 |
4,321 |
|
Independent |
Eleanor Florence Rathbone |
33.3 |
3,331 |
3,394 |
|
Liberal |
Prof. Robert Seymour Conway |
22.3 |
2,231 |
2,281 |
|
Unionist |
Sir Lewis Amherst Selby-Bigge |
17.6 |
1,762 |
eliminated |
| Electorate: 13,775 Valid: 10,003 Quota: 3,335 Turnout: 72.6 |
Elections in the 1930s
| General Election 1931: Combined English Universities (2 seats) |
| Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 |
|
Independent |
Eleanor Florence Rathbone |
37.2 |
5,096 |
|
|
|
|
Conservative |
Sir Reginald Henry Craddock |
26.5 |
3,633 |
3,685 |
3,754 |
4,858 |
|
National Labour |
Rt Hon. Sir William Allen Jowitt |
20.1 |
2,759 |
3,003 |
3,207 |
3,632 |
|
Conservative |
Herbert Geraint Williams |
12.8 |
1,748 |
1,819 |
1,922 |
eliminated |
|
New Party |
Hon. Harold George Nicolson |
3.4 |
461 |
623 |
eliminated |
|
| Electorate: 19,109 Valid: 13,697 Quota: 4,567 Turnout: 71.7% |
Elections in the 1940s
| General Election 1945: Combined English Universities (2 seats) |
| Party | Candidate | % 1st Pref | Count 1 | Count 2 | Count 3 | Count 4 | Count 5 |
|
Independent |
Eleanor Florence Rathbone |
53.3 |
11,176 |
|
|
|
|
|
Independent |
Kenneth Martin Lindsay |
9.2 |
1,923 |
3,503 |
3,856 |
4,528 |
5,826 |
|
Independent Labour |
S. Wormald |
15.3 |
3,212 |
3,973 |
4,081 |
4,473 |
4,675 |
|
National Independent |
E.C. Arden |
11.6 |
2,433 |
3,073 |
3,389 |
3,829 |
eliminated |
|
Independent |
Prof. J.H. Richardson |
5.3 |
1,124 |
1,995 |
2,341 |
eliminated |
|
|
Independent |
A.R. Foxall |
5.3 |
1,105 |
1,437 |
eliminated |
|
|
| Electorate: 41,976 Valid: 20,973 Quota: 6,992 Turnout: 50.0% |
- Constituency abolished (1950)
References
- Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
- British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan 1977)
- Electoral Reform in War and Peace 1906-18, by Martin Pugh (Routledge & Kegan Paul 1978)
- Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
- Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)
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