West Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

West Gloucestershire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Gloucestershire
1950–1997
Number of members One
Replaced by Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury
Created from Forest of Dean
1832–1885
Number of members Two
Type of constituency County constituency
Created from Gloucestershire

West Gloucestershire was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

It was created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election as a 2-seat constituency (i.e. electing two Members of Parliament). It was abolished for the 1885 general election.

A new single-member West Gloucestershire constituency, covering a smaller area, was created for the 1950 general election. It was abolished for the 1997 general election.

History

The 1950 to 1997 single-member constituency was held by the Labour Party from its creation in 1950 until 1979 and then held by the Conservative Party until its abolition.

Boundaries

1832 to 1885

The constituency was the western division of the historic county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.

The place of election was the small town of Dursley. This was where the hustings were situated and electors voted (by spoken declaration in public, before the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).

The qualification to vote in county elections, in the period, was to be a 40 shilling freeholder.

The parliamentary borough constituencies of Cheltenham, Cirencester, Gloucester, Stroud, and Tewkesbury were all located in East Gloucestershire. Qualified freeholders from those boroughs could vote in the eastern county division. Bristol was a "county of itself", so its freeholders qualified to vote in the borough, not in a county division.

There were no electors qualified to vote in the western division, because they were freehold owners of land in a parliamentary borough.

1950 to 1997

1950-1955: The Rural Districts of East Dean (the civil parishes of Awre, Blaisdon, Churcham, East Dean, Huntley, Littledean, Longhope, Mitcheldean, Minsterworth, and Ruardean), Lydney (the civil parishes of Alvington, Aylburton, Hewelsfield, Lancaut, Lydney, St Briavels, Tidenham, and Woolaston), Newent (the civil parishes of Bromsberrow, Corse, Dymock, Hartpury, Kempley, Newent, Oxenhall, Pauntley, Redmarley D'Abitot, Rudford, Staunton, Taynton, Tibberton, and Upleadon), and West Dean (the civil parishes of Coleford, English Bicknor, Lydbrook, Newland, Staunton, and West Dean), and in the Rural District of Gloucester the civil parishes of Ashleworth, Chaceley, Churchdown, Down Hatherley, Forthampton, Hasfield, Highnam, Longford, Longlevens, Maisemore, Minsterworth, Newnham, Norton, Sandhurst, Tirley, Twigworth, and Westbury-on-Severn.

1955-1974: The Rural Districts of East Dean (the civil parishes of Awre, Blaisdon, Churcham, Cinderford, Drybrook, Huntley, Littledean, Longhope, Mitcheldean, Ruardean, and Ruspidge), Lydney, Newent, and West Dean, and in the Rural District of Gloucester the civil parishes of Ashleworth, Chaceley, Churchdown, Down Hatherley, Forthampton, Hasfield, Highnam, Longford, Maisemore, Minsterworth, Newnham, Norton, Sandhurst, Tirley, Twigworth, and Westbury-on-Severn, and part of Longlevens.

1974-1983: The Rural Districts of East Dean, Lydney, Newent, and West Dean, and in the Rural District of Gloucester the civil parishes of Ashleworth, Brockworth, Chaceley, Churchdown, Down Hatherley, Forthampton, Hasfield, Highnam, Hucclecote, Innsworth, Longford, Maisemore, Minsterworth, Newnham, Norton, Sandhurst, Tirley, Twigworth, and Westbury-on-Severn.

1983-1997: The District of Forest of Dean, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Brockworth Glebe, Brockworth Moorfield, Brockworth Westfield, Churchdown Brookfield, Churchdown Parton, Churchdown Pirton, De Winton, Haw Bridge, Highnam, Horsbere, and Innsworth.

The constituency in this period was a smaller part of the county of Gloucestershire than its nineteenth century namesake. It was centred on the Forest of Dean, and indeed the majority of the constituency at abolition formed the new Forest of Dean constituency. About a fifth of the constituency moved to Tewkesbury, with 735 constituents moving to Gloucester.[1]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

Election1st Member[2]1st Party2nd Member[2]2nd Party
1832 Hon. Grantley Berkeley Whig Hon. Augustus Moreton Whig
1835 The Marquess of Worcester [3] Conservative
1836 by-election [4] Robert Blagden Hale Conservative
1852 Robert Kingscote [5] Whig
1857 Sir John Rolt [6] Conservative
1859 Liberal
1867 by-election [7] Edward Arthur Somerset Conservative
1868 Samuel Marling Liberal
1874 Hon. Randal Plunkett Conservative
1880 Lord Moreton Liberal
1885 by-election [8] Benjamin St John Ackers Conservative
1885 constituency abolished

MPs 1950–1997

ElectionMember[2]Party
1950 Morgan Philips Price Labour
1959 Charles Loughlin Labour
Oct 1974 John Watkinson Labour
1979 Paul Marland Conservative
1997 constituency abolished: see Forest of Dean and Tewkesbury

Elections

Elections in 1950s

United Kingdom general election, 1950: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Morgan Philips Price 22,765 54.8 n/a
Conservative Granger F Boston 13,664 32.9 n/a
Liberal Harold Basil Houldsworth 5,125 12.3 n/a
Majority 9,101 21.9 n/a
Turnout 82.3 n/a
Labour win
United Kingdom general election, 1951: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Morgan Philips Price 24,334 58.0
Conservative Arthur Russell 17,665 42.0
Majority 6,679 15.9
Turnout 82.3
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1955: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Morgan Philips Price 22,366 54.9
Conservative Bryan J. Y. Williams 18,346 45.1
Majority 4,020 9.9
Turnout 40,712
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1959: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles William Loughlin 21,634 49.4
Conservative Miss Olive KL Lloyd-Baker 16,223 37.1
Liberal Eric J Radley 5,921 15.3
Majority 5,411 12.4
Turnout 80.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

United Kingdom general election, 1964: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles William Loughlin 22,420 49.9
Conservative Douglas St. P Barnard 15,300 34.1
Liberal Richard A Cook 7,191 16.0
Majority 7,120 15.8
Turnout 79.6
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1966: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles William Loughlin 23,181 51.7
Conservative Stanley HAF Hopkins 15,476 34.6
Liberal Kenneth G Harvey 6,137 13.7
Majority 7,705 17.2
Turnout 78.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

United Kingdom general election, 1970: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles William Loughlin 22,637 46.1
Conservative Stanley HAF Hopkins 21,530 43.8
Liberal J Alan Svendsen 4,932 10.1
Majority 1,107 2.2
Turnout 77.0
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, February 1974: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles William Loughlin 22,765 40.7
Conservative Paul Marland 21,141 37.8
Liberal AL MacGregor 11,856 21.2
Independent SS Hart 171 0.3
Majority 1,624 2.9
Turnout 83.9
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, October 1974: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Taylor Watkinson 22,481 41.7
Conservative Paul Marland 22,072 41.0
Liberal AL MacGregor 9,353 17.3
Majority 409 0.8
Turnout 80.1
Labour hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1979: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Marland 28,183 47.9
Labour John Taylor Watkinson 24,009 40.8
Liberal Margaret Jane Joachim 6,370 10.8
National Front G Storkey 270 0.5
Majority 4,174 7.1
Turnout 83.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1980s

United Kingdom general election, 1983: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Marland 27,092 45.8
Social Democratic John Taylor Watkinson 17,440 29.5
Labour MJ Hodkinson 14,572 24.7
Majority 9,652 16.3
Turnout 79.6
Conservative hold Swing
United Kingdom general election, 1987: Gloucestershire West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Marland 29,257 46.2
Labour P.E. Sandland-Nielson 17,758 27.8
Social Democratic John Taylor Watkinson 16,440 26.0
Majority 11,679 18.4
Turnout 81.1
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1992: Gloucestershire West[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Paul Marland 29,232 43.6 −2.7
Labour Diana Mary Organ 24,274 36.2 +8.4
Liberal Democrat Mrs JE Boait 13,366 19.9 −6.1
British Independent A Reeve 172 0.3 +0.3
Twenty First Century CR Palmer 75 0.1 +0.1
Majority 4,958 7.4 −11.1
Turnout 67,119 83.8 +2.7
Conservative hold Swing −5.5

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.220 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995).
  2. 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 1)
  3. ↑ Succeeded as the 7th Duke of Beaufort, in November 1835.
  4. ↑ 2 January 1836 by-election.
  5. ↑ Joined the Liberal Party, when it was formally created following the 1859 general election. Appointed Commissioner of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues in 1885.
  6. ↑ Appointed Attorney General and knighted in 1866. Appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal in Chancery in 1867.
  7. ↑ 25 July 1867 by-election.
  8. ↑ 12 March 1885 by-election.
  9. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 Dec 2010.

Sources

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