Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone | |
---|---|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
![]() Maidstone in Kent, showing boundaries used from 1983-1997 | |
County | Kent |
Major settlements | Maidstone |
1918–1997 | |
Number of members | One |
Replaced by | Maidstone & The Weald |
1560–1918 | |
Number of members | 1560–1885: Two 1885–1918: One |
Type of constituency | Borough constituency |
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member. The borough was abolished in 1918 and replaced with a county division of the same name, which was abolished for the 1997 general election, and partially replaced by the new Maidstone and The Weald constituency.
History[]
Before the 19th century[]
Maidstone was first enfranchised as a parliamentary borough, electing two Members of Parliament, in 1552; at the time it was one of the largest English towns not already represented, and was one of a number of boroughs either enfranchised or re-enfranchised during the reign of Edward VI. However, barely had it won the right than its charter was cancelled after the accession of Mary I as a punishment for the town's part in Wyatt's Rebellion. This was the only recorded instance of a borough's right to return MPs being directly revoked until Grampound was disfranchised for corruption in the 1820s (although there were other cases of temporary suspension or of the right lapsing through disuse in medieval times, when representation was less valued).[citation needed]
After the death of Mary I, Maidstone's right were restored, and it elected members to the Parliament of 1560, since when the constituency has been continuously represented. The borough consisted of the whole parish of Maidstone, although the boundaries had no practical effect - the right to vote was vested in the freemen of the town, whether or not they were resident within the borough, provided they were not receiving poor relief. In 1833, just after this franchise was reformed by the Great Reform Act, it was estimated that there were 845 freemen, of whom more than 300 lived over seven miles from the town, and 31 of whom were disqualified from voting because they were in receipt of alms. At the 1831 general election, between 600 and 670 men voted.[citation needed]
A borough of this size was too large to fall under the dominance of a local landowner as was usual in the case of the smaller constituencies in the Unreformed Parliament, and Maidstone remained comparatively free with elections sometimes vigorously contested (and usually expensive for the candidates), although the Finch and Marsham families both had a degree of influence over results in the 18th century. Namier describes in detail the Maidstone election of 1761, showing how at this period the organised divisions among the rank-and-file voters in competitive constituencies tended to be religious rather than party-political; the Whig faction in Maidstone drew its strength from the Nonconformists while the Tories were the Anglican establishment. Yet so complicated was the politics of the period that although the local Whigs had asked Rose Fuller, a personal friend of the Whig Prime Minister The Duke of Newcastle, to stand as their candidate Newcastle refused to support him; indeed, Newcastle used his government patronage to force those of the electors employed in the naval dockyard at Chatham to vote for the incumbent Tory MPs, to whom he had already promised his support before Fuller's candidacy was mooted. In the event, though, Fuller succeeded in being elected, many of the government employees defying Newcastle to support him.[citation needed]
After the Reform Act[]
At the time of the Reform Act, the population of the borough was 15,387, and it contained 3,018 houses. The boundaries of the borough remained unchanged until 1918. Under the reformed franchise, there were 1,108 electors registered to vote at the general election of 1832. The town continued grow so that by 1865 the electorate had reached 1,817, and this was almost doubled by the extension of the franchise in the second reform act, so that there were 3,420 registered electors for the 1868 general election.
The borough retained two MPs until 1885, when its representation was halved; at the 1885 general election the franchise now extended to 6,530 electors, voting for a population of around 35,000. This was a relatively small electorate for the period and made bribery a practical proposition, and Maidstone was one of a small number of constituencies where corruption was proved after the tightening of election law in the 1880s. Generally a fairly safe Conservative seat, the constituency elected a Liberal candidate against the national tide in 1900, but it was clear that corrupt practices had contributed to his victory and he was unseated on petition; the voters seem to have resented the petition, however, and also elected the Liberal candidate in the ensuing by-election. At the following election in 1906, Maidstone again swung in the opposite direction to the country as a whole, electing a Conservative - one of only five Unionist gains across the country - and the victor was again charged with corruption; on this occasion the candidate was acquitted, but one of the judges noted that "there exists among the voters of this borough a number of the lower class who expect, and are known to respect, a payment or reward for their votes... The proved cases of bribery extend through all the wards."
The county constituency[]
The borough was abolished with effect from the general election of 1918, but the Maidstone name was transferred to the new county division in which the town stood, which consisted of Maidstone itself and the and Hollingbourne rural districts. This contained no towns of any size, but the villages collectively outvoted Maidstone. The new constituency was as safely Conservative as its predecessor, and its boundaries remained unaltered until 1983.
By the 1980s, population growth meant that the constituency was considerably oversized, with one of the largest electorates in England. In the 1983 boundary revisions, which for the first time reflected the local government boundary changes of the 1970s, the size of the Maidstone constituency was considerably reduced. The area to the north-east of the town, and two wards of the town itself, were moved into the new Mid Kent constituency; as these were strongly Conservative wards and there had been a Liberal surge in the area around the time the Liberal-SDP Alliance was formed, the Alliance had some hopes of making a breakthrough in the revised constituency. However, they could only cut the Tory majority to a little over 7,000 in 1983, John Wells taking over half the votes.
Boundary changes in 1997 saw the constituency abolished and replaced with a new Maidstone and The Weald county constituency. The Maidstone town wards which had been in Mid Kent since 1983 were included in the new seat, and a rural part of the Weald to the south of the town, previously in the Tunbridge Wells constituency was also included; but about a third of the electorate in the Maidstone constituency was transferred to the Faversham and Mid Kent constituency - this included the rural wards to the east of the town, but also the Shepway and Park Wood areas of Maidstone proper.
Members of Parliament[]
Maidstone borough[]
MPs 1560-1660[]
Parliament | First member | Second member |
---|---|---|
1562/3 | Nicholas Barham[1] | Henry Fisher[2] |
1571 | Thomas Walsingham | Nicholas St Leger[2] |
1572 | Nicholas St Leger | Thomas Dannett[2] |
1584 | Thomas Randolph | Michael Sondes[2] |
1586 | John Astley | Thomas Randolph[2] |
1588 | John Astley | Thomas Randolph[2] |
1593 | Sir Thomas Fludd | Lewen Buffkyn[2] |
1597 | Sir Thomas Fludd | Sir John Leveson[2] |
1601 | Sir Thomas Fludd | Sir John Leveson[2] |
1604-1611 | Sir Francis Fane | Laurence Washington |
1614 | Sir Francis Fane | Sir John Scott |
1621-1622 | Sir Francis Fane | Sir Francis Barnham |
1624 | Sir George Fane | Thomas Stanley |
1625 | Edward Mapleton | Thomas Stanley |
1626 | Sir George Fane | Francis Barnham |
1628 | Sir George Fane | Francis Barnham |
1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | |
1640 (Apr) | Sir George Fane | Sir Francis Barnham |
1640 (Nov) | Sir Francis Barnham,died Nov 1646 | Sir Humfrey Tufton |
1645 | Thomas Twisden | Sir Humfrey Tufton not sat after Pride's Purge, Dec 1648 |
1648 | Thomas Twisden excluded in Pride's Purge, Dec 1648 | |
1653 | Maidstone was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | |
1654 | Sir John Banks | (One seat only) |
1656 | Sir John Banks | (One seat only) |
1659 | Sir John Banks | Andrew Broughton |
MPs 1660-1885[]
MPs 1885-1918[]
Election | Member[3] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1885 | Alexander Henry Ross | Conservative | |
Fiennes Cornwallis | Conservative | ||
1895 | Sir Frederick Hunt | Conservative | |
Fiennes Cornwallis | Conservative | ||
1900 | John Barker | Liberal | |
1901 | Sir Francis Evans | Liberal | |
1906 | Viscount Castlereagh | Conservative | |
1915 | Carlyon Bellairs | Conservative | |
1918 | Borough abolished; county division created |
Maidstone County Constituency (1918-1997)[]
Election | Member[3] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1918 | Carlyon Bellairs | Conservative | |
1931 | Alfred Bossom | Conservative | |
1959 | John Wells | Conservative | |
1987 | Ann Widdecombe | Conservative | |
1997 | constituency abolished: see Maidstone and The Weald |
Elections[]
Elections in the 1830s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 470 | 44.4 | ||
Tory | Henry Winchester | 387 | 36.6 | ||
Tory | Philip Rawlings | 195 | 18.4 | ||
Whig | William George Tyssen Daniel Tyssen | 6 | 0.6 | ||
Turnout | 752 | c. 85.9 | |||
Registered electors | c. 875 | ||||
Majority | 83 | 7.8 | |||
Whig hold | Swing | ||||
Majority | 381 | 36.0 | |||
Tory hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 478 | 38.1 | −6.3 | |
Whig | Charles James Barnett | 441 | 35.2 | +34.6 | |
Tory | Henry Winchester | 185 | 14.8 | −21.8 | |
Tory | George Simson | 150 | 12.0 | −6.4 | |
Majority | 256 | 20.4 | +12.6 | ||
Turnout | 654 | c. 74.7 | c. −11.2 | ||
Registered electors | c. 875 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +24.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 500 | 35.9 | −2.2 | |
Whig | Charles James Barnett | 469 | 33.7 | −1.5 | |
Tory | Wyndham Lewis | 422 | 30.3 | +3.5 | |
Majority | 47 | 3.4 | −17.0 | ||
Turnout | 873 | 78.8 | c. +4.1 | ||
Registered electors | 1,108 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | −2.0 | |||
Whig hold | Swing | −1.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Wyndham Lewis | 529 | 41.7 | +11.4 | |
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 398 | 31.4 | −4.5 | |
Whig | Charles James Barnett | 333 | 26.3 | −7.4 | |
Conservative | Matthias Prime Lucas | 5 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Conservative | E Hildyard | 3 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Turnout | 907 | 73.5 | −5.3 | ||
Registered electors | 1,234 | ||||
Majority | 131 | 10.3 | N/A | ||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +11.7 | |||
Majority | 393 | 31.0 | +27.6 | ||
Whig hold | Swing | −5.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Wyndham Lewis | 782 | 38.4 | +17.6 | |
Conservative | Benjamin Disraeli | 668 | 32.8 | +12.0 | |
Radical | Thomas Perronet Thompson | 559 | 27.5 | New | |
Radical | Thomas Erskine Perry | 25 | 1.2 | New | |
Majority | 109 | 5.3 | -5.0 | ||
Turnout | 1,209 | 86.4 | +12.9 | ||
Registered electors | 1,399 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +17.6 | |||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +12.0 |
Lewis' death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Minet Fector | 708 | 54.8 | −16.4 | |
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 583 | 45.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 125 | 9.6 | +4.3 | ||
Turnout | 1,291 | 87.0 | +0.6 | ||
Registered electors | 1,399 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −16.4 |
The by-election was declared void, causing another by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Minet Fector | 707 | 58.0 | −13.2 | |
Whig | Abraham Wildey Robarts | 512 | 42.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 195 | 16.0 | +10.7 | ||
Turnout | 1,219 | 82.1 | −4.3 | ||
Registered electors | 1,399 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −13.2 |
Elections in the 1840s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Beresford Hope | 765 | 40.1 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | George Dodd | 725 | 38.0 | +5.2 | |
Radical | David Salomons[13] | 418 | 21.9 | −6.8 | |
Majority | 307 | 16.1 | +10.8 | ||
Turnout | 1,152 | 69.4 | −17.0 | ||
Registered electors | 1,660 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.6 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Beresford Hope | Unopposed | |||
Conservative | George Dodd | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,741 | ||||
Conservative hold | |||||
Conservative hold |
Elections in the 1850s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | James Whatman | 848 | 39.6 | N/A | |
Conservative | George Dodd | 709 | 33.1 | N/A | |
Radical | William Lee | 584 | 27.3 | N/A | |
Turnout | 1,071 (est) | 61.1 (est) | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 1,751 | ||||
Majority | 139 | 6.5 | N/A | ||
Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
Majority | 125 | 5.8 | N/A | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Dodd's election was declared void on petition due to treating by his agents, causing a by-election.[14]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | William Lee | 748 | 50.3 | −16.6 | |
Peelite | Charles Wykeham Martin[10][15] | 738 | 49.7 | +16.6 | |
Majority | 10 | 0.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,486 | 81.9 | +20.8 | ||
Registered electors | 1,814 | ||||
Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | −16.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Beresford Hope | 801 | 27.6 | +11.0 | |
Conservative | Edward Scott | 759 | 26.1 | +9.5 | |
Radical | William Lee | 689 | 23.7 | −3.6 | |
Whig | Humphrey Francis St John-Mildmay[16][17] | 655 | 22.6 | −17.0 | |
Majority | 70 | 2.4 | −3.4 | ||
Turnout | 1,452 (est) | 90.1 (est) | +29.0 | ||
Registered electors | 1,611 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +10.7 | |||
Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | +9.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Lee | 776 | 25.4 | +1.7 | |
Liberal | Charles Buxton | 776 | 25.4 | +2.8 | |
Conservative | John Wardlaw | 751 | 24.6 | −3.0 | |
Conservative | Egerton Vernon-Harcourt | 749 | 24.5 | −1.6 | |
Majority | 25 | 0.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,526 (est) | 82.6 (est) | −7.5 | ||
Registered electors | 1,848 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.0 | |||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.6 |
Elections in the 1860s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Lee | 869 | 25.7 | +0.3 | |
Liberal | James Whatman | 867 | 25.7 | +0.3 | |
Conservative | Edward Betts | 838 | 24.8 | +0.2 | |
Conservative | John Wardlaw[19] | 801 | 23.7 | −0.8 | |
Majority | 29 | 0.9 | +0.1 | ||
Turnout | 1,688 (est) | 92.9 (est) | +10.3 | ||
Registered electors | 1,817 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.3 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Lee | 1,569 | 26.6 | +0.9 | |
Liberal | James Whatman | 1,546 | 26.2 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | William Foster White[20] | 1,412 | 23.9 | −0.9 | |
Conservative | George Parbury[21] | 1,369 | 23.2 | −0.5 | |
Majority | 134 | 2.3 | +1.4 | ||
Turnout | 2,948 (est) | 86.2 (est) | −6.7 | ||
Registered electors | 3,420 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.8 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | +0.6 |
Elections in the 1870s[]
Lee's resignation caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Lubbock | 1,504 | 51.8 | −1.0 | |
Conservative | William Foster White[20] | 1,402 | 48.2 | +1.1 | |
Majority | 102 | 3.4 | +1.1 | ||
Turnout | 2,906 | 90.4 | +4.2 | ||
Registered electors | 3,214 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −1.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Lubbock | 1,558 | 26.7 | +0.1 | |
Liberal | Sydney Waterlow | 1,491 | 25.6 | −0.6 | |
Conservative | Alexander Henry Ross | 1,414 | 24.3 | +0.4 | |
Conservative | John Constantine Stanley | 1,365 | 23.4 | +0.2 | |
Majority | 77 | 1.3 | −1.0 | ||
Turnout | 2,914 (est) | 82.9 (est) | −3.3 | ||
Registered electors | 3,517 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −0.1 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | −0.5 |
Elections in the 1880s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Henry Ross | 1,965 | 27.5 | +3.2 | |
Conservative | John Evans Freke-Aylmer | 1,832 | 25.6 | +2.2 | |
Liberal | John Lubbock | 1,725 | 24.1 | −2.6 | |
Liberal | Sydney Waterlow | 1,624 | 22.7 | −2.9 | |
Majority | 107 | 1.5 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 3,573 (est) | 92.1 (est) | +9.2 | ||
Registered electors | 3,878 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.9 | |||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Henry Ross | 2,184 | 54.3 | +1.2 | |
Liberal | Martin Hume | 1,839 | 45.7 | −1.1 | |
Majority | 345 | 8.6 | +7.1 | ||
Turnout | 4,023 | 94.1 | +2.0 (est) | ||
Registered electors | 4,273 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +1.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alexander Henry Ross | 1,917 | 54.5 | +0.2 | |
Liberal | Thomas Proctor Baptie[23] | 1,603 | 45.5 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 314 | 9.0 | +0.4 | ||
Turnout | 3,520 | 82.4 | −11.7 | ||
Registered electors | 4,273 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.2 |
Ross' death caused a by-election.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Fiennes_Cornwallis%2C_1st_Baron_Cornwallis_c_1902.gif/120px-Fiennes_Cornwallis%2C_1st_Baron_Cornwallis_c_1902.gif)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Fiennes Cornwallis | 2,050 | 52.4 | −2.1 | |
Liberal | John Barker | 1,865 | 47.6 | +2.1 | |
Majority | 185 | 4.8 | −4.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,915 | 86.6 | +4.2 | ||
Registered electors | 4,519 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −2.1 |
Elections in the 1890s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Fiennes Cornwallis | 2,443 | 60.0 | +5.5 | |
Liberal | Thomas Nussey | 1,627 | 40.0 | −5.5 | |
Majority | 816 | 20.0 | +11.0 | ||
Turnout | 4,070 | 86.1 | +3.7 | ||
Registered electors | 4,729 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Frederick Hunt | Unopposed | |||
Conservative hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Fiennes Cornwallis | 2,214 | 52.1 | N/A | |
Liberal | John Barker | 2,036 | 47.9 | New | |
Majority | 178 | 4.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 4,250 | 87.4 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 4,865 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1900s[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e0/John_Barker_2.jpg/120px-John_Barker_2.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Barker | 2,201 | 50.4 | N/A | |
Conservative | Fiennes Cornwallis | 2,163 | 49.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 38 | 0.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 4,364 | 86.1 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 5,068 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A |
- unseated on petition
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Francis Evans | 2,375 | 52.1 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | Thomas Milvain | 2,182 | 47.9 | −1.7 | |
Majority | 193 | 4.2 | +3.4 | ||
Turnout | 4,557 | 88.1 | +2.0 | ||
Registered electors | 5,170 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +1.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart | 2,841 | 51.2 | +0.8 | |
Liberal | Francis Evans | 2,709 | 48.8 | -0.8 | |
Majority | 132 | 2.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 5,550 | 94.5 | +8.4 | ||
Registered electors | 5,870 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.6 |
Elections in the 1910s[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Vivian_Phillips.jpg/120px-Vivian_Phillips.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Viscount Castlereagh | 3,094 | 52.1 | +0.9 | |
Liberal | Vivian Phillipps | 2,847 | 47.9 | −0.9 | |
Majority | 247 | 4.2 | +1.8 | ||
Turnout | 5,941 | 94.0 | +0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 6,260 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Viscount Castlereagh | 2,906 | 50.6 | -1.5 | |
Liberal | Vivian Phillipps | 2,836 | 49.4 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 70 | 1.2 | -3.0 | ||
Turnout | 5,742 | 91.7 | −3.2 | ||
Registered electors | 6,260 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -1.5 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Carlyon_Bellairs.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | Unopposed | |||
Unionist hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | 11,931 | 65.5 | +14.9 |
Labour | Frederick Burgess | 6,277 | 34.5 | New | |
Majority | 5,654 | 31.0 | +29.8 | ||
Turnout | 18,208 | 59.2 | −32.5 | ||
Registered electors | 30,747 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | 8,928 | 34.6 | −30.9 | |
Liberal | George Foster Clark | 8,895 | 34.4 | New | |
Labour | Hugh Dalton | 8,004 | 31.0 | −3.5 | |
Majority | 33 | 0.2 | −30.8 | ||
Turnout | 25,827 | 78.5 | +19.3 | ||
Registered electors | 32,916 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −13.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | 11,244 | 41.9 | +7.3 | |
Liberal | George Foster Clark | 9,047 | 33.7 | −0.7 | |
Labour | Seymour Cocks | 6,558 | 24.4 | −6.6 | |
Majority | 2,197 | 8.2 | +8.0 | ||
Turnout | 26,849 | 78.9 | +0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 34,037 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | +4.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | 16,121 | 66.3 | +24.4 | |
Labour | Seymour Cocks | 8,192 | 33.7 | +9.3 | |
Majority | 7,929 | 32.6 | +24.4 | ||
Turnout | 24,313 | 69.8 | −9.1 | ||
Registered electors | 34,811 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | +7.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Carlyon Bellairs | 14,254 | 40.8 | −25.5 | |
Labour | John Morgan | 10,419 | 29.9 | −3.8 | |
Liberal | Thomas Fairchild Day | 10,222 | 29.3 | New | |
Majority | 3,835 | 10.9 | −21.7 | ||
Turnout | 34,895 | 77.0 | +7.2 | ||
Registered electors | 45,317 | ||||
Unionist hold | Swing | −10.9 |
Elections in the 1930s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 27,394 | 80.2 | +39.4 | |
Labour | Gertrude Speedwell Massingham | 6,770 | 19.8 | -10.1 | |
Majority | 20,624 | 60.4 | +49.5 | ||
Turnout | 34,164 | 72.3 | -4.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 24,644 | 72.5 | -7.7 | |
Labour | JW MacAlpine | 9,340 | 27.5 | +7.7 | |
Majority | 15,304 | 45.0 | -15.4 | ||
Turnout | 33,984 | 67.4 | +7.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
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;
- Conservative: Alfred Bossom
- Labour: Otto L Shaw[26]
Elections in the 1940s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 21,320 | 53.3 | -19.2 | |
Labour | Otto Leslie Shaw | 18,295 | 45.7 | +18.2 | |
Democratic | G Murray | 416 | 1.0 | New | |
Majority | 3,025 | 7.6 | -37.4 | ||
Turnout | 40,031 | 71.0 | +3.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -18.7 |
Elections in the 1950s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 25,008 | 51.11 | ||
Labour | Henry Albert White | 18,377 | 37.56 | ||
Liberal | Thomas Frederick Rice | 5,546 | 11.33 | New | |
Majority | 6,631 | 13.55 | |||
Turnout | 48,931 | 81.78 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 27,606 | 56.61 | ||
Labour | Henry Albert White | 21,159 | 43.39 | ||
Majority | 6,447 | 13.22 | |||
Turnout | 48,765 | 80.54 | |||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Alfred Bossom | 27,267 | 57.9 | +1.3 | |
Labour | Otto L Shaw | 19,861 | 42.1 | -1.3 | |
Majority | 7,406 | 15.8 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 47,128 | 77.08 | -10.4 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 30,115 | 60.5 | +2.6 | |
Labour | A B Spencer Soper | 19,652 | 39.5 | -2.6 | |
Majority | 2,240 | 21.0 | +4.2 | ||
Turnout | 49,767 | 78.6 | +1.5 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 25,079 | 46.9 | -13.6 | |
Labour | James Daly | 17,143 | 32.1 | -4.4 | |
Liberal | Stanley Blow | 11,244 | 21.0 | New | |
Majority | 7,936 | 14.8 | -6.2 | ||
Turnout | 53,467 | 78.0 | -0.6 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 29,208 | 54.7 | +7.8 | |
Labour | Michael J O'Flaherty | 24,214 | 45.3 | +13.2 | |
Majority | 4,994 | 9.4 | -5.4 | ||
Turnout | 53,422 | 74.3 | -3.7 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 31,316 | 51.4 | -3.3 | |
Labour | Kenneth M Graham | 18,473 | 30.3 | -15.0 | |
Liberal | Stanley Blow | 11,167 | 18.3 | New | |
Majority | 12,843 | 21.1 | +11.7 | ||
Turnout | 60,959 | 72.1 | -2.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 31,334 | 44.1 | -7.3 | |
Liberal | Edward Harrison | 23,678 | 33.3 | +15.0 | |
Labour | R Arndell | 16,006 | 22.5 | -7.8 | |
Majority | 7,656 | 10.8 | -10.3 | ||
Turnout | 71,014 | 81.3 | +9.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 28,852 | 44.2 | +0.1 | |
Liberal | Julian F Burnett | 18,581 | 28.5 | -4.8 | |
Labour | Kenneth M Graham | 17,828 | 27.3 | +4.8 | |
Majority | 10,271 | 15.7 | +4.9 | ||
Turnout | 65,260 | 74.0 | -7.3 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 37,727 | 52.6 | +8.4 | |
Liberal | Julian F Burnett | 16,676 | 23.2 | -5.3 | |
Labour | R Evans | 16,632 | 23.2 | -4.1 | |
National Front | Arthur Dennis Whiting | 703 | 1.0 | New | |
Majority | 21,051 | 29.3 | +13.6 | ||
Turnout | 71,734 | 77.0 | +3.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1980s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Wells | 26,420 | 50.9 | -1.7 | |
Alliance | Julian F Burnett | 19,194 | 37.0 | +13.8 | |
Labour | GT Carey | 6,280 | 12.1 | -11.1 | |
Majority | 7,226 | 13.9 | -15.4 | ||
Turnout | 51,895 | 73.8 | -3.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ann Widdecombe | 29,100 | 52.4 | +1.5 | |
Alliance | Christopher Sutton-Mattocks | 18,736 | 33.8 | -3.2 | |
Labour | Kevin Brooks | 6,935 | 12.5 | +0.4 | |
Green | Penelope Kemp | 717 | 1.3 | New | |
Majority | 10,364 | 18.6 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 55,488 | 76.02 | +2.2 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1990s[]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Ann Widdecombe | 31,611 | 54.2 | +1.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | PG Yates | 15,325 | 26.3 | −7.5 | |
Labour | AFH Logan | 10,517 | 18.0 | +5.5 | |
Green | Penelope Kemp | 707 | 1.2 | −0.1 | |
Natural Law | FJ Ingram | 172 | 0.3 | New | |
Majority | 16,286 | 27.9 | +9.3 | ||
Turnout | 58,332 | 80.1 | +4.1 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 |
See also[]
Notes and references[]
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
- ^ At the election of 1702, Marsham and Roberts were returned as elected, and their opponents, Sir Thomas Twisden and Thomas Bliss, petitioned against the result. The Commons on investigation found all four candidates guilty of "bribery and other unlawful practices", declared the election void and resolved that no writ for a new election should be issued until the end of the session
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 166–169. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
- ^ Dodd was re-elected in 1852 but the election was declared void on petition, and a by-election was held
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Elections in Kent". Kentish Gazette. 13 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Maidstone". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 10 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Notice to Correspondents". Sussex Agricultural Express. 4 April 1857. p. 6. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Cambridge Chronicle and Journal". 21 May 1853. p. 3. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Farrell, Stephen. "Maidstone". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)
|format=
requires|url=
(help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3. - ^ "Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser". 3 July 1841. p. 8. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Carlisle Journal". 27 May 1853. p. 8. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Maidstone". Sussex Advertiser. 17 May 1853. p. 7. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "South Eastern Gazette". 24 March 1857. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Nominations". Morning Chronicle. 28 March 1857. pp. 5–7. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Borough of Maidstone". South Eastern Gazette. 26 April 1859. p. 8. Retrieved 27 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Maidstone". Kentish Gazette. Kent. 18 July 1865. p. 7. Retrieved 1 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Maidstone Election". Kentish Independent. 5 March 1870. p. 8. Retrieved 6 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Great Conservative Meeting in Maidstone". Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser. Kent. 28 September 1868. p. 9. Retrieved 1 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
- ^ "The General Election". Huddersfield Chronicle. 2 July 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 3 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
- ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
- ^ Jump up to: a b c British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
- ^ "UK General Election results: October 1959 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results: October 1964 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results: March 1966 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results 1970 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results: February 1974 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results: October 1974 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "UK General Election results: May 1979 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "UK General Election results: June 1983 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
Sources[]
- Robert Beatson, "A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament" (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
- D. Brunton & D. H. Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- F W S Craig, "British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885" (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
- T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
- J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
- Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
- Lewis Namier, The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III (2nd edition - London: St Martin's Press, 1961)
- Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967)
- Robert Waller, The Almanac of British Politics (1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983; 5th edition, London: Routledge, 1996)
- Frederic A Youngs, jr, "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I" (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
- Borough of Maidstone
- Politics of the Borough of Tunbridge Wells
- Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1997
- Parliamentary constituencies in Kent (historic)
- Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1560