Medway (UK Parliament constituency)

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Medway
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of Medway in Kent for the 2005 general election
Outline map
Location of Kent within England
CountyKent
Major settlementsRochester, Strood
1983–2010
Number of membersOne
Replaced byRochester and Strood
Created fromRochester & Chatham and Gravesend[1]
1885–1918
Number of membersOne
Replaced byGravesend, Sevenoaks, Maidstone and Chatham
Created fromWest Kent

Medway was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1983 and 2010. A previous constituency of the same name existed from 1885 to 1918.

Boundaries[]

1885–1918[]

The Mid or Medway Division of Kent was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. It comprised a rural area consisting of the petty sessional divisions of Bearstead, Rochester and part of Malling PSD, but did not include the Medway Towns which were comprised in the parliamentary boroughs of Chatham and Rochester. It also surrounded, but did not include the town of Maidstone.[2] It comprised these parishes:[3]

The Rochester seat is an old one, going back to the 16th century, but it saw many changes in the 20th century. In 1918 it was split between Chatham and Gillingham. The Chatham seat became Rochester and Chatham in 1950, and then Medway in 1983.

1983–2010[]

The constituency was revived in 1983 by Parliament's acceptance of a Boundary Commission national review,[4] and was defined as comprising thirteen wards of the then City of Rochester upon Medway: All Saints, Cuxton and Halling, Earl, Frindsbury, Frindsbury Extra, Hoo St. Werburgh, Rede Court, St. Margarets and Borstal, Temple Farm, Thames Side, Town, Troy Town and Warren Wood.[4]

Boundaries were not changed at the next redistribution that followed the Fourth Review for the 1997 election.[5]

Conveniently but somewhat confusingly 1998 Rochester upon Medway merged with the neighbouring Borough of Gillingham to form the larger unitary Borough of Medway.[6] The Medway constituency covered only part of the unitary authority: some towns in the borough of Medway, such as Gillingham (Gillingham) or Chatham see (Chatham and Aylesford) had and retain their own constituency. Because of this, the name of the seat caused much confusion leading to its renaming in 2010.

Boundary review[]

Following the boundary review of parliamentary representation in Kent between 2000 and 2008, the Boundary Commission for England renamed the Medway seat to Rochester and Strood. This is because the Commission agreed that the term "Medway" is now primarily used for the larger unitary authority.[7]

The constituency consists of ten wards of the Borough of Medway: Cuxton and Halling, Peninsula, River, Rochester East, Rochester South and Horsted, Rochester West, Strood North, Strood Rural and Strood South.[8]

Members of Parliament[]

MPs 1885–1918[]

Election Member[9] Party
1885 John Gathorne-Hardy Conservative
1892 Charles Warde Conservative

MPs 1983–2010[]

Election Member[9] Party
1983 Dame Peggy Fenner Conservative
1997 Bob Marshall-Andrews Labour
2010 Constituency abolished: see Rochester and Strood

Election results 1885-1918[]

Elections in the 1880s[]

General election 1885: Medway [10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Gathorne-Hardy 6,212 54.8
Liberal Sydney Waterlow 5,118 45.2
Majority 1,094 9.6
Turnout 11,330 84.0
Registered electors 13,482
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Medway [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Gathorne-Hardy Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s[]

Steadman
General election 1892: Medway [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde 6,337 59.1 N/A
Lib-Lab W. C. Steadman 4,391 40.9 New
Majority 1,946 18.2 N/A
Turnout 10,728 74.1 N/A
Registered electors 14,484
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Warde
General election 1895: Medway [10][11][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s[]

General election 1900: Medway [10][11][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde Unopposed
Conservative hold
Williams
General election 1906: Medway [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde 6,167 50.4 N/A
Liberal Aneurin Williams 6,061 49.6 New
Majority 106 0.8 N/A
Turnout 12,228 83.6 N/A
Registered electors 14,628
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s[]

General election January 1910: Medway [10][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde 8,093 60.5 +10.1
Liberal Alexander Cairns 5,285 39.5 -10.1
Majority 2,808 21.0 +20.2
Turnout 13,378 88.1 +4.5
Conservative hold Swing +10.1
General election December 1910: Medway [10][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Warde Unopposed
Conservative hold

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;

Elections 1983-2005[]

Elections in the 2000s[]

General election 2005: Medway[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 17,333 42.2 −6.8
Conservative Mark Reckless 17,120 41.7 +2.5
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Juby 5,152 12.5 +3.2
UKIP Bob Oakley 1,488 3.6 +1.1
Majority 213 0.5 -9.3
Turnout 41,093 61.1 +1.6
Labour hold Swing −4.6
General election 2001: Medway[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 18,914 49.0 +0.1
Conservative Mark Reckless 15,134 39.2 +2.3
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Juby 3,604 9.3 −0.9
UKIP Nikki Sinclaire 958 2.5 +1.6
Majority 3,780 9.8 -2.2
Turnout 38,610 59.5 −12.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1990s[]

General election 1997: Medway[19][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 21,858 48.9 +14.3
Conservative Peggy Fenner 16,504 36.9 −15.4
Liberal Democrats Roger D.C. Roberts 4,555 10.2 +0.6
Referendum Joseph Main 1,420 3.2 New
UKIP Susan P. Radlett 405 0.9 New
Majority 5,354 12.0 N/A
Turnout 44,742 72.3 -7.9
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +14.9
General election 1992: Medway[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peggy Fenner 25,924 52.3 +1.3
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 17,138 34.6 +4.8
Liberal Democrats Cyril L. Trice 4,751 9.6 −8.5
Liberal Mark Austin 1,480 3.0 New
Natural Law Paul A. Kember 234 0.5 New
Majority 8,786 17.7 −3.5
Turnout 49,527 80.2 +7.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.7

Elections in the 1980s[]

General election 1987: Medway[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peggy Fenner 23,889 51.0 +2.1
Labour Vernon Hull 13,960 29.8 −0.3
SDP Jennifer Horne-Roberts 8,450 18.1 −2.0
Green (UK) June Rosser 504 1.1 New
Majority 9,929 21.2 +2.4
Turnout 46,803 73.0 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1983: Medway[24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peggy Fenner 22,507 48.9
Labour Robert Bean 13,851 30.1
SDP Frederick Charles Winckless 9,658 20.1
Majority 8,656 18.8
Turnout 46,016 72.6
Conservative win (new seat)

See also[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ "'Medway', June 1983 up to May 1997". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Boundary Commissioners' Map of Divisions of Kent". London Ancrestor. 1885. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  3. ^ Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 739. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  4. ^ a b Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/417)
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1626)". Office of Public Sector Information. 1995. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  6. ^ "The Kent (Borough of Gillingham and City of Rochester upon Medway) (Structural Change) Order 1996". Office of Public Sector Information. 1996. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  7. ^ Fifth Periodical Report, Volume I: Report, Cm 7032-i (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2007. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  8. ^ Fifth Periodical Report, Volume 2: Appendices, Cm 7032-ii (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2007. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  9. ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  11. ^ a b c d e f The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  12. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  13. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  14. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  15. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  16. ^ "UK General Election results May 2005". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  17. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Medway". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  19. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  22. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. ^ "UK General Election results June 1987". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  24. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  25. ^ "UK General Election results June 1983". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. Retrieved 13 April 2009.

Coordinates: 51°26′N 0°30′E / 51.433°N 0.500°E / 51.433; 0.500

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