Swansea District (UK Parliament constituency)

Swansea District
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1832–1918
Number of members one
Replaced by Aberavon and Neath
Created from Swansea

Swansea District or Swansea District of Boroughs was a borough constituency. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Overview

The constituency was created for the 1832–33 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election. Swansea District was a strongly Liberal constituency, dominated by the tinplate and steel industries, together with coal.

Boundaries

Upon its creation in 1832 the constituency comprised five separate boroughs, Swansea, Neath, Aberavon, Kenfig and Loughor. There were some minor boundary changes in 1868 but the composition of the constituency in terms of boroughs remained the same until 1885.

In 1885, the constituency was split into two, with the central part of Swansea borough forming the Swansea Town constituency, and the northern part of Swansea borough centred on Morriston, together with the four smaller boroughs, forming a constituency which retained Swansea District as its name.

The first member after 1885 was Henry Vivian, who had previously represented Glamorgan county since 1857.

Members of Parliament

  • Constituency created (1832)
YearMemberWhip
1832 John Henry Vivian Whig[1][2][3][4]
1855 Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Whig[5][6][7]
1859 Liberal
1885 Sir Henry Vivian Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1887 Liberal
1893 William Williams Liberal
1895 Sir David Brynmor Jones Liberal
1915 Thomas Jeremiah Williams Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Electoral history

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,694
Whig hold

Vivian's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 27 February 1855: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Whig hold
General Election 1857: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,901
Whig hold
General Election 1859: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,921
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1865: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,967
Liberal hold
General Election 1868: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 7,543
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn 5,215 65.8 N/A
Conservative Charles Bath[9] 2,708 34.2 N/A
Majority 2,507 31.6 N/A
Turnout 7,923 63.5 N/A
Registered electors 12,476
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: Swansea District[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 13,631
Liberal hold
General Election 1885: Swansea District[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Henry Vivian Unopposed
Liberal hold

In 1886, Vivian briefly joined the Liberal Unionists but was nevertheless returned unopposed and returned to the Gladstonian fold soon after the election.

General Election 1886: Swansea District[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Henry Vivian Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Swansea District [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Henry Vivian 5,959 86.5 N/A
Conservative Herbert Monger[12] 933 13.5 N/A
Majority 5,026 73.0 N/A
Turnout 6,892 68.6 N/A
Registered electors 10,047
Liberal hold Swing N/A

In 1893, when he was elevated to the peerage becoming Lord Swansea, he was succeeded by the Morriston tinplate owner, William Williams.

By-election, 19 Jun 1893: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal William Williams Unopposed
Liberal hold

Williams served for only two years before being replaced in 1895 by Brynmor Jones. Jones had strong nonconformist connections but his political career was undistinguished and he concentrated on his legal career.[13]

Brynmor Jones
General Election 1895: Swansea District [10][11][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones 3,850 49.9 −36.6
Independent Liberal-Labour Ernest Hall Hedley 2,018 26.1 N/A
Conservative John Wright 1,851 24.0 +10.5
Majority 1,832 23.8 −49.2
Turnout 7,719 75.4 +6.8
Registered electors 10,237
Liberal hold Swing −23.6

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
Brynmor Jones
General Election 1906: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones 8,488 77.9 N/A
Conservative Robert Campbell 2,415 22.1 N/A
Majority 6,073 55.8 N/A
Turnout 10,903 84.0 N/A
Registered electors 12,983
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Swansea District by-election, 1910 [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
General Election December 1910: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
Swansea District by-election, 1914 [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
Williams
Swansea District by-election, 1915 [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Thomas Williams Unopposed
Liberal hold

References

  1. ↑ Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 65. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 250. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ↑ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 229. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "SWANSEA". Drogheda Conservative Journal. 10 July 1841. p. 1. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "Wiltshire Independent". 8 March 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "Shrewsbury Chronicle". 2 March 1855. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ "John Bull". 3 March 1855. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)|format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 514. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  9. ↑ "Swansea". London Evening Standard. 2 February 1874. p. 6. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 462. ISBN 9781349022984.
  11. 1 2 The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  12. ↑ Griffiths Family Group Sheets http://griffiths123.com/b30.htm. Retrieved 20 November 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ Morgan, Kenneth O. (1960). "Democratic Politics in Glamorgan, 1884-1914". Morgannwg. 4: 5–27. see page 12.
  14. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901

Further reading

  • Wikisource Thomas, Daniel Lleufer (1911). "Swansea". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 181.
  • Morgan, Kenneth O (1991). Wales in British Politics 1868–1922 (3rd ed.). Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0708311245.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 6)
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