East Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

East Fife was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885-1983. Along with West Fife, it was formed by splitting the old Fife constituency.

East Fife
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandFife
1885–1983
Number of membersOne
Replaced byNorth East Fife and Central Fife[1]
Created fromFife and (from 1918) St Andrews Burghs

It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system, and from 1886 to 1918 it was represented by the Liberal Prime Minister (1908–16), H. H. Asquith.

Boundaries

In 1885, the constituency comprised the parishes of Abdie, Abernethy, Anstruther Wester, Anstruther Easter, Auchtermuchty, Balmerino, Cameron, Carnbee, Ceres, Collessie, Crail, Creich, Cults, Cupar, Dairsie, Dunbog, Dunino, Elie, Falkland, Ferry-Port-on-Craig, Flisk, Forgan, Kemback, Kennoway, Kettle, Kilconquhar, Kilmany, Kilrenny, Kingsbarns, Largo, Leuchars, Logie, Monimail, Moonzie, Newburgh, Newburn, Pittenweem, St Andrews, St Leonards, St Monance, Scoonie and Strathmiglo.[2]

In 1918, on the dissolution of the St Andrews Burghs constituency, the burghs of St Andrews, Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny and Pittenweem were added to the constituency. It then consisted of "The Cupar and St. Andrews County Districts, inclusive of all burghs situated therein, together with the burgh of Leven and so much of the Kirkcaldy County District as is contained within the extra-burghal portion of the parish of Scoonie and the parish of Kennoway."

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 John Boyd Kinnear Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1886H. H. AsquithLiberal
1918Alexander SprotUnionist
1922James Duncan MillarLiberal
1924Archibald CochraneUnionist
1929 James Duncan Millar Liberal
1931 National Liberal
1933 by-electionJames Henderson-StewartNational Liberal
1961 by-electionJohn GilmourUnionist
1979Barry HendersonConservative
1983 Constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Boyd Kinnear 4,533 63.8 N/A
Conservative John Gilmour 2,577 36.2 N/A
Majority 1,956 27.6 N/A
Turnout 7,110 77.0 N/A
Registered electors 9,233
Liberal win (new seat)
H. H. Asquith
General election 1886: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 2,863 53.5 −10.3
Liberal Unionist John Boyd Kinnear 2,489 46.5 +10.3
Majority 374 7.0 −20.6
Turnout 5,352 58.0 -19.0
Registered electors 9,233
Liberal hold Swing −10.3

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 3,743 52.0 −1.5
Conservative John Gilmour 3,449 48.0 +1.5
Majority 294 4.0 −3.0
Turnout 7,192 78.7 +20.7
Registered electors 9,133
Liberal hold Swing −1.5

Asquith is appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1892: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1895: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 4,332 54.5 +2.5
Conservative John Gilmour 3,616 45.5 -2.5
Majority 716 9.0 +5.0
Turnout 7,948 84.3 +5.6
Registered electors 9,432
Liberal hold Swing +2.5

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 4,141 60.4 +5.9
Conservative Arthur Constable 2,710 39.6 -5.9
Majority 1,431 20.8 +11.8
Turnout 6,851 72.1 -12.2
Registered electors 9,505
Liberal hold Swing +5.9
H. H. Asquith
General election 1906: East Fife[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 4,723 59.0 -1.4
Conservative John Gilmour 3,279 41.0 +1.4
Majority 1,444 18.0 -2.8
Turnout 8,002 80.0 +7.9
Registered electors 9,998
Liberal hold Swing −1.4

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 5,242 62.2 +3.2
Conservative Alexander Sprot 3,183 37.8 -3.2
Majority 2,059 24.4 +6.4
Turnout 8,425 81.2 +1.2
Liberal hold Swing
Asquith
General election December 1910: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith 5,149 60.6 -1.6
Conservative Alexander Sprot 3,350 39.4 +1.6
Majority 1,799 21.2 -3.2
Turnout 8,499 78.0 -3.2
Liberal hold Swing
By-election, 1914: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal H. H. Asquith Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1918: East Fife[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Alexander Sprot 8,996 54.2 +14.8
Liberal H. H. Asquith 6,996 42.2 -18.4
Independent Progressive William Pritchard Morgan 591 3.6 n/a
Majority 2,002 12.0
Turnout 16,581 54.0 -24.0
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1920s
Duncan Millar
General election 1922: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal James Duncan Millar 12,697 56.0 +13.8
Unionist Alexander Sprot 9,987 44.0 -10.2
Majority 2,710 12.0
Turnout 22,684 67.2 +13.2
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +12.0
General election 1923: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal James Duncan Millar 12,825 55.5 -0.5
Unionist Alexander Sprot 10,275 44.5 +0.5
Majority 2,550 11.0 -1.0
Turnout 23,100 67.8 +0.6
Liberal hold Swing -0.5
General election 1924: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Archibald Cochrane 12,664 53.0 +8.5
Liberal James Duncan Millar 11,242 47.0 -8.5
Majority 1,422 6.0
Turnout 23,906 69.2 +1.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General election 1929: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal James Duncan Millar 14,329 42.9 -4.1
Unionist Archibald Cochrane 13,748 41.1 -11.9
Labour W R Garson 5,350 6.0 n/a
Majority 581 1.8
Turnout 33,427 73.3 +4.1
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +3.9

Elections in the 1930s
General election of 1931

In the 1931 general election, James Duncan Millar was elected unopposed.

Henderson-Stewart
1933 East Fife by-election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal National James Henderson-Stewart 15,770 52.2
Labour Joseph Westwood 6,635 22.0
Agricultural Party J. L. Anderson 4,404 14.6 n/a
Independent Liberal David Edwin Keir 2,296 7.6 n/a
National (Scotland) Eric Linklater 1,083 3.6 n/a
Majority 9,135 30.2
Turnout 30,188 65.6
Liberal National hold Swing
General election 1935: East Fife [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal National James Henderson-Stewart 27,915 82.3 +30.1
Labour Alexander Kerr Davidson 6,016 17.7 -4.3
Majority 21,899 64.6 +34.4
Turnout 33,931 71.0 +5.4
Liberal National hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal National James Henderson-Stewart 24,765 69.4 -12.9
Labour Co-op Samuel McLaren 10,920 30.6 +12.9
Majority 13,845 38.8 -25.8
Turnout 35,685 70.8 -0.2
Liberal National hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: East Fife[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
National Liberal and Conservative James Henderson Stewart 25,749 63.7
Labour Co-op Samuel McLaren 10,694 26.5
Liberal David Alexander Freeman 3,975 9.8
Majority 15,055 37.2
Turnout 81.1
National Liberal and Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: East Fife[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
National Liberal and Conservative James Henderson Stewart 28,446 70.6
Labour John McGowan 11,844 29.4
Majority 16,602 41.2
Turnout 78.7
National Liberal and Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: East Fife[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
National Liberal and Conservative James Henderson Stewart 26,104 70.6
Labour John McGowan 10,872 29.4
Majority 15,522 41.2
Turnout 73.2
National Liberal and Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: East Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
National Liberal and Conservative James Henderson Stewart 26,585 69.9
Labour John Nicol 11,421 30.0
Majority 15,164 39.9
Turnout 75.2
National Liberal and Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
1961 East Fife by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist John Gilmour 15,948 47.5 -22.2
Labour John Smith 8,882 26.4 −3.6
Liberal Donald Leach 8,786 26.1 N/A
Majority 7,066 21.1 -18.9
Turnout 33,616
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1964: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist John Gilmour 21,001 54.2 -15.7
Labour John Smith 9,765 25.2 -4.8
Liberal Derek C Wood 5,075 13.1 N/A
SNP James Braid 2,635 6.8 N/A
Independent Loyalist Leslie M.C. Greene 257 0.7 N/A
Majority 11,236 29.0 -10.9
Turnout 38,733 77.8
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1966: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gilmour 19,323 51.5 −2.7
Labour Harry Peaker 9,229 24.6 −0.6
SNP James Braid 5,394 14.4 +7.6
Liberal Derek A. Barrie 3,574 9.5 −3.6
Majority 10,094 26.9 −2.1
Turnout 37,520 76.1 −1.7
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gilmour 21,619 54.6 +3.1
Labour Henry Ewing 9,756 24.6 0.0
SNP James Braid 4,666 11.8 −2.6
Liberal Willis Pickard 3,577 9.0 −0.5
Majority 11,863 30.0 +3.1
Turnout 39,618 74.4 −1.7
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gilmour 21,172 47.9 −6.7
SNP James Braid 8,593 19.5 +7.7
Liberal Willis Pickard 7,766 17.6 +8.6
Labour Bashir Maan 6,634 15.0 −9.6
Majority 12,579 28.4 −1.5
Turnout 44,165 78.8 +4.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gilmour 16,116 38.8 −9.1
SNP James Braid 13,202 31.8 +12.3
Labour Helen Liddell 7,040 16.9 +1.9
Liberal D.W.C. Docherty 5,247 12.6 −5.0
Majority 2,914 7.0 −20.6
Turnout 41,605 73.7 −5.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: East Fife
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Barry Henderson 20,117 43.0 +4.2
Liberal Menzies Campbell 10,762 23.0 +10.4
Labour Henry McLeish 9,339 19.9 +3.0
SNP J. Marshall 6,612 14.1 −17.7
Majority 9,355 20.0 +13.0
Turnout 46,830 79.0 +5.3
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "'Fife East', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  2. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
  3. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  4. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench
  5. Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  6. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939

Sources

See also
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Worcestershire East		 Constituency represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1905–1908		 Succeeded by
Caernarvon Boroughs
Preceded by
Stirling Burghs		 Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1908–1916		 Succeeded by
Caernarvon Boroughs
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