1900 Portsmouth by-election

The Portsmouth by-election, 1900 was a parliamentary by-election held on 3 May 1900 for one of the two seats in the British House of Commons constituency of Portsmouth in Hampshire.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant when the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Walter Clough had resigned his seat on 23 April 1900 by the technical device of accepting appointment as Steward of the Manor of Northstead, a notional "office of profit under The Crown". The writ for the by-election was moved in the Commons three days later, on 26 April.[1]

Previous result
Walter Clough
General election 1895: Portsmouth (2 seats) Electorate 24,057
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir John Baker 10,451 26.1 +0.2
Liberal Walter Owen Clough 10,255 25.6 +0.3
Conservative Alfred Charles William Harmsworth 9,717 24.3 -0.2
Liberal Unionist Rt Hon. Anthony Evelyn Melbourne Ashley 9,567 23.9 -0.3
Majority 538 1.3
Turnout 39,990 (20,129 voted) 83.7 +3.1

Candidates

The Liberal Party selected Thomas Bramsdon, a 43-year-old solicitor and a native of Portsmouth. The Conservative Party selected 29-year-old James Majendie.

Results

The result was a narrow victory for Bramsdon.

T.A. Bramsdon
Portsmouth by-election, 3 May 1900[2] Electorate 26,698
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Arthur Bramsdon 10,287 51.4 -24.3
Conservative James Henry Alexander Majendie 9,708 48.6 +24.3
Majority 579 2.8
Turnout 19,995 74.9 −8.8
Liberal hold Swing

However, he held the seat only briefly; at the general election in October 1900, he lost his seat to Majendie.

See also

References
  1. "House of Commons debates". Hansard. 26 April 1900. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  2. The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 172 (196 in web page)
Bibliography
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 171. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
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