Birmingham Handsworth (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham Handsworth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Handsworth district of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was abolished in 1983.

Birmingham Handsworth
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Midlands
1918–1983
Number of membersOne
Replaced byBirmingham Ladywood, Birmingham Perry Barr and Birmingham Small Heath[1]
Handsworth
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Created fromEast Staffordshire

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Rushall Tipton, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, and the Municipal Borough of Walsall. The constituency was created, as a county constituency, for the 1885 general election when it was the Handsworth division of Staffordshire. In 1885 the area was to the north of the parliamentary borough of Birmingham and was the south-eastern county division of Staffordshire. Birmingham, which from 1889 was a county borough, with city status, was mostly located in the geographic county of Warwickshire, but gradually expanded into adjacent areas of Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

The constituency bordered to the west West Bromwich, Wednesbury and Walsall; to the north Lichfield; to the east Tamworth and to the south Birmingham West and Birmingham North.

1918–1955: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Handsworth, Sandwell, and Soho. By 1918 the Handsworth area had been incorporated within the growing city of Birmingham. For the 1918 general election it became a borough constituency as Birmingham Handsworth.

1955–1974: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Handsworth, Lozells, and Sandwell. Lozells ward was formerly in Birmingham Aston. Soho ward became part of Birmingham All Saints.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Birmingham wards of Aston, Handsworth, and Sandwell.

The constituency disappeared at the 1983 general election. Sandwell ward became 32.9% of Birmingham Ladywood, Handsworth ward became 24.8% of Birmingham Perry Barr and Aston ward became 11.9% of Birmingham Small Heath.

Members of Parliament
YearMemberParty
1885 Henry Wiggin Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 Sir Henry Meysey-Thompson Liberal Unionist
1906 Ernest Meysey-Thompson Liberal Unionist
1912 Unionist
1922 Oliver Locker-Lampson Unionist
1945 Harold Roberts Conservative
1950 Sir Edward Boyle Conservative
1970 Sydney Chapman Conservative
1974 John Lee Labour
1979 Sheila Wright Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Handsworth [2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Wiggin 7,057 63.2
Conservative Harry Robert Graham 4,107 36.8
Majority 2,950 26.4
Turnout 11,164 74.5
Registered electors 14,988
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Handsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Wiggin Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Handsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Meysey-Thompson 7,370 57.6 N/A
Liberal Hugh Reid 5,433 42.4 New
Majority 1,937 15.2 N/A
Turnout 12,803 78.4 N/A
Registered electors 16,325
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Handsworth [2][3][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Meysey-Thompson Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Handsworth [2][3][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Meysey-Thompson Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
General election 1906: Handsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ernest Meysey-Thompson 13,407 60.8 N/A
Liberal Herbert Leon 8,636 39.2 New
Majority 4,771 21.6 N/A
Turnout 22,043 84.0 N/A
Registered electors 26,243
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Handsworth [2][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ernest Meysey-Thompson 14,594 60.6 -0.2
Liberal George Jackson 9,488 39.4 +0.2
Majority 5,106 21.2 -0.4
Turnout 24,082 83.2 -0.8
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -0.2
General election December 1910: Handsworth [2][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ernest Meysey-Thompson Unopposed
Liberal Unionist 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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1918: Birmingham Handsworth[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Ernest Meysey-Thompson 12,019 56.4 N/A
Independent Norman Tiptaft 4,697 22.1 New
Independent Labour Harry Joseph Odell 4,576 21.5 New
Majority 7,322 34.3 N/A
Turnout 21,292 57.2 N/A
Unionist hold Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Birmingham Handsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Locker-Lampson 18,859 59.6 +3.2
Independent Norman Tiptaft 12,790 40.4 +18.3
Majority 6,069 19.2 −15.1
Turnout 31,649 82.9 +25.7
Registered electors 38,164
Unionist hold Swing −7.6
General election 1923: Birmingham Handsworth [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Locker-Lampson Unopposed
Unionist hold
General election 1924: Birmingham Handsworth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Locker-Lampson 20,056 65.6 N/A
Labour Philip Noel-Baker 10,516 34.4 New
Majority 9,540 31.2 N/A
Turnout 30,572 78.6 N/A
Registered electors 38,872
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Birmingham Handsworth [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Oliver Locker-Lampson 22,036 53.9 −11.7
Labour Louis Anderson Fenn 11,969 29.3 −5.1
Liberal Arthur Gordan Bagnall 6,857 16.8 New
Majority 10,067 24.6 −6.6
Turnout 40,851 78.5 −0.1
Registered electors 52,025
Unionist hold Swing −3.3

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Locker-Lampson 30,989 78.4 +24.5
Labour Louis Anderson Fenn 8,548 21.6 -8.7
Majority 22,441 56.8 +32,2
Turnout 39,537 75.1 -3.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Oliver Locker-Lampson 24,135 73.0 -5.4
Labour A G Chattaway 8,910 27.0 +5.4
Majority 15,225 46.0 -10.8
Turnout 33,045 61.7 +4.9
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

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;

General election 1945: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Roberts 15,607 37.9 -35.1
Labour Cyril Bence 13,142 34.3 +7.3
Independent Norman Tiptaft 5,112 12.4 New
Liberal Barbara Lewis 4,945 12.0 New
Communist Jessie Eden[10] 1,390 3.4 New
Majority 1,465 3.6 -42.4
Turnout 40,180 72.5 +10.8
Conservative hold Swing +21.2

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Roberts 24,246 50.5 +12.6
Labour Cyril Bence 18,774 39.2 +4.9
Liberal Ronald William Eades 4,926 10.3 -1.7
Majority 5,472 11.3 +7.7
Turnout 47,972 83.1 +10.6
Conservative hold Swing +4.3
1950 Birmingham Handsworth by-election [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 22,083 60.7 +10.2
Labour Cyril Bence 13,852 38.1 -1.1
Independent SW Keatley 453 1.2 New
Majority 8,231 22.6 +11.3
Turnout 36,388 63.2 -19.9
Conservative hold Swing +5.65
General election 1951: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 27,201 59.5 +9.0
Labour Richard William Evely 18,494 40.5 +1.3
Majority 8,707 19.0 +7.7
Turnout 45,695 79.0 +15.9
Conservative hold Swing +1.9
General election 1955: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 24,349 60.0 +0.5
Labour Alexander Murie 14,064 34.7 -5.8
Independent
  • SW Keatley
 2,148 5.3 New
Majority 10,285 25.3 +6.3
Turnout 38,415 69.6 -9.4
Conservative hold Swing +3.15
  • Independent Peace candidate
General election 1959: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 23,243 60.8 +0.8
Labour Alexander Murie 13,116 34.3 -0.4
Independent SW Keatley 1,867 4.9 -0.4
Majority 10,127 26.5 +1.1
Turnout 38,226 68.8 -0.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.6

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 16,841 47.5 -13.3
Labour Sheila Wright 11,909 33.6 -0.7
Liberal Wallace Lawler 6,249 17.6 New
Independent SW Keatley 459 1.3 -3.6
Majority 4,932 13.9 -13.6
Turnout 35,459 66.6 -2.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Boyle 16,225 49.9 +2.4
Labour Sheila Wright 14,931 46.0 +12.4
Union Movement Jeffrey Hamm 1,337 4.1 New
Majority 1,294 3.9 -10.0
Turnout 32,493 63.2 -3.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Birmingham Handsworth [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sydney Chapman 16,122 53.0 +3.1
Labour Sheila Wright 14,310 47.0 +1.0
Majority 1,812 6.0 +2.1
Turnout 30,432 65.2 +2.0
Conservative hold Swing +2.05
General election February 1974: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Lee 14,290 43.5 -3.5
Conservative Sydney Chapman 12,667 38.6 -14.4
Liberal P Tilsley 5,566 16.9 New
Marxist-Leninist (England) S. Thompson 334 1.0 New
Majority 1,623 4.9 -1.1
Turnout 32,857 72.4 +7.2
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +5.45
General election October 1974: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Lee 15,011 49.4 +5.9
Conservative R Tyler 11,115 37.0 -1.6
Liberal DI Grant-Smith 3,205 10.6 -7.3
More Prosperous Britain Tom Keen 105 0.3 New
Marxist-Leninist (England) J. L. Hutchinson 103 0.3 New
Majority 3,896 12.4 +7.5
Turnout 29,339 66.5 -5.9
Labour hold Swing +3.75
General election 1979: Birmingham Handsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Sheila Wright 16,998 55.2 +5.8
Conservative R Tyler 13,789 44.8 +7.8
Majority 3,209 10.4 -2.0
Turnout 30,787 68.4 +2.9
Labour hold Swing -1.0

See also
  • List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

References
  1. "'Birmingham Handsworth', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  2. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  3. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  4. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  5. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  6. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  7. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
  8. Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 85. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
  9. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  10. Stevenson, Graham. "Eden Jessie (McCullough)". Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  11. British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig
  12. The Times House of Commons, 1950-70
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