Epsom (UK Parliament constituency)

Epsom was a borough constituency 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. From its creation in 1885 until its abolition in 1974, it was won by eight Conservatives. The winner took less than 50% of the votes in its contested elections once, in 1945, receiving 49.9% of the vote in a three-party contest. Six elections, the last being a by-election in 1912, were uncontested.

Epsom
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Location of Surrey within England
CountySurrey
Major settlementsEpsom, Ewell and Ashtead, others to east before 1945, to west before 1950
1885–1974 (1974)
Number of membersOne
Replaced byEpsom and Ewell and
Mole Valley (as to the former Leatherhead Urban District)
Created fromparts of West Surrey and Mid Surrey
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:Sutton and Cheam
Esher
Surbiton

History

Geographical history
Creation and abolition

The seat was established under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as the Mid or Epsom division of Surrey for the 1885 general election. The Mid designation was lesser used could be misleading as its extent until 1885 was a long strip to the east bounded by among other parishes: Lambeth, Streatham, Croydon, Burstow, Capel and Sutton.

Scope

The Act of 1885 set up the seat so as to comprise:[1]

  • Epsom sessional division
  • all parts of Kingston (& Elmbridge) sessional division not within Kingston parish, nor municipal borough; which meant outlying parishes to the south-west, south and south-east
  • Effingham (parish)
  • Mickleham (parish)

Thus the seat drew on Mid Surrey as to Tolworth, New Malden, Malden, Worcester Park, Surbiton, Hook, Coombe and Long Ditton in the Kingston Hundred and Sessional Division. It drew on West Surrey as to: Ashtead; Banstead; Great Bookham; Little Bookham; Cheam; Chessington; Cuddington; Epsom; Ewell; Fetcham; Headley; Leatherhead; Sutton; Walton on the Hill; Cobham; Thames Ditton; Esher; East Molesey; West Molesey; Stoke D'Abernon; and Walton on Thames.[2][3][4]

An Act of 1918 cut the area down to its south-eastern third namely:[5]

  • the borough of Epsom and Ewell
  • Leatherhead Urban District
  • Sutton Urban District

An Act of 1948 confirmed a 1945-implemented split-up of all seats of more than 100,000 electors, of Sutton and Cheam Urban District to create Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency) to the north-east.[6] Removal of a broad western area to form Esher ensued in 1950. As such it remained in the 1970 review-implementing Act.[7] The 1983 reforms saw more than its renaming and technical abolition, the seat shed in the south the former Leatherhead Urban District to Mole Valley created that year.

The seat was abolished for the February 1974 general election, replaced by Epsom and Ewell except for its south which contributed to the new seat of Mole Valley.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Epsom and Kingston (comprising most of Elmbridge) as excluding "the part of the civil parish of Kingston [and] the Municipal Borough of Kingston-on-Thames", and the (mainly rural) civil parishes of Effingham and Mickleham to the south-west and south respectively.

1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Epsom, Leatherhead, and Sutton, and the Rural District of Epsom.

1945–1974: The Municipal Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and the Urban District of Leatherhead.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[8]Party
1885 Constituency created.
1885 George Cubitt Conservative
1892 Thomas Bucknill Conservative
1899 by-election William Keswick Conservative
1912 by-election Henry Keswick Conservative
1918 George Blades Conservative
1928 by-election Sir Archibald Southby Conservative
1947 by-election Malcolm McCorquodale Conservative
1955 Peter Rawlinson Conservative
Feb 1974 Constituency abolished. See Epsom and Ewell.

Elections
Epsom election history


Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Epsom[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Cubitt 4,621 66.1
Liberal Richard Harris[11] 2,368 33.9
Majority 2,253 32.2
Turnout 6,989 77.6
Registered electors 9,009
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Epsom[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Cubitt Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Epsom[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Bucknill 5,123 65.3 N/A
Liberal Thomas Brassey 2,720 34.7 New
Majority 2,403 30.6 N/A
Turnout 7,843 75.7 N/A
Registered electors 10,354
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Epsom[12][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Bucknill Unopposed
Conservative hold
William Keswick
1899 Epsom by-election[12][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keswick Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Epsom[12][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keswick Unopposed
Conservative hold
Aston
General election 1906: Epsom[9][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keswick 7,313 54.0 N/A
Liberal Alfred Withall Aston 6,221 46.0 New
Majority 1,092 8.0 N/A
Turnout 13,534 84.9 N/A
Registered electors 15,933
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
Sir Albert Rollit
General election January 1910: Epsom[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keswick 10,919 67.6 +13.6
Liberal Albert Rollit 5,232 32.4 −13.6
Majority 5,687 35.2 +27.2
Turnout 16,151 85.8 +0.9
Registered electors 18,821
Conservative hold Swing +13.6
General election December 1910: Epsom[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keswick Unopposed
Conservative hold
Henry Keswick
1912 Epsom by-election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Henry Keswick Unopposed
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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1918: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Rowland Blades 13,556 73.9 N/A
Labour Chuter Ede 4,796 26.1 New
Majority 8,760 47.8 N/A
Turnout 18,352 56.3 N/A
Registered electors 32,590
Unionist hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Rowland Blades 16,249 71.2 −2.7
Labour Somerville Hastings 6,571 28.8 +2.7
Majority 9,678 42.4 −5.4
Turnout 22,820 65.3 +9.0
Registered electors 34,945
Unionist hold Swing −2.7
General election 1923: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Rowland Blades 14,230 71.0 −0.2
Labour John Langdon-Davies 5,807 29.0 +0.2
Majority 8,423 42.0 −0.4
Turnout 20,037 55.6 −9.7
Registered electors 36,055
Unionist hold Swing −0.2
General election 1924: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Rowland Blades 20,017 79.5 +8.5
Labour Philip Butler 5,149 20.5 −8.5
Majority 14,868 59.0 +17.0
Turnout 25,166 67.1 +11.5
Registered electors 37,515
Unionist hold Swing +8.5
1928 Epsom by-election[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Archibald Southby 13,364 60.2 −19.3
Liberal Samuel Parnell Kerr 5,095 23.0 New
Labour Helen Mary Keynes 3,719 16.8 −3.7
Majority 8,269 37.2 −21.8
Turnout 22,178 51.2 −15.9
Registered electors 43,292
Unionist hold Swing −7.8
General election 1929: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Archibald Southby 24,720 57.8 −21.7
Liberal Samuel Parnell Kerr 10,422 24.3 N/A
Labour Stanley Morgan 7,662 17.9 −2.6
Majority 14,298 33.5 −25.5
Turnout 42,804 67.7 +0.6
Registered electors 63,268
Unionist hold Swing −9.6

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Archibald Southby 44,076 85.34
Labour Stanley Morgan 7,571 14.66
Majority 36,505 70.68
Turnout 51,647
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Archibald Southby 49,948 72.14
Labour Stanley Morgan 19,286 27.86
Majority 30,662 44.28
Turnout 69,234
Conservative hold Swing

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;

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: Epsom[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Archibald Southby 27,081 49.91
Labour Edward Shackleton 20,533 37.84
Liberal James Morgan Fowler 6,643 12.24 New
Majority 6,548 12.07
Turnout 54,257 74.87
Conservative hold Swing
1947 Epsom by-election[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Malcolm McCorquodale 33,633 61.0 +11.1
Labour R. Bishop 17,339 31.5 −6.3
Liberal David Cairns 4,121 7.5 −4.7
Majority 16,447 33.0 +20.9
Turnout 16,294
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Malcolm McCorquodale 33,103 60.73
Labour Frank Martin Hardie 15,256 27.99
Liberal N. Geoffrey Hudson 6,153 11.29
Majority 17,847 32.74
Turnout 54,512
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Malcolm McCorquodale 36,333 68.66
Labour Frank Martin Hardie 16,584 31.34
Majority 19,749 37.32
Turnout 52,917
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Rawlinson 36,779 71.44
Labour Arthur Bertram Spencer Soper 14,706 28.56
Majority 22,073 42.88
Turnout 51,485 77.56
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Rawlinson 35,484 62.88
Labour D. Eric Heather 11,039 19.56
Liberal Robert William M. Walsh 9,910 17.56 New
Majority 24,445 43.32
Turnout 56,433
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Rawlinson 31,959 55.05
Liberal Robert William M. Walsh 13,968 24.06
Labour Alan Lee Williams 12,131 20.89
Majority 17,991 30.99
Turnout 58,058
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Rawlinson 31,434 54.59
Labour Cyril Carter 13,841 24.04
Liberal Robert William M. Walsh 12,305 21.37
Majority 17,593 30.55
Turnout 57,580
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Epsom[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Rawlinson 35,541 61.41
Labour E. Guy Wilson 12,767 22.06
Liberal Peter Hasler Billenness 9,563 16.52
Majority 22,774 39.35
Turnout 57,871
Conservative hold Swing

See also

References
  1. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, 48 & 49 Vict. C. 23
  2. CHERTSEY PETTY SESSIONAL DIVISION: RECORDS (summary of PS1-PS7 of Surrey History Centre, 7 Petty Sessional Divisions scope The National Archives: Browse records of other archives: 176 Surrey History Centre. Accessed 2019-12-04
  3. Combined petty sessional division: Kingston and Elmbridge as dealt with under heading Kingston sessional division in the 1885 Act Dickens's Dictionary of London, Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879 - "Petty Sessional Divisions"
  4. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 Appendix D - county constituencies
  5. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1918/64/pdfs/ukpga_19180064_en.pdf
  6. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1948/65/pdfs/ukpga_19480065_en.pdf
  7. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1970/1674/pdfs/uksi_19701674_en.pdf
  8. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)
  9. Liberal Yearbook 1907.
  10. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  11. "Election Intelligence". London Evening Standard. 28 Sep 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Debrett's House of Commons, 1901.
  13. Debrett's House of Commons, 1916
  14. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F. W. S. Craig, Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1949.
  15. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939.
  16. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973, by F. W. S. Craig, Political Reference Publications, Glasgow, 1973.

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