Islington East (UK Parliament constituency)

Islington East was a constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885, until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Islington East in the Metropolitan area, showing boundaries used 1885-1918
Islington East in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used 1918-50
Islington East in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used 1950-74
A map showing the wards of Islington Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.

Islington East
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Number of membersone
Replaced byIslington Central and Islington North
Created fromFinsbury

Boundaries

1885–1918

The seat was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four divisions of the new parliamentary borough of Islington. The parliamentary borough was coterminous with the civil parish of Islington and each of the four divisions consisted of a number of parish wards used for the election of vestrymen to the incorporated vestry, the local authority for the area.

The East Division consisted of two wards: Canonbury and Highbury.[1]

1918–1974

Constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland were reorganised by the Representation of the People Act 1918. In London, seats were realigned to the boundaries of the metropolitan boroughs that had been created in 1900. The Metropolitan Borough of Islington was divided into four constituencies with the Islington, East seat consisting of three wards as they existed in 1918: Canonbury, Highbury and Mildmay. At the next parliamentary redistribution, prior to the 1950 general election, the seat was unchanged.[1]

The seat was last contested at the 1970 general election. By the time of the next election in 1974 new constituencies had been drawn based on the London boroughs created in 1965. The London Borough of Islington was divided between three constituencies, with the area of the abolished East seat mostly falling in the new Islington Central constituency.[1]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 Henry Bret Ince Liberal
1886 Isaac Cowley Lambert Conservative
1892 Sir Benjamin Cohen Conservative
1906 Sir George Radford Liberal
1917 by-election Edward Smallwood Liberal
1918 Alfred Raper Coalition Conservative
1922 Austin Hudson Conservative
1923 Arthur Comyns Carr Liberal
1924 Robert Tasker Conservative
1929 Ethel Bentham Labour
1931 by-election Leah Manning Labour
1931 Thelma Cazalet, later Cazalet-Keir Conservative
1945 Sir Eric Fletcher Labour
1970 John Grant Labour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Bret Ince 3,296 50.3
Conservative Isaac Lambert 3,262 49.7
Majority 34 0.6
Turnout 6,558 81.0
Registered electors 8,092
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Isaac Lambert 3,732 61.5 +11.8
Liberal Henry Bret Ince 2,336 38.5 -11.8
Majority 1,396 23.0 N/A
Turnout 6,608 75.0 −6.0
Registered electors 8,092
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +11.8

Elections in the 1890s
Benjamin Cohen
General election 1892: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Cohen 3,975 53.1 -8.4
Liberal Percy Bunting[3] 3,510 46.9 +8.4
Majority 465 6.2 −16.8
Turnout 7,485 75.8 +0.8
Registered electors 9,872
Conservative hold Swing −8.4
General election 1895: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Cohen 4,383 58.1 +5.0
Liberal McKinnon Wood 3,159 41.9 -5.0
Majority 1,224 16.2 +10.0
Turnout 7,542 74.0 −1.8
Registered electors 10,191
Conservative hold Swing +5.0

Elections in the 1900s
Andrew Torrance
General election 1900: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Cohen 4,205 61.9 +3.8
Liberal Andrew Mitchell Torrance 2,586 38.1 −3.8
Majority 1,619 23.8 +7.6
Turnout 6,791 65.3 −8.7
Registered electors 10,395
Conservative hold Swing +3.8
G.H. Radford
General election 1906: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Radford 4,477 54.7 +16.6
Conservative Benjamin Cohen 3,710 45.3 −16.6
Majority 767 9.4 N/A
Turnout 8,187 75.9 +10.6
Registered electors 10,786
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +16.6

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Radford 5,001 51.7 -3.0
Conservative J.H.T. Keeves 4,671 48.3 +3.0
Majority 330 2.4 -7.0
Turnout 11,118 87.0 +11.1
Liberal hold Swing
General election December 1910: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Radford 4,503 50.7 -1.0
Conservative Philip Pilditch 4,378 49.3 +1.0
Majority 125 1.4 -1.0
Turnout 11,118 79.9 -7.1
Liberal hold Swing

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;

E. Smallwood
1917 Islington East by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Smallwood 2,709 57.0 +6.3
Independent Alfred Baker 1,532 32.2 New
National Edmund Broughton Barnard 513 10.8 New
Majority 1,177 24.8 +23.4
Turnout 12,874 36.9 -43.0
Liberal hold Swing
General election 1918: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Alfred Raper 9,352 48.8 −0.5
Liberal Edward Smallwood 5,968 31.1 −19.6
Labour Arthur John Lewer 3,122 16.3 New
National Charles Edward Copplestone 575 3.0 N/A
Independent Frederick Alfred Wickhart 147 0.8 New
Majority 3,384 17.7 N/A
Turnout 19,164 51.7 −28.2
Registered electors 37,078
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +9.6
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
Sir G. Baring
General election 1922: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Austin Hudson 11,954 46.1 −2.7
Liberal Godfrey Baring 8,107 31.2 +0.1
Labour Ethel Bentham 5,900 22.7 +6.4
Majority 3,847 14.9 −2.8
Turnout 25,961 59.4 +7.7
Registered electors 43,676
Unionist hold Swing −1.4
A. Comyns Carr
General election 1923: Islington East [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Arthur Comyns Carr 10,670 40.1 +8.9
Unionist Austin Hudson 9,038 33.9 −12.2
Labour Ethel Bentham 6,941 26.0 +3.3
Majority 1,632 6.2 N/A
Turnout 26,649 60.0 +0.6
Registered electors 44,402
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +10.6
General election 1924: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Tasker 14,174 44.5 +10.6
Labour Ethel Bentham 10,280 32.3 +6.3
Liberal Arthur Comyns Carr 7,406 23.2 −16.9
Majority 3,894 12.2 N/A
Turnout 31,860 70.8 +10.8
Registered electors 44,978
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing −2.2
Ethel Bentham
General election 1929: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ethel Bentham 15,199 38.0 +5.7
Unionist Robert Tasker 13,641 34.1 −10.4
Liberal Edgar Middleton 11,136 27.9 +4.7
Majority 1,558 3.9 N/A
Turnout 39,976 66.4 −4.4
Registered electors 60,202
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +8.1

Elections in the 1930s
Islington East by-election, 19 February 1931
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Leah Manning 10,591 34.7 −3.3
Empire Crusade Alfred Critchley 8,314 27.2 New
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 7,182 23.5 −10.6
Liberal Horace Crawfurd 4,450 14.6 −13.3
Majority 2,277 7.5 +3.6
Turnout 30,537 50.0 −16.4
Labour hold Swing
General election 1931: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 27,221 67.5 +44.0
Labour Leah Manning 13,111 32.5 −2.2
Majority 14,110 35.0 +27.5
Turnout 40,332 65.4 +15.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +23.1
General election 1935: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 18,248 52.5 −15.0
Labour Gwyn D. Jones 13,810 39.8 +7.3
Liberal Cyril Harry Blackburn 2,670 7.7 New
Majority 4,438 12.7 −22.3
Turnout 34,728 57.8 −7.6
Conservative hold Swing −11.2

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: Islington East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 18,936 65.5 +25.7
Conservative Thelma Cazalet-Keir 9,960 34.5 −18.0
Majority 14,110 35.0 N/A
Turnout 28,896 66.2 +8.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +22.4

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Islington East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 22,477 55.96
Conservative Katherine Wilmot 14,385 35.82
Liberal Thomas Herbert Coss Billson 3,301 8.22
Majority 8,062 20.14
Turnout 40,163 79.30
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Islington East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 23,896 59.9 +3.9
Conservative Katherine Wilmot 16,000 40.1 +4.3
Majority 7,896 19.79 -0.3
Turnout 39,896 78.23 -0.97
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Islington East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 19,612 60.3 +0.4
Conservative Geoffrey Finsberg 12,910 39.7 -0.4
Majority 6,702 20.61 +0.82
Turnout 32,522 66.06 -12.1
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Islington East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 17,776 57.56 -2.74
Conservative Kenneth C Burden 13,097 42.44 +2.74
Majority 4,669 15.12 -5.47
Turnout 30,683 63.49 -2.57
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Islington East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 14,192 52.48 -5.08
Conservative Kenneth C Burden 7,715 28.53 -13.91
Liberal Joel Freedman 3,081 11.39 New
Independent Liberal Alan E Lomas 2,053 7.59 New
Majority 6,477 23.95 +8.83
Turnout 27,041 57.11 -6.38
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Islington East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric Fletcher 15,009 57.92 +5.44
Conservative John B W Holderness 7,490 28.90 +0.37
Liberal Joel Freedman 2,288 8.83 -2.56
Independent Liberal Alan E Lomas 1,127 4.35 -3.24
Majority 7,519 29.02 +5.07
Turnout 25,914 57.06 +0.95
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Islington East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Grant 13,980 61.75 +3.83
Conservative Richard Devonald-Lewis 8,660 38.25 +9.35
Majority 5,320 23.50 -5.52
Turnout 22,350 51.80 -5.26
Labour hold Swing

See also

References
  1. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. 742–748. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  2. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. "Bunting, Percy William" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1912.
  4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  5. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  6. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  7. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  8. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
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