Leek (UK Parliament constituency)

Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Leek
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyStaffordshire
Major settlementsLeek
1885–1983
Number of membersOne
Replaced byStaffordshire Moorlands and Stoke-on-Trent North[1]
Created fromNorth Staffordshire

Centred on the market town of Leek, it was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished nearly 100 years later for the 1983 general election. It was then largely replaced by the new Staffordshire Moorlands constituency.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember [2][3][4] Party
1885 Charles Crompton Liberal
1886 Harry Davenport Conservative
1892 Charles Bill Conservative
1906 Robert Pearce Liberal
1910, Jan Arthur Heath Conservative
1910, Dec Sir Robert Pearce Liberal
1918 William Bromfield Labour
1931 Arthur Ratcliffe Conservative
1935 William Bromfield Labour
1945 Harold Davies Labour
1970 David Knox Conservative
1983 constituency abolished. see Staffordshire Moorlands

Elections

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Leek [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Crompton 4,225 51.0
Conservative Harry Davenport 4,063 49.0
Majority 162 2.0
Turnout 8,288 81.0
Registered electors 10,234
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Leek [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Davenport 4,324 54.1 +5.1
Liberal Charles Crompton 3,669 45.9 −5.1
Majority 655 8.2 N/A
Turnout 7,993 78.1 −2.9
Registered electors 10,234
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.1

Elections in the 1890s
Charles Bill
General election 1892: Leek [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,576 52.1 −2.0
Liberal Joshua Oldfield Nicholson[7][8] 4,213 47.9 +2.0
Majority 363 4.2 −4.0
Turnout 8,789 80.2 +2.1
Registered electors 10,961
Conservative hold Swing −2.0
General election 1895: Leek [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,705 53.5 +1.4
Liberal Robert Pearce 4,091 46.5 −1.4
Majority 614 7.0 +2.8
Turnout 8,796 78.7 −1.5
Registered electors 11,182
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Leek [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Bill 4,800 54.3 +0.8
Liberal Robert Pearce 4,041 45.7 −0.8
Majority 759 8.6 +1.6
Turnout 8,841 80.3 +1.6
Registered electors 11,006
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
Robert Pearce
General election 1906: Leek [9][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,749 57.4 +11.7
Conservative Charles Bill 4,275 42.6 −11.7
Majority 1,474 14.8 N/A
Turnout 10,024 86.8 +6.5
Registered electors 11,545
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +11.7

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Leek [9][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Heath 5,463 50.0 +7.4
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,453 50.0 −7.4
Majority 10 0.0 N/A
Turnout 10,916 90.4 +3.6
Registered electors 12,079
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +7.4
General election December 1910: Leek [9][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Pearce 5,742 52.7 +2.7
Conservative William Bromley-Davenport 5,152 47.3 −2.7
Majority 590 5.4 N/A
Turnout 10,894 90.2 −0.2
Registered electors 12,079
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.7

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: Leek [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 10,510 51.7 New
C Liberal Guy Gaunt 9,832 48.3 −4.4
Majority 678 3.4 N/A
Turnout 20,342 67.7 −22.5
Registered electors 30,055
Labour gain from Liberal Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 12,857 50.8 −0.9
Unionist Enoch Hill 12,473 49.2 N/A
Majority 384 1.6 −1.8
Turnout 25,330 78.7 +11.0
Registered electors 32,175
Labour hold Swing N/A
General election 1923: Leek [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 13,913 53.6 +2.8
Unionist Enoch Hill 12,066 46.4 −2.8
Majority 1,847 7.2 +5.6
Turnout 25,979 77.3 −1.4
Registered electors 33,596
Labour hold Swing +2.8
General election 1924: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 14,256 51.7 −1.9
Unionist Thomas Cholmondeley 13,305 48.3 +1.9
Majority 951 3.4 −3.8
Turnout 27,561 79.5 +2.2
Registered electors 34,686
Labour hold Swing −1.9
General election 1929: Leek[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 22,458 58.5 +6.8
Unionist Edward Hulton 15,953 41.5 −6.8
Majority 6,505 17.0 +13.6
Turnout 38,411 82.4 +2.9
Registered electors 46,588
Labour hold Swing +6.8

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Ratcliffe 20,067 51.39
Labour William Bromfield 18,979 48.61
Majority 1,088 2.78 N/A
Turnout 39,046
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Leek[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Bromfield 23,432 57.36
National Labour Leslie Thomas 17,419 42.64
Majority 6,013 14.72 N/A
Turnout 40,851
Labour gain from Conservative 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: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 32,567 67.19
Conservative T.W. Gimson 15,904 32.81
Majority 16,663 34.38
Turnout 48,471 76.74
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950:Leek [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 30,444 53.78
Conservative Rupert Speir 25,820 46.22
Majority 4,224 7.56
Turnout 56,264 86.05
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Leek[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 29,502 51.67
Conservative Richard Body 27,592 48.33
Majority 1,910 3.34
Turnout 57,094 86.18
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Leek[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 28,273 50.95
Conservative Mervyn Pike 27,214 49.05
Majority 1,059 1.90
Turnout 55,487 81.52
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Leek[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 31,096 50.94
Conservative John Wedgwood 29,947 49.06
Majority 1,149 1.88
Turnout 61,043 83.88
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Leek[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 33,558 53.29
Conservative Harry Goodwin 29,409 46.71
Majority 4,419 6.58
Turnout 62,967
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Leek[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Davies 35,334 56.17
Conservative Frank Swinnerton 27,573 43.83
Majority 7,761 12.34
Turnout 62,907
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Leek[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 27,899 46.13
Labour Harold Davies 26,359 43.59
Liberal Richard Malcolm Burman 6,219 10.28 New
Majority 1,540 2.54 N/A
Turnout 60,477 67.44
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election February 1974: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 31,526 45.57
Labour R.D.Roebuck 25,794 37.29
Liberal Richard Malcolm Burman 11,860 17.14
Majority 5,732 8.28
Turnout 69,180
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 30,796 46.74
Labour B Whittam 26,472 40.18
Liberal M Holden 8,615 13.08
Majority 4,324 6.56
Turnout 65,883 78.50
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Leek
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Knox 36,508 51.88
Labour Mark Fisher 25,937 36.86
Liberal M Conway 6,474 9.20
Ratepayer CI Bailey 1,451 2.06 New
Majority 10,571 15.02
Turnout 70,370 80.42
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "'Leek', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 1)
  3. Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 387. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  4. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 463. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  5. Liberal Year Book 1907
  6. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  7. "The General Election". Birmingham Daily Post. 13 Jul 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  8. "Yesterday's Nominations". Dundee Courier. 6 Jul 1892. p. 5. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  9. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  10. Debrett's House of Commons, 1922
  11. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  12. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  13. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  14. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
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