Wolverhampton West (UK Parliament constituency)

Wolverhampton West was a borough constituency in the town of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands of England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Wolverhampton West
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1950
Number of membersone
Replaced byWolverhampton North East and Wolverhampton South West
Created fromWolverhampton

History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the former two-seat Wolverhampton constituency was divided into three single-member constituencies.

It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new Wolverhampton South West constituency.

Boundaries

1885–1918

The original boundaries of the constituency were set in the sixth schedule of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. The seat comprised five wards of the municipal borough of Wolverhampton (St. Mark's, St. Paul's, St. John's, St. George's and St. Matthew's) and the neighbouring Ettingshall area which lay outside the borough boundaries.[1]

1918-1950

Constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland were redrawn by the Representation of the People Act 1918. Wolverhampton's municipal boundaries had been enlarged and it had become a county borough in the period since 1885. The Wolverhampton West seat was redefined to reflect this, and was described as comprising nine wards of the county borough: Blakenhall, Dunstall, Graiseley, Merridale, Park, St. George's, St. John's, St. Mark's and St. Matthew's.[2]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 Alfred Hickman Conservative
1886 Sir William Chichele Plowden Liberal
1892 Sir Alfred Hickman Conservative
1906 Thomas Frederick Richards Labour
1910 Sir Alfred Bird Conservative
1922 by-election Sir Robert Bird, Bt. Conservative
1929 William Brown 1 Labour
1929 Independent Labour
1931 Sir Robert Bird, Bt. Conservative
1945 Billy Hughes Labour
1950 constituency abolished: see Wolverhampton South West

1 Brown was elected in 1929, as a Labour Party candidate, but later sat as an "Independent Labour" MP. He sought re-election in 1931 and 1935 as an Independent Labour candidate, opposed in 1935 by an official Labour Party candidate, but lost on both occasions

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hickman 3,722 51.0
Liberal William Chichele Plowden 3,569 49.0
Majority 153 2.0
Turnout 7,291 86.9
Registered electors 8,391
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Chichele Plowden 3,706 50.8 +1.8
Conservative Alfred Hickman 3,583 49.2 −1.8
Majority 123 1.6 N/A
Turnout 7,289 86.9 0.0
Registered electors 8,391
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +1.8

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hickman 4,772 56.6 +7.4
Liberal William Chichele Plowden 3,656 43.4 −7.4
Majority 1,116 13.2 N/A
Turnout 8,428 89.4 +2.5
Registered electors 9,424
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +7.4
General election 1895: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hickman 4,770 54.7 −1.9
Liberal George Rennie Thorne 3,947 45.3 +1.9
Majority 823 9.4 −3.8
Turnout 8,717 86.6 −2.8
Registered electors 10,070
Conservative hold Swing −1.9

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Hickman Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1906: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Repr. Cmte. Thomas Frederick Richards 5,756 50.8 New
Conservative Alfred Hickman 5,585 49.2 N/A
Majority 171 1.6 N/A
Turnout 11,341 89.3 N/A
Registered electors 12,707
Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Bird 6,382 52.4 +3.2
Labour Thomas Frederick Richards 5,790 47.6 −3.2
Majority 592 4.8 N/A
Turnout 12,172 92.4 +3.1
Registered electors 13,170
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.2
General election December 1910: Wolverhampton West[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alfred Bird 5,925 51.3 −1.1
Labour P. Lewis 5,631 48.7 +1.1
Majority 294 2.6 −2.2
Turnout 11,556 87.7 −4.7
Registered electors 13,170
Conservative hold Swing −1.1
General election 1918: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Alfred Bird 13,329 56.8 +5.5
Labour Alexander Walkden 10,158 43.2 N/A
Majority 3,171 13.6 +11.0
Turnout 23,487 63.3 −24.4
Unionist hold Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
By-election, March 1922: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Robert Bird 16,790 54.9 −1.9
Labour Alexander Walkden 13,799 45.1 +1.9
Majority 2,991 9.8 −3.8
Turnout 30,589 80.0 +16.7
Unionist hold Swing −1.9
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
General election, November 1922: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Bird 17,738 53.9 −2.9
Labour Alexander Walkden 15,190 46.1 +2.9
Majority 2,548 7.8 −5.8
Turnout 32,928 83.5 +17.2
Unionist hold Swing −1.0
General election, 1923: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Bird 15,990 50.4 −3.5
Labour William Brown 15,749 49.6 +3.5
Majority 241 0.8 −7.0
Turnout 31,739 79.5 −4.0
Unionist hold Swing −3.5
General election, 1924: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Bird 17,886 51.2 +0.8
Labour William Brown 17,046 48.8 −0.8
Majority 840 2.4 +1.6
Turnout 34,932 85.9 +6.4
Unionist hold Swing +0.8
General election, 1929: Wolverhampton West [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Brown 21,103 49.1 +0.3
Unionist Robert Bird 17,237 40.2 −11.0
Liberal George H Roberts 4,580 10.7 New
Majority 3,866 8.9 N/A
Turnout 42,920 84.1 −1.8
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +6.8

Elections in the 1930s
General election, 1931: Wolverhampton West [4] Electorate: 51,355
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Bird 26,181 60.5 +20.3
Independent Labour William Brown 17,090 39.5 −9.6
Majority 9,091 21.0 N/A
Turnout 43,271 84.3 +0.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +15.0
General election, 1935: Wolverhampton West [4] Electorate 49,537
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Bird 19,697 54.9 −5.6
Independent Labour William Brown 14,867 41.4 +0.9
Labour R. Lee 1,325 3.7 New
Majority 4,830 13.5 −7.5
Turnout 35,889 72.4 −11.9
Conservative hold Swing +3.3

Elections in the 1940s
General election, 1945: Wolverhampton West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Billy Hughes 21,186 59.9 +56.2
Conservative James Beattie 14,176 40.1 −14.8
Majority 7,010 19.8 N/A
Turnout 35,362 74.8 +2.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +7.4

See also

References
  1. "so much of the Parish of Bilston, as is known as Ettingshall New Village, being the portion which lies to the west of a line drawn along the centre of Ward Street, and is bounded on the south by Sedgley Parish, and on the north and west by the Municipal Borough of Wolverhampton". Sixth Schedule. Divisions Of Boroughs. Number, Names, Contents, and Boundaries Of Divisions. Redistribution Of Seats Act, 1885 (48 & 49 Vict.) Chapter 23.
  2. Representation Of The People Act 1918, Ninth Schedule. Redistribution Of Seats.
  3. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  4. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
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