Northern West Riding of Yorkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Northern West Riding of Yorkshire | |
---|---|
Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | West Riding of Yorkshire |
1865–1885 | |
Seats | Two |
Created from | West Riding of Yorkshire |
Replaced by | Elland, Keighley, Shipley, Skipton and Sowerby |
Northern West Riding of Yorkshire was a parliamentary constituency covering part of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.
History
The constituency was created when the two-member West Riding of Yorkshire constituency was divided for the 1865 general election into two new constituencies, each returning two members: Northern West Riding of Yorkshire and Southern West Riding of Yorkshire. The extra seats were taken from parliamentary boroughs which had been disenfranchised for corruption.
In the redistribution which took effect for the 1868 general election the two divisions were redistributed into three. Eastern West Riding of Yorkshire was created and the Northern and Southern divisions modified. Each of the three divisions returned two members.
All three were abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. The Northern division was replaced by five new single-member constituencies: Elland, Keighley, Shipley, Skipton and Sowerby.
Boundaries
The place of election was initially at Leeds (1861 Act), later at Bradford (1868 Act).
From 1865 to 1868 the constituency comprised the north half of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 provided that it was to contain the wapentakes of Staincliffe and Ewecross, Claro, Skyrack, and Morley.[1]
The Reform Act 1867 re-defined the constituency as the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross, Claro, Skyrack, Barkston Ash, and Osgoldcross.[2]
The Boundary Act 1868 again re-defined the constituency as the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross with part of the wapentake of Morley (the parishes of Bradford and Halifax and the townships of Boston and Idle).[3]
Members of Parliament
Election | 1st member | 1st party | 2nd member | 2nd party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1865 | Sir Francis Crossley | Liberal | Lord Frederick Cavendish | Liberal | ||
1872 | Francis Powell | Conservative | ||||
1874 | Sir Mathew Wilson, Bt | Liberal | ||||
1882 | Isaac Holden | Liberal | ||||
1885 | constituency abolished: see Elland, Keighley, Shipley, Skipton and Sowerby |
Election results
Elections in the 1860s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Cavendish | Unopposed | |||
Liberal | Francis Crossley | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 22,792 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
Liberal win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Cavendish | Unopposed | |||
Liberal | Francis Crossley | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 16,918 | ||||
Liberal hold | |||||
Liberal hold |
Elections in the 1870s
Crossley's death caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Francis Powell | 6,961 | 50.2 | New | |
Liberal | Isaac Holden | 6,917 | 49.8 | N/A | |
Majority | 44 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 13,878 | 81.2 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 17,084 | ||||
Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
Cavendish was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Cavendish | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Cavendish | 8,681 | 26.4 | N/A | |
Liberal | Mathew Wilson | 8,598 | 26.2 | N/A | |
Conservative | Francis Powell | 7,820 | 23.8 | N/A | |
Conservative | William Fison[5] | 7,725 | 23.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 778 | 2.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 16,412 (est) | 81.5 (est) | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 20,130 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1880s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Frederick Cavendish | 10,818 | 30.2 | +3.8 | |
Liberal | Mathew Wilson | 10,732 | 30.0 | +3.8 | |
Conservative | Samuel Lister | 7,140 | 20.0 | −3.5 | |
Conservative | Francis Powell | 7,096 | 19.8 | −4.0 | |
Majority | 3,592 | 10.0 | +7.6 | ||
Turnout | 17,893 (est) | 81.9 (est) | +0.4 | ||
Registered electors | 21,840 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +3.7 | |||
Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 |
Cavendish was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, causing a by-election. However, on 6 May 1882, just hours after taking the oath for the position, Cavendish was assassinated in Dublin in the Phoenix Park Murders.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Isaac Holden | 9,892 | 55.7 | −4.5 | |
Conservative | Alfred Gathorne-Hardy[6] | 7,865 | 44.3 | +4.5 | |
Majority | 2,027 | 11.4 | +1.4 | ||
Turnout | 17,757 | 80.2 | −1.7 | ||
Registered electors | 22,138 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −4.5 |
References
- ^ Birkenhead Enfranchisement Act 1861 (c.112), section 1.
- ^ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ "A Collection of the Public General Statutes: 1867/68. Cap. XLVI. An Act to settle and describe the Limits of certain Boroughs and the Divisions of certain Counties in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1868. pp. 119–166. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 493. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
- ^ "To the Electors of the Northern Division of the West Riding of Yorkshire". Todmorden & District News. 6 February 1874. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 24 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Representation of Yorkshire". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 10 May 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 24 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "Y"