Swansea District (UK Parliament constituency)

Swansea District
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members one
Replaced by Aberavon and Neath
Created from Glamorgan

Swansea District or Swansea District of Boroughs was a borough constituency. It was 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.

Overview

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election. Swansea District was a strongly Liberal constituency, dominated by the tinplate and steel industries, together with coal.

Boundaries

Upon its creation in 1832 the constituency comprised five separate boroughs, Swansea, Neath, Aberavon, Kenfig and Loughor. There were some minor boundary changes in 1868 but the composition of the constituency in terms of boroughs remained the same until 1885.

In 1885, the constituency was split into two, with the central part of Swansea borough forming the Swansea Town constituency, and the northern part of Swansea borough centred on Morriston, together with the four smaller boroughs, forming a constituency which retained Swansea District as its name.

Members of Parliament

YearMemberWhip
1832 John Henry Vivian Liberal
1855 Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Liberal
1885 Sir Henry Hussey Vivian Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1887 Liberal
1893 William Williams Liberal
1895 Sir David Brynmor Jones Liberal
1915 Thomas Jeremiah Williams Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Electoral history

Liberal employers initially held sway over the seat. The first member, Sir Hussey Vivian, had previously represented Glamorgan County since 1857.

General Election 1885: Swansea District[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Sir Henry Hussey Vivian unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal win (new seat)

In 1886, Vivian briefly joined the Liberal Unionists but was nevertheless returned unopposed and returned to the Gladstonian fold soon after the election.

General Election 1886: Swansea District[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Unionist Sir Henry Hussey Vivian unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General Election 1892: Swansea District [3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Sir Henry Hussey Vivian 5.959 86.5 n/a
Conservative H Monger 933 13.5 n/a
Majority 5,026 73.0 n/a
Turnout 68.6 n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a

In 1893 he was succeeded by the Morriston tinplate owner, William Williams.

Swansea District by-election, 1893 [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal William Williams unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a

Williams served for only two years before being replaced in 1895 by Brynmor Jones. Jones had strong nonconformist connections but his political career was undistinguished and he concentrated on his legal career.[6]

Brynmor Jones
General Election 1895: Swansea District [7][8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal David Brynmor Jones 3,850 49.9 n/a
Independent Liberal Ernest Hall Hedley 2,018 26.1 n/a
Conservative John Roper Wright 1,851 24.0 n/a
Majority 1,832 23.8 n/a
Turnout 75.4 n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a

Hedley was an Independent Liberal-Labour candidate.

General Election 1900: Swansea District [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal David Brynmor Jones unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
Brynmor Jones
General Election 1906: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal David Brynmor Jones unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
General Election January 1910: Swansea District [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal David Brynmor Jones 8,488 77.9 n/a
Conservative Robert Campbell 2,415 22.1 n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
Swansea District by-election, 1910 [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Sir David Brynmor Jones unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
General Election December 1910: Swansea District [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Sir David Brynmor Jones unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
Swansea District by-election, 1914 [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Rt Hon. Sir David Brynmor Jones unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
Williams
Swansea District by-election, 1915 [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Thomas Jeremiah Williams unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a

Sources

References

  1. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  2. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  3. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  4. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  5. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  6. ↑ Morgan (1960). Morgannwg: 12. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  8. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  9. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  11. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  12. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  13. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  14. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  15. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  16. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig

Sources

Books and Journals


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