Birmingham Handsworth (UK Parliament constituency)

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Birmingham Handsworth
Borough constituency
Created: 1918
Abolished: 1983
Type: House of Commons
Handsworth
County constituency
Created: 1885
Abolished: 1918
Type: House of Commons

Birmingham Handsworth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Handsworth district of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries

1885-1918: The constituency was created, as a county constituency, for the 1885 general election when it was the Handsworth division of Staffordshire. In 1885 the area was to the north of the parliamentary borough of Birmingham and was the south-eastern county division of Staffordshire. Birmingham, which from 1889 was a county borough, with city status, was mostly located in the geographic county of Warwickshire, but gradually expanded into adjacent areas of Staffordshire and Worcestershire.

The constituency bordered to the west West Bromwich, Wednesbury and Walsall; to the north Lichfield; to the east Tamworth and to the south Birmingham West and Birmingham North.

1918-1955: By 1918 the Handsworth area had been incorporated within the growing city of Birmingham. For the 1918 general election it became a borough constituency as Birmingham Handsworth. The seat comprised the then County Borough of Birmingham wards of Handsworth, Sandwell and Soho.

1955-1974: The redistribution before the 1955 general election altered the constituency so it comprised Handsworth, Lozells and Sandwell wards. Soho ward became part of Birmingham All Saints. Lozells ward had been transferred from Birmingham Aston.

1974-1983: Before the February 1974 general election there was a redistribution. The constituency was altered to include the Aston, Handsworth and Sandwell wards. The seat was abolished for the 1983 general election. Sandwell ward became 32.9% of Birmingham Ladywood. The Birmingham Perry Barr constituency absorbed Handsworth ward, which was 24.8% of the new seat. Aston ward became 11.9% of Birmingham Small Heath.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Year Member Party
1885 Henry Samuel Wiggin Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 Sir Henry Meysey-Thompson, later Baron Knaresborough Liberal Unionist
1906 Ernest Claude Meysey-Thompson Liberal Unionist
1912 Conservative
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Oliver Stillingworth Locker-Lampson Conservative
1945 Harold Roberts Conservative
1950 Sir Edward Charles Gurney Boyle Conservative
1970 Sydney Brookes Chapman Conservative
1974 John Michael Herbert Lee Labour
1979 Sheila Rosemary Rivers Wright Labour
1983 constituency abolished

This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.

[edit] Elections

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984)