Arfon (UK Parliament constituency)

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Arfon County constituency
Arfon shown within Wales
Created:	1885, 2009
MP:	MP
Party:
Type:	House of Commons
Preserved county:	Gwynedd
EP constituency:	Wales

Arfon will be a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). "Arfon" is a historical name for the area, meaning "facing Anglesey"; it is also the name of the former district council. This seat was created by the Welsh Boundary Commission in time for the planned UK elections in 2009 or 2010. The same boundaries were used for the Arfon Welsh Assembly constituency in the 2007 Welsh Assembly election.

The Arfon division of Caernarvonshire was a former UK Parliament constituency, which existed from 1885 until 1918. Before 1885 and after 1918 the area was part of the Caernarvonshire constituency. The Liberal MP William Rathbone represented the Arfon seat until 1895, followed by fellow Liberal William Jones. Upon the death of Mr Jones, Griffith C. Rees, for the Liberal Party, was elected unopposed at the subsequent by-election.

Information in the paragraph above is taken in part from F.W.S Craig's "British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918" (Macmillian, 1974).

Contents 1 Boundaries 2 Members of Parliament 3 Election results 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Boundaries

When first created in 1885, the constituency was defined as the Petty Sessional Divisions of Bangor, Conway and Nant-Conway, with the Parishes of Llanddeinilen and Llanberis (which were within the Carnarvon Petty Sessional Division). The constituency included the boroughs of Bangor and Conway which were part of the Carnarvon District of Boroughs constituency; only those who owned freehold land within the boroughs could vote in elections for the Arfon constituency as a second vote.

The electoral wards which are used to create the twenty-first century Arfon are entirely within the preserved county of Gwynedd. They are Arllechwedd, Bethel, Bontnewydd, Cadnant, Cwm-y-Glo, Deiniol, Deiniolen, Dewi, Garth, Gerlan, Glyder, Groeslon, Hendre, Hirael, Llanberis, Llanllyfni, Llanrug, Llanwnda, Marchog, Menai (Bangor), Menai (Caernarfon), Ogwen, Peblig (Caernarfon), Penisarwaun, Pentir, Penygroes, Seiont, Talysarn, Tregarth and Mynydd Llandygai, Waunfawr and Y Felinheli.

[edit] Members of Parliament

• 1885 – 1895: William Rathbone (Liberal)
• 1895 – 1915: William Jones (Liberal)
• 1915 – 1918: Griffith Rees (Liberal)

[edit] Election results

Confirmed candidates for the next UK general election [1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Martin Eaglestone
	UK Independence	Elwyn Williams
	Plaid Cymru	Hywel Williams

Had the 2005 general election been held under the same boundaries, then this seat would have been held by the Labour Party, with a slim majority of 456 (1.8%) over Plaid Cymru.^[2]

[edit] See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd
• Constituencies in the next United Kingdom general election

[edit] References

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1972)

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