Altrincham by-election, 1913
The Altrincham by-election was held on 28 May 1913. The contest took place following the resignation of John Robert Kebty-Fletcher, the sitting Conservative member of parliament for Altrincham.
Kebty-Fletcher had won the seat from the Liberal Party at the previous general election in December 1910 with a slim majority of 119 votes. The Liberals had formed a minority government with the support of Irish Nationalists. As the price of Nationalist support the government was attempting to introduce Home Rule for Ireland. The government majority had been reduced from 126 to 106 following the loss of a string of by-elections since December 1910. The Liberals hoped to reverse this trend by regaining the Altrincham seat.[1]
On 2 May, the candidates for the by-election were selected. The Altrincham Conservative Association chose George C Hamilton of Knutsford, while the Liberals nominated the Honorable Lawrence Kay-Shuttleworth, eldest son of Lord Shuttleworth, Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire.[2] The writ for the by-election was moved on 8 May, and the date for the election was set as 28 May. The delay was due to allow for the week-long Whitsun holiday enjoyed by Manchester workers.[3][4]
One of the main issues in the contest was Home Rule The Irish Nationalist leaders John Redmond and T P O'Connor urged Irish voters to support Kay-Shuttleworth. Hamilton spoke out in support of the Ulster Unionists who were threatening armed insurrection to resist devolution.[5] This led to the Manchester Guardian launching an attack on the Conservative candidate as a "revolutionist".[6] The apparent lack of support for Hamilton by Kebty-Fletcher, and his treatment by the local Conservative Party caused some controversy, although he eventually issued a letter discounting the story.[4] The Altrincham Trades Council called on workers to vote against Hamilton, who as a major employer refused to pay union rates.[7]
Results
The Conservatives easily held the seat with a greatly increased majority. This was however partly explained by an increase in the electorate of 1,939 voters since 1910. Nevertheless the result was deeply disappointing for the government. In contrast, Unionists were delighted, and Lord Londonderry, President of the Ulster Unionist Council sent a message of congratulation to Hamilton.[1]
Hamilton held the seat for ten years, losing to a Liberal candidate at the 1923 general election.
References
- ^ a b Altrincham Result, Great Rise in Unionist Majority, The Times, 30 May 1913, p.8
- ^ Altrincham Contest - Selection of the Party Candidates, The Times, 3 May 1913, p.10
- ^ Parliament, The Times, 9 May 1913, p.11
- ^ a b Altrincham Polling Day, The Times, 10 May 1913, p.8
- ^ The Altrincham Election- Manifesto for Irish Voters, The Times, 9 May 1913, p.12
- ^ Altrincham Issues, The Times, 23 May 1913, p.10
- ^ Hecklers at Altrincham, The Times, 21 May 1913, p.8
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1911 |
February: Arfon • Cambridge University • Horncastle • Westbury • Forest of Dean • March: North East Lanarkshire • Brentford • Bootle • April: Haddingtonshire • Cheltenham • East Dorset • May: Birmingham South • Barnstaple • June: Ross & Cromarty • Brighton • July: Kingston-upon-Hull Central • Glasgow Tradeston • St Augustine's • West Ham North • East Wicklow • North East Cork • East Cork • Luton • Wellington • Bethnal Green South West • August: Middleton • September: Kilmarnock District • October: North Tyrone • Keighley • November: Bristol East • Oldham • South Somerset • Hitchin • December: North Ayrshire • Govan
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1912 |
January: Carmarthen District • February: Edinburgh East • Glasgow St Rollox • March: Manchester South • Hereford • South East Essex • Leominster • Epsom • April: Nottingham East • Forest of Dean • May: Hackney South • North West Norfolk • June: Hythe • Holmfirth • July: Ilkeston • Hanley • Crewe • August: Manchester North West • East Carmarthenshire • September: Edinburghshire • November: Taunton • Bolton • Bow & Bromley
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1913 |
January: Flint District • Londonderry City • February: East Waterford • East Antrim • Chorley • March: Houghton-le-Spring • Kendal • April: Shrewsbury • Whitechapel • May: Newmarket • Altrincham • June: Leix • Wandsworth • Dover • Leicester • July: St George's, Hanover Square • August: Chesterfield • November: North Cork • Linlithgowshire • Reading • Keighley • December: Wick District • South Lanarkshire
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1914 |
January: North West Durham • February: Wycombe • Cork City • Bethnal Green South West • Poplar • Leith Burghs • April: Belfast East • East Fife • May: Great Grimsby • North East Derbyshire • Ipswich • June: Brighton • Oxford University • July: Birmingham West • East Worcestershire • North Galway • August: Swansea District • West Wicklow • September: Bolton • The Hartlepools • November: Londonderry City • December: East Galway • Tullamore • Sheffield Attercliffe
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1915 |
February: Norwich • Swansea District • Scarborough • Shipley • Howdenshire • Thirsk & Malton • Wigtownshire • Chesterton • Saffron Walden • Liverpool Kirkdale • Mid Antrim • Maidstone • March: Carmarthen District • April: Mid Durham • May: Kilmarnock District • June: Preston • Dublin College Green • North Tipperary • Keighley • July: Arfon • Glasgow Central • October: Dublin Harbour • Appleby • November: Heywood • Uxbridge • Cardiff • Kingston • St Helen's • St Austell • Merthyr Tydfil • Tiverton • December: Cleveland
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1916 |
January: Newington West • St George, Hanover Square • Portsmouth • North West Staffordshire • Chesterton • Bradford Central • Mile End • Rotherham • February: Liverpool East Toxteth • North Louth • Bolton • Chester • Droitwich • March: Cockermouth • Hertford • South Shields • Harborough • Hyde • April: Wimbledon • Dublin University • Ossory • May: Tewkesbury • Widnes • July: Berwickshire • August: Bodmin • Berwick-upon-Tweed • Colne Valley • Abingdon • September: Mansfield • October: North Ayrshire • St Pancras West • Winchester • North Fermanagh • November: West Cork • December: Hornsey • Ashton-under-Lyne • Sheffield Hallam • Whitechapel • Derby • Edinburgh & St Andrews Universities
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1917 |
January: Inverness-shire • February: North Roscommon • Dublin University • Rotherham • Rossendale • West Perthshire • North Roscommon • March: Stockton • Oxford • April: Aberdeen South • Belfast South • Ealing • May: South Longford • Edinburgh South • June: Epping • Henley • Liverpool Abercromby • July: Belfast South • Fulham • South County Dublin • East Clare • South Monmouthshire • Cambridge • Chesterton • Dundee • August: Edinburgh & St Andrews Universities • Norwich • October: Islington East • Spalding • Basingstoke • November: Salford North • North Armagh • December: Wisbech • Southampton
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1918 |
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