Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)

Bermondsey
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members one
Replaced by Bermondsey West and Rotherhithe
Created from Southwark
1950–1983
Replaced by Southwark and Bermondsey
Created from Bermondsey West and Rotherhithe

Bermondsey was a borough constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London, England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Election were held using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Bermondsey in the Metropolitan Board of Works area from 1885 to 1918.

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1918 general election, when its territory was represented by two new constituencies: Rotherhithe and Bermondsey West.

A new Bermondsey constituency was created for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the 1983 election, when it was largely replaced by the new Southwark and Bermondsey constituency.

Bermondsey in the Parliamentary County of London from 1950 to 1974.

History

The 1983 by-election was one of the most bitterly contested by-elections in the United Kingdom as it involved Bob Mellish, the retired Labour MP, running a highly personal and homophobic campaign against the Labour candidate, Peter Tatchell. The result was the election of Simon Hughes as a Liberal in a former Labour stronghold.

Boundaries

1974-1983: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Abbey, Bricklayers, Browning, Cathedral, Chaucher, Dockyard, Riverside, and Rotherhithe.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1918

Election Member[1] Party[2]
1885 James Edwin Thorold Rogers Liberal
1886 Alfred Lafone Conservative
1892 Reuben Vincent Barrow Liberal
1895 Alfred Lafone Conservative
1900 Henry John Cockayne Cust Conservative
1906 George Joseph Cooper Liberal
1909 by-election John Molesworth Thomas Dumphreys Conservative
1910 Harold James Glanville Liberal
1918 Constituency abolished: see Rotherhithe and Bermondsey West

MPs 1950–1983

ElectionMemberParty
1950 Bob Mellish Labour
1983 by-election Simon Hughes Liberal
1983 constituency abolished: see Southwark and Bermondsey

Election results

Elections 1885-1918

George Cooper
General Election January 1906
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Dr George Joseph Cooper 4,775 61.3 +13.2
Conservative Henry John Cockayne-Cust 3,016 38.7 -13.2
Majority 1,759 22.6 26.4
Turnout 73.4
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.2
Spencer Hughes
Bermondsey by-election, 1909[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Molesworth Thomas Dumphreys 4,278 47.5
Liberal Spencer Leigh Hughes 3,291 36.6
Labour Alfred Salter 1,435 15.9 n/a
Majority 987 10.9
Turnout 73.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing
Harold Glanville
General Election January 1910
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Harold James Glanville 5,477 54.9 +18.3
Conservative John Molesworth Thomas Dumphreys 4,508 45.1 -2.4
Majority 969 9.8 20.7
Turnout 82.4 +8.8
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +10.4

Elections 1950-1983

General Election 1950: Bermondsey[4]

Electorate 42,467

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 26,018 76.9
Conservative F Warwick 5,964 17.6
Liberal Bridget Elizabeth Talbot 1,852 5.5
Majority 20,054 59.3
Turnout 79.7
Labour win
General Election 1951: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 26,267 78.85
Conservative Ralph Manders 5,265 15.81
Liberal Harry Ball Wilson 1,779 5.34
Majority 21,002 63.05
Turnout 78.22
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 21,709 76.75
Conservative Catherine Orr-Ewing 4,309 15.23
Liberal Harry Ball Wilson 1,554 5.49
Ind. Labour Party H Stanley Birkett 715 2.53
Majority 17,400 61.51
Turnout 69.51
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1959: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 20,528 76.84
Conservative Kenneth Payne 6,187 23.16
Majority 14,341 53.68
Turnout 70.45
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 17,481 79.28
Conservative Jeremy GLM Porter 4,568 20.72
Majority 12,913 58.57
Turnout 63.28
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1966: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 16,605 80.63
Conservative Jeremy GLM Porter 3,990 19.37
Majority 12,615 61.25
Turnout 60.91
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 13,908 76.92
Conservative George HJ Nicholson 4,172 23.08
Majority 9,736 53.85
Turnout 52.91
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 24,847 68.62
Conservative Howard E Flight 6,126 16.92
Liberal C Hewittson 3,751 10.36
National Front G Davey 1,485 4.10
Majority 18,721 51.70
Turnout 65.95
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 22,875 73.37
Conservative Howard E Flight 4,294 13.77
Liberal Thomas Taylor 2,520 8.08
National Front G Davey 1,488 4.77
Majority 18,581 59.60
Turnout 56.42
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1979: Bermondsey
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Robert Joseph Mellish 19,338 63.6 -9.8
Conservative Alexander Duma 7,582 24.9 +11.1
Liberal Thomas Taylor 2,072 6.8 -1.3
National Front James Sneath 1,175 3.9 -0.9
Workers Revolutionary Anthony Moore 239 0.8 N/A
Majority 11,756 38.7 -20.9
Turnout 30,406 59.3 -2.9
Labour hold Swing -10.5
Bermondsey by-election, 1983
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Simon Hughes 17,017 57.7 +50.9
Labour Peter Tatchell 7,698 26.1 -37.5
Real Bermondsey Labour John O'Grady 2,243 7.6 N/A
Conservative Robert Hughes 1,631 5.5 -19.4
National Front James Sneath 426 1.4 -2.4
Monster Raving Loony David Sutch 97 0.3 N/A
Independent Patriot Dowager Lady Birdwood 69 0.2 N/A
New Britain Michael Keulemans 62 0.2 N/A
Independent Labour Barry Giddings 50 0.2 N/A
Communist Robert Gordon 50 0.2 N/A
Ecology George Hannah 45 0.2 N/A
Revolutionary Communist Fran Eden 38 0.1 N/A
National Labour Party Ann King 25 0.1 N/A
United Democratic Party Alan Baker 15 0.1 N/A
Anti-Common Market Free Trade Party David Wedgwood 15 0.1 N/A
Systems Designer Esmond Bevan 8 0.0 N/A
Majority 9,319 27.2
Turnout 29,489 57.7 -1.6
Liberal gain from Labour Swing

Note: Esmond Bevan made a mistake and inserted his occupation rather than politics in the nomination paper. He was an Independent Labour candidate.

References

  1. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
  2. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 47. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  3. ↑ Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12357, 30 October 1909, Page 5
  4. ↑ British parliamentary election results 1950- 1970, Craig, F.W.S.

Sources