Bethnal Green South West (UK Parliament constituency)

Bethnal Green South West
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1950
Number of members one
Replaced by Bethnal Green
Created from Hackney

Bethnal Green South West was a constituency in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was combined with Bethnal Green North East to form a new Bethnal Green constituency, reflecting the area's substantial fall in population.

Bethnal Green South West in the Metropolitan area 1885-1918
Bethnal Green South West in the County of London 1918-50

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the south and west wards of the civil parish of Bethnal Green, Middlesex (later the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green in the County of London).

Members of Parliament

YearMemberParty
1885 Edward Pickersgill Liberal
1900 Samuel Forde Ridley Conservative
1906 Edward Pickersgill Liberal
1911 Charles Masterman Liberal
1914 Sir Mathew Richard Henry Wilson Unionist
1922 Percy Harris Liberal
1945 Percy Holman Labour
1950 constituency abolished: see Bethnal Green

Election results

Election in the 1940s

General Election 5 to 19 July 1945: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Percy Holman 6,669 57.33
Liberal Sir Percy Harris 4,213 36.22
Liberal National O Howard Leicester 750 6.45
Majority 2,456
Labour gain from Liberal Swing

Election in the 1930s

General Election 14 November 1935: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir Percy Alfred Harris 9,011 53.1
Labour George Jeger 7,945 46.9
Majority 1,066 6.2
Turnout 27,484 61.7
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 27 October 1931: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Percy Alfred Harris 10,176 59.6
Labour W.J. Humphreys 3,923 23.0
Communist Joseph James Vaughan 2,970 17.4
Majority 6,253 36.6
Turnout 27,895 61.2
Liberal hold Swing

Election in the 1920s

General Election 30 May 1929: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Percy Alfred Harris 8,109 45.9
Labour Christopher John Kelly 6,849 38.7
Communist Dr. Robert Dunstan 1,368 7.7
Unionist Herbert John Malone 1,365 7.7
Majority 1,260 7.2
Turnout 27,895 64.1
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 29 October 1924: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Percy Alfred Harris 6,236 42.3
Communist Joseph James Vaughan 6,024 40.9
Unionist C.P. Norman 2,467 16.8
Majority 212 1.4
Turnout 21,522 68.4
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 6 December 1923: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Percy Alfred Harris 5,735 43.3
Labour Joseph James Vaughan 5,251 39.6
Unionist Capt. John Cecil Gerard Leigh 2,267 17.1
Majority 484 3.7
Turnout 21,320 62.2
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 15 November 1922: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Percy Alfred Harris 5,152 40.7
Communist Joseph James Vaughan 4,034 31.9
Unionist Sir Mathew Richard Henry Wilson 3,474 27.4
Majority 1,118 8.8
Turnout 21,129 59.9
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing

Election in the 1910s

Hugh Meyler
General Election 14 December 1918: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist 4,240 52.3
Independent Labour Ernest Thurtle 1,941 23.9
Liberal Lieut.-Col. Hugh Mowbray Meyler 1,935 23.8
Majority 2,299 28.4
Turnout 41.6
Unionist hold Swing
Bethnal Green South West by-election, 1914
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Matthew Richard Henry Wilson 2,828 47.6
Liberal Rt.Hon. Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman 2,804 47.1
Socialist John Scurr 316 5.3
Majority 24 0.5
Turnout
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +1.9
Masterman
Bethnal Green South West by-election, 1911
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Frederick Gurney Masterman 2,745 50.4 -6.6
Conservative Eric Alfred Hoffgaard 2,561 47.1 +4.1
Socialist John Scurr 134 2.5 +2.5
Majority 184 3.3 -10.7
Turnout 76.8
Liberal hold Swing -5.3
E.H. Pickersgill
General Election December 1910: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 2,768 57.0
Conservative Eric Alfred Hoffgaard 2,086 43.0
Majority 682 14.0
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing -1.6
General Election January 1910: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 3,328 58.6
Conservative Eric Alfred Hoffgaard 2,350 41.4
Majority 978 17.2
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing -4.6

Election in the 1900s

General Election 1906: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 3,542 63.2
Conservative Samuel Forde Ridley 2,064 36.8
Majority 1,478 26.4
Turnout 7,262 77.2
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +16.4
General Election 1900: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Forde Ridley 2,862 53.2
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 2,514 46.8
Majority 348 6.4
Turnout 8,128 66.1
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.0

Election in the 1890s

E.H. Pickersgill
General Election 1895: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 2,603 52.8
Conservative William Arnold Statham 2,324 47.2
Majority 279 5.6
Turnout 7,855 62.7
Liberal hold Swing -6.8
General Election 1892: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 3,206 59.6
Conservative Thomas Benskin 2,171 40.4
Majority 1,035 19.2
Turnout 7,821 68.8
Liberal hold Swing +3.6

Election in the 1880s

General Election 1886: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 2,550 56.0
Conservative John Evans Freke Aylmer 2,001 44.0
Majority 549 12.0
Turnout 8,265 55.1
Liberal hold Swing -2.4
General Election 1885: Bethnal Green South West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Hare Pickersgill 3,088 58.4
Conservative John Evans Freke Aylmer 2,200 41.6
Majority 888 16.8
Turnout 8,265 64.0

References