Glasgow Bridgeton (UK Parliament constituency)

Glasgow Bridgeton
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlements Glasgow
1885–1974
Number of members One
Created from Glasgow

Glasgow Bridgeton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1885 to 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

For many years it was represented by James Maxton, the leader of the Independent Labour Party whose policies were to the left of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of the first and fourth Municipal Wards.[1]

The constituency was described in the Glasgow Parliamentary Divisions Act 1896 as being-

"The area within a line beginning at a point in the centre of Albert Bridge, where the same intersects the centre line of the River Clyde, and thence proceeding eastwards along the centre of that river till it meets the parliamentary boundary of the city at Harvie's Dyke; thence northwards along the said parliamentary boundary to the centre of London Road; thence westwards along the centres of London Road and Canning Street to a point opposite the centre of Clyde Street; thence northwards along the centres of Clyde Street and Abercromby Street to the centre of Gallowgate; thence westwards along the centre of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre of Saltmarket; thence southwards along the centre of Saltmarket to the centre of the River Clyde at the point first described."

In the Representation of the People Act 1918 it was described as-

"That portion of the city which is bounded by a line commencing at a point on the centre line of London Road, where the road is crossed by the Caledonian Railway (Glasgow Lines), thence south-westward and southward along the centre line of the said railway to where it joins the Caledonian Railway Branch Line from Dalmarnock to Rutherglen, thence southward along the centre line of the said last-mentioned railway to a point on the municipal boundary at the centre line of the River Clyde, thence south-westward and north-westward along the municipal boundary of the city to a point on the centre line of the River Clyde about 77 yards south-eastward from the centre of Rutherglen Bridge, thence westward, northward and westward along the centre line of the River Clyde to the centre of Albert Bridge thence northward along the centre line of Saltmarket to the centre line of Gallowgate, thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to the centre line of Abercromby Street, thence southwestward along the centre line of Abercromby Street to the centre line of Canning Street, thence eastward along the centre line of Canning Street and London Road to the point of commencement."

The Representation of the People Act 1948 provided that the constituency was to consist of the Calton and Dalmarnock wards of the City of Glasgow. The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Glasgow Bridgeton, Glasgow Provan and Glasgow Shettleston) Order, 1955 [2] added to this the portion of the Mile-End ward that had previously been part of the Glasgow Camlachie constituency.

The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970[3] provided that the constituency was to consist of "The following wards of the county of the city of Glasgow, namely, Calton and Dalmarnock and that part of Mile-End ward which lies to the west of a line commencing at a point on the northern boundary of the ward immediately opposite the centre line of Millerston Street; thence southward to and along the centre line of Millerston Street to the centre line of Gallowgate; thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre line of Fielden Street; thence southward along the centre line of Fielden Street to the termination of the line on the southern boundary of the Mile-End ward opposite the centre of Fielden Street."

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Sir Edward Richard Russell Liberal
1887 by-election Sir George Otto Trevelyan Liberal
1897 by-election Sir Charles Cameron Liberal
1900 Charles Scott Dickson Unionist
1906 James William Cleland Liberal
1910 (Dec) Alexander MacCallum Scott Liberal
1922 James Maxton Labour
1931 Independent Labour Party
1946 by-election James Carmichael Independent Labour Party
1947[4] Labour
1961 by-election James Bennett Labour
1974 (Feb) constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1960s

By-election 1961: Glasgow Bridgeton [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Bennett 10,930
Unionist M. McNeill 3,935
SNP I. MacDonald 3,549
Ind. Labour Party George Stone 586
Majority 6,995
Turnout 41.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Glasgow Bridgeton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Carmichael 21,048 63.4
Unionist R. J. Docherty 12,139 36.6
Majority 8,909 26.8
Turnout 68.5
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Glasgow Bridgeton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Carmichael 20,476 57.7
Unionist P. Cowcher 12,375 34.9
Ind. Labour Party George Stone 2,619 7.4
Majority 8,101 22.8
Turnout 66.0
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Glasgow Bridgeton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Carmichael 21,307 63.6
Unionist R. A. Thomson 10,382 31.0
Ind. Labour Party R. Duncan 1,796 5.4
Majority 10,925 32.6
Turnout 76.9
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Glasgow Bridgeton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Carmichael 20,268 59.4
Unionist F. Irwin 11,025 32.3
Ind. Labour Party R. Duncan 1,974 5.8
Communist D. Kelly 858 2.5
Majority 9,243 27.1
Turnout 76.9
Labour gain from Ind. Labour Party Swing N/A

Elections in the 1940s

Glasgow Bridgeton by-election, 1946
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Labour Party James Carmichael 6,351 34.3 - 32.1
Labour John Wheatley 5,180 28.0 N/A
Unionist V. Warren 3,987 21.6
Independent Wendy Wood 2,575 13.9 N/A
United Socialist Movement Guy Aldred 405 2.2 N/A
Majority 1,171 6.3
Turnout 18,498
Ind. Labour Party hold Swing N/A
General Election 1945: Glasgow Bridgeton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Labour Party James Maxton 13,220
Unionist Richard Brooman-White 6,695
Majority 6,525 32.8
Turnout 58.4
Ind. Labour Party hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Glasgow Bridgeton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Labour Party James Maxton 17,691
Unionist A. D. MacInnes Shaw 8,951
Labour S. Maclaren 594
Ind. Labour Party hold Swing
General Election 1931: Glasgow Bridgeton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Labour Party James Maxton 16,630
Unionist Dr Catherine Gavin 11,941
Ind. Labour Party hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1929: Glasgow Bridgeton [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Maxton 21,033
Unionist Maurice J McCracken 10,049
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1924: Glasgow Bridgeton [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Maxton 16,850
Unionist M. J. McCracken 10,633
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1923: Glasgow Bridgeton [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Maxton 15,735
Unionist J. B. Black 6,101
Liberal T. R. Anderson 2,445
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1922: Glasgow Bridgeton [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Maxton 17,890
National Liberal Alexander MacCallum Scott 10,198
Labour gain from Coalition Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Glasgow Bridgeton [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Liberal Alexander MacCallum Scott 10,887
Labour James Maxton 7,860
Independent Eunice Murray 991
Coalition Liberal hold Swing

Unionist William Hutchison stood down for Coalition Liberal 1918

General Election Dec 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alexander MacCallum Scott 4,759
Conservative William Hutchison 3,816
General Election Jan 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James William Cleland 5,336
Conservative Patrick Keith Lang 3,539
Majority
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

James Cleland
General Election 1906: Glasgow Bridgeton [12]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James William Cleland 5,585 58.2
Conservative Rt Hon. Charles Scott Dickson 4,019 41.8
Majority
Turnout
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1900: Glasgow Bridgeton [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Scott Dickson 5,032
Liberal James William Cleland 4,041
Majority
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1890s

By-election 15 Feb 1897: Glasgow Bridgeton [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir Charles Cameron Bt MD 4,506
Conservative Charles Scott Dickson 4,381
General Election 1895: Glasgow Bridgeton [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon Sir George Otto Trevelyan 3,161
Conservative Charles Scott Dickson 2,719
Ind. Labour Party J. Robertson Watson 609

Having accepted office as Secretary for Scotland, George Otto Trevelyan was returned unopposed at a by-election on 24 August 1892.[14]

By-election 1892: Glasgow Bridgeton [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon Sir George Otto Trevelyan 4,729
Conservative William Charles Maughan 3,351
Registered electors 10,519

Elections in the 1880s

By-election 1887: Glasgow Bridgeton [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rt Hon Sir George Otto Trevelyan 4,654
Liberal Unionist Hon Evelyn Ashley 3,253
General Election 1886: Glasgow Bridgeton [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Richard Russell 4,364
Conservative Colin Mackenzie 3,567
General Election 1885: Glasgow Bridgeton [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Richard Russell 3,601
Conservative Elphinstone Vans Agnew Maitland 3,478
Scottish Land Restoration William Forsyth 978

Notes

  1. ↑ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Sixth Schedule
  2. ↑ Statutory Instrument 1995/23
  3. ↑ S.I. 1970/1680.
  4. ↑ James Carmichael was elected in 1946 as an Independent Labour Party candidate. However, he and the two other ILP MPs defected to the Labour Party in 1947.
  5. ↑ The Times, 17 Nov 1961
  6. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  7. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Constitutional Year Book, 1930
  9. ↑ The Constitutional Year Book, 1932
  10. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1916
  12. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889

References