Hitchin (UK Parliament constituency)

This article is about the pre-1983 constituency. For the post-1997 constituency, see Hitchin and Harpenden (UK Parliament constituency).

Hitchin was a parliamentary constituency in Hertfordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.

When created in 1885, the constituency also included, as well as Hitchin itself, the areas of Letchworth and Stevenage, both of which were transferred to other constituencies at subsequent boundary redistributions.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Baron Robert Dimsdale a Conservative
1892 George Bickersteth Hudson Conservative
1906 Julius Bertram Liberal
Jan 1910 Alfred Peter Hillier Conservative
1911 by-election Lord Robert Cecil b Conservative
1918 Coalition Conservative
1922 Conservative
1923 Guy Molesworth Kindersley Conservative
1931 Viscount Knebworth Conservative
1933 by-election Sir Arnold Wilson Conservative
1941 by-election Seymour Berry Conservative
1945 Philip Asterley Jones Labour
1950 Nigel Fisher Conservative
1955 Martin Maddan Conservative
1964 Shirley Williams Labour
Feb 1974 Ian Stewart Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Notes:-

Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General Election December 1910: Hitchin[1]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Dr Alfred Peter Hillier 5,233 51.4
Liberal Thomas Tylston Greg 4,942 48.6
Majority 2.8
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
Hitchin by-election, 1911[2]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 5,542
Liberal Thomas Tylston Greg 3,909
Majority
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
Robert Cecil
General Election 14 December 1918: Hitchin[3]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist 9,828
Labour Robert Green 5,661
Independent George Humm 722
Majority
Turnout
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Hitchin[4]

Electorate 31,956

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Rt Hon. Edgar Algernon Robert Gascoyne-Cecil 13,124 62.0
Labour Benjamin Skene Mackay 8,049 38.0
Majority 5,078 24.0
Turnout
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1923: Hitchin[5]

Electorate 33,197

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Guy Molesworth Kindersley 11,157 49.7
Labour Benjamin Skene Mackay 5,913 26.3
Liberal Rev. Dugald MacFadyen 5,390 24.0
Majority 5,244 23.4
Turnout 67.7
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1924: Hitchin[6]

Electorate 34,060

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Guy Molesworth Kindersley 14,019 59.2
Labour Julian Athelstan Tayler 5,773 24.4
Liberal Rev. Dugald MacFadyen 3,881 16.4
Majority 8,246 34.8
Turnout 69.5
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1929: Hitchin[7]

Electorate 44,967

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Guy Molesworth Kindersley 14,786 44.8
Liberal Enid Lapthorn 9,325 28.3
Labour R W Gifford 8,880 26.9
Majority 5,461 16.5
Turnout 73.4
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Hitchin[8]

Electorate 48,003

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Viscount Knebworth 25,841 75.7
Labour Dermot Johnston Freyer 8,312 24.3
Majority 17,529 51.4
Turnout 71.1 -2.3
Conservative hold Swing
Sir Arnold Wilson
Hitchin by-election, 1933

Electorate 48,580

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson 14,569 58.4
Labour William Bennett 10,362 41.6
Majority 4,207 16.8
Turnout 51.3
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1935: Hitchin[9]

Electorate 50,975

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson 21,452 63.34
Labour George Samuel Lindgren 12,417 36.66
Majority 9,035 26.68
Turnout 66.44
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939/40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Hitchin by-election, 1941[10]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Seymour Berry unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1945: Hitchin[11]

Electorate 67,266

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Philip Asterley Jones 20,779 42.64
Conservative John Seymour Berry 20,433 41.93
Liberal Maj. Thomas Darling 7,515 15.42
Majority 346 0.71
Turnout 72.44
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher 23,580 45.11
Labour Philip Asterley Jones 21,829 41.76
Liberal FS Haig 6,863 13.13
Majority 1,751 3.35
Turnout 85.78
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election 1951: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nigel Thomas Loveridge Fisher 27,719 52.64
Labour Peter Benenson 24,941 47.36
Majority 2,778 5.28
Turnout 84.98
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Francis Martin Maddan 26,371 50.93
Labour Peter Benenson 25,406 49.07
Majority 965 1.86
Turnout 83.17
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Francis Martin Maddan 30,193 46.82
Labour Peter Benenson 25,818 40.03
Liberal Robert Glenton 8,481 13.15
Majority 4,375 6.78
Turnout 85.43
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams 34,034 45.84
Conservative William Francis Martin Maddan 30,649 41.28
Liberal Elma Tryphosa Dangerfield 9,564 12.88
Majority 3,385 4.56
Turnout 84.54
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1966: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams 42,233 56.52
Conservative John Heydon Romaine Stokes 32,483 43.48
Majority 9,750 13.05
Turnout 65.54
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Shirley Vivian Teresa Brittain Williams 40,932 48.53
Conservative Richard Napier Luce 37,258 44.18
Liberal Thomas Willis 6,148 7.29
Majority 3,674 4.36
Turnout 76.88
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Stewart 27,222 44.11
Labour Ann Mallalieu 23,204 37.60
Liberal D Beavan 10,824 17.54
Independent P Bianchi 467 0.76
Majority 4,018 6.51
Turnout 85.57
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General Election October 1974: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Stewart 25,842 44.59
Labour Ann Mallalieu 22,656 39.09
Liberal Eric Dix 9,454 16.31
Majority 3,186 5.50
Turnout 79.59
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Hitchin
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Stewart 33,169 52.54
Labour Denis O'Flynn 19,940 31.59
Liberal Eric Dix 8,224 13.03
Ecology Brian Goodale 911 1.44
National Front V Logan 881 1.40
Majority 13,229 20.96
Turnout 82.19
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  2. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1918-1949 (Craig)
  4. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  5. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  6. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  7. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  8. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  9. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig
  11. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig