Islington East (UK Parliament constituency)

Islington East
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Number of members one
Replaced by Islington Central and Islington North
Created from Finsbury

Islington East was a constituency which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885, until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Islington East in the Metropolitan area, showing boundaries used 1885-1918
Islington East in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used 1918-50
Islington East in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used 1950-74

Boundaries

1885–1918

The seat was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four divisions of the new parliamentary borough of Islington. The parliamentary borough was coterminous with the civil parish of Islington and each of the four divisions consisted of a number of parish wards used for the election of vestrymen to the incorporated vestry, the local authority for the area.

The East Division consisted of two wards: Highbury and Canonbury.[1]

1918–1970

Constituencies throughout Great Britain were reorganised by the Representation of the People Act 1918. In London, seats were realigned to the boundaries of the metropolitan boroughs that had been created in 1900. The Metropolitan Borough of Islington was divided into four constituencies with the Islington, East seat consisting of three wards as they existed in 1918: Canonbury, Highbury and Mildmay. At the next parliamentary redistribution, prior to the 1950 general election, the seat was unchanged.[1]

The seat was last contested at the 1970 general election. By the time of the next election in 1974 new constituencies had been drawn based on the London boroughs created in 1965. The London Borough of Islington was divided between three constituencies, with the area of the abolished East seat mostly falling in the new Islington Central constituency.[1]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Henry Bret Ince Liberal
1886 Isaac Cowley Lambert Conservative
1892 Sir Benjamin Cohen Conservative
1906 Sir George Heynes Radford Liberal
1917 by-election Edward Smallwood Liberal
1918 Alfred Baldwin Raper Coalition Conservative
1922 Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson Conservative
1923 Arthur Strettell Comyns Carr Liberal
1924 Robert Inigo Tasker Conservative
1929 Ethel Bentham Labour
1931 by-election Elizabeth Leah Manning Labour
1931 Thelma Cazalet, later Cazalet-Keir Conservative
1945 Sir Eric Fletcher Labour
1970 John Grant Labour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Islington, East[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Bret Ince 3,296 50.3
Conservative Isaac Cowley Lambert 3,262 49.7
Majority 34
Turnout 8,092 81.0 n/a
Liberal win (new seat)
General Election 1886: Islington, East[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Isaac Cowley Lambert 3,732 61.5 11.8
Liberal Henry Bret Ince 2,336 38.5 -11.8
Majority 1,396
Turnout 8,092 75.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1890s

Benjamin Cohen
General Election 1892: Islington, East[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Louis Cohen 3,975 53.1 -8.4
Liberal P.W. Bunting 3,510 46.9 8.4
Majority 465
Turnout 9,872 75.8
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1895: Islington, East[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Louis Cohen 4,383 58.1 5.0
Liberal Thomas McKinnon Wood 3,159 41.9 -5.0
Majority 1,224
Turnout 10,191 74.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

Andrew Torrance
General Election 1900: Islington, East[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Benjamin Louis Cohen 4,205 61.9 3.8
Liberal Andrew Mitchell Torrance 2,586 38.1 -3.8
Majority 1,619
Turnout 10,395 65.3
Conservative hold Swing
G.H. Radford
General Election 1906: Islington, East[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Heynes Radford 4477 54.7 16.6
Conservative Sir Benjamin Louis Cohen 3710 45.3 -16.6
Majority 767
Turnout 10,786 75.9
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Islington, East[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Heynes Radford 5,001 51.7 -3.0
Conservative J.H.T. Keeves 4,671 48.3 3.0
Majority 330
Turnout 11,118 87.0
Liberal hold Swing
General Election December 1910: Islington, East[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Heynes Radford 4,503 50.7 -1.0
Conservative Philip Edward Pilditch 4,378 49.3 1.0
Majority 125
Turnout 11,118 79.9
Liberal hold Swing

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

E. Smallwood
Islington East by-election, 1917
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Smallwood 2,709 57.0 6.3
Independent Alfred Baker 1,532 32.2
National Party Edmund Broughton Barnard 513 10.8
Majority 1,177
Turnout 12,874 36.9
Liberal hold Swing
General Election 1918: Islington East[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Alfred Baldwin Raper 9,352 48.8 n/a
Liberal Edward Smallwood 5,968 31.1 -25.9
Labour Arthur John Lewer 3,122 16.3 n/a
National Party Charles Edward Copplestone 575 3.0 -7.8
Independent Frederick Alfred Wickhart 147 0.8 n/a
Majority 3,384 17.7
Turnout 51.7
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Sir G. Baring
General Election 1922: Islington East[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson 11,954 46.1
Liberal Sir Godfrey Baring 8,107 31.2
Labour Ethel Bentham 5,900 22.7
Majority 3,847 14.9
Turnout 59.4
Unionist hold Swing
A. Comyns Carr
General Election 1923: Islington East[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Arthur Strettell Comyns-Carr 10,670 40.1 +8.9
Unionist Austin Uvedale Morgan Hudson 9,038 33.9
Labour Ethel Bentham 6,941 26.0
Majority 1,632 6.2
Turnout 60.0 +0.6
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing
Robert Tasker
General Election 1924: Islington East[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Robert Inigo Tasker 14,174 44.5 +10.6
Labour Ethel Bentham 10,280 32.3 +6.3
Liberal Arthur Strettell Comyns-Carr 7,406 23.2 -16.9
Majority 3,894 12.2
Turnout 70.8
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
Ethel Bentham
General Election 1929: Islington East[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ethel Bentham 15,199 38.0
Unionist Robert Inigo Tasker 13,641 34.1
Liberal Edgar Charles Middleton 11,136 27.9
Majority 1,558 3.9
Turnout 66.4
Labour gain from Unionist Swing

Elections in the 1930s

Islington East by-election, 19 February 1931
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Elizabeth Leah Manning 10,591 34.7 −3.3
Empire Crusade Alfred Cecil Critchley 8,314 27.2 N/A
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 7,182 23.5 −10.6
Liberal Horace Evelyn Crawfurd 4,450 14.6 −13.3
Majority 2,277 7.5 +3.6
Turnout 50.0 −16.4
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1931: Islington East[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 27,221 67.5 +44.0
Labour Elizabeth Leah Manning 13,111 32.5 −2.2
Majority 14,110 35.0
Turnout 40,332 65.4 +15.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +23.1
General Election 1935: Islington East[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thelma Cazalet 18,248 52.5 −15.0
Labour Ald. G.D. Jones 13,810 39.8 +7.3
Liberal Cyril Harry Blackburn 2,670 7.7 N/A
Majority 4,438 12.7 −22.3
Turnout 34,728 57.8 −7.6
Conservative hold Swing −11.2

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Islington East[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 18,936 65.5 +25.7
Conservative Thelma Cazalet-Keir 9,960 34.5 −18.0
Majority 14,110 35.0
Turnout 28,896 66.2 +6.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +22.4

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: [20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 22,477 55.96
Conservative Mrs Katherine Wilmot 14,385 35.82
Liberal Thomas Herbert Coss Billson 3,301 8.22
Majority 8,062 20.15
Turnout 79.30
Labour hold
General Election 1951: [21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 23,896 59.9
Conservative Mrs Katherine Wilmot 16,000 40.1
Majority 7,896 19.79
Turnout 78.23
Labour hold
General Election 1955: [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 19,612 60.3
Conservative Geoffrey Finsberg 12,910 39.7
Majority 6,702 20.61
Turnout 66.06
Labour hold
General Election 1959: [23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 17,776 57.56 -2.74
Conservative Kenneth C Burden 13,097 42.44 +2.74
Majority 4,669 15.13 -5.48
Turnout 30,683 63.49 -2.57
Labour hold

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 14,192 52.48 -5.04
Conservative Kenneth C Burden 7,715 28.53 -13.91
Liberal Joel Freedman 3,081 11.39 N/A
Independent Liberal Alan E Lomas 2,053 7.59 N/A
Majority 6,477 23.95 +8.82
Turnout 57.11 -6.38
Labour hold
General Election 1966: [25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eric George Molyneux Fletcher 15,009 57.92 +5.44
Conservative John B W Holderness 7,490 28.90 +0.37
Liberal Joel Freedman 2,288 8.83 -2.56
Independent Liberal Alan E Lomas 1,127 4.35 -3.24
Majority 7,519 29.02 +5.07
Turnout 25,914 57.06 +0.5
Labour hold

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: [26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Douglas Grant 13,980 61.75 +3.83
Conservative Richard Devonald-Lewis 8,660 38.25 +9.35
Majority 5,320 23.50 -5.52
Turnout 22,350 51.80 -5.26
Labour hold

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. 742–748. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  2. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  4. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  5. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  7. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  8. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  11. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  12. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  13. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  14. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  15. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  16. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ↑ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  18. ↑ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  19. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  20. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  21. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  22. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  23. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  24. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  25. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  26. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig