Kensington South (UK Parliament constituency)

Kensington South
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Number of members one
Replaced by Kensington
Created from Chelsea

Kensington South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Kensington district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Kensington South in the Metropolitan area, showing boundaries used from 1885 to 1918.
Kensington South in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used from 1918 to 1950.
Kensington South in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used from 1950 to 1974.

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election. In every postwar election until its abolition, it was the safest Conservative seat (excluding Northern Irish constituencies) in the country.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Sir Algernon Borthwick Conservative
1895 by-election Lord Warkworth (known as Earl Percy from 1899) Conservative
1910 Lord Claud Hamilton Conservative
1918 Sir William Davison Conservative
1945 by-election Richard Law Conservative
1950 Sir Patrick Spens Conservative
1959 William Roots Conservative
1968 by-election Sir Brandon Rhys-Williams Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Boundaries

The constituency was originally part of the Chelsea constituency. Following the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the seat was a single-member division consisting of all of the Parliamentary borough of Kensington lying south of the Uxbridge Road.

Following the Representation of the People Act 1918, the constituency was defined as consisting of the Brompton, Earl's Court, Holland, Queen's Gate and Redcliffe wards of the Royal Borough of Kensington.

In the 1950 redistribution, the Brompton ward was moved into the Chelsea division. The seat remained unchanged until its abolition in 1974.

In 1965, the London County Council area was absorbed by the new Greater London Council. The constituency was included in a new London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, although the Parliamentary boundaries were not altered immediately.

In the redistribution that took effect in 1974, the constituency was abolished. Earl's Court and Redcliffe wards became part of the Chelsea constituency. Holland and Queen's Gate became part of the Kensington constituency.

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General election of 18 June 1970
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Brandon Rhys-Williams 21,591 75.7
Labour F.M. Bridges 6,928 24.3
Majority 14,663 51.4
Turnout 57,182 49.9
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s


By-election of 14 March 1968
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Brandon Rhys-Williams 16,489 75.5
Liberal Thomas Oslaf Kellock 2,742 12.6
Labour Clive Bradley 1,874 8.6
Independent Sinclair Eustace 675 3.1
Independent William Gold 59 0.3
Majority 13,747 63.0
Turnout 40.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election of 31 March 1966
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Roots 21,050 65.1
Labour J.V. Rosenhead 6,419 19.8
Liberal Thomas Oslaf Kellock 4,871 15.1
Majority 14,631 45.2
Turnout 55,660 58.1
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 15 October 1964: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Roots 21,668 68.0
Labour B.J. Stead 5,300 16.6
Liberal A.A.W. Dix 4,916 15.4
Majority 16,368 51.3
Turnout 56,157 56.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 8 October 1959: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Roots 26,606 74.3
Liberal Gurth Hoyer-Millar 4,666 13.0
Labour I.S. Richard 4,525 12.6
Majority 21,940 61.3
Turnout 58,023 61.7
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 26 May 1955: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Patrick Spens 32,051 82.5
Labour M.M. Crane 6,804 17.5
Majority 25,247 65.0
Turnout 62,724 62.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 25 October 1951: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Patrick Spens 34,592 79.5
Labour M.C. Parker 8,894 20.5
Majority 25,698 59.0
Turnout 63,419 68.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 23 February 1950: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Patrick Spens 32,870 73.1
Labour Marcel Philip Picard 8,002 17.8
Liberal John Beeching Frankenburg 4,079 9.1
Majority 24,868 55.3
Turnout 63,319 71.0
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1940s

By-election, 20 November 1945

Electorate 52,750

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rt Hon. Richard Kidston Law 15,846 81.7 +11.9
Liberal Lancelot Dykes Spicer 3,559 18.3 +7.0
Majority 12,287 68.4
Turnout 52,750 36.8
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 5 to 19 July 1945: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir William Henry Davison 22,166 69.8
Labour Mrs. Patricia Strauss 6,014 18.9
Liberal Ft-Lt. Francis N Beaufort-Palmer 3,586 11.3
Majority 16,152 50.9
Turnout 46,727 67.9
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1930s

General Election 14 November 1935: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir W.H. Davison 38,297 88.9
Labour C.H. Hartwell 4,779 11.1
Majority 33,518 77.8
Turnout 69,520 62.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 27 October 1931: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir W.H. Davison unopposed
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1920s

General Election 30 May 1929: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir William Henry Davison 28,049 66.9
Liberal Sir Hugh Michael Seely 7,570 18.0
Independent Conservative Rayner Goddard KC 6,354 15.1
Majority 20,479 48.9
Turnout 70,593 59.5
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 29 October 1924: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir W.H. Davison unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 6 December 1923: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir W.H. Davison unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 15 November 1922: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir W.H. Davison 15,760 76.0
Independent Ferdinand William Cavendish-Bentinck 4,964 24.0
Majority 10,796 52.0
Turnout 35,684 58.1
Conservative hold Swing

Election in the 1910s

General Election 14 December 1918: Kensington South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Conservative Sir W.H. Davison 10,693 66.8
National Party Brig-Gen Ernest Makins 5,306 33.2
Majority 5,387 33.6
Turnout 30,888 51.8
Coalition Conservative hold Swing
December 1910 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Claud John Hamilton 5,093 83.1 1.5
Liberal George Rodhouse Reid 1,033 16.9 -1.5
Majority 4,060 66.2
Turnout 9,159 66.9
Conservative hold Swing
January 1910 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Claud John Hamilton 5,771 81.6 6.7
Liberal Capt. G.S. MacIlwaine R.N. 1,301 18.4 -6.7
Majority 4,470 63.2
Turnout 9,159 77.2
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

1906 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Earl Percy 4,835 74.9
Liberal Sir Edward Loughlin O'Malley 1,624 25.1
Majority 3,211 49.8
Turnout 9,223 70.0
Conservative hold Swing
1900 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Earl Percy unopposed
Turnout 8,830
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1890s

By-election: 28 November 1895
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Warkworth unopposed
Turnout 8,801
Conservative hold Swing
1895 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Algernon Borthwick, Bt. unopposed
Turnout 8,801
Conservative hold Swing
1892 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Algernon Borthwick, Bt. unopposed
Turnout 8,871
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1880s

1886 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Algernon Borthwick 4,156 80.3 12.0
Liberal Major Henry Fearnside Speed 1,022 19.7 -12.0
Majority 3,134 60.6
Turnout 8,859 58.4
Conservative hold Swing
1885 General Election: Kensington, South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sir Algernon Borthwick 4,602 68.3
Liberal Montagu Hughes Cookson 2,138 31.7
Majority 2,464 36.6
Turnout 8,859 76.1
Conservative gain from new seat Swing

References