Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency)

Limehouse
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1950
Number of members one
Replaced by Stepney
Created from Tower Hamlets

Limehouse was a borough constituency centred on the Limehouse district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election.

Its most prominent MP was Labour's Clement Attlee, party leader from 1935–55, and Prime Minister from 1945–51.

Boundaries

Limehouse in the Metropolitan area, showing boundaries used from 1885-1918
Limehouse in the Parliamentary County of London, showing boundaries used from 1918-1950

In 1885 the area was administered as part of the county of Middlesex. It was located in the Tower division, in the east of the historic county. The neighbourhood of Limehouse formed a division of the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets. The parliamentary division was part of the East End of London.

In 1889 the Tower division of Middlesex was severed from the county, for administrative purposes. It became part of the County of London. In 1900 the lower tier of local government in London was re-modelled. Limehouse became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.

When a re-distribution of parliamentary seats took place in 1918, the constituency became a division of Stepney. It comprised the wards of Limehouse North, Limehouse South, Mile End Old Town North East, Mile End Old Town South East, and Ratcliffe.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Edward Samuel Norris Conservative
1892 John Stewart Wallace Liberal
1895 Sir Harry Simon Samuel Conservative
1906 William Pearce Liberal
1922 Clement Attlee Labour
1950 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Samuel Norris 2,566 60.5
Liberal James George Cotton Minchin 1,676 39.5
Majority 890 21.0
Turnout 5,954 71.2
General Election 1886: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Samuel Norris 2,230 61.0
Liberal Thomas Edward Scrutton 1,428 39.0
Majority 802 22.0
Turnout 5,954 61.4
Conservative hold Swing +0.5

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Stewart Wallace 2,475 51.8
Conservative Harry Simon Samuel 2,305 48.2
Majority 170 3.6
Turnout 6,456 74.0
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +12.8
Harry Samuel
General Election 1895: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Simon Samuel 2,661 56.2
Liberal W.M. Thompson 2,071 43.8
Majority 590 12.4
Turnout 6,309 75.0
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +8.0

Elections in the 1900s (decade)

General Election 1900: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Simon Samuel 2,608 55.8
Liberal William Pearce 2,070 44.2
Majority 538 11.6
Turnout 6,835 68.4
Conservative hold Swing -0.4
General Election 1906: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Pearce 2,981 59.8
Conservative Sir Harry Simon Samuel 2,007 40.2
Majority 974 19.6
Turnout 6,234 80.0
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +15.6

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Pearce 2,826 54.1
Conservative George Oldroyd Borwick 2,395 45.9
Majority 431 8.2
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing -5.7
General Election December 1910: Tower Hamlets, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Pearce 2,557 54.6
Conservative Patrick Rose-Innes 2,126 45.4
Majority 431 9.2
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing +0.5
General Election 1918: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal 5,860 59.9 +5.3
Labour Daniel Desmond Sheehan 2,470 25.2 n/a
National Party Charles Herbert Roswell 1,455 14.9 n/a
Majority 3,390 34.7
Turnout 29,275 33.4
Liberal hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Richard Attlee 9,688 55.4
National Liberal Sir William Pearce 7,789 44.6
Majority 1,899 10.8
Turnout 30,261 57.8
Labour gain from National Liberal Swing +22.8
General Election 1923: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Richard Attlee 11,473 68.5
Conservative Thomas Miller-Jones 5,288 31.5
Majority 6,185 37.0
Turnout 30,452 55.0
Labour hold Swing N/A
General Election 1924: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Richard Attlee 11,713 57.7
Conservative Thomas Miller-Jones 5,692 28.1
Liberal H. Marks 2,869 14.2
Majority 6,021 29.6
Turnout 30,927 65.6
Labour hold Swing -3.7
General Election 1929: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Clement Richard Attlee 13,872 55.9
Conservative Hon. Evan Frederic Morgan 6,584 26.5
Liberal Jasper Addis 4,116 16.6
Communist Walter Thomas Leo Tapsell 245 1.0
Majority 7,288 29.4
Turnout 38,440 64.6
Labour hold Swing -0.1

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. Clement Richard Attlee 11,354 50.5
Conservative R. Girouard 10,803 48.1
New Party Herbert L. Hodge 307 1.4
Majority 551 2.4
Turnout 38,682 58.1
Labour hold Swing -13.5
General Election 1935: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. Clement Richard Attlee 14,600 66.5
Conservative C.J. Busby 7,355 33.5
Majority 7,245 33.0
Turnout 37,020 59.3
Labour hold Swing +15.3

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Stepney, Limehouse
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. Clement Richard Attlee 8,398 83.8
Conservative A.N.P. Woodard 1,618 16.2
Majority 6,780 67.6
Turnout 16,367 61.2
Labour hold Swing +17.3

References

  1. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd edition ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Epping		 Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1945–1950 		Succeeded by
Walthamstow West