Westhoughton (UK Parliament constituency)

Westhoughton
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County Lancashire (until 1974)
Greater Manchester (from 1974)
1885–1983
Number of members One
Replaced by Bolton West
Wigan
Leigh
Chorley
Created from South East Lancashire

Westhoughton was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire, England. Centred on the former mining and cotton town of Westhoughton, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election.

History and boundaries

1885–1918

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the existing constituency of South East Lancashire into eight single-member seats. The new seat of South-East Lancashire, Westhoughton Division comprised an area surrounding, but not including, the County Borough of Bolton.[1] It consisted of the towns of Aspull, Blackrod, Horwich, Little Lever, Turton and Westhoughton, and the surrounding townships of Anglezarke, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Darcy Lever, Edgworth, Entwistle, Great Lever, Harwood, Heaton, Longworth, Lostock, Middle Hulton, Over Hulton, Quarlton and Rivington, plus the parts of Rumworth, Sharples and Tonge with Haulgh outside the Parliamentary Borough of Bolton.[2][3]

1918–1950

The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised parliamentary seats throughout Great Britain. Constituencies were redefined in terms of the urban and rural districts created by the Local Government Act 1894. Lancashire, Westhoughton Division consisted of five adjoining urban districts: Aspull, Blackrod, Hindley, Horwich and Westhoughton.[3][4]

1950–1983

The next redrawing of English constituencies was effected by the Representation of the People Act 1948. The Act introduced the term "county constituency". Westhoughton County Constituency was enlarged by the addition of Standish with Langtree Urban District and Wigan Rural District.[3][5] The revised boundaries were first used at the 1950 general election, and were unchanged until abolition.

Abolition

The 1983 redistribution of seats reflected local government reforms made in 1974. The bulk of the seat became part of the parliamentary county of Greater Manchester: Blackrod, Horwich and Westhoughton formed part of the new Bolton West county constituency, Aspull and Standish part of Wigan borough constituency and Hindley was included in Leigh borough constituency. Some parishes in the north of the old constituency remained in Lancashire, and were included in Chorley county constituency.[6]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember[7]Party
1885 Frank Hardcastle Conservative
1892 Edward Stanley Conservative
1906 William Tyson Wilson Labour
1921 by-election Rhys Davies Labour
1951 by-election Tom Price Labour
1973 by-election Roger Stott Labour
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Westhoughton [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Stott 29,685 48.2
Conservative Carolyn Johnson 24,398 39.6
Liberal J. Pigott 7,544 12.2
Majority 5,287 8.6
Turnout 61,627 80.1
Labour hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Westhoughton [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Stott 30,373 54.1
Conservative Brian H. Tetlow 16,798 29.9
Liberal R. S. Hale 8,926 15.9
Majority 13,575 24.2
Turnout 56,097 77.9
Labour hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Westhoughton [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Stott 30,574 51.5
Conservative Brian H. Tetlow 17,909 30.1
Liberal R. S. Hale 10,939 18.4
Majority 12,665 21.3
Turnout 59,422 83.2
Labour hold Swing
By-election 1973: Westhoughton [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Stott 26,294 57.0
Conservative Cyril A. Unsworth 19,511 42.3
Democratic Socialist Brian O'Hara 335 0.7
Majority 6,783 14,7
Turnout 46,140
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Westhoughton [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 29,674 55.4
Conservative Cyril A. Unsworth 23,847 44.6
Majority 5,827 10.9
Turnout 53,521 76.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Westhoughton [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 31,387 64.96
Conservative J. I. Hanrahan 16,927 35.04
Majority 14,460 29.93
Turnout 78.75
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1964: Westhoughton [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 30,249 61.75
Conservative J. I. Hanrahan 18,738 38.25
Majority 11,511 23.50
Turnout 81.92
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Westhoughton [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 29,359 61.17
Conservative J. E. Gouldbourn 18,634 38.83
Majority 10,725 22.35
Turnout 84.28
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Westhoughton [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 27,900 60.99
Conservative E. Dunnett 17,848 39.01
Majority 10,052 21.97
Turnout 82.95
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Westhoughton [17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 29,319 61.13
Conservative F. J. Land 18,644 38.87
Majority 10,675 22.26
Turnout 86.6
Labour hold Swing
By-election 1951: Westhoughton [18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Price 25,368
Conservative F. J. Land 16,614
Majority 8,754
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1950: Westhougton [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rhys Davies 30,117 62.26
Conservative J. Crowther 18,259 37.74
Majority 11,858 24.51
Turnout 88.30
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Westhoughton [20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rhys Davies 20,990 64.91
Conservative Stanley Bell 11,346 35.09
Majority 9,644 29.82
Turnout 77.44
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales (1885). "South East Lancashire, New Divisions of County (Map)". Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales. londonancestor.com. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  2. ↑ Seventh Schedule, Counties At Large, Number Of Members And Names And Contents Of Divisions, Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (C.23)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London 1991
  4. ↑ Ninth Schedule: Redistribution of Seats, Representation of the People Act 1918 (C.5)
  5. ↑ First Schedule, Parliamentary Constituencies, Representation of the People Act 1948 (C.65)
  6. ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983 No.417)
  7. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
  8. ↑ General Election, 3 May 1979: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  9. ↑ General Election, 10 October 1974: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  10. ↑ General Election, 28 February 1974: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  11. ↑ By-election 1960: Westhoughton. British Election Ephemera Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  12. ↑ General Election, 18 June 1970: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  13. ↑ General Election, 31 March 1966: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  14. ↑ General Election, 15 October 1964: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  15. ↑ General Election, 8 October 1959: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  16. ↑ General Election, 26 May 1955: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  17. ↑ General Election 25 October 1951: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  18. ↑ By-election 1951: Westhoughton. British Election Ephemera Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  19. ↑ General Election, 23 February 1950: Westhougton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  20. ↑ General Election, 5 July 1945: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.

Coordinates: 53°36′N 2°38′W / 53.60°N 2.64°W