Skipton (UK Parliament constituency)

Skipton
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County West Riding of Yorkshire
Major settlements Skipton
1885–1983
Number of members One
Replaced by Skipton & Ripon
Created from Northern West Riding of Yorkshire

Skipton was a county constituency centred on the town of Skipton in Yorkshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

It was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished nearly a hundred years later, for the 1983 general election. It was then partly replaced by the new Skipton and Ripon constituency.

Boundaries

1885-1918: Part of the Wapentake of Skipton and Ewecross.

1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Barnoldswick, Earby, and Skipton, and the Rural Districts of Bowland, Sedbergh (the civil parishes of Dent, Garsdale, and Sedbergh), Settle (the civil parishes of Austwick, Bentham, Clapham-cum-Newby, Giggleswick, Horton, Ingleton, Malham, Settle, and Stainforth), and Skipton.

1950-1983: The Urban Districts of Barnoldswick, Earby, and Skipton, the Rural Districts of Bowland, Sedbergh, and Settle, and part of the Rural District of Skipton.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 Mathew Wilson Liberal
1886 Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist
1892 Charles Savile Roundell Liberal
1895 Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist
1900 Frederick Whitley Thomson Liberal
1906 William Clough Liberal
1918 Richard Foulis Roundell Conservative
1924 Ernest Roy Bird Conservative
1933 by-election George William Rickards Conservative
1944 by-election Hugh McDowall Lawson Common Wealth
1945 Burnaby Drayson Conservative
1979 John Watson Conservative
1983 constituency abolished: see Skipton & Ripon

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Skipton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir Mathew Wilson 5,059 n/a
Conservative SC Lister 4,269 n/a
Majority n/a
Turnout n/a
Liberal win (new seat)
Walter Morrison
General Election 1886: Skipton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Walter Morrison 4,423
Liberal Sir Mathew Wilson 4,289
Majority 134
Turnout
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1890s

C.S. Roundell
General Election 1892: Skipton[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Savile Roundell 4,700
Liberal Unionist Walter Morrison 4,608
Majority 92
Turnout
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing
J.A. Farrer
General Election 1895: Skipton[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Walter Morrison 4,902
Liberal James Anson Farrer 4,763
Majority 139
Turnout
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Skipton[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Whitley Thomson 5,139 50.7
Liberal Unionist Walter Morrison 5,007 49.3
Majority 132 1.4
Turnout
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing
William Clough
General Election 1906: Skipton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Clough 5,834 51.0
Conservative Richard Foulis Roundell 5,601 49.0
Majority 233 2.0
Turnout 90.0
Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Skipton[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Clough 6,579
Conservative Richard Foulis Roundell 6,071
Majority 508
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing
General Election December 1910: Skipton[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Clough 6,151
Conservative Richard Foulis Roundell 6,100
Majority 51
Turnout
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;

General Election 1918: Skipton[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist
  • Richard Foulis Roundell
 12,599 55.0
Liberal William Anderton Brigg 10,318 45.0
Majority 2,281 10.0
Turnout 64.2
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Sir Harry Verney
General Election 1922: Skipton[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Richard Foulis Roundell 13,251 41.7 -13.3
Liberal Sir Harry Calvert Williams Verney 10,228 32.3 -12.7
Labour Thomas Snowden 8,229 26.0 n/a
Majority 9.4
Turnout 85.2 +21.0
Unionist hold Swing -0.3
General Election 1923: Skipton[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Richard Foulis Roundell 12,676 39.9 -1.8
Liberal Sir Harry Calvert Williams Verney 11,285 35.6 +3.3
Labour Octavius George Willey 7,767 24.5 -1.5
Majority 1,391 4.3 -5.1
Turnout 83.6 -1.6
Unionist hold Swing -2.6
General Election 1924: Skipton[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Ernest Roy Bird 14,924 46.0 +6.1
Liberal Thomas Woffenden 8,947 27.5 -8.1
Labour Octavius George Willey 8,626 26.5 +2.0
Majority 5,977 18.5 +14.2
Turnout 83.8 +0.2
Unionist hold Swing +7.1
General Election 1929: Skipton[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Ernest Roy Bird 16,588 39.5 -6.5
Labour John Percival Davies 13,088 31.2 +4.7
Liberal Thomas Woffenden 12,320 29.3 +1.8
Majority 3,500 8.3 -10.2
Turnout 83.4
Unionist hold Swing -5.6

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Skipton[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ernest Roy Bird 28,013 68.2
Labour John Percival Davies 13,053 31.8
Majority 14,960
Turnout 80.3
Conservative hold Swing
Skipton by-election, 1933
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George William Rickards 18,136 43.0 -25.2
Labour John Percival Davies 14,157 33.5 +1.7
Liberal Robert Coventry Denby 9,219 21.8 +21.8
Communist James Rushton 704 1.7 +1.7
Majority 3,979 9.4
Turnout 42,216 82.7 +2.4
Conservative hold Swing -13.5
General Election 1935: Skipton[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George William Rickards 22,847 56.2
Labour John Percival Davies 17,788 43.8
Majority 5,059 12.4
Turnout 40,635 79.6
Conservative hold Swing

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

Skipton by-election, 1944
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Common Wealth Lt. Hugh McDowall Lawson 12,222 44.8
Conservative Harry Riddiough 12,001 44.0
Independent Labour Joseph Toole 3,029 11.1
Majority 221 0.8
Turnout 27,252 54.9
Common Wealth gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1945: Skipton[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 17,905 41.5
Labour John Percival Davies 15,704 36.4
Liberal Eric Townsend 9,546 22.1
Majority 2,201 5.1
Turnout 43,155 80.1
Conservative gain from Common Wealth Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950:[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 22,254 49.2
Labour Thomas J. Roberts 16,290 36.0
Liberal Eric Arthur Greenwood 6,689 14.8
Majority 5,964 13.2
Turnout 45,233 88.9
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1951:[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 26,024 59.0
Labour Edgar Hewitt 18,064 41.0
Majority 7,960 18.1
Turnout 44,088 86.1
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955:[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 25,101 61.2
Labour Vincent P. Richardson 15,919 38.8
Majority 9,182 22.4
Turnout 41,020 82.5
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959:[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 20,278 48.3
Labour Frank Oswald Hooley 11,178 26.6
Liberal Kathleen Claire Graham 10,543 25.1 N/A
Majority 9,100 21.7
Turnout 41,999 85.7
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Skipton[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 18,561 46.2
Labour Roderick MacSween 11,715 29.2
Liberal Wilfrid E.H. Pickard 9,886 24.6
Majority 8,846 17.1
Turnout 40,162 84.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1966: Skipton[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 17,532 45.1
Labour Gordon A. Knott 13,276 34.1
Liberal Wilfrid E.H. Pickard 8,104 20.8
Majority 4,256 10.9
Turnout 38,912 82.0
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Skipton[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 20,817 51.3
Labour Kenneth Targett 12,011 29.6
Liberal Mrs. Jean Y.L. Burns 7,733 19.1
Majority 8,806 21.7
Turnout 40,561 78.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election February 1974: Skipton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 19,301 43.3
Liberal Kathleen Claire Brooks 17,185 38.6
Labour T.V. Wheeler 8,079 18.1
Majority 2,116 4.8
Turnout 44,565 85.6
Conservative hold Swing
General Election October 1974: Skipton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Burnaby Drayson 17,882 41.3
Liberal Kathleen Claire Brooks 17,232 39.9
Labour C.G. Burks 8,109 18.8
Majority 590 1.4
Turnout 43,223 82.1
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1979: Skipton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Grenville Bernard Watson 23,177 51.2
Liberal Kathleen Claire Brooks 17,484 38.6
Labour Brian Michael Selby 4,632 10.2
Majority 5,693 12.6
Turnout 45,293 84.1
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ Liberal Year Book, 1908
  2. ↑ Liberal Year Book, 1908
  3. ↑ Liberal Year Book, 1908
  4. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  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 1918-1949, FWS 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. ↑ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  17. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  18. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  19. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  20. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  21. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  22. ↑ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  23. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  24. ↑ British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
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