Newmarket (UK Parliament constituency)

Newmarket
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members one
Replaced by Cambridgeshire
Isle of Ely
Created from Cambridgeshire

Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.

Boundaries

Newmarket in Cambridgeshire 1885-1918

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 split the former three-member Cambridgeshire parliamentary county into three single-member divisions. One of these was the Eastern or Newmarket Division. The seat was named after the town of Newmarket, which is famous as a centre of horse racing. Newmarket lay at the centre of the constituency, although only part of the town (All Saints Parish) was within the parliamentary county of Cambridgeshire and formed part of this seat. The Local Government Act 1888 made the entirety of Newmarket urban sanitary district part of the administrative county of West Suffolk.[1] However this did not affect the parliamentary boundaries until 1918. The small city of Ely was the only other urban area.

The rural parishes in the constituency were: Ashley, Babraham, Balsham, Bottisham, Brinkley, Burrough Green, Burwell, Castle Camps, Carlton, Cherry Hinton, Cheveley, Chippenham, Duxford, Fen Ditton, Fordham, Fulbourn, Great Abington, Great Wilbraham, Hildersham, Hinxton, Horningsea, Horseheath, Ickleton, Isleham, Kennett, Kirtling, Landwade, Linton, Little Abington, Little Wilbraham, Shudy Camps, Pampisford, Sawston, Snailwell, Soham, Stetchworth, Stow cum Quy, Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior, Teversham, West Wickham, West Wratting, Westley Waterless, Weston Colville, Whittlesford, Wicken, Wood Ditton.[1]

History

Ely is the seat of a Bishop and the church interest, as well as the middle-class character of the area, contributed to Conservative political strength. The pro-Conservative alliance of the Church of England and the horse racing fraternity of the town of Newmarket was commented upon by Liberals at the time.

The seat as a whole was marginal between the Conservative and Liberal interests, as the Liberals had support in the villages. A suitable rich, horse race loving Liberal candidate could win the seat.

In 1918 most of the constituency was combined with the Chesterton (or West Cambridgeshire) division to create a new single member Cambridgeshire seat. Ely was combined with the Wisbech (or North Cambridgeshire) division to create a new Isle of Ely constituency. The two new seats corresponded to the administrative counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, which had been created in 1889.

Members of Parliament

Year Member Party
1885 Sir George Newnes Liberal
1895 Harry McCalmont Conservative
1903 Charles Day Rose Liberal
1910 George Henry Verrall Conservative
1910 Sir Charles Day Rose Liberal
1913 John Denison-Pender Unionist
1918 constituency abolished

Election results

George Newnes
General Election 1885: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Newnes 3,931 57.0 n/a
Conservative Edward Hicks 2,960 43.0 n/a
Majority 971 14.0
Turnout 6,891 77.1
Liberal win (new seat)
General Election 1886: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Newnes 3,405 50.0 −7.0
Conservative George Osborne 3,105 45.6 +2.6
Independent Liberal Unionist William Henry Hall 298 4.4 n/a
Majority 300 4.4
Turnout 6,808 76.2 −0.9
Liberal hold Swing −4.8
General Election 1892: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Newnes 4,391 58.1 +8.1
Conservative Henry Alexander Giffard 3,168 41.9 −3.7
Majority 1,223 16.2
Turnout 7,559 80.5 +4.3
Liberal hold Swing +5.9
Harry McCalmont
General Election 1895: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Harry McCalmont 4,210 52.1 +10.2
Liberal George Newnes 3,867 47.9 −10.2
Majority 343 4.2
Turnout 8,077 82.9 +2.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +10.2
General Election 1900: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Harry McCalmont 4,295 57.2 +5.1
Liberal Charles Rose 3,218 42.8 −5.1
Majority 1,077 14.4
Turnout 7,513 79.3 −3.6
Conservative hold Swing +5.1
Charles Rose
Newmarket by-election, 1903[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Rose 4,414 53.0 +10.2
Conservative Henry Brassey 3,907 47.0 -10.2
Majority 507 6.0
Turnout 8,321 86.2 +6.9
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +10.2
General Election 1906: Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Rose 4,666 54.6 +1.6
Conservative George Verrall 3,883 45.4 −1.6
Majority 783 9.2
Turnout 8,549 86.1 −0.1
Liberal hold Swing +1.6
General Election 1910 (January): Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Verrall 4,752 50.6 +5.2
Liberal Charles Rose 4,632 49.4 −5.2
Majority 120 1.2
Turnout 9,384 90.5 +4.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.2
General Election 1910 (December): Newmarket[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Rose 4,786 52.2 +2.8
Conservative George Verrall 4,387 47.8 −2.8
Majority 399 4.4
Turnout 9,173 88.5 −2.0
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.8
Newmarket by-election, 1913[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist John Denison-Pender 5,251 54.4 +6.6
Liberal George Nicholls 4,400 45.6 −6.6
Majority 851 8.8
Turnout 9,651 89.9 +1.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +6.6

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 716. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 F. W. S. Craig (1989), British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918. Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 228

Sources

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