Wandsworth (UK Parliament constituency)

Wandsworth
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County County of London
1885–1918
Number of members One
Replaced by Balham and Tooting, Clapham, Putney, Streatham and Wandsworth Central
Created from East Surrey

Wandsworth was the name of a borough constituency in the Wandsworth area of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

Wandsworth in London 1885-1918

In 1885 this was a parliamentary borough constituency located in the northern part of the county of Surrey.

In 1889 the County of London was created. Wandsworth formed part of the new county. In 1900 the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth was formed, as a local authority within the County of London. The Metropolitan Borough included a larger area than the parliamentary constituency, as it added Clapham to the areas which had been in the parliamentary borough.

The constituency grouped a number of communities in northern Surrey, which were converted into South London suburbs, due to the rapid expansion of the London conurbation before and during the existence of the constituency. When the County of London was created most of the comparatively empty land within its boundaries was in South London.

The constituency consisted of two blocks of territory, joined by a comparatively thin piece of land in the middle. In the north of the constituency, Putney was an area declining somewhat in status in the period. Working class housing was also spreading from the neighbouring area of Battersea, along the part of the south bank of the River Thames included in the parliamentary borough. However, overall the district was middle class in character, with new estates being developed in the south-east end of the seat at Tooting and Streatham (to the south of Clapham).

The neighbouring parliamentary seats were Fulham (on the north bank of the Thames, opposite to the constituency); to the east of the northern part of the seat and to the north of the middle and south-eastern parts were Battersea and Clapham; to the east of the south-eastern part was Norwood; to the south-east of the constituency was Croydon; to the south was Wimbledon and to the west was Kingston.

In 1918 the Metropolitan Borough was split into five divisions. These divisions were Balham and Tooting, Clapham, Putney, Streatham and Wandsworth Central.

History

The constituency was, throughout its existence, a Conservative seat. The electorate expanded from 10,088 in 1885 to 39,911 in 1913, without altering the partisan leanings of the area.

The first MP for the seat was Henry Kimber, who was created a baronet in 1904. Kimber was a solicitor by profession. He continued to represent the constituency until he resigned in 1913. Even during the 1906 general election, which was a national Liberal landslide, Kimber only had his majority reduced to 545 (2.2%).

In the 1913 by-election the Conservative candidate, businessman Samuel Samuel, defeated the Liberal-Labour former MP for Middlesbrough (UK Parliament constituency) - Joseph Havelock Wilson. Samuel continued to hold the seat until the constituency was split up in the 1918 redistribution.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [1] Party
1885 Sir Henry Kimber, Bt Conservative
1913 by-election Samuel Samuel Conservative
1918 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

Wallace
General Election 1885: Wandsworth [2][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Kimber 4,459 57.6 n/a
Liberal Robert Wallace 3,283 42.4 n/a
Majority 1,176 15.2 n/a
Turnout 7,742 76.7 n/a
Conservative win (new seat)
Kimber
General Election 1886: Wandsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Kimber unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Wandsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Kimber 5,913 61.6 n/a
Liberal William Montgomery Crook 3,690 38.4 n/a
Majority 2,223 23.2 n/a
Turnout 9,603 64.3 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1895: Wandsworth [2][3][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Kimber 6,487 66.6 +5.0
Liberal Marsh Mayhew 3,248 33.4 -5.0
Majority 3,239 33.2 +10.0
Turnout 9,603 64.3
Conservative hold Swing +5.0

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Wandsworth [2][3][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Kimber unopposed n/a n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1906: Wandsworth [2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Henry Kimber 12,433 51.1 n/a
Liberal Albert E. Reed 11,888 48.9 n/a
Majority 545 2.2 n/a
Turnout 24,321 77.5 n/a
Conservative hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Wandsworth [2][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Henry Kimber 18,188 56.9 +5.8
Liberal Walter Richard Warren 13,749 43.1 -5.8
Majority 4,439 13.8 +11.6
Turnout 24,321 77.5
Conservative hold Swing +5.8
General Election December 1910: Wandsworth [2][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir Henry Kimber 15,168 59.0 +2.1
Liberal James Fairbairn 10,554 41.0 -2.1
Majority 4,614 18.0 +4.2
Turnout 25,722 66.8
Conservative hold Swing 2.1
Wandsworth by-election 1913
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Samuel Samuel 13,425 65.4 +6.4
Lib-Lab Joseph Havelock Wilson 7,088 34.6 -6.4
Majority 6,337 30.8 +12.8
Turnout 20,513 51.4 -15.4
Unionist hold Swing +6.4

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;

References

  1. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 1)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  4. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  5. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  6. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  7. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  8. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916

Sources

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