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, 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 Turton Urban District, and the parts of Rumworth, Sharples and Tonge with Haulgh outside the Parliamentary Borough of Bolton.[2][3][4]
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][5][6]
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][7] The revised boundaries were first used at the 1950 general election, and were unchanged until abolition.[8]
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.[9]
Members of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
References
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Seventh Schedule, Counties At Large, Number Of Members And Names And Contents Of Divisions, Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (C.23)
- 1 2 3 F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.II: Northern England, London 1991
- ↑ Great Britain Historical GIS Project. "Boundary Map of South East Lancashire Westhoughton PDivCon". A Vision of Britain through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ↑ Ninth Schedule: Redistribution of Seats, Representation of the People Act 1918 (C.5)
- ↑ Great Britain Historical GIS Project. "Boundary Map of Lancashire Westhoughton PDivCon". A Vision of Britain through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ↑ First Schedule, Parliamentary Constituencies, Representation of the People Act 1948 (C.65)
- ↑ Great Britain Historical GIS Project. "Boundary Map of Westhoughton CCon". A Vision of Britain through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983 No.417)
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 2)
- ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
- ↑ General Election, 27 October 1931: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ General Election, 14 November 1935: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ General Election, 5 July 1945: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 23 February 1950: Westhougton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ By-election 1951: Westhoughton. British Election Ephemera Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election 25 October 1951: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 26 May 1955: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 8 October 1959: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 15 October 1964: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 31 March 1966: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 18 June 1970: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ By-election 1960: Westhoughton. British Election Ephemera Archive. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 28 February 1974: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 10 October 1974: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ↑ General Election, 3 May 1979: Westhoughton. Political Science Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
Coordinates: 53°36′N 2°38′W / 53.60°N 2.64°W / 53.60; -2.64