Bedwellty (UK Parliament constituency)

Summary

Bedwellty was a county constituency in Monmouthshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.

Bedwellty
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
19181983
Seatsone
Created fromSouth Monmouthshire and West Monmouthshire
Replaced byIslwyn, Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney[1]

It was then largely replaced by the new Islwyn constituency.

Boundaries edit

On its creation in 1918 the constituency consisted of the urban districts of Bedwas and Machen, Bedwellty, Mynyddislwyn and Risca and the civil parish of Rogerstone in St Mellons Rural District.[2] These areas had previously been divided between the West Monmouthshire and South Monmouthshire constituencies.

The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 removed Rogerstone into the constituency of Monmouth from 1950. Although there were substantial changes in local government boundaries in 1974, those of the constituency were not altered prior to its abolition in 1983.

The constituency was abolished by the Parliamentary Constituencies (Wales) Order 1983, which redistributed Commons seats and aligned boundaries with wards of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1972.

Members of Parliament edit

Election Member Party
1918 Sir Charles Edwards Labour
1950 Harold Finch Labour
1970 Neil Kinnock Labour
1983 constituency abolished: see Islwyn

Election results edit

Elections in the 1910s edit

 
Williams
General election 1918: Bedwellty[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards 11,730 53.56
C Liberal William Henry Williams 10,170 46.44
Majority 1,560 7.12
Turnout 21,900 70.79
Registered electors 30,938
Labour win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s edit

General election 1922: Bedwellty[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards 17,270 63.02 +9.46
Unionist C.E. Bagram 10,132 36.98 New
Majority 7,138 26.04 +18.92
Turnout 27,402 81.21 +10.42
Registered electors 33,741
Labour hold Swing +9.46
General election 1923: Bedwellty [3][4][5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards 17,564 67.55 +4.53
Liberal William Henry Williams 8,436 32.45 New
Majority 9,128 35.10 +9.06
Turnout 26,000 74.18 -7.03
Registered electors 35,051
Labour hold Swing +4.53
General election 1924: Bedwellty [3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards Unopposed
Labour hold
Registered electors 35,909
General election 1929: Bedwellty [3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards 26,021 78.95 N/A
Unionist Hubert Geoffrey Griffith 6,936 21.05 New
Majority 19,085 57.90 N/A
Turnout 32,957 74.86 N/A
Registered electors 44,023
Labour hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s edit

General election 1931: Bedwellty[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards Unopposed
Labour hold
Registered electors 44,432
General election 1935: Bedwellty[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards Unopposed
Labour hold
Registered electors 45,328

Election in the 1940s edit

General election 1945: Bedwellty[3][4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Edwards 30,480 82.11 N/A
Conservative H Lewis Tett 6,641 17.89 New
Majority 23,839 64.22 N/A
Turnout 37,121 77.80 N/A
Registered electors 47,716
Labour hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1950s edit

General election 1950: Bedwellty [7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 31,329 83.38 +1.27
Conservative RC Pitman 6,247 16.62 -1.27
Majority 25,082 66.76 +2.54
Turnout 37,576 85.49 +7.69
Registered electors 43,954
Labour hold Swing +1.27
General election 1951: Bedwellty [7][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 31,582 83.28 -0.10
Conservative John Smith 6,339 16.72 +0.10
Majority 25,243 66.56 -0.20
Turnout 37,921 85.37 -0.12
Registered electors 44,417
Labour hold Swing -0.10
General election 1955: Bedwellty [7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 30,104 82.44 -0.84
Conservative James Scott-Hopkins 6,412 17.56 +0.84
Majority 23,692 64.88 -1.68
Turnout 36,516 81.59 -3.78
Registered electors 44,753
Labour hold Swing -0.84
General election 1959: Bedwellty [7][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 30,697 81.83 -0.61
Conservative Charles James Cox 6,817 18.17 +0.61
Majority 23,880 63.66 -1.22
Turnout 37,514 83.57 +1.98
Registered electors 44,890
Labour hold Swing -0.61

Elections in the 1960s edit

General election 1964: Bedwellty [7][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 29,425 83.51 +1.68
Conservative Charles James Cox 5,810 16.49 -1.68
Majority 23,615 67.02 +3.36
Turnout 35,235 79.11 -4.46
Registered electors 44,538
Labour hold Swing +1.68
General election 1966: Bedwellty [7][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Finch 29,723 86.25 +2.74
Conservative Nigel Williams 4,739 13.75 -2.74
Majority 24,984 72.50 +5.48
Turnout 34,462 76.68 -2.43
Registered electors 44,944
Labour hold Swing +2.74

Elections in the 1970s edit

General election 1970: Bedwellty[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Kinnock 28,078 74.6 −11.6
Conservative Paul Marland 5,799 15.4 +1.7
Plaid Cymru Charles M. Davey 3,780 10.0 New
Majority 22,279 59.2 −13.3
Turnout 37,657 76.6 −0.1
Registered electors 49,157
Labour hold Swing −6.7
General election February 1974: Bedwellty[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Kinnock 26,664 67.06 -7.50
Conservative Tim Yeo 5,027 12.64 -2.76
Liberal R Morgan 5,020 12.63 New
Plaid Cymru A Moore 3,048 7.67 -2.37
Majority 21,637 54.42 -4.74
Turnout 39,759 79.90 +3.29
Registered electors 49,758
Labour hold Swing -2.37
General election October 1974: Bedwellty[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Kinnock 27,418 70.88 +3.82
Conservative Peter Brooke 4,556 11.78 -0.86
Liberal RG Morgan 3,621 9.36 -3.27
Plaid Cymru D Mogford 3,086 7.98 +0.31
Majority 22,862 59.10 +4.68
Turnout 38,681 77.08 -2.82
Registered electors 50,183
Labour hold Swing -2.82
General election 1979: Bedwellty[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Neil Kinnock 28,794 71.35 +0.47
Conservative Robert Walter 8,358 20.71 +8.93
Plaid Cymru T Richards 2,648 6.56 -1.42
Ecology PM Rout 556 1.38 New
Majority 20,436 50.64 -8.46
Turnout 40,356 79.59 +2.51
Registered electors 50,708
Labour hold Swing -4.00

References edit

  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)
  1. ^ "'Bedwellty', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  2. ^ Schedule 9 to the Representation of the People Act, 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5. C.64)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Monmouthshire Bedwellty PDivCon through time - Political Life Statistics - Total Electorate". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Monmouthshire Bedwellty PDivCon through time - Political Life Statistics - Groupings of Political Parties". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ Etholiadau'r ganrif 1885-1997, Beti Jones
  7. ^ a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig
  8. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  10. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  11. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  12. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  13. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  14. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  15. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  16. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results October 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  17. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1979". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.