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West Cumberland (UK Parliament constituency)

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West Cumberland was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system of election.

West Cumberland
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Form 1832-1868 and this area was left intact until 1885. Extract from 1837 result: the 'doubly' blue coastal area at centre.
1832–1885
Seatstwo
Created fromCumberland
Replaced byEgremont and Cockermouth

Boundaries edit

1832–1885: The Wards of Allerdale above Derwent and Allerdale below Derwent.[1]

In 1832 the historic county of Cumberland, in north west England, was split for parliamentary purposes into two county divisions. These were the East Cumberland division (with a place of election at Carlisle) and the West division (where voting took place at Cockermouth). Each division returned two members to Parliament.

The parliamentary boroughs included in the West division, between 1832 and 1885, (whose non-resident 40 shilling freeholders voted in the county constituency) were Cockermouth and Whitehaven. (Source: Stooks Smith).

History edit

For most of its existence this was an extremely Conservative division, in sharp contrast to the mostly Liberal inclined East division of the county. Only once, in the last election in 1880, was a Liberal MP elected.

The county began to industrialise from the 1860s. An Irish community developed in the west of Cumberland particularly at Cleator Moor, attracted by the opportunity to find work in the areas developing iron industry. It may be that these economic and demographic developments made the Liberals, critical of the remnant Anglican ascendancy, more competitive by 1880 than they had been earlier in the century.

In 1885 this division was abolished. The East and West Cumberland county divisions were replaced by four new single-member county constituencies. These were Cockermouth, Egremont (the Western division), Eskdale (Northern division) and Penrith (Mid division). In addition there were two remaining Cumberland borough constituencies; Carlisle and Whitehaven.

Members of Parliament edit

Election First member [2] First party Second member Second party
1832 William Lowther Tory Edward Stanley Tory
1833 by-election Samuel Irton Tory
1834 Conservative Conservative
1847 Henry Lowther Conservative
1852 Samuel Irton Conservative
1857 Hon. Sir Henry Wyndham Conservative
1860 by-election Hon. Percy Wyndham Conservative
1872 by-election Jocelyn Pennington a Conservative
1880 David Ainsworth Liberal
1885 Constituency abolished

Note:-

  • a Muncaster was a Peer of Ireland until 1898 and therefore eligible to serve in the House of Commons.

Election results edit

Elections in the 1830s edit

General election 1832: West Cumberland[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Lowther 1,875 36.9
Tory Edward Stanley 1,693 33.3
Whig Henry Curwen 1,510 29.7
Majority 183 3.6
Turnout 3,266 84.9
Registered electors 3,848
Tory win (new seat)
Tory win (new seat)

Lowther was also elected for Westmorland and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.

By-election, 25 March 1833: West Cumberland[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Samuel Irton 1,682 51.2 −19.0
Radical Francis Aglionby 1,601 48.8 N/A
Majority 81 2.4 −1.2
Turnout 3,283 85.3 +0.4
Registered electors 3,848
Tory hold Swing −19.0
General election 1835: West Cumberland[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Stanley 1,899 35.4 +2.1
Conservative Samuel Irton 1,883 35.1 −1.8
Radical Francis Aglionby 1,581 29.5 N/A
Majority 302 5.6 +2.0
Turnout 3,469 83.6 −1.3
Registered electors 4,149
Conservative hold Swing +2.1
Conservative hold Swing −1.8
General election 1837: West Cumberland[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Samuel Irton Unopposed
Conservative Edward Stanley Unopposed
Registered electors 4,437
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s edit

General election 1841: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Irton Unopposed
Conservative Edward Stanley Unopposed
Registered electors 4,031
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1847: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Stanley Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,042
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s edit

General election 1852: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Samuel Irton Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,144
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1857: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Wyndham 1,848 35.4 N/A
Conservative Henry Lowther 1,825 34.9 N/A
Radical Wilfrid Lawson[5][6] 1,554 29.7 New
Majority 271 5.2 N/A
Turnout 3,391 (est) 77.2 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,389
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1859: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Wyndham Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,780
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s edit

Wyndham's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 27 August 1860: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Wyndham Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1865: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Wyndham Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 4,602
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1868: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Wyndham Unopposed
Conservative Henry Lowther Unopposed
Registered electors 5,676
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s edit

Lowther succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Lonsdale and causing a by-election.

By-election, 26 March 1872: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Josslyn Pennington Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1874: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Wyndham 2,532 29.4 N/A
Conservative Josslyn Pennington 2,520 29.3 N/A
Liberal James William Ballantine Dykes[7] 1,786 20.7 New
Liberal David Ainsworth 1,771 20.6 New
Majority 734 8.6 N/A
Turnout 4,305 (est) 71.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,034
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s edit

General election 1880: West Cumberland[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Ainsworth 3,178 37.4 −3.9
Conservative Percy Wyndham 2,686 31.6 +2.2
Conservative Josslyn Pennington 2,624 30.9 +1.6
Majority 554 6.5 N/A
Turnout 5,864 (est) 78.2 (est) +6.9
Registered electors 7,496
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing −3.9
Conservative hold Swing

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. XLV: An Act to amend the Representation of the People in England and Wales". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 154–206. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 369–370. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  4. ^ a b c d Stooks Smith
  5. ^ Russell, George William Erskine (1912). "Lawson, Wilfrid" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  6. ^ "The General Election". Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser. 28 March 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 30 July 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ "West Cumberland". Eddowes's Journal, and General Advertiser for Shropshire, and the Principality of Wales. 4 February 1874. p. 8. Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources edit

  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910. by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
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