Bury (constituency)

Bury
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyLancashire
(now Greater Manchester)
Major settlementsBury
1832–1950
SeatsOne
Created fromLancashire
Replaced byBury & Radcliffe

Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. 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 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Bury & Radcliffe.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Bury as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.

1918-1950: The county borough of Bury and the urban district of Tottington.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1832 Richard Walker Whig-Radical
1852 Frederick Peel Peelite
1857 Robert Needham Philips Radical
1859 Frederick Peel Liberal
1865 Robert Needham Philips Liberal
1885 Sir Henry James Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1895 James Kenyon Conservative
1902 by-election Sir George Toulmin Liberal
1918 Charles Ainsworth Conservative
1935 Alan Chorlton Conservative
1945 Walter Fletcher Conservative
1950 constituency abolished: see Bury & Radcliffe

Elections

1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s –1940s – Back to Top

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Walker 306 66.7
Radical Edmund Grundy 153 33.3
Majority 153 33.4
Turnout 459 85.8
Registered electors 535
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Walker Unopposed
Registered electors 526
Whig hold
General election 1837: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Walker 251 57.8 N/A
Radical James Paul Cobbett 96 22.1 N/A
Conservative Robert Spankie 87 20.0 New
Majority 155 35.7 N/A
Turnout 434 68.1 N/A
Registered electors 637
Whig hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Walker 325 53.0 −4.8
Conservative Henry Hardman 288 47.0 +27.0
Majority 37 6.0 −29.7
Turnout 613 79.8 +11.7
Registered electors 768
Whig hold Swing −15.9
General election 1847: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Walker Unopposed
Registered electors 868
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Frederick Peel 472 53.5 N/A
Whig Adam Haldane-Duncan 410 46.5 N/A
Majority 62 7.0 N/A
Turnout 882 92.0 N/A
Registered electors 959
Peelite gain from Whig Swing N/A
General election 1857: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Radical Robert Needham Philips 565 51.6 N/A
Peelite Frederick Peel 530 48.4 −5.1
Majority 35 3.2 N/A
Turnout 1,095 89.9 −2.1
Registered electors 1,218
Radical gain from Peelite Swing
General election 1859: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Peel 641 57.3 +8.9
Liberal Thomas Barnes 478 42.7 N/A
Majority 163 14.6 +11.4
Turnout 1,119 86.8 −3.1
Registered electors 1,218
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Needham Philips 595 51.0 N/A
Liberal Frederick Peel 572 49.0 −8.3
Majority 23 2.0 −12.6
Turnout 1,167 86.3 −0.5
Registered electors 1,352
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Needham Philips 2,830 55.6 +4.6
Conservative George Cadogan 2,264 44.4 New
Majority 566 11.2 +9.2
Turnout 5,094 91.2 +4.9
Registered electors 5,587
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Needham Philips 3,016 54.7 −0.9
Conservative Oliver Ormerod Walker 2,500 45.3 +0.9
Majority 516 9.4 −1.8
Turnout 5,516 88.5 −2.7
Registered electors 6,236
Liberal hold Swing −0.9

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Needham Philips Unopposed
Registered electors 6,835
Liberal hold
Lawson
General election 1885: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry James 3,976 51.2 N/A
Conservative John Lawson 3,787 48.8 New
Majority 189 2.4 N/A
Turnout 7,763 94.5 N/A
Registered electors 8,214
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1886: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry James Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry James 4,070 55.7 N/A
Liberal John Parks 3,241 44.3 New
Majority 829 11.4 N/A
Turnout 7,311 93.4 N/A
Registered electors 7,831
Liberal Unionist hold
Cheetham
General election 1895: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Kenyon 3,890 54.8 −0.9
Liberal John Frederick Cheetham 3,215 45.2 +0.9
Majority 675 9.6 −1.8
Turnout 7,105 89.0 −4.4
Registered electors 7,986
Conservative hold Swing -0.9

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Kenyon 4,132 55.7 +0.9
Liberal George Toulmin 3,283 44.3 −0.9
Majority 849 11.4 +1.8
Turnout 7,415 86.4 −2.6
Registered electors 8,581
Conservative hold Swing +0.9
Toulmin
1902 Bury by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Toulmin 4,213 52.6 +8.3
Liberal Unionist Harry Levy-Lawson 3,799 47.4 −8.3
Majority 414 5.2 N/A
Turnout 8,012 91.2 +4.8
Registered electors 8,786
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.3
General election 1906: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Toulmin 4,626 56.9 +12.6
Conservative Reginald Jaffray Lucas 3,499 43.1 −12.6
Majority 1,127 13.8 N/A
Turnout 8,125 89.6 +3.2
Registered electors 9,068
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +12.6

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Toulmin 4,866 53.3 −3.6
Conservative Edwin Leach Hartley 4,258 46.7 +3.6
Majority 608 6.6 −7.2
Turnout 9,124 94.5 +4.9
Liberal hold Swing -3.6
General election December 1910: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Toulmin 4,509 51.5 −1.8
Conservative Edwin Leach Hartley 4,254 48.5 +1.8
Majority 255 3.0 −3.6
Turnout 8,763 90.7 −3.8
Liberal hold Swing +1.8

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1918: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Ainsworth 10,043 45.9 −2.6
C Liberal George Toulmin 6,862 31.4 −20.1
Labour Harry Wallace 4,973 22.7 New
Majority 3,181 14.5 N/A
Turnout 21,878 67.0 −23.7
Registered electors 32,666
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +8.7
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Ainsworth 10,830 41.2 −4.7
Labour Harry Wallace 9,643 36.7 +14.0
Liberal William Alfred Lewins 5,795 22.1 −9.3
Majority 1,187 4.5 −10.0
Turnout 26,268 81.3 +14.3
Registered electors 32,304
Unionist hold Swing −9.4
General election 1923: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Ainsworth 10,680 40.3 −0.9
Labour Harry Wallace 9,568 36.1 −0.6
Liberal James Duckworth 6,251 23.6 +1.5
Majority 1,112 4.2 −0.3
Turnout 26,499 80.8 −0.5
Registered electors 32,803
Unionist hold Swing −0.2
General election 1924: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Ainsworth 13,382 46.9 +6.6
Labour Harry Wallace 10,286 36.1 0.0
Liberal James Duckworth 4,847 17.0 −6.6
Majority 3,096 10.8 +6.6
Turnout 28,515 86.5 +5.7
Registered electors 32,982
Unionist hold Swing +3.3
General election 1929: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Ainsworth 14,845 42.1 −4.8
Labour James Bell 13,175 37.5 +1.4
Liberal Clifford Stanley Ickringill 7,160 20.4 +3.4
Majority 1,670 4.6 −6.2
Turnout 35,180 81.4 −5.1
Registered electors 43,216
Unionist hold Swing −3.1

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Ainsworth 24,975 70.3 +28.2
Labour James Bell 10,532 29.7 −7.8
Majority 14,443 40.6 +36.0
Turnout 35,507 81.6 +0.2
Conservative hold Swing +17.9
General election 1935: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Chorlton 18,425 49.4 −20.9
Labour Edith Summerskill 12,845 34.4 +4.7
Liberal Donald Johnson 6,065 16.2 New
Majority 5,580 15.0 −25.6
Turnout 37,335 83.3 +1.7
Conservative hold Swing -12.8

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40 Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1945: Bury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Fletcher 14,012 39.9 −9.5
Labour Sydney Hand 13,902 39.6 +5.2
Liberal Arthur Walter James 7,211 20.5 +4.3
Majority 110 0.3 −14.7
Turnout 35,125 78.2 −5.1
Conservative hold Swing -7.3

References

  1. ↑ "Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
  2. ↑ Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the People Act, 1918: with explanatory notes. London: Sweet and Maxwell.
  3. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
  4. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 72. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  5. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 89. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  6. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 112. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  7. ↑ Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 251.
  8. ↑ Prentice, Archibald (1853). History of the Anti-Corn Law League. London: W. & F. G. Cash. p. 25.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Miles, ed. (2017). The European Diaries of Richard Cobden: 1846–1849. Routledge. p. 222. ISBN 9781351890328.
  10. ↑ "General Election, 1841". Morning Post. 28 June 1841. pp. 2–3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "Bury". Dublin Morning Register. 3 July 1841. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ "Peelites". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  13. ↑ Bebbington, D. W. (2009). "Unitarian Members of Parliament in the Nineteenth Century: A Catalogue". University of Stirling.
  14. ↑ Wigley, John (1980). The Rise and Fall of the Victorian Sunday. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 697. ISBN 0-7190-0794-1.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  16. 1 2 3 Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 176. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  17. ↑ "The Elections". Bury and Norwich Post. 19 December 1832 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ↑ "Saturday, July 22, 1837". Manchester Times. 22 July 1837 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ↑ "Local Intelligence". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 24 July 1841. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ↑ The Annual Register, or a View of the History and Politics, of the Year 1841. J. G. & F. Rivington. 1842. p. 65.
  21. ↑ "The Provinces". The Spectator. 22 May 1841. p. 8.
  22. ↑ Ollivier, John (2007). "Alphabetical List of the House of Commons". Ollivier's parliamentary and political director. p. 37.
  23. ↑ "Salford Election". Bolton Evening News. 19 April 1877. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  26. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  27. ↑ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 165 (189 in web page)
  28. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  30. ↑ Manchester Evening News 4 April 1939
  31. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, F W S Craig