Central Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)

Central Norfolk was a county constituency in the county of Norfolk. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Not to be confused with Mid Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency).

Central Norfolk
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1950–February 1974
Seatsone
Created fromNorth Norfolk, East Norfolk and South Norfolk
Replaced byNorth Norfolk,
South Norfolk

History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1948 for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Boundaries and boundary changes

1950–1951
  • The Rural Districts of Forehoe and Henstead, and St Faith's and Aylsham; and
  • The Rural District of Blofield and Flegg parishes of Great and Little Plumstead, Postwick, and Thorpe next Norwich.[1]

The Rural District of Forehoe and Henstead was previously part of South Norfolk, the former Rural District of Aylesham (now merged with the former Rural District of St Faith's) was part of North Norfolk, and remaining areas, to the north and east of Norwich, were part of the abolished constituency of East Norfolk.

1951–1974
  • As prior but with slightly redrawn boundaries.

Minor transfer to Norwich North under the provisions of Statutory Instrument 1951/325.[2]

On abolition, the Rural District of St Faiths and Aylsham was transferred to North Norfolk, the Rural District of Forhoe and Henstead to South Norfolk and the part of the Rural District of Blofield and Flegg to Yarmouth. Small parts transferred to Norwich North and Norwich South due to expansion of the County Borough.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1950 Frank Medlicott National Liberal and Conservative
1959 Richard Collard Conservative and National Liberal Died in office August 1962
1962 by-election Ian Gilmour Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Norfolk Central [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Frank Medlicott 20,407 51.3
Labour G. W. Holderness 16,516 41.5
Liberal Philip Jebb 2,859 7.2
Majority 3,891 9.8
Turnout 39,782 84.3
National Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1951: Norfolk Central [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Frank Medlicott 21,909 55.92
Labour John R Lambley 17,270 44.08
Majority 4,639 11.84
Turnout 39,179 81.75
National Liberal hold Swing
General election 1955: Norfolk Central [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Frank Medlicott 21,851 57.29
Labour Elizabeth Littlejohn 16,288 42.71
Majority 5,563 14.58
Turnout 38,139 77.41
National Liberal hold Swing
General election 1959: Norfolk Central [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Richard Collard 21,918 50.4 −6.9
Labour Frank H Stone 15,131 34.8 −7.9
Liberal Geoffrey Maxwell Goode 6,465 14.8 New
Majority 6,787 15.6 +1.0
Turnout 43,514
National Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
1962 Central Norfolk by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Ian Gilmour 13,268 37.7 −12.7
Labour Geoffrey B L Bennett 13,048 37.0 +2.2
Liberal Geoffrey Maxwell Goode 7,915 22.5 +7.7
Independent Liberal Kenneth Coleman 909 2.6 New
Independent J. Andrews 79 0.2 New
Majority 220 0.7 −14.9
Turnout 35,217 60.2 −19.6
National Liberal hold Swing −7.5
  • anti-Common Market
General election 1964: Norfolk Central [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Gilmour 24,486 49.0 −1.4
Labour Geoffrey B L Bennett 18,481 37.0 +2.2
Liberal Geoffrey Maxwell Goode 6,961 14.0 −0.8
Majority 6,005 12.0 −3.6
Turnout 49,928
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Norfolk Central [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Gilmour 27,935 54.3 +5.3
Labour Bryan Davies 23,529 45.7 +8.7
Majority 4,406 8.6 −3.4
Turnout 51,464 79.8
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Norfolk Central [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ian Gilmour 32,921 56.6 +2.3
Labour Charles R Coyne 19,030 32.7 −13.0
Liberal Royle Drew 6,172 10.6 New
Majority 13,891 23.9 +15.3
Turnout 58,123
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "Representation of the People Act, 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. S., Craig, Fred W. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178094. OCLC 539011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  4. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1951
  5. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1955
  6. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1959
  7. 1962 By Election Results from the British Election Ephemera Archive, accessed via the Wayback machine, accessed on 26 July 2015
  8. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1964
  9. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1966
  10. The Times Guide to the House of Commons, 1970
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