Cirencester and Tewkesbury (UK Parliament constituency)

Cirencester and Tewkesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1997 general election when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Cotswold and Tewkesbury.

Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyGloucestershire
Major settlementsCirencester, Tewkesbury
1918–1997
SeatsOne
Created fromCirencester and Tewkesbury
Replaced byThe Cotswolds
Tewkesbury

History

The only party to have returned an MP for this constituency was the Conservatives, who represented it for most of the seat's existence. The exception was the period from 1951 to 1959, when William Morrison, first elected as a Conservative, became the Speaker of the House of Commons, a role in which the incumbent is traditionally unaffiliated to a party. The seat centred on the towns of Cirencester and Tewkesbury, covering much of the Cotswolds, a picturesque rolling landscape designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966.[1] The seat was divided between the Cotswold (later renamed The Cotswolds) and Tewkesbury constituencies. Its last MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, went on to represent the Cotswold constituency upon its 1997 creation. At elections contested by the major parties, Cirencester and Tewkesbury generally elected Conservatives with large majorities, and thus could usually have been classed as a safe seat for the party.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban Districts of Cirencester, Stow-on-the-Wold, and Tetbury, the Rural Districts of Campden, Cirencester, Marston Sicca, Northleach, and Pebworth, and parts of the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Faringdon, Stow-on-the-Wold, Tetbury, Tewkesbury, and Winchcombe.

1950–1955: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban District of Cirencester, and the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, Northleach, and Tetbury.

1955–1974: The Borough of Tewkesbury, the Urban District of Cirencester, and the Rural Districts of Cheltenham, Cirencester, North Cotswold, and Northleach.

1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–1997: The District of Cotswold wards of Ampneys, Beacon, Blockley, Bourton-on-the-Water, Campden, Churn Valley, Cirencester Abbey, Cirencester Beeches, Cirencester Chesterton, Cirencester Stratton, Cirencester Watermoor, Coln, Ermin, Evenlode Vale, Fairford, Fossehill, Fosseridge, Hampton, Kempsford, Lechlade, Mickleton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Sandywell, Sherborne Brook, Stow-on-the-Wold, Thames Head, Three Rivers, Vale, and Water Park, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Ashchurch, Bishop's Cleeve East, Bishop's Cleeve North, Bishop's Cleeve South, Cleeve Hill, Coombe Hill, Crickley, Dumbleton, Gotherington, Shurdington, Swindon, Tewkesbury Mitton, Tewkesbury Newtown, Tewkesbury Prior's Park, Tewkesbury Town, Twyning, and Winchcombe.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[2]Party
1918Sir Thomas DaviesConservative
1929William MorrisonConservative
1951 Speaker
1959Nicholas RidleyConservative
1992Geoffrey Clifton-BrownConservative
1997 constituency abolished

Elections

Election in the 1990s
General election 1992: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Clifton-Brown 40,258 55.6 +0.2
Liberal Democrats Edward J. Weston 24,200 33.4 −2.6
Labour Trevor A. Page 7,262 10.0 +1.8
Natural Law R Clayton 449 0.6 New
Independent PA Trice-Rolph 287 0.4 New
Majority 16,058 22.2 +2.8
Turnout 72,456 82.1 +4.2
Registered electors 88,299 +5.0
Conservative hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 36,272 55.4 −1.8
Liberal Philip Beckerlegge 23,610 36.0 +1.9
Labour Doug Naysmith 5,342 8.2 −0.6
Male OAP MacDonald Curtis 283 0.4 New
Majority 12,662 19.4 −3.7
Turnout 65,507 77.9 +3.0
Registered electors 84,071 +5.0
Conservative hold Swing −1.9
General election 1983: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[6] [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 34,282 57.2 +1.2
Liberal Philip T Beckerlegge 20,455 34.1 +7.3
Labour TJR Penny 5,243 8.7 −8.5
Majority 13,827 23.1 −6.1
Turnout 59,980 74.9 −5.8
Registered electors 80,067 +8.6
Conservative hold Swing −3.0

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 37,651 56.0 +9.1
Liberal Philip T Beckerlegge 18,057 26.8 −3.6
Labour RS Trafford 11,575 17.2 −5.5
Majority 19,594 29.2 +12.7
Turnout 67,283 78.7 +2.0
Registered electors 85,444 +6.3
Conservative hold Swing +6.3
General election October 1974: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 28,930 46.9 −0.4
Liberal RG Otter 18,770 30.4 −1.4
Labour JR Booth 13,973 22.7 +1.8
Majority 10,160 16.5 +1.0
Turnout 61,673 76.7 −5.9
Registered electors 80,388 +0.8
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
General election February 1974: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 31,163 47.3 −8.7
Liberal RG Otter 20,962 31.8 +17.7
Labour RG Fox 13,775 20.9 −9.0
Majority 10,201 15.5 −10.6
Turnout 65,900 82.6 +8.7
Registered electors 79,739
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1970: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 30,217 56.0 −2.2
Labour Howard G Lovell 16,131 29.9 −11.9
Liberal Denys Robinson 7,593 14.1 New
Majority 14,086 26.1 +9.7
Turnout 53,941 73.9 −1.0
Registered electors 72,980 +14.8
Conservative hold Swing +4.9

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1966: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 27,690 58.2 +6.7
Labour Michael George Dalling 19,919 41.8 +9.5
Majority 7,771 16.4 −2.8
Turnout 47,609 74.9 −3.1
Registered electors 63,568 +3.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.5
General election 1964: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 24,786 51.5 −11.8
Labour John M Bowyer 15,518 32.3 −4.4
Liberal Arnold Geoffroy de Montmorency 7,790 16.2 New
Majority 9,268 19.2 −7.4
Turnout 48,094 78.0 +1.4
Registered electors 61,626 +6.1
Conservative hold Swing −3.7

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nicholas Ridley 28,169 63.3 -3.9
Labour John M Bowyer 16,314 36.7 New
Majority 11,855 26.6 −7.8
Turnout 44,483 76.6 +8.3
Registered electors 58,099 +5.1
Conservative gain from Speaker
General election 1955: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Speaker William Morrison 25,372 67.2 +7.7
Independent Labour Douglas C Cox 12,394 32.8 New
Majority 12,978 34.4 +15.4
Turnout 37,766 68.3 −9.7
Registered electors 55,305 −4.8
Speaker gain from Conservative
General election 1951: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Morrison 26,978 59.5 +7.6
Labour Albert E Sumbler 18,353 40.5 +6.5
Majority 8,625 19.0 +1.0
Turnout 45,331 78.0 −3.3
Registered electors 58,103 +2.4
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
General election 1950: Cirencester and Tewkesbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Morrison 23,942 51.9
Labour R.M Bennett 15,660 33.9
Liberal Norman Wilburn Gillett 6,102 13.2
Communist Wogan Philipps 423 0.9
Majority 8,282 18.0
Turnout 46,127 81.3
Registered electors 56,763
Conservative hold

Election in the 1940s
General election 1945: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Morrison 19,490 48.1 N/A
Labour Alan Ernest Gwynn Hawkins 12,380 30.5 New
Liberal Christopher Money Harris 8,681 21.4 New
Majority 7,110 17.6 N/A
Turnout 40,551 67.7 N/A
Registered electors 59,890 N/A
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1930s

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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1935: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Morrison Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1931: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Morrison 28,170 82.8 +27.2
Labour John Griffin 5,868 17.2 −2.6
Majority 22,302 65.6 +34.5
Turnout 34,038 71.7 −4.6
Registered electors 47,467 +2.9
Conservative hold Swing +17.6

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1929: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Morrison 19,584 55.6 −16.4
Liberal Christopher a'Beckett Williams 8,629 24.5 New
Labour E.W. Fredman 6,987 19.8 −8.2
Majority 10,955 31.1 −12.9
Turnout 35,200 76.3 +7.9
Registered electors 46,109 +24.8
Unionist hold
General election 1924: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 18,201 72.0 +5.8
Labour Joseph Alpass 7,078 28.0 −5.8
Majority 11,123 44.0 +11.6
Turnout 25,279 68.4 +4.8
Unionist hold Swing +5.8
General election 1923: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 15,406 66.2 +2.0
Labour William Robert Robins 7,849 33.8 −2.0
Majority 7,557 32.4 +4.0
Turnout 23,255 63.6 −7.7
Registered electors 36,573 +1.6
Unionist hold Swing +2.1
General election 1922: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Thomas Davies 16,463 64.2 +7.5
Labour William Robert Robins 9,195 35.8 New
Majority 7,268 28.4 +15.0
Turnout 25,658 71.3 +15.0
Registered electors 36,008 +2.7
Unionist hold

Election in the 1910s
General election 1918: Cirencester and Tewkesbury[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Thomas Davies 11,171 56.7
Independent Labour Joseph Alpass 8,546 43.3
Majority 2,625 13.4
Turnout 19,717 56.3
Registered electors 35,049
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

See also

References

Citations
  1. "Cotswold District Council - Cotswolds AONB". www.cotswold.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  3. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  4. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  5. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. Percentage change and swing for 1983 is calculated relative to the BBC/ITN 1979 notional constituency result, not actual 1979 result. See British Broadcasting Corporation; Independent Television News. The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
  8. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  9. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  10. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  11. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  12. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  13. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  14. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, F W S Craig
  15. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, FWS Craig

Sources
  • F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
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