North Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

North Devon is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Selaine Saxby of the Conservative Party.[n 2]

North Devon
County constituency
for the House of Commons
Outline map
Boundary of North Devon in Devon
Outline map
Location of Devon within England
CountyDevon
Electorate75,098 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlementsBarnstaple and Ilfracombe
Current constituency
Created1950
Member of ParliamentSelaine Saxby (Conservative)
SeatsOne
Created fromBarnstaple and South Molton
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Type of constituencyCounty constituency
Created fromDevon
Replaced bySouth Molton
Barnstaple
Tiverton
Honiton

Boundaries

1832–1868: The Hundreds of Bampton, Black Torrington, Braunton, Crediton, Fremington, Halberton, Hartland, Hayridge, Hemyock, North Tawton and Winkleigh, Shebbear, Sherwill, South Molton, Tiverton, Witheridge, and West Budleigh.[2]

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Bampton, Braunton, Crediton, Fremington, Halberton, Hartland, Hayridge, Hemyock, North Tawton, Shebbear, Sherwill, South Molton, Tiverton, Winkleigh, Witheridge, and West Budleigh.[3]

1950–1974: The Boroughs of Barnstaple and South Molton, the Urban Districts of Ilfracombe and Lynton, and the Rural Districts of Barnstaple and South Molton.

1974–1983: The Boroughs of Barnstaple and Bideford, the Urban Districts of Ilfracombe, Lynton, and Northam, and the Rural Districts of Barnstaple, Bideford, and South Molton.

1983–2010: The District of North Devon, and the District of Mid Devon wards of Taw, Taw Vale, and West Creedy.

2010–present: The District of North Devon.

History
Context: 1832-1868. Extract from 1837 result: the main striped area at centre

A two-seat constituency of the same name existed from 1832 to 1885, formally titled the 'Northern Division of Devon'.

This began at the 1832 general election, when the Reform Act 1832 divided the former two-seat Devon into Northern and Southern divisions, each of which elected two MPs using the bloc vote system of election. The constituency was abolished for the 1885 general election, when the Redistribution of Seats Act split the county into smaller single-seat divisions. Its second creation is current, and began at the 1950 general election (covering a smaller area than before). Prior to 1950, its territory was split between the old constituencies of Barnstaple and South Molton.

In the 20th century this area had a prominent national MP, Jeremy Thorpe, who led a Liberal Party revival countrywide, with particular strength in the south-west. The Liberal Democrats and its predecessor the Liberal Party have, since the Second World War, performed strongly in this seat; it was held for twenty years by Thorpe as the Liberal leader. He lost it in the 1979 general election, amid a scandal as a married man in love with Norman Scott and Thorpe's alleged involvement in a plot to murder him, of which he was found not guilty the same year. At the 1992 general election Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey regained the seat from the Conservatives. He lost the seat 23 years later.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885
Election1st Member[4] 1st Party2nd Member[4]2nd Party
1832 Viscount Ebrington Whig[5][6] Hon. Newton Fellowes Whig[5][7]
1837 Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bt Conservative[5]
1839 by-election Lewis William Buck Conservative[5]
1857 James Wentworth Buller Whig[5][8] Charles Trefusis Conservative
1859 Liberal
1865 by-election Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, Bt Liberal
1866 by-election Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt Conservative
1885 by-election John Moore-Stevens Conservative
1885 constituency abolished by Redistribution of Seats Act

MPs since 1950

The Member of Parliament for the constituency is Selaine Saxby who succeeded the previous conservative MP Peter Heaton-Jones at the 2019 UK General Election.

ElectionMember[4] Party
1950 Christopher Peto Conservative
1955 James Lindsay Conservative
1959 Jeremy Thorpe Liberal
1979 Tony Speller Conservative
1992 Nick Harvey Liberal Democrats
2015 Peter Heaton-Jones Conservative
2019 Selaine Saxby Conservative

Elections
North Devon historical election results

Elections in the 2010s
General election 2019: North Devon[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Selaine Saxby 31,479 56.5 +10.7
Liberal Democrats Alex White 16,666 29.9 −8.1
Labour Finola O'Neill 5,097 9.1 −3.6
Green Robbie Mack 1,759 3.2 +1.8
Independent Steve Cotten 580 1.0 New
Majority 14,813 26.6 +18.8
Turnout 55,581 73.3 +0.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 2017: North Devon[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Heaton-Jones 25,517 45.8 +3.1
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 21,185 38.0 +8.6
Labour Mark Cann 7,063 12.7 +5.6
UKIP Steve Crowther 1,187 2.1 −12.7
Green Ricky Knight 753 1.4 −4.4
Majority 4,332 7.8 −5.5
Turnout 55,705 73.2 +3.0
Conservative hold Swing −2.7
See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § North Devon
General election 2015: North Devon[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Heaton-Jones[12] 22,341 42.7 +6.7
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey[13] 15,405 29.4 −18.0
UKIP Steve Crowther[14] 7,719 14.8 +7.6
Labour Mark Cann[12] 3,699 7.1 +1.9
Green Ricky Knight[12] 3,018 5.8 +4.4
Communist Gerry Sables 138 0.3 +0.1
Majority 6,936 13.3 +1.9
Turnout 52,453 70.2 +1.3
Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats Swing +12.3
General election 2010: North Devon[15][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 24,305 47.4 +0.9
Conservative Philip Milton 18,484 36.0 +0.3
UKIP Steve Crowther 3,720 7.2 +2.0
Labour Mark Cann 2,671 5.2 −3.7
Green L'Anne Knight 697 1.4 −2.3
BNP Gary Marshall 614 1.2 New
Independent Rodney Cann 588 1.1 New
English Democrat Nigel Vidler 146 0.3 New
Communist Gerry Sables 96 0.2 New
Majority 5,821 11.4 +1.8
Turnout 51,321 68.9 +0.6
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +0.6

Elections in the 2000s
General election 2005: North Devon[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 23,840 45.9 +1.7
Conservative Orlando Fraser 18,868 36.3 −1.9
Labour Mark Cann 4,656 9.0 −1.1
UKIP John Browne 2,740 5.3 +0.3
Green Ricky Knight 1,826 3.5 +1.1
Majority 4,972 9.6 +3.6
Turnout 51,930 68.1 −0.2
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +1.8
General election 2001: North Devon[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 21,784 44.2 −6.6
Conservative Clive E.J. Allen 18,800 38.2 −1.3
Labour Vivian G. Gale 4,995 10.1 +0.3
UKIP Roger Knapman 2,484 5.0 New
Green Anthony J. Bown 1,191 2.4 New
Majority 2,984 6.0 −5.3
Turnout 49,254 68.3 −9.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing −5.8[n 3]

Elections in the 1990s
General election 1997: North Devon[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 27,824 50.8 +3.7
Conservative Richard Ashworth 21,643 39.5 −6.2
Labour Eithne "Annie" Brenton 5,347 9.8 +3.9
Majority 6,181 11.3 +9.9
Turnout 54,814 77.7 −6.7
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +5.0
General election 1992: North Devon[20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Nick Harvey 27,414 47.1 +4.3
Conservative Tony Speller 26,620 45.7 −5.2
Labour Paul Donner 3,410 5.9 −0.4
Green Cathrine Simmons 658 1.1 New
Natural Law Gray Treadwell 107 0.2 New
Majority 794 1.4 N/A
Turnout 58,209 84.4 +2.7
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative Swing +4.7

Elections in the 1980s
General election 1987: North Devon[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tony Speller 28,071 50.9 −4.2
Liberal Michael Pinney 23,602 42.8 +4.9
Labour Ann Marjoram 3,467 6.3 +0.6
Majority 4,469 8.1 −9.1
Turnout 55,140 81.7 +1.6
Conservative hold Swing −4.6
General election 1983: North Devon[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tony Speller 28,066 55.1 +4.7
Liberal Roger Blackmore 19,339 37.9 +1.5
Labour Peter James 2,893 5.7 −5.6
Ecology Roger Joanes 669 1.3 -0.1
Majority 8,727 17.2 +3.2
Turnout 50,967 80.1 −1.6
Conservative hold Swing +1.6

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1979: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Tony Speller 31,811 50.1 +13.5
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 23,338 36.7 −11.4
Labour Antony John Saltern 7,108 11.2 −3.0
Ecology Tony Whittaker 729 1.2 New
National Front John Morley Price 237 0.4 New
English National Frank Hansford-Miller 142 0.2 −0.8
Dog Lover's Party Auberon Waugh 79 0.1 New
Wessex Regionalist Henrietta Elizabeth Rous 50 0.1 New
Democratic Monarchist Public Safety White Resident Bill Boaks 20 0.0 New
Majority 8,473 13.4 N/A
Turnout 63,514 81.71 +7.13
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +12.45
General election October 1974: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 28,209 48.1 −5.8
Conservative Tony Speller 21,488 36.6 +0.2
Labour Alexandra Jessie Golant 8,536 14.2 +4.5
English National Frank Hansford-Miller 568 1.0 New
Majority 6,721 11.5 −6.0
Turnout 58,621 74.58 −11.9
Liberal hold Swing −3.0
General election February 1974: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 34,052 53.9 +9.8
Conservative Timothy Carleton Keigwin 22,980 36.4 −5.8
Labour Terence Kendrick Marston 6,140 9.7 −2.6
Majority 11,072 17.5 +16.6
Turnout 63,172 86.49 +1.6
Liberal hold Swing +7.8
General election 1970: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 18,893 44.1 +0.5
Conservative Timothy Carleton Keigwin 18,524 43.2 +2.7
Labour Chris Mullin 5,268 12.3 −3.6
Democratic Party Barry Gray Morris 175 0.4 New
Majority 369 0.9 −2.1
Turnout 42,860 84.9 −0.4
Liberal hold Swing +1.1

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1966: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 16,797 43.6 −7.1
Conservative Timothy Carleton Keigwin 15,631 40.5 +3.5
Labour James H. Rayner 6,127 15.9 +3.6
Majority 1,166 3.0 −10.7
Turnout 38,555 85.3 +1.0
Liberal hold Swing +5.3
General election 1964: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 19,031 50.71 +7.77
Conservative Basil Peto 13,895 37.02 -4.94
Labour Frank Paton 4,603 12.27 -2.83
Majority 5,136 13.69 +12.71
Turnout 37,529 84.32 -0.46
Liberal hold Swing +6.35

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1959: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 15,831 42.94 +10.49
Conservative James Lindsay 15,469 41.96 -5.17
Labour Geoffrey W. Pitt 5,567 15.10 -5.32
Majority 362 0.98 N/A
Turnout 36,867 84.78 +3.67
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +7.88
General election 1955: North Devon[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Lindsay 16,784 47.13 -5.18
Liberal Jeremy Thorpe 11,558 32.45 +13.04
Labour Harold Heslop 7,272 20.42 -7.65
Majority 5,226 14.68 -9.56
Turnout 35,614 81.11 00.00
Conservative hold Swing +9.11
General election 1951: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Peto 19,780 52.41 +6.08
Labour William H. Wilkey 10,632 28.17 +4.93
Liberal G. Alexander Halse 7,326 19.41 -11.02
Majority 9,148 24.24 +8.34
Turnout 35,614 81.11 -4.58
Conservative hold Swing +0.51
General election 1950: North Devon
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Christopher Peto 17,724 46.33
Liberal Guy Naylor 11,640 30.43
Labour W.A. Barker 8,892 23.24
Majority 6,084 15.90
Turnout 38,256 85.69
Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1880s
By-election, 2 Jul 1885: North Devon (1 seat)[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Moore-Stevens[26] Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1880: North Devon (2 seats)[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Registered electors 9,496
Liberal hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s
By-election, 18 Mar 1874: North Devon (1 seat)[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1874: North Devon (2 seats)[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Registered electors 9,829
Liberal hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1868: North Devon (2 seats)[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stafford Northcote 3,967 34.8 N/A
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland 3,898 34.2 N/A
Conservative John Walrond 3,520 30.9 N/A
Turnout 7,642 (est) 82.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 9,260
Majority 69 0.6 N/A
Conservative hold
Majority 378 3.3 N/A
Liberal hold
By-election, 18 March 1867: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Conservative hold
By-election, 14 July 1866: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Conservative hold
By-election, 9 May 1866: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stafford Northcote Unopposed
Conservative hold
  • Caused by Trefusis' elevation to the peerage, becoming Lord Clinton.
General election 1865: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Conservative Charles Trefusis Unopposed
Registered electors 8,746
Liberal hold
Conservative hold
By-election, 1 April 1865: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Liberal hold
  • Caused by Buller's death.

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1859: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Wentworth Buller Unopposed
Conservative Charles Trefusis Unopposed
Registered electors 8,764
Liberal hold
Conservative hold
General election 1857: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Wentworth Buller 3,652 45.2 New
Conservative Charles Trefusis 2,322 28.7 N/A
Conservative Stafford Northcote 2,105 26.1 N/A
Majority 1,330 16.5 N/A
Turnout 5,866 (est) 80.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 7,264
Whig gain from Conservative Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1852: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lewis William Buck Unopposed
Conservative Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Registered electors 8,064
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1847: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lewis William Buck Unopposed
Conservative Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Registered electors 8,597
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1841: North Devon[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lewis William Buck Unopposed
Conservative Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Registered electors 8,869
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1830s
By-election, 18 March 1389: North Devon[25][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Lewis William Buck 3,720 53.4
Whig James Wentworth Buller 3,240 46.6
Majority 480 6.8
Turnout 6,960 88.4
Registered electors 7,871
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1837: North Devon[25][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Hugh Fortescue Unopposed
Conservative Thomas Dyke Acland Unopposed
Registered electors 7,757
Whig hold
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1835: North Devon[25][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Hugh Fortescue Unopposed
Whig Newton Fellowes Unopposed
Registered electors 6,236
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1832: North Devon[25][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Hugh Fortescue Unopposed
Whig Newton Fellowes Unopposed
Registered electors 5,368
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)

See also

Notes
  1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
  3. This was in 2001 the largest two-party swing locally, (LD-UKIP)

References
  1. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  2. "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
  5. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 62, 70. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  6. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 80. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  7. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. pp. 68–69. Retrieved 5 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  8. Beckett, Ian F. W. (3 January 2008) [2004]. "Buller, Sir Redvers Henry (1839–1908)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32165. Retrieved 31 July 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  9. "Parliamentary election 12 December 2019". www.northdevon.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  10. "Parliamentary election 8 June 2017". North Devon Council. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  11. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. "Ricky is Green's 2015 candidate". North Devon Journal. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  13. "UK ELECTION RESULTS". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk.
  14. "Steve Crowther to stand for UKIP in North Devon at 2015 general election". North Devon Journal. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  15. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. Pratt, D J (20 April 2010). "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (MS Word). Acting Returning Officer, North Devon Council. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  17. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  18. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  19. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  20. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  22. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  23. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  24. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1955.
  25. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 376–377. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  26. "North Devon Election". Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 30 June 1885. p. 1. Retrieved 19 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources
  • The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945.
  • The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950.
  • The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955.
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