Newmarket (UK Parliament constituency)

Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.

Newmarket
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Seatsone
Created fromCambridgeshire
Replaced byCambridgeshire
Isle of Ely

History

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 split the former three-member Cambridgeshire parliamentary county into three single-member divisions. One of these was the Eastern or Newmarket Division. The seat was named after the town of Newmarket, which is famous as a centre of horse racing. The seat also included the city of Ely which is the seat of a Bishop and the church interest, as well as the middle-class character of the area, contributed to Conservative political strength. The pro-Conservative alliance of the Church of England and the horse racing fraternity of the town of Newmarket was commented upon by Liberals at the time.

The seat as a whole was marginal between the Conservative and Liberal interests, as the Liberals had support in the villages. A suitable rich, horse race loving Liberal candidate could win the seat.

Upon its abolition under the Representation of the People Act 1918, the constituency was combined with the Chesterton (or West Cambridgeshire) division to create a new single member Cambridgeshire seat. Ely was combined with the Wisbech (or North Cambridgeshire) division to create a new Isle of Ely constituency. The two new seats corresponded to the administrative counties of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, which had been created in 1889.

Boundaries
Newmarket in Cambridgeshire 1885-1918

The contents of the division were defined as:

  • The Sessional Divisions of Bottisham, Linton and Newmarket; and
  • The Parishes of Ely College, Ely Holy Trinity and Ely St. Mary.[1]

Newmarket lay at the centre of the constituency, although only part of the town (All Saints Parish) was within the parliamentary county of Cambridgeshire and formed part of this seat. The Local Government Act 1888 made the entirety of Newmarket urban sanitary district part of the administrative county of West Suffolk.[2] However this did not affect the parliamentary boundaries until 1918. The small city of Ely was the only other urban area.

The rural parishes in the constituency were: Ashley, Babraham, Balsham, Bottisham, Brinkley, Burrough Green, Burwell, Castle Camps, Carlton, Cherry Hinton, Cheveley, Chippenham, Duxford, Fen Ditton, Fordham, Fulbourn, Great Abington, Great Wilbraham, Hildersham, Hinxton, Horningsea, Horseheath, Ickleton, Isleham, Kennett, Kirtling, Landwade, Linton, Little Abington, Little Wilbraham, Shudy Camps, Pampisford, Sawston, Snailwell, Soham, Stetchworth, Stow cum Quy, Swaffham Bulbeck, Swaffham Prior, Teversham, West Wickham, West Wratting, Westley Waterless, Weston Colville, Whittlesford, Wicken, Wood Ditton.[2]

Members of Parliament
YearMemberParty
1885 Sir George NewnesLiberal
1895 Harry McCalmontConservative
1903 Charles RoseLiberal
1910 George Henry VerrallConservative
1910 Sir Charles RoseLiberal
1913 John Denison-PenderUnionist
1918 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s
Newnes
General election 1885: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Newnes 3,931 57.0
Conservative Edward Hicks 2,960 43.0
Majority 971 14.0
Turnout 6,891 77.1
Registered electors 8,936
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Newnes 3,405 50.0 −7.0
Conservative George Osborne 3,105 45.6 +2.6
Independent Liberal Unionist William Henry Hall 298 4.4 New
Majority 300 4.4 −9.6
Turnout 6,808 76.2 −0.9
Registered electors 8,936
Liberal hold Swing −4.8

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Newnes 4,391 58.1 +8.1
Conservative Henry Alexander Giffard 3,168 41.9 −3.7
Majority 1,223 16.2 +11.8
Turnout 7,559 80.5 +4.3
Registered electors 9,391
Liberal hold Swing +5.9
Harry McCalmont
General election 1895: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry McCalmont 4,210 52.1 +10.2
Liberal George Newnes 3,867 47.9 −10.2
Majority 343 4.2 N/A
Turnout 8,077 82.9 +2.4
Registered electors 9,738
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +10.2

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry McCalmont 4,295 57.2 +5.1
Liberal Charles Rose 3,218 42.8 −5.1
Majority 1,077 14.4 +10.2
Turnout 7,513 79.3 −3.6
Registered electors 9,477
Conservative hold Swing +5.1
Charles Rose
1903 Newmarket by-election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Rose 4,414 53.0 +10.2
Conservative Henry Brassey 3,907 47.0 −10.2
Majority 507 6.0 N/A
Turnout 8,321 86.2 +6.9
Registered electors 9,650
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +10.2
General election 1906: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Rose 4,666 54.6 +11.8
Conservative George Verrall 3,883 45.4 −11.8
Majority 783 9.2 N/A
Turnout 8,549 86.1 +6.8
Registered electors 9,934
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +11.8

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Verrall 4,752 50.6 +5.2
Liberal Charles Rose 4,632 49.4 −5.2
Majority 120 1.2 N/A
Turnout 9,384 90.5 +4.4
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.2
General election December 1910: Newmarket[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Rose 4,786 52.2 +2.8
Conservative George Verrall 4,387 47.8 −2.8
Majority 399 4.4 N/A
Turnout 9,173 88.5 −2.0
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.8
1913 Newmarket by-election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Denison-Pender 5,251 54.4 +6.6
Lib-Lab George Nicholls 4,400 45.6 −6.6
Majority 851 8.8 N/A
Turnout 9,651 89.9 +1.4
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +6.6

See also

References
  1. Great Britain, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. The public general acts. unknown library. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports, 1884.
  2. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 716. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. F. W. S. Craig (1989), British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918. Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 228

Sources
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