Sudbury and Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency)

Sudbury and Woodbridge was a county constituency centred on the towns of Sudbury and Woodbridge in Suffolk. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Sudbury and Woodbridge
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
CountySuffolk
Major settlementsSudbury and Woodbridge
1950–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromWoodbridge and Sudbury
Replaced bySuffolk Coastal and South Suffolk[1]

History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1948 for the 1950 general election, replacing the majority of both of the abolished county divisions of Sudbury and Woodbridge. It included the towns of Sudbury and Hadleigh, previously in the Sudbury constituency, and Woodbridge and Felixstowe, previously in the Woodbridge constituency.

It was abolished for the 1983 general election, and split between the new county constituencies of Suffolk Coastal (Woodbridge and Felixstowe) and South Suffolk (Sudbury and Hadleigh).

Boundaries
  • The Borough of Sudbury;
  • The Urban Districts of Felixstowe, Hadleigh, and Woodbridge;
  • The Rural Districts of Cosford, Melford, and Samford; and
  • Part of the Rural District of Deben.[2]

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberPartyNotes
1950 John Hare Conservative Raised to the peerage November 1963
1963 by-election Keith Stainton Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Sudbury and Woodbridge[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hare 23,599 48.3
Labour Roland Hamilton 19,062 39.0
Liberal Frederick James 6,219 12.7
Majority 4,537 9.3
Turnout 48,880 84.5
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1951: Sudbury and Woodbridge[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hare 27,262 56.1 +7.8
Labour Co-op Dick Lewis 21,310 43.9 +4.9
Majority 5,952 12.2 +2.9
Turnout 48,572 82.1 -2.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Sudbury and Woodbridge[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hare 25,185 53.7 -2.4
Labour Co-op Dick Lewis 17,995 38.3 -5.6
Liberal Agnes H Scott 3,760 8.0 New
Majority 7,190 15.4 +3.2
Turnout 46,940 79.7 -2.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1959: Sudbury and Woodbridge[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hare 26,130 53.0 -0.7
Labour Robert B. Stirling 16,248 33.0 -5.3
Liberal Aubrey Herbert 6,914 14.0 +6.0
Majority 9,882 20.0 +4.6
Turnout 49,292 81.1 +1.4
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
1963 Sudbury and Woodbridge by-election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 22,005 49.6 -3.4
Labour Frank E Woodbridge 16,416 37.0 +4.0
Liberal Aubrey Herbert 5,935 13.4 -0.6
Majority 5,589 12.6 -7.4
Turnout 44,356 70.5 -10.6
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1964: Sudbury and Woodbridge[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 26,370 50.5 -2.5
Labour Frank E Woodbridge 17,778 34.1 +1.1
Liberal Edwin Michael Wheeler 8,044 15.4 +1.4
Majority 8,592 16.4 -3.6
Turnout 52,192
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1966: Sudbury and Woodbridge[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 26,689 50.2 -0.3
Labour Max Madden 19,680 37.0 +2.9
Liberal Edwin Michael Wheeler 6,839 12.9 -2.5
Majority 7,009 13.2 -2.2
Turnout 53,208 80.2
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Sudbury and Woodbridge[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 32,393 54.6 +4.4
Labour Brian Orriss 19,829 33.4 -3.6
Liberal Edward Michael Wheeler 7,136 12.0 -0.9
Majority 12,564 21.2 +8.0
Turnout 59,358 75.9 -4.3
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Sudbury and Woodbridge
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 31,987 46.7 -7.9
Liberal Neville S Lewis 18,286 26.7 +14.7
Labour Brian Orriss 18,228 26.6 -6.8
Majority 13,701 20.0 -1.2
Turnout 68,501 81.9 +6.0
Conservative hold Swing
General election October 1974: Sudbury and Woodbridge
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 30,049 47.5 +0.8
Labour RE Russel 17,986 28.4 +1.8
Liberal Neville S Lewis 15,206 24.0 -2.7
Majority 12,063 19.1 -0.9
Turnout 63,241 75.0 -5.1
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1979: Sudbury and Woodbridge
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Keith Stainton 39,544 55.0 +7.5
Labour JB Hills 18,972 26.4 -2.0
Liberal J Roderic C Beale 13,435 18.7 -5.3
Majority 20,572 28.6 +9.5
Turnout 71,951 78.7 +3.7
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. "'Sudbury and Woodbridge', Feb 1974 – May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. "Representation of the People Act, 1948". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  3. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  4. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  5. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.
  6. British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
  7. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1955.
  8. F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
  9. The Times House of Commons, 1964
  10. The Times House of Commons, 1964
  11. The Times House of Commons, 1966
  12. The Times House of Commons, 1970
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