South Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

South Somerset was a single-member (MP) county constituency in Somerset for the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. As all single-member seats, after the 1832 Great Reform, its elections were by first past the post voting.

South Somerset
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Seatsone
Created fromEast Somerset and West Somerset
Replaced byYeovil

It was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the general election that year. The Act changed the county's representation to seven county and four borough seats, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

It's elections returned one Liberal, then another, covering its first 26 years; then returned a Conservative for its final seven years.

Boundaries
First form. Extract from 1906 result: this seat is the central zone (with the Tory blue West Dorset seat, south)

The Municipal Borough of Yeovil, the Sessional Divisions of Crewkerne and Yeovil, and part of the Sessional Division of Ilminster.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 Frederick Lambart, later 9th Earl of Cavan Liberal
1892 Edward Strachey, later ennobled[1] Liberal
1911 by-election Aubrey Herbert[2] Conservative
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Lambart 4,534 58.1
Conservative John Wingfield-Digby 3,268 41.9
Majority 1,266 16.2
Turnout 7,802 83.5
Registered electors 9,349
Liberal win (new seat)

Lambart was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 24 Feb 1886: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Lambart Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1886: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Frederick Lambart 3,739 51.6 −6.5
Conservative Sir Henry Machu Imbert-Terry, 1st Baronet 3,512 48.4 +6.5
Majority 227 3.2 −13.0
Turnout 7,251 77.6 −5.9
Registered electors 9,349
Liberal hold Swing −6.5

Elections in the 1890s
Edward Strachey
General election 1892: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 4,330 52.5 +0.9
Conservative Sir Henry Machu Imbert-Terry, 1st Baronet 3,925 47.5 -0.9
Majority 405 5.0 +1.8
Turnout 8,255 85.2 +7.6
Registered electors 9,693
Liberal hold Swing +0.9
General election 1895: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 4,167 52.1 −0.4
Conservative Henry Gribble Turner 3,827 47.9 +0.4
Majority 340 4.2 −0.8
Turnout 7,994 82.5 −2.7
Registered electors 9,692
Liberal hold Swing −0.4

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 4,349 54.2 +2.1
Conservative William Mason 3,671 45.8 -2.1
Majority 678 8.4 +4.2
Turnout 8,020 84.8 +2.3
Registered electors 9,462
Liberal hold Swing +2.1
General election 1906: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 5,164 61.4 +7.2
Liberal Unionist B Portman 3,247 38.6 −7.2
Majority 1,917 22.8 +14.4
Turnout 8,411 86.0 +1.2
Registered electors 9,778
Liberal hold Swing +7.2

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 4,955 52.7 -8.7
Conservative Aubrey Herbert 4,444 47.3 +8.7
Majority 511 5.4 -17.4
Turnout 9,399 92.5 +6.5
Registered electors 10,164
Liberal hold Swing -8.7
Aubrey Herbert
General election December 1910: South Somerset[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Strachey 4,784 52.6 −0.1
Conservative Aubrey Herbert 4,317 47.4 +0.1
Majority 467 5.2 −0.2
Turnout 9,101 89.5 −3.0
Registered electors 10,164
Liberal hold Swing −0.1
Henry Vivian
1911 South Somerset by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Aubrey Herbert 4,878 50.8 +3.4
Lib-Lab Henry Harvey Vivian 4,730 49.2 −3.4
Majority 148 1.6 N/A
Turnout 9,608 91.1 +1.6
Registered electors 10,546
Conservative hold Swing +3.4

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

References
  1. "No. 28547". The London Gazette. 3 November 1911. p. 7952.
  2. "British by-election: Unionist returned". Dominion. 24 November 1911. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 381. ISBN 9781349022984.
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