Swansea District (UK Parliament constituency)

Swansea District before 1885 also known as Swansea District of Boroughs was a borough constituency. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Swansea District
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1832–1918
Seatsone
Created fromCardiff[1]
Replaced byAberavon and Neath

Overview

The seat was created for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election. Swansea District was a strongly Liberal constituency, dominated by the tinplate and steel industries, together with coal.

Boundaries

Upon its creation in 1832 it comprised five small boroughs: Swansea, Neath, Aberavon, Kenfig and Loughor. A small increase in their limits occurred in 1868.

In 1885, the seat was split into two, with the central part of Swansea borough forming the Swansea Town constituency, and the northern part of Swansea borough centred on Morriston, together with the four smaller boroughs, forming the seat Swansea District.

The first member after 1885 was Henry Vivian, who had represented Glamorgan county 1857–1885.

Members of Parliament
  • Constituency created (1832)
YearMemberWhip
1832 John Henry Vivian Whig[2][3][4][5]
1855 Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Whig[6][7][8]
1859 Liberal
1885 Sir Henry Vivian Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1887 Liberal
1893 William Williams Liberal
1895 Sir David Brynmor Jones Liberal
1915 Thomas Jeremiah Williams Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Electoral history

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1832: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,307
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,303
Whig hold
General election 1837: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,349
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,287
Whig hold
General election 1847: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,563
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Henry Vivian Unopposed
Registered electors 1,694
Whig hold

Vivian's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 27 February 1855: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1857: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,901
Whig hold
General election 1859: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,921
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,967
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 7,543
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn 5,215 65.8 N/A
Conservative Charles Bath[10] 2,708 34.2 New
Majority 2,507 31.6 N/A
Turnout 7,923 63.5 N/A
Registered electors 12,476
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Swansea District[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn Unopposed
Registered electors 13,631
Liberal hold
General election 1885: Swansea District[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Vivian Unopposed
Liberal hold

In 1886, Vivian briefly joined the Liberal Unionists but was nevertheless returned unopposed and returned to the Gladstonian fold soon after the election.

General election 1886: Swansea District[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Vivian Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Swansea District [11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Vivian 5,959 86.5 New
Conservative Herbert Monger[13] 933 13.5 New
Majority 5,026 73.0 N/A
Turnout 6,892 68.6 N/A
Registered electors 10,047
Liberal hold Swing N/A

In 1893, when he was elevated to the peerage becoming Lord Swansea, he was succeeded by the Morriston tinplate owner, William Williams.

By-election, 19 Jun 1893: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Williams Unopposed
Liberal hold

Williams served for only two years before being replaced in 1895 by Brynmor Jones. Jones had strong nonconformist connections but his political career was undistinguished and he concentrated on his legal career.[14]

General election 1895: Swansea District [11][12][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones 3,850 49.9 −36.6
Independent Liberal-Labour Ernest Hall Hedley 2,018 26.1 New
Conservative John Wright 1,851 24.0 +10.5
Majority 1,832 23.8 −49.2
Turnout 7,719 75.4 +6.8
Registered electors 10,237
Liberal hold Swing −23.6

Elections in the 1900s
Jones
General election 1900: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
Jones
General election 1906: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones 8,488 77.9 N/A
Conservative Robert Campbell 2,415 22.1 New
Majority 6,073 55.8 N/A
Turnout 10,903 84.0 N/A
Registered electors 12,983
Liberal hold Swing N/A
1910 Swansea District by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election December 1910: Swansea District [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
1914 Swansea District by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Brynmor Jones Unopposed
Liberal hold
Williams
1915 Swansea District by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Williams Unopposed
Liberal hold

References
  1. Escott, Margaret. "Cardiff Boroughs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 65. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 250. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  4. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 229. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  5. "SWANSEA". Drogheda Conservative Journal. 10 July 1841. p. 1. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Wiltshire Independent". 8 March 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Shrewsbury Chronicle". 2 March 1855. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "John Bull". 3 March 1855. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 22 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 514. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  10. "Swansea". London Evening Standard. 2 February 1874. p. 6. Retrieved 21 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 462. ISBN 9781349022984.
  12. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  13. "Herbert Monger". Griffiths Family Group Sheets. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. Morgan, Kenneth O. (1960). "Democratic Politics in Glamorgan, 1884-1914". Morgannwg. 4: 5–27. see page 12.
  15. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901

Further reading
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