1903 St Andrews Burghs by-election

St Andrews Burghs, by-election 1903
← 1900 17 September 1903 1906 →
 
Candidate Ellice Anstruther-Thomson
Party Liberal Liberal Unionist
Popular vote 1,324 1,288
Percentage 50.7% 49.3%
MP before election

Anstruther
Liberal Unionist

Subsequent MP

Anstruther-Thomson
Liberal Unionist

The 1903 St Andrews Burghs by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 17 September 1903.[1] The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Vacancy

Henry Torrens Anstruther had been Liberal Unionist MP for the seat of St Andrews Burghs since the 1886 general election. He resigned on taking up the position of a Director of the Suez Canal.

Electoral history

The seat had been Liberal Unionist since they gained it in 1886. They held the seat at the last election, with an decreased majority;

General election January 1900[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Henry Torrens Anstruther 1,148 51.2 −3.3
Liberal James Annand 1,094 48.8 +3.3
Majority 54 2.4 −6.6
Turnout 2,242 76.0 −5.1
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -3.3

Candidates

The local Liberal Unionist Association selected 44-year-old Major William Anstruther-Thomson as their candidate to defend the seat. He served in South Africa from 1901-1902 where he was commandant of the district of Knysna in 1901, and Inspector of Concentration Camps in Transvaal in 1902.[3]

The local Liberal Association selected 45-year-old Captain Edward Charles Ellice as their candidate to gain the seat. He was cousin and heir of Edward Ellice, a previous MP for the constituency.[4]

Campaign

Polling Day was fixed for the 17 September 1903, just days after the previous MP resigned his seat.

Ellice, the Liberal candidate, declared himself against Home Rule for Ireland and also declined to support the disestablishment of the church in Scotland, both Liberal policies. This made his campaign less distinguishable from the Liberal Unionists. However, the candidates did differ on the question of trade, Ellice supported the Liberal position of support for Free trade while Thomson supported Tariff Reform as being advocated by leading Unionist Joseph Chamberlain.[5]

Result

The Liberals gained the seat from the Liberal Unionists;

1903 St Andrews Burghs by-election[6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edward Charles Ellice 1,324 50.7 +1.9
Liberal Unionist William Anstruther-Thomson 1,288 49.3 −1.9
Majority 36 1.4 N/A
Turnout 2,612 82.6 +6.6
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +1.9

Aftermath

Anstruther-Thomson changed his name in 1904 to Anstruther-Gray. At the following general election, he re-gained the seat, the result was;

General election January 1906[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist William Anstruther-Gray 1,495 50.4 +1.1
Liberal Edward Charles Ellice 1,472 49.6 −1.1
Majority 23 0.8 N/A
Turnout 2,967 91.4 +8.8
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +1.1

References

  1. ^ Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 97.
  2. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
  3. ^ Who Was Who
  4. ^ Who Was Who
  5. ^ The Spectator, 19 SEPTEMBER 1903
  6. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig
  7. ^ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 186 (210 in web page)
  8. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by Craig