South Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South Warwickshire
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWarwickshire
1832–1885
SeatsTwo
Created fromWarwickshire
Replaced byRugby
Stratford-on-Avon

South Warwickshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Warwickshire in England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

History

The constituency was created under the Reform Act 1832, when the former Warwickshire constituency was divided into two new divisions: North Warwickshire and South Warwickshire.

South Warwickshire was itself abolished in 1885, when the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 replaced it with four new single-member constituencies: Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth.

Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Barlichway and Kington, and the Kenilworth and Southam Divisions of the Hundred of Knightlow.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1832 Sir Grey Skipwith, Bt Whig[2] Sir George Philips, Bt Whig[2][3]
1835 Sir John Mordaunt, Bt Conservative Edward Sheldon Radical[3][4]
1836 by-election Evelyn Shirley Conservative
1845 by-election Lord Brooke Conservative
1849 by-election Lord Guernsey Conservative
1853 by-election Evelyn Shirley Conservative
1857 Edward Bolton King Whig[2][5]
1859 Sir Charles Mordaunt, Bt Conservative
1865 Henry Christopher Wise Conservative
1868 John Hardy Conservative
1874 Hugh Seymour Conservative Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt Conservative
1880 Hon. Gilbert Leigh Liberal
1884 by-election Sampson Lloyd Conservative
constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: South Warwickshire[6][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Grey Skipwith 1,396 38.5
Whig George Philips 1,121 30.9
Tory Evelyn Shirley 1,108 30.6
Majority 13 0.3
Turnout 2,249 88.2
Registered electors 2,550
Whig win (new seat)
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: South Warwickshire[6][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Radical Edward Sheldon (MP) Unopposed
Conservative John Mordaunt Unopposed
Registered electors 2,901
Radical gain from Whig
Conservative gain from Whig

Sheldon's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 1 July 1836: South Warwickshire[6][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Evelyn Shirley 1,885 58.1
Whig Grey Skipwith 1,360 41.9
Majority 525 16.2
Turnout 3,245 81.2
Registered electors 3,997
Conservative gain from Radical
General election 1837: South Warwickshire[6][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative John Mordaunt Unopposed
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Registered electors 4,304
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Radical

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: South Warwickshire[6][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Mordaunt Unopposed
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Registered electors 4,261
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Mordaunt's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 5 November 1845: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Greville Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Greville Unopposed
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Registered electors 4,066
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Shirley resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 7 June 1849: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Heneage Finch Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Greville Unopposed
Conservative Heneage Finch Unopposed
Registered electors 3,980
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Greville succeeded to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl of Warwick and causing a by-election.

By-election, 3 December 1853: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Whig Edward Bolton King Unopposed
Registered electors 3,522
Conservative hold
Whig gain from Conservative
General election 1859: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Evelyn Shirley Unopposed
Conservative Charles Mordaunt Unopposed
Registered electors 3,470
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Christopher Wise 1,585 35.8 N/A
Conservative Charles Mordaunt 1,517 34.3 N/A
Liberal Viscount Duncan 1,321 29.9 New
Majority 196 4.4 N/A
Turnout 2,872 (est) 81.7 (est) N/A
Registered electors 3,517
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Christopher Wise 2,581 25.8 −10.0
Conservative John Hardy 2,501 25.0 −9.3
Liberal Robert Hamilton 2,472 24.7 +9.7
Liberal Edward Villiers 2,453 24.5 +9.5
Majority 29 0.3 −4.1
Turnout 5,004 (est) 80.6 (est) −1.1
Registered electors 6,205
Conservative hold Swing −9.8
Conservative hold Swing −9.5

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Earl of Yarmouth 2,832 36.3 +10.5
Conservative John Eardley-Wilmot 2,801 35.9 +10.9
Liberal Robert Hamilton 2,170 27.8 −21.4
Majority 631 8.1 +7.8
Turnout 4,987 (est) 78.7 (est) −1.9
Registered electors 6,340
Conservative hold Swing +10.6
Conservative hold Swing +10.8

Seymour was appointed Comptroller of the Household, causing a by-election.

By-election, 21 Feb 1879: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Seymour Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Eardley-Wilmot 2,644 34.3 −1.6
Liberal Gilbert Leigh 2,550 33.1 +5.3
Conservative Hugh Seymour 2,507 32.6 −3.7
Turnout 5,123 (est) 79.7 (est) +1.0
Registered electors 6,429
Majority 94 1.2 −6.9
Conservative hold Swing −2.7
Majority 43 0.5 N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +3.7

Leigh's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 10 Nov 1884: South Warwickshire[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Sampson Lloyd 3,095 61.7 −5.2
Liberal William Compton 1,919 38.3 +5.2
Majority 1,176 23.4 N/A
Turnout 5,014 76.1 −3.6
Registered electors 6,590
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing −5.2

References

  1. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. XLV: An Act to amend the Representation of the People in England and Wales". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 154–206. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. pp. 96–97, 102. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. pp. 142, 159. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Leamington Spa Courier". 3 January 1835. p. 1. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Coventry Herald". 3 April 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 476–477. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

Sources