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Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bromley
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyKent
1918–February 1974
SeatsOne
Created fromSevenoaks
Replaced byRavensbourne

Bromley is a former borough constituency 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. The most famous MP for the constituency was Harold Macmillan, who served as Prime Minister (1957–1963).

Boundaries

Bromley in Kent, boundaries used 1955-74

1918-1945: The Borough of Bromley, and the Urban Districts of Beckenham and Penge.

1945-1950: Parts of the Boroughs of Bromley and Beckenham, and the Urban District of Penge.

1950-1974: The Borough of Bromley.

The constituency covered an area based on the town of Bromley. It is part of the north of the historic county of Kent, which was included in Greater London after 1965.

The constituency was abolished in the redistribution which took effect in 1974. The London Borough of Bromley (a larger area than the previous Municipal Borough) was split into four seats.

History

This constituency consisted largely of prosperous leafy suburbia and was one of the Conservatives' strongest seats. The character of the area was one of prosperous small businesses, rather than commuting professionals.[citation needed]

Before 1918 this area was mostly the northern part of the Sevenoaks constituency. The first MP for this seat was Henry William Forster, the former member for Sevenoaks. In 1919 he was created the 1st Baron Forster and became Governor-General of Australia in 1920.

The next three MPs were first elected at by-elections (in 1919, 1930 and 1945 respectively).

In 1945 the sitting member died between the day of the election and the declaration of the result, so the opportunity arose for one of the Conservative former ministers defeated in the general election to return to the House of Commons representing an extremely safe seat. Future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was the lucky beneficiary of the vacancy. He was the most famous MP for Bromley, serving from the 1945 by-election until his retirement in 1964, when he was succeeded by John Hunt. Hunt, on the left of the Conservative party, held the seat (renamed Ravensbourne in 1974) until 1997.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
style="background-color: Template:Coalition Conservative/meta/color" | 1918 Henry Forster Coalition Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Coalition Conservative/meta/color" | 1919 by-election Cuthbert James Coalition Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1922 Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1930 by-election Sir Edward Campbell Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1945 by-election Rt Hon Harold Macmillan Conservative
style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | 1964 John Hunt Conservative
Feb 1974 constituency abolished: see Ravensbourne

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

Henry Forster
General Election 1918: Bromley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Henry Forster 16,840 79.5 n/a
Liberal Holford Knight 4,339 20.5 n/a
Majority 12,501 59.0 n/a
Turnout 52.0 n/a
Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
Bromley by-election, 1919[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Cuthbert James 11,148 52.5 −27.0
Labour F P Hodes 10,077 47.5 n/a
Majority 1,071 5.0 −54.0
Turnout 48.9 −3.1
Unionist hold Swing n/a
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Bromley [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Cuthbert James 16,803 54.8 −24.7
Liberal Frank Kingsley Griffith 9,128 29.8 +9.3
Labour F P Hodes 4,735 15.4 N/A
Majority 7,675 25.0 −34.0
Turnout 30,666 66.3 +14.3
Registered electors 46,256
Unionist hold Swing −17.0
General Election 1923: Bromley [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Cuthbert James 13,495 44.8 −10.0
Liberal Frank Kingsley Griffith 12,612 41.9 +12.1
Labour Glenvil Hall 3,992 13.3 −2.1
Majority 883 2.9 −22.1
Turnout 30,099 64.1 −2.2
Registered electors 46,976
Unionist hold Swing −11.1
General Election 1924: Bromley [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Cuthbert James 20,272 53.7 +8.9
Liberal Frank Kingsley Griffith 11,580 30.7 −11.2
Labour Hubert Joseph Wallington 5,876 15.6 +2.3
Majority 8,692 23.0 +21.0
Turnout 37,728 78.6 +14.5
Registered electors 48,028
Unionist hold Swing +10.1
General Election 1929: Bromley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Cuthbert James 25,449 47.2 −6.5
Liberal Wilfred Fordham 18,372 34.1 +3.4
Labour Albert Edwin Ashworth 10,105 18.7 +3.1
Majority 6,077 13.1 −9.9
Turnout 53,926 73.1 −5.5
Registered electors 73,785
Unionist hold Swing −5.0

In the 1930s

Bromley by-election, 1930
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Campbell 12,782 32.4
Liberal Wilfred Fordham 11,176 28.4
United Empire Party V C Redwood 9,483 24.1
Labour Albert Edwin Ashworth 5,942 15.1
Majority 1,606 4.0
Turnout 39,383
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1931: Bromley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Campbell 47,077 83.56
Labour BB Gillis 9,265 16.44
Majority 37,812 67.11
Turnout 56,342 69.99
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1935: Bromley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Campbell 39,741 67.46
Labour Charles Wye Kendall 11,800 20.03
Liberal Henry Cecil Banting 7,370 12.51
Majority 27,941 47.43
Turnout 58,911 65.07
Conservative hold Swing

In the 1940s

General Election 1945: Bromley Electorate 81,800
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Edward Campbell 26,108 44.91
Labour Alexander Bain 19,849 34.14
Liberal Jaspar Carlisle Sayer 12,177 20.95
Majority 6,259 10.77
Turnout 71.07
Conservative hold Swing
Bromley by-election, 1945[6] Electorate 81,800
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Macmillan 26,367 49.59 +4.68
Labour Alexander Bain 20,810 39.14 +5.00
Liberal Jaspar Carlisle Sayer 5,990 11.27 −10.50
Majority 5,557 10.45 −0.32
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing

In the 1950s

General Election 1950: Bromley Electorate 47,369
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Macmillan 23,042 57.26
Labour J. R. Elliott 12,354 30.70
Liberal Peter Grafton 4,847 12.04
Majority 10,688 26.56
Turnout 84.96
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1951: Bromley Electorate 48,486
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Macmillan 25,710 65.43
Labour Thomas E M McKitterick 13,585 34.57
Majority 12,125 30.86
Turnout 81.04
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1955: Bromley Electorate 47,954
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Macmillan 24,612 68.21
Labour Gerald Kaufman 11,473 31.79
Majority 13,139 36.41
Turnout 36,085 75.25
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1959: Bromley Electorate 48,937
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Macmillan 27,055 70.0
Labour Albert James Murray 11,603 30.0
Majority 15,452 40.0
Turnout 38,658 79.0
Conservative hold Swing

In the 1960s

General Election 1964: Bromley Electorate 49,915
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hunt 20,417 52.55
Labour Joseph Binns 9,090 23.40
Liberal W. Ivor Shipley 8,650 22.25
Nuclear Disarmament A James W Haigh 461 1.19
Socialist (GB) Edmund Grant 234 0.60
Majority 11,327 29.15
Turnout 38,852 77.84
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1966: Bromley Electorate 49,533
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hunt 20,117 52.30
Labour Donald Speakman 10,290 26.75
Liberal Peter H Billenness 8,060 20.95
Majority 9,827 25.55
Turnout 38,467 77.66
Conservative hold Swing

In the 1970s

General Election 1970: Bromley Electorate 54,396
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Hunt 22,364 59.36
Labour John Spellar 9,328 24.76
Liberal David E A Crowe 5,982 15.88
Majority 13,036 34.60
Turnout 37,674 69.26
Conservative hold Swing +4.3

References

  1. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  2. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  3. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  4. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  5. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  6. ^ "1945 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2015-08-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)

See also

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency represented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1955–1957 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Constituency represented by the Prime Minister
1957–1963 		Vacant
Title next held by
Kinross and West Perthshire
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