Jump to content

Birmingham Central (UK Parliament constituency)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Birmingham Central
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
18851918
SeatsOne
Created fromBirmingham
Replaced byBirmingham Edgbaston

Birmingham Central is a former parliamentary constituency in the city of Birmingham, England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

The constituency was created upon the abolition of the Birmingham constituency in 1885, and was itself abolished for the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

[edit]

Before 1885 the city of Birmingham, in the county of Warwickshire, had been a three-member constituency (see Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency) for further details). Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary borough of Birmingham was split into seven single-member divisions, one of which was Birmingham Central. It consisted of the wards of Market Hall, Ladywood, and St Thomas's.

The division was bounded to the west and south-west by Birmingham Edgbaston, to the north by Birmingham North, to the north-east by Birmingham East and to the south and south-east by Birmingham South.

In the 1918 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the Representation of the People Act 1918 provided for twelve new Birmingham divisions. The Central division was abolished.

Members of Parliament

[edit]
Year Member Party
1885 John Bright Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1889 John Albert Bright Liberal Unionist
1895 Ebenezer Parkes Liberal Unionist
1912 Unionist
1918 Constituency abolished

Elections

[edit]

Elections in the 1880s

[edit]
Churchill
General election 1885: Birmingham Central [1][2][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Bright 4,989 54.2
Conservative Randolph Churchill 4,216 45.8
Majority 773 8.4
Turnout 9,205 84.3
Registered electors 10,923
Liberal win (new seat)
Bright
General election 1886: Birmingham Central [1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Bright Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Bright's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 15 Apr 1889[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Albert Bright 5,621 68.7 N/A
Liberal William Beale 2,561 31.3 New
Majority 3,060 37.4 N/A
Turnout 8,182 69.0 N/A
Registered electors 11,851
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1890s

[edit]
General election 1892: Birmingham Central [1][2][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Albert Bright 5,525 78.4 N/A
Liberal Jesse Herbert 1,522 21.6 N/A
Majority 4,003 56.8 N/A
Turnout 7,047 59.2 N/A
Registered electors 11,904
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
Parkes
General election 1895: Birmingham Central [1][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ebenezer Parkes Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold

Elections in the 1900s

[edit]
General election 1900: Birmingham Central [1][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ebenezer Parkes Unopposed
Liberal Unionist hold
General election 1906: Birmingham Central [1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ebenezer Parkes 5,684 73.3 N/A
Liberal Thomas Grosvenor Lee 2,075 26.7 New
Majority 3,609 46.6 N/A
Turnout 7,759 72.7 N/A
Registered electors 10,670
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

[edit]
General election January 1910: Birmingham Central [1][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ebenezer Parkes 6,015 77.9 +4.6
Liberal Arthur Brampton 1,711 22.1 −4.6
Majority 4,304 55.8 +9.2
Turnout 7,726 78.0 +5.3
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +4.6
General election December 1910: Birmingham Central [1][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Ebenezer Parkes 4,640 76.6 −1.3
Liberal Henry John Manton 1,417 23.4 +1.3
Majority 3,223 53.2 −2.6
Turnout 6,057 61.1 −16.9
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -1.3

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;

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  3. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  4. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1896
  5. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  6. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  7. ^ Standard 26 Feb 1914