Manchester East (UK Parliament constituency)

Manchester East
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Created fromManchester
Replaced byManchester Ardwick and Manchester Clayton

Manchester East was one of six single-member parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the existing three-member Parliamentary Borough of Manchester. The others were: Manchester South, Manchester North, Manchester North East, Manchester North West and Manchester South West. They were all abolished in 1918.

Boundaries

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was defined as consisting of the following areas:

  • The Parish of Bradford,
  • The Parish of Ardwick,
  • The Parish of Beswick,
  • The part of the Parish of Chorlton-upon-Medlock north of the centres of Cavendish Street, Grosvenor Street, Upper Brook Street, Dover Street, St. Leonards Street, and Cheltenham Street.[1]

The next redistribution took place under the terms of the Representation of the People Act 1918. The Manchester East seat was divided between the two new constituencies of Manchester Ardwick and Manchester Clayton.[2]

Members of Parliament

Election Member [3] Party
1885 Arthur Balfour Conservative
1906 Thomas Horridge Liberal
Jan. 1910 John Edward Sutton Labour
1918 constituency abolished

Election results 1885-1918

Elections in the 1880s

Hopkinson
General election 1885: Manchester East [4][5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour 4,536 55.0
Liberal Alfred Hopkinson 3,712 45.0
Majority 824 10.0
Turnout 8,248 84.3
Registered electors 9,779
Conservative win (new seat)
Balfour
General election 1886: Manchester East [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour 4,160 54.2 −0.8
Liberal John Hattersley Crosfield 3,516 45.8 +0.8
Majority 644 8.4 −1.6
Turnout 7,676 78.5 −5.8
Registered electors 9,779
Conservative hold Swing -0.8

Balfour was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 Aug 1886: Manchester East [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

Balfour
General election 1892: Manchester East [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour 5,147 52.0 −2.2
Liberal Joseph Edwin Crawford Munro 4,749 48.0 +2.2
Majority 398 4.0 −4.4
Turnout 9,896 86.7 +8.2
Registered electors 11,418
Conservative hold Swing −2.2

Balfour was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

1895 Manchester East by-election[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1895: Manchester East [4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour 5,386 53.9 +1.9
Liberal Joseph Edwin Crawford Munro 4,610 46.1 −1.9
Majority 776 7.8 +3.8
Turnout 9,996 83.4 −3.3
Registered electors 11,991
Conservative hold Swing +1.9

Elections in the 1900s

Scott
General election 1900: Manchester East [4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Arthur Balfour 5,803 63.4 +9.5
Liberal Alfred Scott 3,350 36.6 −9.5
Majority 2,453 26.8 +19.0
Turnout 9,153 71.9 −11.5
Registered electors 12,727
Conservative hold Swing +9.5
Horridge
General election 1906: Manchester East [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Horridge 6,403 59.1 +22.5
Conservative Arthur Balfour 4,423 40.9 −22.5
Majority 1,980 18.2 N/A
Turnout 10,826 85.1 +13.2
Registered electors 12,724
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +22.5

This was a notable result as Arthur Balfour had led the Conservative Party into the 1906 general election as leader. He therefore became the first leader of the opposition to lose his seat.

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Manchester East [4][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 6,110 54.5 New
Conservative Edward Elvy Robb 5,091 45.5 +4.6
Majority 1,019 9.0 N/A
Turnout 11,201 88.6 +3.5
Labour gain from Liberal Swing
General election December 1910: Manchester East [4][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 5,524 54.3 −0.2
Conservative Richard Gregory Proby 4,653 45.7 +0.2
Majority 871 8.6 −0.4
Turnout 10,177 80.5 −6.1
Labour hold Swing -0.2

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;

References

  1. ^ Sixth Schedule. Divisions Of Boroughs: Number, Names, Contents, And Boundaries Of Divisions, Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (C.23)
  2. ^ F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol. II: Northern England, London, 1991
  3. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  6. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  7. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  8. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916

Sources

Election results:

Horridge:

Sutton:

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Vacant
since 1894
Title last held by
Midlothian 		Constituency represented by the prime minister
1902–1905 		Succeeded by