Doncaster (UK Parliament constituency)

For the Australian constituency, see Electoral district of Doncaster.

Doncaster
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Riding of Yorkshire, then South Yorkshire
1885–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromSouthern West Riding of Yorkshire
Replaced byDoncaster Central and Don Valley[1]

Doncaster was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Doncaster in England. It was created in 1885 and abolished in 1983.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Doncaster, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Lower Strafforth and Tickhill, and Upper Strafforth and Tickhill.

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Doncaster, and the Urban Districts of Adwick-le-Street and Bentley-with-Arksey.

1950–1983: The County Borough of Doncaster.

The area formerly covered by this constituency is now mostly in the Doncaster Central and Doncaster North constituencies.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1885 Walter Shirley Shirley Liberal
1888 by-election Hon. Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam Liberal Unionist
1892 Charles James Fleming Liberal
1895 Frederick Fison Conservative
1906 Charles Norris Nicholson Liberal
1918 Reginald Nicholson Liberal
1922 Wilfred Paling Labour
1931 Hugh Molson Conservative
1935 Alfred Short Labour
1938 by-election John Morgan Labour
1941 by-election Evelyn Walkden Labour
1950 Ray Gunter Labour
1951 Anthony Barber Conservative
1964 Harold Walker Labour
1983 constituency abolished: see Doncaster Central & Doncaster North

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 22,184 48.9 −2.4
Conservative P. Beard 19,208 42.4 +8.3
Liberal Gerald Broadhead 3,646 8.0 −6.7
National Front M. Day 300 0.7 New
Majority 2,976 6.5 −10.7
Turnout 45,338 75.0 +2.2
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 22,177 51.3 +3.4
Conservative J. Wilkinson 14,747 34.1 −2.4
Liberal W. J. Davidson 6,336 14.7 −0.9
Majority 7,430 17.2 +5.8
Turnout 43,260 72.8 −8.9
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 23,041 47.9 −2.8
Conservative K. I. Tunnicliffe 17,565 36.5 −6.9
Liberal W. J. Davidson 7,590 15.6 +9.7
Majority 5,476 11.4 +4.1
Turnout 48,196 81.7 +6.9
Labour hold Swing
General election 1970: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 22,658 50.7 −6.0
Conservative Peter Davies 19,431 43.4 +0.1
Liberal Tom Blades 2,648 5.9 New
Majority 3,227 7.3 −6.1
Turnout 44,737 74.8 −6.4
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 25,777 56.7 +6.8
Conservative J. M. Whittaker 19,689 43.3 −4.3
Majority 6,088 13.4 +11.1
Turnout 45,466 81.2 −1.5
Labour hold Swing
General election 1964: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harold Walker 23,845 49.9 +3.5
Conservative Anthony Barber 22,732 47.6 −6.0
Independent Gerald Broadhead 1,201 2.5 New
Majority 1,113 2.3 N/A
Turnout 47,778 82.7 −1.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Barber 26,521 53.6 +1.8
Labour Ted Garrett 22,935 46.4 −1.9
Majority 3,586 7.3 +3.8
Turnout 49,456 84.5 +3.7
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1955: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Barber 24,598 51.8 +1.4
Labour Ray Gunter 22,938 48.3 −1.3
Majority 1,660 3.5 +2.7
Turnout 47,536 81.8 −4.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Anthony Barber 25,005 50.4 +1.3
Labour Ray Gunter 24,621 49.6 −1.3
Majority 384 0.8 N/A
Turnout 49,626 86.2 +0.6
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1950: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ray Gunter 24,449 50.9 −19.3
Conservative Anthony Barber 23,571 49.1 +19.3
Majority 878 1.8 −38.6
Turnout 48,020 85.6 +11.1
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Evelyn Walkden 40,050 70.2 +12.6
Conservative Henry Archibald Taylor 16,999 29.8 −12.6
Majority 23,051 40.4 +25.2
Turnout 57,049 74.5 −3.2
Labour hold Swing

In the 1941 Doncaster by-election, Evelyn Walkden was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1930s

1938 Doncaster by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Morgan 31,735 61.3 +3.7
National Liberal Alex Monteith 20,027 38.7 −3.7
Majority 11,708 22.6 +7.4
Turnout 51,762 75.4 −2.3
Labour hold Swing
General election 1935: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alfred Short 29,963 57.6 +12.5
Conservative Hugh Molson 22,011 42.4 −2.7
Majority 7,952 15.2 N/A
Turnout 51,974 77.7 0.0
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1931: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Molson 27,205 54.9 +30.5
Labour Wilfred Paling 22,363 45.1 −10.9
Majority 4,842 9.8 N/A
Turnout 50,068 77.7 −0.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wilfred Paling 25,295 56.0 +3.3
Unionist Ernest Albert Phillips 11,016 24.4 −22.9
Liberal J. T. Clarke 8,842 19.6 New
Majority 14,279 31.6 +26.2
Turnout 45,103 77.6 +0.6
Registered electors 58,213
Labour hold Swing +13.1
General election 1924: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wilfred Paling 16,496 52.7 −7.9
Unionist A. S. Matthews 14,800 47.3 +7.9
Majority 1,696 5.4 −15.8
Turnout 31,296 77.0 +8.6
Registered electors 40,633
Labour hold Swing −7.9
General election 1923: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wilfred Paling 16,198 60.6 +14.1
Unionist William St Andrew Warde-Aldam 10,514 39.4 +10.7
Majority 5,684 21.2 +3.4
Turnout 26,712 68.4 −9.0
Registered electors 39,027
Labour hold Swing +1.7
General election 1922: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Wilfred Paling 13,437 46.5 +21.5
Unionist Robert Calverley Allington Bewicke-Copley 8,279 28.7 N/A
National Liberal Reginald Nicholson 7,161 24.8 −50.2
Majority 5,158 17.8 N/A
Turnout 28,877 77.4 +18.8
Registered electors 37,310
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +35.9

Elections in the 1910s

R. Nicholson
General election 1918: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Reginald Nicholson 15,431 75.0 +17.0
Labour Robert Morley 5,153 25.0 New
Majority 10,278 50.0 +34.0
Turnout 20,584 58.6 −15.5
Registered electors 35,114
Liberal hold Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
C.N. Nicholson
General election December 1910: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Nicholson 9,240 58.0 −2.1
Conservative Charles Warwick Whitworth 6,696 42.0 +2.1
Majority 2,544 16.0 −4.2
Turnout 15,936 74.1 −8.4
Registered electors 21,511
Liberal hold Swing −2.1
General election January 1910: Doncaster
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Nicholson 10,654 60.1 −2.2
Conservative Charles Warwick Whitworth 7,085 39.9 +2.2
Majority 3,569 20.2 −4.4
Turnout 17,739 82.5 +2.4
Registered electors 21,511
Liberal hold Swing −2.2

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Nicholson 9,315 62.3 +13.7
Conservative Frederick Fison 5,646 37.7 −13.7
Majority 3,669 24.6 N/A
Turnout 14,961 80.1 +2.3
Registered electors 18,682
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.7
General election 1900: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Fison 6,512 51.4 +0.8
Liberal A. W. Black 6,147 48.6 −0.8
Majority 365 2.8 +1.6
Turnout 12,659 77.8 −6.8
Registered electors 16,276
Conservative hold Swing +0.8

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frederick Fison 6,098 50.6 +1.8
Liberal Joseph Walton 5,957 49.4 −1.8
Majority 141 1.2 N/A
Turnout 12,055 84.6 +6.2
Registered electors 14,247
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +1.8
General election 1892: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Fleming 5,831 51.2 −0.2
Liberal Unionist William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 5,552 48.8 +0.2
Majority 279 2.4 −0.4
Turnout 11,383 78.4 +3.5
Registered electors 14,521
Liberal hold Swing −0.2

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 23 Feb 1888: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 5,634 51.0 +2.4
Liberal Joseph Balfour 5,423 49.0 −2.4
Majority 211 2.0 N/A
Turnout 11,057 83.4 +8.5
Registered electors 13,252
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.4
General election 1886: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Walter Shirley 5,060 51.4 −3.3
Liberal Unionist William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam 4,792 48.6 +3.3
Majority 268 2.8 −6.6
Turnout 9,852 74.9 −4.0
Registered electors 13,157
Liberal hold Swing −3.3
General election 1885: Doncaster[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Walter Shirley 5,680 54.7 N/A
Conservative Alfred Gathorne-Hardy[3] 4,700 45.3 N/A
Majority 980 9.4 N/A
Turnout 10,380 78.9 N/A
Registered electors 13,157
Liberal win (new seat)

References

  1. ^ "'Doncaster', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  3. ^ "Failures". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 24 March 1885. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources