Clapham (UK Parliament constituency)

Clapham
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–February 1974
Number of members one
Replaced by Streatham and Vauxhall

Clapham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Clapham in the Metropolitan Board of Works area, boundaries used 1885-1918
Clapham in the Parliamentary County of London 1918-49
A map showing the wards of Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.
Clapham in the Parliamentary County of London 1950-74

Boundaries

1885-1918: In 1885 the constituency was established as a division of the parliamentary borough of Battersea and Clapham, in the northern part of the historic county of Surrey. It was based on the Clapham area of South London.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of-

In 1889 the area was severed from Surrey and became part of the new County of London. In 1900 local government in London was reorganised. The constituency became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth.

1918-1950: In the redistribution of 1918, the constituency became a division of Wandsworth. It consisted of the local government wards of Clapham North and Clapham South, with a part of Balham.

In 1965 the area became part of the London Borough of Lambeth and Greater London.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 John Moulton Liberal
1886 John Saunders Gilliat Conservative
1892 Percy Melville Thornton Conservative
1910 Denison Faber Conservative
1918 b-e Harry Greer Unionist
1918 Sir Arthur du Cros Unionist
1922 b-e Sir John Leigh Unionist
1945 John Battley Labour
1950 Charles Gibson Labour
1959 Alan Glyn Conservative
1964 Margaret McKay Labour
1970 Bill Shelton Conservative
1974 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

John Moulton
General Election 1885: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Fletcher Moulton 3,976 52.1
Conservative Hon. Algernon Henry Bourke 3,650 47.9
Majority 326
Turnout 9,454 80.7
Liberal gain from new seat Swing
John Gilliat
General Election 1886: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Saunders Gilliat 3,816 53.3 5.4
Liberal John Fletcher Moulton 3,347 46.7 -5.4
Majority 469
Turnout 9,454 75.8
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1890s

R. McKenna
General Election 1892: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Percy Melville Thornton 5,170 53.3 0
Liberal Reginald McKenna 4,526 46.7 0
Majority 644
Turnout 12,124 80.0
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1895: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Percy Melville Thornton 5,925 60.3 7.0
Liberal John Kempster 3,904 39.7 -7.0
Majority 2,021
Turnout 13,872 70.9
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Percy Melville Thornton 7,504 70.9 +10.6
Liberal Frank Duerdin Perrott 3,084 29.1 -10.6
Majority 4,420 41.8 +21.2
Turnout 16,572 63.9 -7.0
Conservative hold Swing +10.6
Low
General Election 1906: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Percy Melville Thornton 7,912 50.3 -20.6
Liberal Frederick Low 7,816 49.7 +20.6
Majority 96 0.6 -41.2
Turnout 19,180 82.0 +18.1
Conservative hold Swing -20.6

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Denison Faber 10,743 55.1 +4.8
Liberal John George Kipling 8,762 44.9 -4.8
Majority 1,981 10.2 +9.6
Turnout 22,611 86.3 +4.3
Conservative hold Swing +4.8
Sir John Benn
General Election December 1910: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative George Denison Faber 9,560 55.6 +0.5
Liberal Sir John Williams Benn 7,639 44.4 -0.5
Majority 1,921 11.2 +1.0
Turnout 22,611 76.1 -10.2
Conservative hold Swing +0.5

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

Clapham by-election, 1918
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Harry Greer 4,512 57.5 +1.9
Independent Henry Hamilton Beamish 3,331 42.5 n/a
Majority 1,181 15.0 +3.8
Turnout 23,526 33.3 -42.8
Unionist hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1920s

Sir John Leigh
General Election 1922: Clapham [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir John Leigh 13,285 58.7
Labour Leopold Spero 4,919 21.7 n/a
Liberal Ernest Amherst Villiers 4,444 19.6
Majority 8,366 37.0
Turnout 22,648
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1923: Clapham [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir John Leigh 10,287
Labour Leopold Spero 6,404
Liberal Thomas George Graham 5,479
Majority
Turnout
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1929: Clapham [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Sir John Leigh 13,507 41.7 -22.4
Labour J Allen Skinner 9,871 30.5 -5.4
Liberal Owen Picton Davies 8,991 27.8 n/a
Majority 3,636 11.2
Turnout 67.3 -2.2
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Clapham[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir John Leigh 21,648 68.00
Ind. Labour Party Hilda Alice Browning 7,317 22.98
Liberal J. H. Clarke 2,869 9.01
Majority 14,331 45.02
Turnout 66.13
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1935: Clapham[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Sir John Leigh 17,458 60.56
Labour Mary Monica Whately 11,368 22.98
Majority 6,090 21.13
Turnout 60.54
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Clapham[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour John Rose Battley 15,205 54.17
Conservative Roy L Lowndes 10,014 35.68
Liberal CE Paterson 2,850 10.15
Majority 5,191 18.49
Turnout 70.78
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Clapham[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Charles William Gibson 23,300 47.47
Conservative Roy L Lowndes 22,094 45.01
Liberal Mrs Beatrice L Curtis 3,071 6.26
Communist Mrs Gladys Mary Draper 619 1.26
Majority 1,206 2.46
Turnout 80.64
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1951: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Charles William Gibson 25,053 51.34
Conservative Roy L Lowndes 23,745 48.66
Majority 1,308 2.68
Turnout 81.86
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Charles William Gibson 22,398 50.25
Conservative William Radcliffe van Straubenzee 22,173 49.75
Majority 225 0.50
Turnout 81.86
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1959: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Alan Jack Glyn 22,266 52.20
Labour Charles William Gibson 20,390 47.89
Majority 1,876 4.40
Turnout 76.19
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Margaret McKay 17,657 46.20
Conservative Alan Jack Glyn 17,101 44.75
Liberal Peter Lyden-Cowan 2,611 6.83
Independent Liberal
  • David G Russell
847 2.22
Majority 556 1.45
Turnout 72.34
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1966: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labour Margaret McKay 19,555 51.59
Conservative Ian Reginald Edward Gow 15,379 40.58
Liberal Michael A Minter 2,968 7.83
Majority 4,176 11.02
Turnout 73.05
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Jeremy Masefield Shelton 16,593 49.76
Labour David Thomas Pitt 13,473 40.40
Liberal Eric G Thwaites 2,982 8.94
Socialist (GB) FE Simpkins 220 0.66
Independent William George Boaks 80 0.24
Majority 3,120 9.36
Turnout 62.91
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

References

  1. Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Sixth Schedule
  2. Western Daily Press 13 May 1914
  3. The Liberal Year Book, 1930
  4. The Liberal Year Book, 1930
  5. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  6. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  7. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  8. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
  9. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
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