Clapham
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Clapham in London 1885-1918
1885–February 1974
Seatsone
Created fromEast Surrey (one and a half parishes of)
Replaced byStreatham and Lambeth Central
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:Battersea South

Clapham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was created in time for the 1885 general election then altered in periodic national boundary reviews, principally in 1918, and abolished before the February 1974 general election. In its early years (until 1918) the seat was officially named Battersea and Clapham Parliamentary Borough: No. 2—The Clapham Division.

Clapham in London 1918-50
Clapham in London 1950-74

Boundaries

1885–1918: In 1885 the constituency was established as one of two divisions of a new parliamentary borough to be named Battersea and Clapham, in the northern part of the historic county of Surrey.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided the constituency, carved out of a corner of East Surrey, was to consist of:

No. 2—The Clapham Division.

  • The Parish of Clapham,
  • No. 1 Ward of Battersea Parish, and
  • No. 4 Ward of Battersea Parish, except so much as is comprised in Division No. 1 as herein described.
    — Redistribution of Seats Act 1885[1]

1918–1950: In the redistribution of 1918 the seat was altered to remove half of the wards which constituted Battersea (into a new seat of Battersea South) and to instead consist of the local government wards of Clapham North and Clapham South, together with a part of Balham. As a matter of strict nomenclature it became a division of Wandsworth 'parliamentary borough'.

Local government bodies

In 1889 the area was among many square miles severed from Surrey to become part of a new county, the County of London. In 1900 the lower rung of local government in London was reorganised. The constituency became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth.

In 1965 the area as it then stood for the purposes of local government became almost wholly part of the London Borough of Lambeth and of Greater London.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1885 John Moulton Liberal
1886 John Saunders Gilliat Conservative
1892 Percy 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

Moulton
General election 1885: Clapham[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Moulton 3,976 52.1
Conservative Algernon Henry Bourke 3,650 47.9
Majority 326 4.2
Turnout 7,626 80.7
Registered electors 9,454
Liberal win (new seat)
Gilliat
General election 1886: Clapham[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Gilliat 3,816 53.3 +5.4
Liberal John Moulton 3,347 46.7 -5.4
Majority 469 6.6 N/A
Turnout 7,163 75.8 −4.9
Registered electors 9,454
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.4

Elections in the 1890s

R. McKenna
General election 1892: Clapham[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Thornton 5,170 53.3 0.0
Liberal Reginald McKenna 4,526 46.7 0.0
Majority 644 6.6 0.0
Turnout 9,696 80.0 +4.2
Registered electors 12,124
Conservative hold Swing 0.0
General election 1895: Clapham[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Thornton 5,925 60.3 +7.0
Liberal John Kempster 3,904 39.7 −7.0
Majority 2,021 20.6 +14.0
Turnout 9,829 70.9 −9.1
Registered electors 13,872
Conservative hold Swing +7.0

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy 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 10,588 63.9 −7.0
Registered electors 16,572
Conservative hold Swing +10.6
Low
General election 1906: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Thornton 7,912 50.3 −20.6
Liberal Frederick Low 7,816 49.7 +20.6
Majority 96 0.6 −41.2
Turnout 15,728 82.0 +18.1
Registered electors 19,180
Conservative hold Swing −20.6

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative 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 Denison Faber 9,560 55.6 +0.5
Liberal John 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;

1918 Clapham by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Harry Greer 4,512 57.5 +1.9
Independent Henry Hamilton Beamish 3,331 42.5 New
Majority 1,181 15.0 +3.8
Turnout 23,526 33.3 -42.8
Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1918: Clapham[4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Arthur Du Cros 9,776 60.2 +4.6
Independent Henry Hamilton Beamish 3,070 18.9 New
Liberal Philip Henry Thomas 2,790 17.2 −27.2
Independent William James Harvey 594 3.7 New
Majority 6,706 41.3 +30.1
Turnout 16,230 46.9 −29.2
Registered electors 34,640
Unionist hold Swing +15.9
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

Sir John Leigh
By-election 1922: Clapham [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Leigh Unopposed
Unionist hold
General election 1922: Clapham [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Leigh 13,285 58.7 −1.5
Labour Leopold Spero 4,919 21.7 New
Liberal Ernest Villiers 4,444 19.6 +2.4
Majority 8,366 37.0 −4.3
Turnout 22,648 63.0 +16.1
Registered electors 35,962
Unionist hold Swing −2.0
General election 1923: Clapham [6][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Leigh 10,287 46.4 −12.3
Labour Leopold Spero 6,404 28.9 +7.2
Liberal Thomas George Graham 5,479 24.7 +5.1
Majority 3,883 17.5 −19.5
Turnout 22,170 60.7 −2.3
Registered electors 36,498
Unionist hold Swing −9.8
General election 1924: Clapham [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Leigh 16,404 64.1 +17.7
Labour Charles Diamond 9,204 35.9 +7.0
Majority 7,200 28.2 +10.7
Turnout 25,608 69.5 +8.8
Registered electors 36,872
Unionist hold Swing +5.4
General election 1929: Clapham [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist John Leigh 13,507 41.7 −22.4
Labour J. Allen Skinner 9,871 30.5 −5.4
Liberal Owen Davies 8,991 27.8 New
Majority 3,636 11.2 −17.0
Turnout 32,369 67.3 −2.2
Registered electors 48,061
Unionist hold Swing −8.5

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Clapham[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Leigh 21,648 68.00
Ind. Labour Party Hilda Browning 7,317 22.98 new
Liberal John Henry Clarke 2,869 9.01
Majority 14,331 45.02
Turnout 31,834 66.13
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Clapham[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Leigh 17,458 60.56
Labour Monica Whately 11,368 39.43 new
Majority 6,090 37.58
Turnout 28,826 60.54
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Clapham[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Battley 15,205 54.17
Conservative Roy Lucas Lowndes 10,014 35.68
Liberal Charles Erik Paterson 2,850 10.15 New
Majority 5,191 18.49 N/A
Turnout 28,069 70.78
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Clapham[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Gibson 23,300 47.47
Conservative Roy L Lowndes 22,094 45.01
Liberal Beatrice L Curtis 3,071 6.26
Communist Gladys Mary Draper 619 1.26
Majority 1,206 2.46
Turnout 49,084 80.64
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Gibson 25,053 51.34
Conservative Roy L Lowndes 23,745 48.66
Majority 1,308 2.68
Turnout 48,798 81.86
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Gibson 22,398 50.25
Conservative William van Straubenzee 22,173 49.75
Majority 225 0.50
Turnout 44,571 81.86
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alan Glyn 22,266 52.20
Labour Charles Gibson 20,390 47.89
Majority 1,876 4.31 N/A
Turnout 42,656 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 Glyn 17,101 44.75
Liberal Peter Lyden-Cowan 2,611 6.83 New
Independent Liberal
  • David G Russell
 847 2.22 New
Majority 556 1.45 N/A
Turnout 37,369 72.34
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
  • Anti-Common Market
General election 1966: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Margaret McKay 19,555 51.60
Conservative Ian Gow 15,379 40.58
Liberal Michael A Minter 2,968 7.83
Majority 4,176 11.02
Turnout 37,902 73.05
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Clapham
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bill Shelton 16,593 49.8 +9.2
Labour David Pitt 13,473 40.4 −11.2
Liberal Eric G Thwaites 2,982 8.9 +1.1
Socialist (GB) F.E. Simkins 220 0.7 New
Independent Bill Boaks 80 0.2 New
Majority 3,120 9.4 -1.6
Turnout 33,348 62.9 -10.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +10.2

References

  1. ↑ "Chap. 23. Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885". The Public General Acts of the United Kingdom passed in the forty-eighth and forty-ninth years of the reign of Queen Victoria. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode. 1885. pp. 111–198.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  3. ↑ Western Daily Press 13 May 1914
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 57. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
  5. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1922
  6. 1 2 The Liberal Year Book, 1930
  7. 1 2 3 4 British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.
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