Leeds North (UK Parliament constituency)

Leeds North was a borough constituency in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, which 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.

Leeds North
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Riding of Yorkshire
(now West Yorkshire)
18851955
SeatsOne
Created fromLeeds
Replaced byLeeds North East

Boundaries

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1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Leeds wards of Headingley and North West, and parts of the wards of Brunswick, North, and North East.

1918–1950: Parts of the County Borough of Leeds wards of Brunswick, Headingley, North, and North West.

1950–1951: The County Borough of Leeds wards of North, Roundhay, and Woodhouse.

1951–1955: The County Borough of Leeds wards of Allerton, Moortown, Roundhay, and Woodhouse.[1]

History

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The constituency was created in 1885 by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was first used in the general election of that year. Leeds had previously been represented by two MPs (1832–1868) and three MPs (1868–1885). From 1885 it was represented by five single-member constituencies: Leeds Central, Leeds East, Leeds North, Leeds South and Leeds West. The constituencies of Morley, Otley and Pudsey were also created in 1885.

The constituency was abolished in 1955. After the 1955 general election Leeds was represented by Leeds East (created 1885, abolished 1918, recreated 1955), Leeds North East (created 1918), Leeds North West (created 1950), Leeds South, and Leeds South East (created 1918). There were also constituencies of Batley and Morley (created 1918) and Pudsey (created 1885, replaced by Pudsey and Otley 1918–1950).

Members of Parliament

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Year Member Party
1885 William Jackson Conservative
1902 Rowland Barran Liberal
1918 Alexander Farquharson Coalition Liberal
1922 Hugh Myddleton Butler Unionist
1923 Sir Gervase Beckett Unionist
1929 Osbert Peake Unionist
1955 constituency abolished

Elections

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Elections in the 1880s

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General election 1885: Leeds North [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson 4,494 51.5
Liberal Arthur Rucker 4,237 48.5
Majority 257 3.0
Turnout 8,731 86.2
Registered electors 10,128
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Leeds North [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson 4,301 53.9 +2.4
Liberal Albert Osliff Rutson 3,682 46.1 −2.4
Majority 619 7.8 +4.8
Turnout 7,983 78.8 −7.4
Registered electors 10,128
Conservative hold Swing +2.4

Elections in the 1890s

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1891 Leeds North by-election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson Unopposed
Conservative hold
 
Thomas Leuty
General election 1892: Leeds North [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson 5,790 54.8 N/A
Liberal Thomas Leuty 4,776 45.2 New
Majority 1,014 9.6 N/A
Turnout 10,566 85.9 N/A
Registered electors 12,294
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Leeds North [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson 5,992 57.2 +2.4
Liberal Herbert Stanhope Baines 4,484 42.8 −2.4
Majority 1,508 14.4 +4.8
Turnout 10,476 77.2 −8.7
Registered electors 13,563
Conservative hold Swing +2.4

Elections in the 1900s

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General election 1900: Leeds North [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Jackson 7,512 60.1 +2.9
Liberal James Cullen Hamilton 4,995 39.9 −2.9
Majority 2,517 20.2 +5.8
Turnout 12,507 71.9 −5.3
Registered electors 17,387
Conservative hold Swing +2.9
 
Rowland Barran
1902 Leeds North by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rowland Barran 7,539 52.6 +12.7
Conservative Arthur Tredgold Lawson 6,781 47.4 −12.7
Majority 758 5.2 N/A
Turnout 14,320 75.0 +3.1
Registered electors 19,094
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +12.7
General election 1906: Leeds North [9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rowland Barran 9,593 57.4 +17.5
Conservative John Birchall 7,109 42.6 −17.5
Majority 2,484 14.8 N/A
Turnout 16,702 78.8 +6.9
Registered electors 21,196
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +17.5

Elections in the 1910s

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General election January 1910: Leeds North [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rowland Barran 10,775 54.0 −3.4
Conservative John Birchall 9,164 46.0 +3.4
Majority 1,611 8.0 −6.8
Turnout 19,939 86.8 +8.0
Liberal hold Swing
 
Rowland Barran
General election December 1910: Leeds North [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rowland Barran 9,324 50.7 −3.3
Conservative John Birchall 9,056 49.3 +3.3
Majority 268 1.4 −6.6
Turnout 18,380 80.0 −6.8
Liberal hold Swing -3.3

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;

 
A.C. Farquharson
General election 1918: Leeds North[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Alexander Farquharson 13,863 74.7 +24.0
Labour George Hartley Thompson 3,423 18.4 New
National Harold Frazer Wyatt [13] 1,282 6.9 −42.4
Majority 10,440 56.3 +54.9
Turnout 18,568 49.0 −31.0
Registered electors 37,904
Liberal hold Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

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General election 1922: Leeds North [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Hugh Myddleton Butler 13,771 51.4 +44.5
Liberal Edwin Oldroyd Dodgson 7,230 26.9 −47.8
Labour David Stewart 5,836 21.7 +3.3
Majority 6,541 24.5 N/A
Turnout 26,837 71.8 +22.8
Registered electors 37,383
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General election 1923: Leeds North [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Gervase Beckett 14,066 54.0 +2.6
Liberal Edwin Oldroyd Dodgson 6,624 25.4 −1.5
Labour David Stewart 5,384 20.6 −1.1
Majority 7,442 28.6 +4.1
Turnout 26,074 67.1 −4.7
Registered electors 38,873
Unionist hold Swing +2.1
General election 1924: Leeds North [16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Gervase Beckett 18,502 70.0 +16.0
Labour Sam Crowther Moore 7,920 30.0 +9.4
Majority 10,582 40.0 +11.4
Turnout 26,422 67.1 0.0
Registered electors 39,373
Unionist hold Swing +3.3
General election 1929: Leeds North [17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Osbert Peake 19,661 48.2 −21.8
Labour Thomas McCall 11,180 27.4 −2.6
Liberal Edmund Harvey 9,944 24.4 New
Majority 8,481 20.8 −19.2
Turnout 40,785 73.6 +6.5
Registered electors 55,429
Unionist hold Swing −9.6

Elections in the 1930s

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General election 1931: Leeds North[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Osbert Peake 34,964 78.8 +30.6
Labour L John Edwards 9,427 21.2 −6.2
Majority 25,537 57.6 +36.8
Turnout 44,391 74.0 +0.4
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Leeds North[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Osbert Peake 30,636 69.0 −9.8
Labour L John Edwards 13,792 31.0 +9.8
Majority 16,844 38.0 −19.6
Turnout 44,428 66.8 −7.2
Conservative hold Swing

General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

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General election 1945: Leeds North[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Osbert Peake 22,848 42.0 −27.0
Labour Ronald Hodgson 22,720 41.8 +10.8
Liberal John Hutchison MacCallum Scott 8,824 16.2 New
Majority 128 0.2 −37.8
Turnout 54,392 72.0 +5.2
Conservative hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

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General election 1950: Leeds North[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Osbert Peake 27,766 58.8 +16.8
Labour Robert J Hurst 15,018 31.8 −10.0
Liberal Winifred Underhill 4,446 9.4 −6.8
Majority 12,748 27.0 +26.8
Turnout 47,230 84.2 +12.2
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1951: Leeds North[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Osbert Peake 30,290 63.7 +4.9
Labour Philip Taylor 17,249 36.3 +4.5
Majority 13,041 27.4 +0.4
Turnout 47,539 81.7 −2.5
Conservative hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Order 1951. SI 1951/320". Statutory Instruments 1951. Vol. II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1952. pp. 410–412.
  2. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  4. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  5. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  7. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  8. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  10. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  11. ^ British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  12. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  13. ^ WYATT, Harold Frazer’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 2014 accessed 18 September 2017
  14. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  15. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  16. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  17. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  18. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  19. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  20. ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  21. ^ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  22. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  23. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig
  24. ^ British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig