Whitechapel (UK Parliament constituency)

Whitechapel was a parliamentary constituency in the Whitechapel district of East London. In 1885 the seat was established as a division of the parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Whitechapel
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
Whitechapel in London
18851918
Seatsone
Created fromTower Hamlets
Replaced byWhitechapel St George's

History and Boundaries

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The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

Whitechapel is part of the historic county of Middlesex, in the far east of the county. The constituency was on the north bank of the River Thames. It was bordered by the constituencies of: City of London to the west; Hoxton & Bethnal Green South West to the north; and Stepney & St George's in the East to the east.

From 1889 the district was included in the administrative County of London. In 1900 the constituency became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney.

In the redistribution of 1918 Whitechapel was incorporated in a new Whitechapel and St George's constituency.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member [1] Party
1885 Sir Samuel Montagu, Bt Liberal
1900 Sir Stuart Samuel, Bt Liberal
1916 by-election James Kiley Liberal
1918 constituency abolished: see Whitechapel and St George's

Elections

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Decades:

Elections in the 1880s

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Montagu
General election 1885: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Montagu 2,353 54.4
Conservative Phineas Cowan 1,972 45.6
Majority 381 8.8
Turnout 4,325 70.4
Registered electors 6,140
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Montagu 2,179 57.8 +3.4
Conservative William Le Poer Trench 1,592 42.2 −3.4
Majority 587 15.6 +6.8
Turnout 3,771 61.4 −9.0
Registered electors 6,140
Liberal hold Swing +3.4

Elections in the 1890s

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General election 1892: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Montagu 2,327 56.4 −1.4
Conservative William Le Poer Trench 1,800 43.6 +1.4
Majority 527 12.8 −2.8
Turnout 4,127 71.0 +9.6
Registered electors 5,813
Liberal hold Swing -1.4
General election 1895: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Montagu 2,009 50.4 −6.0
Conservative Sir William Henry Porter, 2nd Baronet 1,977 49.6 +6.0
Majority 32 0.8 −12.0
Turnout 3,986 68.0 −3.0
Registered electors 5,864
Liberal hold Swing -6.0

Elections in the 1900s

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Samuel
General election 1900: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Stuart Samuel 1,679 51.1 +0.7
Conservative David Hope Kyd 1,608 48.9 −0.7
Majority 71 2.2 +1.4
Turnout 3,287 65.7 −2.3
Registered electors 5,004
Liberal hold Swing +0.7
General election 1906: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Stuart Samuel 1,925 55.1 +4.0
Conservative David Hope Kyd 1,569 44.9 −4.0
Majority 356 10.2 +8.0
Turnout 3,494 81.7 +16.0
Registered electors 4,279
Liberal hold Swing +4.0

Elections in the 1910s

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General election January 1910: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Stuart Samuel 1,963 58.3 +3.2
Conservative Weir Greenlees 1,402 41.7 −3.2
Majority 561 16.6 +6.4
Turnout 3,365
Liberal hold Swing +3.2
General election December 1910: Whitechapel[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Stuart Samuel 1,731 59.2 +0.9
Conservative Edgar Monteagle Browne 1,191 40.8 −0.9
Majority 540 18.4 +1.8
Turnout 2,922
Liberal hold Swing +0.9
1913 Whitechapel by-election[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Stuart Samuel 1,722 52.5 −6.7
Unionist Edgar Monteagle Browne 1,556 47.5 +6.7
Majority 166 5.0 −13.4
Turnout 3,278
Liberal hold Swing -6.7

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 autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

1916 Whitechapel by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Kiley Unopposed
Liberal hold

References

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  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 57. ISBN 9781349022984.
  • Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)