Manchester Clayton (UK Parliament constituency)

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Manchester Clayton
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1955
Seatsone
Created fromManchester East, Manchester North and Manchester North East
Replaced byManchester Cheetham and Manchester Openshaw

Manchester Clayton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It 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 system.

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1955 general election.

Boundaries[edit]

1918–1950[edit]

The constituency was created as a result of the Report of the Boundary Commission in 1917, when it was recommended to be called "Manchester Newton Heath".[1] However, when the Representation of the People Bill to give effect to the commission's recommendations was debated in Parliament, the Government accepted an amendment to change the name to Clayton.[2] The new constituency came into effect at the 1918 general election. Although Parliament had altered the recommended name, it retained the recommended boundaries, and was defined as consisting of three municipal wards of the county borough of Manchester, namely Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath.[3]

1950–1955[edit]

Constituencies throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland were reorganised by the Representation of the People Act 1948, which introduced the term "borough constituency". Manchester, Clayton Borough Constituency was redefined to comprise four wards: Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath. Miles Platting had previously formed part of the Manchester Platting seat.[4] The revised boundaries were first used in the 1950 general election.

Abolition[edit]

Following a report by the boundary commissioners appointed under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, constituencies in the Manchester area were reorganised in 1955. The Clayton constituency was abolished, with its area divided between the Manchester Cheetham and Manchester Openshaw seats.[5]

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member Party
1918 Edward Hopkinson Conservative
1922 by-election John Edward Sutton Labour
1922 William Flanagan Conservative
1923 John Edward Sutton Labour
1931 William Flanagan Conservative
1935 John Jagger Labour
1942 by-election Harry Thorneycroft Labour
1955 constituency abolished

History of the constituency[edit]

See Clayton, Greater Manchester

Election results[edit]

Election in the 1910s[edit]

General election 1918: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Edward Hopkinson 12,285 61.6
Labour John Sutton 7,654 38.4
Majority 4,631 23.2
Turnout 19,939 57.5
Registered electors 34,659
Unionist win (new seat)

Election in the 1920s[edit]

By-election, 1922: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 14,662 57.1 +18.7
Unionist William Flanagan 11,038 42.9 −18.7
Majority 3,624 14.2 N/A
Turnout 25,700 73.7 +16.2
Registered electors 34,851
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +18.7
General election 1922: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Flanagan 14,800 50.0 −11.6
Labour John Sutton 14,789 50.0 +11.6
Majority 11 0.0 −23.2
Turnout 29,589 82.9 +25.4
Registered electors 35,681
Unionist hold Swing −11.6
General election 1923: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 17,255 56.7 +6.7
Unionist William Flanagan 13,164 43.3 −6.7
Majority 4,091 13.4 N/A
Turnout 30,419 83.5 +0.6
Registered electors 36,430
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +6.7
General election 1924: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 17,338 54.2 −2.5
Unionist T.E. Thorpe 14,634 45.8 +2.5
Majority 2,704 8.4 −5.0
Turnout 31,972 84.7 +1.2
Registered electors 37,729
Labour hold Swing −2.5
General election 1929: Manchester Clayton [6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Sutton 21,103 55.0 +0.8
Unionist William Flanagan 14,062 36.6 −9.2
Liberal Charles Harold Travis 3,207 8.4 New
Majority 7,041 18.4 +10.0
Turnout 38,372 83.1 −1.6
Registered electors 47,308
Labour hold Swing +5.0

Election in the 1930s[edit]

General election 1931: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Flanagan 22,072 56.2 +15.6
Labour John Sutton 17,169 43.8 −11.2
Majority 4,903 12.4 N/A
Turnout 39,241 83.4 +0.3
Registered electors 47,038
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +13.4
General election 1935: Manchester Clayton[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Jagger 19,225 53.7 +9.9
Conservative Thomas Hewlett 16,557 46.3 −9.9
Majority 2,668 7.4 N/A
Turnout 35,782 77.0 −7.4
Registered electors 46,475
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +9.9

Election in the 1940s[edit]

By-election, 1942: Manchester Clayton[6]>
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 8,892 93.3 +39.6
Independent E. H. Foot 636 6.7 New
Majority 8,256 86.6 +79.2
Turnout 9,528 20.8 −56.2
Registered electors 45,720
Labour hold Swing
General election 1945: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford and Newton Heath[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 22,401 69.4 +15.7
National Liberal Philip Smith 9,883 30.6 -15.7
Majority 12,518 38.8 +31.4
Turnout 32,284 69.6 −7.4
Registered electors 46,394
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s[edit]

General election 1950: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 29,128 63.0 -6.4
Conservative D H Broome 14,800 32.0 +1.4
Liberal Herbert Walls 2,295 5.0 New
Majority 14,328 31.0 -6.8
Turnout 46,223
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Manchester Clayton
Manchester County Borough wards of Beswick, Bradford, Miles Platting and Newton Heath[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Thorneycroft 27,985 63.5 +0.5
Conservative Marjorie S Grant 16,122 36.5 +4.5
Majority 11,863 27.0 -4.0
Turnout 44,107
Labour hold Swing

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Parliamentary Borough of Manchester" in Schedule part II of "Report of the Boundary Commission (England and Wales), 1917", Cd. 8756.
  2. ^ "Parliament", The Times, 30 November 1917, p. 12.
  3. ^ Ninth Schedule, Part I: Parliamentary Boroughs, 1918 c.64 sch.9
  4. ^ First Schedule: Parliamentary Constituencies, 1948 c.65 sch.1
  5. ^ Parliamentary Constituencies (Manchester, Oldham and Ashton under Lyne) Order, 1955 (S.I. 1955 No.16)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 419. ISBN 0-900178-01-9.
  7. ^ The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.

Sources[edit]

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