Barnsley (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1983

Barnsley
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
County	South Yorkshire
1885–1983
Seats	One
Created from	Southern West Riding of Yorkshire
Replaced by	Barnsley Central, Barnsley East and Barnsley West & Penistone

Barnsley was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Barnsley in England. 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 voting system.

History

The constituency was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election and abolished in 1983. It was a Liberal seat in its early years, but by the time of its abolition it had become a Labour stronghold.

Boundaries

The area formerly covered by this constituency is now mostly in the Barnsley Central constituency and partly in the Barnsley East constituency.

Members of Parliament

	Member	Party
1885	Courtney Kenny	Liberal Party
1889 by-election	William Compton	Liberal Party
1897 by-election	Sir Joseph Walton	Liberal Party
1918	Sir Joseph Walton	Coalition Liberal
1922	John Potts	Labour
1931	Richard John Soper	Liberal National
1935	John Potts	Labour
1938 by-election	Frank Collindridge	Labour
1951	Sidney Schofield	Labour
1953 by-election	Roy Mason	Labour
1983	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Courtney Kenny	6,705	71.1
	Conservative	Bruce Vernon-Wentworth	2,722	28.9
Majority			3,983	42.2
Turnout			9,427	85.4
Registered electors			11,034
	Liberal win (new seat)

General election 1886: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Courtney Kenny	5,425	65.0	−6.1
	Conservative	Bruce Vernon-Wentworth	2,917	35.0	+6.1
Majority			2,508	30.0	−12.2
Turnout			8,342	75.6	−9.8
Registered electors			11,034
	Liberal hold		Swing	−6.1

Kenny resigned, causing a by-election.

1889 Barnsley by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Compton	6,232	62.2	−2.8
	Conservative	Bruce Vernon-Wentworth	3,781	37.8	+2.8
Majority			2,451	24.4	−5.6
Turnout			10,013	79.5	+3.9
Registered electors			12,593
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.8

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Compton	6,739	65.8	+0.8
	Liberal Unionist	Francis Foljambe	3,498	34.2	−0.8
Majority			3,241	31.6	+1.6
Turnout			10,237	75.0	−0.6
Registered electors			13,643
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.8

General election 1895: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Compton	6,820	59.4	−6.4
	Conservative	Ronald Greville	4,653	40.6	+6.4
Majority			2,167	18.8	−12.8
Turnout			11,473	80.9	+5.9
Registered electors			14,181
	Liberal hold		Swing	−6.4

1897 Barnsley by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Walton	6,744	59.7	+0.3
	Conservative	James Blyth	3,454	30.6	−10.0
	Ind. Labour Party	Pete Curran	1,091	9.7	New
Majority			3,290	29.1	+10.3
Turnout			11,289	76.3	−4.6
Registered electors			14,805
	Liberal hold		Swing	+5.2

Elections in the 1900s

General election January 1900: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Walton	7,549	63.4	+4.0
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur William Groser	4,356	36.6	−4.0
Majority			3,193	26.8	+8.0
Turnout			11,905	74.6	−6.3
Registered electors			15,948
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.0

General election January 1906: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Walton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Walton	12,425	71.1	*N/A*
	Conservative	Arthur William Groser	5,053	28.9	New
Majority			7,372	42.2	N/A
Turnout			17,478	83.8	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election December 1910: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Walton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1918: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes
C	Liberal	Joseph Walton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Potts	14,728	55.1	*New*
	National Liberal	Maurice Moore	12,011	44.9	N/A
Majority			2,717	10.2	N/A
Turnout			26,739	75.7	N/A
	Labour gain from National Liberal		Swing

General election 1923: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Potts	12,674	48.0	−7.1
	Unionist	William Craven-Ellis	6,884	26.0	N/A
	Liberal	John Neal	6,881	26.0	−18.9
Majority			5,790	22.0	+11.8
Turnout			26,439	74.1	−1.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1924: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Potts	14,738	51.7	+3.7
	Liberal	John Neal	13,785	48.5	+22.5
Majority			953	3.2	−18.8
Turnout			28,523	78.2	+4.1
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1929: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Potts	21,855	53.8	+2.1
	Liberal	William Sutherland	12,517	30.8	−17.7
	Unionist	William Craven-Ellis	6,265	15.4	New
Majority			9,388	23.0	+19.8
Turnout			40,637	82.3	+4.1
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.8

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	Richard John Soper	21,392	50.9	+35.5
	Labour	John Potts	20,622	49.1	−4.7
Majority			770	1.8	N/A
Turnout			42,014	84.2	+1.9
	National Liberal gain from Labour		Swing

General election 1935: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Potts	25,318	58.9	+9.8
	National Liberal	Richard John Soper	17,683	41.1	−9.8
Majority			7,635	17.8	N/A
Turnout			43,001	82.6	−1.6
	Labour gain from National Liberal		Swing

1938 Barnsley by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Collindridge	23,566	64.4	+5.5
	National Liberal	Seymour Howard	13,052	35.6	−5.5
Majority			10,514	28.8	+11.0
Turnout			36,618	72.7	−9.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.5

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Collindridge	30,614	72.9	+14.0
	National Liberal	Richard John Soper	11,382	27.1	−14.0
Majority			19,232	45.8	+28.0
Turnout			41,996	80.4	−2.2
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Collindridge	42,008	68.6	−4.3
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard Walker	10,779	17.6	New
	National Liberal	Charles Gordon-Spencer	8,480	13.8	−13.3
Majority			31,209	51.0	+5.2
Turnout			61,267	88.9	+8.5
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1951: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sidney Schofield	37,523	69.7	+1.1
	National Liberal	Geoffrey Whittaker	9,296	17.3	+3.5
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard Walker	7,002	13.0	−4.6
Majority			28,227	52.4	+1.4
Turnout			53,821	77.2	−11.7
	Labour hold		Swing

1953 Barnsley by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	29,283	72.9	+3.2
	Conservative	Geoffrey Whittaker	10,905	27.1	+9.8
Majority			18,378	45.8	−6.6
Turnout			40,188
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.3

General election 1955: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	39,485	72.8	+3.1
	National Liberal	R. Anthony Wilson	14,776	27.2	+9.9
Majority			24,709	45.6	−6.8
Turnout			54,261	78.6	+1.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1959: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	42,565	73.7	+0.9
	Conservative	John Philip Howard Bent	15,189	26.3	−0.9
Majority			27,376	47.4	+1.9
Turnout			57,754	82.7	+4.1
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	37,250	66.8	−6.9
	Conservative	Joan Hall	9,417	16.9	−9.4
	Liberal	John Herbert Dossett	9,089	16.3	New
Majority			27,833	49.9	+2.5
Turnout			55,756	80.0	−2.7
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1966: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	38,744	75.7	+8.9
	Conservative	Joan Hall	12,456	24.3	+7.4
Majority			26,288	51.4	+1.5
Turnout			51,200	73.4	−6.6
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	34,956	64.8	−10.9
	Conservative	Robert Godber	10,811	20.0	−4.3
	Liberal	John Herbert Dossett	8,186	15.2	New
Majority			24,145	44.8	−6.6
Turnout			53,953	71.2	−2.2
	Labour hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	40,595	71.8	+7.0
	Conservative	George England	15,969	28.2	+8.2
Majority			24,626	43.6	−1.2
Turnout			56,564	74.6	+3.4
	Labour hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	34,212	65.3	−6.5
	Conservative	George England	9,400	18.0	−10.2
	Liberal	Peter Tomlinson	8,753	16.7	New
Majority			24,812	47.3	+3.7
Turnout			52,365	68.4	−6.2
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1979: Barnsley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Mason	36,276	64.0	−1.3
	Conservative	George England	13,654	24.1	+6.1
	Liberal	Wilfred Whitaker	5,751	10.2	−6.5
	Troops Out of Ireland	B. Gallagher	638	1.1	New
	Workers Revolutionary	J. Davis	348	0.6	New
Majority			22,622	39.9	−7.4
Turnout			56,667	72.9	+4.5
	Labour hold		Swing

References

"'Barnsley', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
^ Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
^ British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F.W.S.

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources Archived 15 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine (Election results since 1951)

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