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University of Wales (UK Parliament constituency)

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Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1950

University of Wales
Former university constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1950

University of Wales was a university constituency electing one member to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1918 to 1950. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), elected under the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries

This university constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918. It was abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

The constituency was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University of Wales.

Unlike many other university constituencies, University of Wales never elected a Conservative MP, instead regularly electing Liberal MPs.

The constituency returned one Member of Parliament.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party Notes
1918 Rt Hon. Herbert Lewis Coalition Liberal
1922 Thomas Arthur Lewis National Liberal died 18 July 1923
1923 George Maitland Lloyd Davies Christian Pacifist Joined the Labour Party in February 1924
1924 Labour
1924 Ernest Evans Liberal appointed County Court Judge in 1943
1943 by-election William John Gruffydd Liberal
1950 University constituencies abolished

Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system. In university seats, in this period, the polls were open for five days and voting did not take place on the polling day for the territorial constituencies.

Elections of the 1910s

Herbert Lewis
General election 1918: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Herbert Lewis 739 80.8
Labour Millicent Mackenzie 176 19.2
Majority 563 61.6
Turnout 915 85.8
Liberal win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections of the 1920s

  • After the fall of the coalition government in 1922, the former Coalition Liberals contested elections as the National Liberal Party.
T.A. Lewis
General election 1922: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Thomas Arthur Lewis 487 39.5 –41.3
Liberal Ellis Ellis-Griffith 451 35.9 −44.9
Labour Olive Wheeler 309 24.8 +5.6
Majority 46 3.6 −58.0
Turnout 1,247 87.2 +1.4
National Liberal hold Swing
  • Seat vacant at the dissolution of Parliament, following the death of Lewis on 18 July 1923
General election 1923: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Christian Pacifist George Maitland Lloyd Davies 570 35.7 New
Liberal Joseph Jones 560 35.1 −0.8
Independent Liberal John Edwards 467 29.2 New
Majority 10 0.6 N/A
Turnout 1.597 83.1 −4.1
Christian Pacifist gain from Liberal
Ernest Evans
General election 1924: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Evans 1,057 59.4 +24.3
Labour George Maitland Lloyd Davies 721 40.6 New
Majority 336 18.6 N/A
Turnout 1,778
Liberal gain from Christian Pacifist Swing
General election 1929: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Evans 1,712 63.5 +4.1
Labour David W. Richards 671 24.9 New
Unionist Courtenay Mansel 314 11.6 New
Majority 1,041 38.6 +20.0
Turnout 2,697 74.4
Liberal hold Swing

Elections of the 1930s

General election 1931: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Evans 2,229 75.4 +11.9
Plaid Cymru Saunders Lewis 914 24.6 New
Majority 1,315 50.8 +12.2
Turnout 3,143 61.4 −13.0
Liberal hold Swing
General election 1935: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ernest Evans 2,796 61.3 −9.6
Labour Ithel Davies 1,768 38.7 New
Majority 1,028 22.6 −19.2
Turnout 4,564 62.3 +0.9
Liberal hold Swing

Elections of the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

University of Wales by-election, 1943
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William John Gruffydd 3,098 52.3 −9.0
Plaid Cymru Saunders Lewis 1,330 22.5 New
Independent Alun Talfan Davies 755 12.8 New
Independent Labour Evan Davies 634 10.7 New
Independent Labour Neville Lawrence Evans 101 1.7 New
Majority 1,768 29.8 +7.2
Turnout 5,918 53.4 −8.9
Liberal hold Swing
General election 1945: University of Wales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William John Gruffydd 5,239 75.5 +23.2
Plaid Cymru Gwenan Jones 1,696 24.5 +2.0
Majority 3,543 51.0 +21.2
Turnout 6,935 58.5 +5.1
Liberal hold Swing

See also

References

  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "U"

Sources

  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan 1977)
  • Who's Who of British members of parliament, Vol. III 1918–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
Historic UK Parliament constituencies in Wales
Last contested in 1880
Last contested in 1910
Last contested in 1915
Last contested in 1945
Last contested in 1970
Last contested in 1979
Last contested in 1992 (review)
Last contested in 2005 (review)
Last contested in 2019 (review)
University constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
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