Enfield (UK Parliament constituency)

Enfield was a constituency for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1885 until 1950. The area sloping to the River Lea in the east was in the far north of Middlesex centred on the town of Enfield. The area formed part of the London conurbation and was much reduced over the course of its existence, in 1918 and then insignificantly in 1945 due to suburbanisation and urbanisation. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP).

Enfield
Former constituency
for the House of Commons
Enfield 1885-1918
Enfield 1918-45
1885–1950
Number of membersone
Replaced byEdmonton (south east of seat in 1918)
Finchley (as to Friern Barnet in 1918)
Wood Green (as to Southgate, south part of Enfield)
Enfield East and Enfield West (in 1950)
Created fromMiddlesex

History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election. It was then replaced by the new Enfield East and Enfield West constituencies.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The parishes of Edmonton, Enfield, Friern Barnet, Monken Hadley, and South Mimms. These reflected ancient parishes and the smallest in the non-metropolitan county, Monken Hadley was a small rectangle in the south-centre of the seat. Friern Barnet formed a projection in the south-west running north-west reflecting the eccentric shape of this part of the county border. The latter adjoined Barnet in Hertfordshire as much of the rest did and joined the parishes of Hornsey and Finchley to the south.

1918–1950: The Urban District of Enfield, and the Rural District of South Mimms. The Representation of the People Act 1918 redrew constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland, and defined them in terms of the new urban and rural districts introduced by the Local Government Act 1894. Of the areas transferred to other constituencies in this redistribution, Edmonton became a separate constituency, while Friern Barnet was transferred to the new Finchley seat. A "Wood Green" seat was devised which took the Southgate southern parts of Enfield and western extreme of Edmonton parish.[1]

^ Note a: Renamed as Potters Bar Urban District in 1934.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1885 William Pleydell-Bouverie Conservative
1889 by-election Henry Bowles Conservative
1906 James Branch Liberal
1910 John Pretyman Newman Conservative
1918 Henry Bowles Conservative
1922 Thomas Fermor-Hesketh Conservative
1923 William Henderson Labour
1924 Reginald Applin Conservative
1929 William Henderson Labour
1931 Reginald Applin Conservative
1935 Bartle Bull Conservative
1945 Ernest Davies Labour
1950 constituency abolished: see Enfield East and Enfield West

Elections

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: Enfield [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie 3,644 57.6
Liberal John Kempster 2,684 42.4
Majority 960 15.2
Turnout 6,328 73.4
Registered electors 8,621
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Enfield [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie 3,287 75.5 +17.9
Liberal John Treeve Edgcombe[4] 1,067 24.5 -17.9
Majority 2,220 51.0 +35.8
Turnout 4,354 50.5 −22.9
Registered electors 8,621
Conservative hold Swing +17.9

Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed Treasurer of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 12 Aug 1886: Enfield[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Pleydell-Bouverie Unopposed
Conservative hold

Pleydell-Bouverie was elevated to the peerage, becoming Earl of Radnor, causing a by-election.

Henry Bowles
By-election, 30 Mar 1889: Enfield[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Bowles 5,124 58.7 −16.8
Liberal William Henry Fairbairns[7] 3,612 41.3 +16.8
Majority 1,512 17.4 −33.6
Turnout 6,636 79.5 +29.0
Registered electors 10,993
Conservative hold Swing −16.8

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Enfield [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Bowles 5,491 60.0 −15.5
Liberal Albert Stephen Hatchett-Jones[9] 3,660 40.0 +15.5
Majority 1,831 20.0 −31.0
Turnout 9,151 72.2 +21.7
Registered electors 12,674
Conservative hold Swing −15.5
General election 1895: Enfield [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Bowles Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Enfield [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Bowles 6,923 65.5 N/A
Liberal Charles Stewart Crole 3,655 34.5 New
Majority 3,268 31.0 N/A
Turnout 10,578 62.1 N/A
Registered electors 17,044
Conservative hold Swing N/A
James Branch
General election 1906: Enfield [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Branch 9,790 56.1 +21.6
Conservative Henry Bowles 7,674 43.9 −21.6
Majority 2,116 12.2 N/A
Turnout 17,464 74.7 +12.6
Registered electors 23,386
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +21.6

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Enfield [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Pretyman Newman 12,625 52.6 +8.7
Liberal James Branch 11,383 47.4 −8.7
Majority 1,242 5.2 N/A
Turnout 24,008 84.0 +9.3
Registered electors 28,571
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +8.7
General election December 1910: Enfield [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Pretyman Newman 11,495 52.1 −0.5
Liberal James Branch 10,559 47.9 +0.5
Majority 936 4.2 −1.0
Turnout 22,054 77.2 −6.8
Registered electors 28,571
Conservative hold Swing −0.5

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;

General election 1918: Enfield[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Henry Bowles 8,290 50.4 −1.7
Labour William E. Hill 6,176 37.5 New
Liberal Janet McEwan 1,987 12.1 −35.8
Majority 2,114 12.9 +8.7
Turnout 16,453 54.8 −22.4
Registered electors 30,031
Unionist hold Swing +17.1
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Enfield[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 11,725 54.4 +4.0
Labour George Lathan 9,820 45.6 +8.1
Majority 1,905 8.8 −4.1
Turnout 21,545 71.8 +17.0
Registered electors 29,992
Unionist hold Swing −2.1
General election 1923: Enfield[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Henderson 11,050 52.8 +7.2
Unionist Thomas Fermor-Hesketh 9,888 47.2 −7.2
Majority 1,162 5.6 N/A
Turnout 20,938 68.5 −3.3
Registered electors 30,580
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +7.2
General election 1924: Enfield[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Reginald Applin 13,886 54.0 +6.8
Labour William Henderson 11,807 46.0 −6.8
Majority 2,079 8.0 N/A
Turnout 25,693 81.8 +13.3
Registered electors 31,396
Unionist gain from Labour Swing +6.8
General election 1929: Enfield[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Henderson 14,427 43.3 −2.7
Unionist Reginald Applin 14,169 42.5 −11.5
Liberal Charles Herbert Durrad-Lang 4,736 14.2 New
Majority 258 0.8 N/A
Turnout 33,332 78.5 −3.3
Registered electors 42,481
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +4.4

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Enfield[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Reginald Applin 24,532 64.3 +21.8
Labour William Mellor 13,646 35.7 -7.6
Majority 10,886 28.6 N/A
Turnout 38,178 79.2 +0.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Enfield[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bartle Bull 24,046 56.5 -7.8
Labour William Mellor 18,543 43.5 +7.8
Majority 5,503 13.0 -15.6
Turnout 42,589 73.2 -6.0
Conservative hold Swing -7.8

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
General election 1945: Enfield[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest Davies 32,625 52.1 +8.6
Conservative Bartle Bull 20,935 33.4 -23.1
Liberal John Patrick Cyril Danny 9,104 14.5 New
Majority 11,690 18.7 N/A
Turnout 62,664 74.4 +1.2
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +15.8

References
  1. Youngs, Frederic A, Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. 748–750. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  2. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  3. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  4. "Yesterday's Nominations". London Evening Standard. 2 Jul 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  6. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  7. "Election Intelligence". Grantham Journal. 30 Mar 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  9. London Middlesex Gazette: 6. 17 December 1910 https://newspaperarchive.com/london-middlesex-gazette-dec-17-1910-p-6/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  11. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  12. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  13. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
  14. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (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. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  21. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  22. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  23. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
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