Eskdale (UK Parliament constituency)

Eskdale was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Eskdale district of north Cumberland not to be confused with the valley of Eskdale in the west of the county. 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.

Eskdale
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members	one
Replaced by	North Cumberland and Workington
Created from	East Cumberland

History

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

Boundaries

The Municipal Borough of Carlisle, the Sessional Divisions of Cumberland Ward, Eskdale Ward, and Longtown, and part of the Sessional Division of Allerdale Ward below Derwent.[1]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Robert Andrew Allison	Liberal
	1900	Claude Lowther	Conservative
	1906	Geoffrey Howard	Liberal
	1910	Claude Lowther	Conservative
1918			constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Eskdale[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Andrew Allison	4,749	60.0
	Conservative	Samuel Porter Foster	3,163	40.0
Majority			1,586	20.0
Turnout			7,912	79.1
Registered electors			10,000
	Liberal win (new seat)

General election 1886: Eskdale[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Andrew Allison	4,112	56.0	−4.0
	Conservative	James Lowther	3,226	44.0	+4.0
Majority			886	12.0	−8.0
Turnout			7,338	73.4	−5.7
Registered electors			10,000
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.0

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Eskdale[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Andrew Allison	3,976	55.7	−0.3
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Howard	3,163	44.3	+0.3
Majority			813	11.4	−0.6
Turnout			7,139	75.9	+2.5
Registered electors			9,402
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.3

Robert Allison

General election 1895: Eskdale[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Andrew Allison	3,745	51.0	-4.7
	Liberal Unionist	Henry Howard	3,598	49.0	+4.7
Majority			147	2.0	-9.4
Turnout			7,343	76.5	+0.6
Registered electors			9,603
	Liberal hold		Swing	-4.7

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Eskdale[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Claude Lowther	4,052	54.7	+5.7
	Liberal	Robert Andrew Allison	3,349	45.3	−5.7
Majority			703	9.4	N/A
Turnout			7,401	73.6	−2.9
Registered electors			10,054
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+5.7

General election 1906: Eskdale[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard	4,467	51.4	+6.1
	Conservative	Claude Lowther	4,230	48.6	−6.1
Majority			237	2.8	N/A
Turnout			8,697	80.4	+6.8
Registered electors			10,811
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+6.1

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Eskdale[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard	4,504	50.2	-1.2
	Conservative	Claude Lowther	4,470	49.8	+1.2
Majority			34	0.4	-2.4
Turnout			8,974	81.5	+1.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.2

General election December 1910: Eskdale[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Claude Lowther	4,581	52.1	+2.3
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard	4,211	47.9	-2.3
Majority			370	4.2	+4.6
Turnout			8,792	79.8	-1.7
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.3

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Claude Lowther
• Liberal: George Schuster[10]

See also

• Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918

References

1. Debrett's House of Commons 1916
2. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
3. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
4. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
5. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
6. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
7. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
8. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
9. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
10. Lloyd George, Liberalism and the Land: The Land Issue and Party Politics in England, 1906-1914 By Ian Packer

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 2)