Bury (UK Parliament constituency)

Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Bury
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyGreater Manchester
(now Greater Manchester)
Major settlementsBury
18321950
SeatsOne
Created fromLancashire
Replaced byBury & Radcliffe

The constituency was created for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Bury & Radcliffe.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Bury as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.[1]

1918-1950: The county borough of Bury and the urban district of Tottington.[2]

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [3]Party[4][5][6]
1832Richard WalkerWhig-Radical[7][8][9][10][11]
1852Frederick PeelPeelite[12]
1857Robert Needham PhilipsRadical[13][14]
1859Frederick PeelLiberal
1865Robert Needham PhilipsLiberal
1885Sir Henry JamesLiberal
1886Liberal Unionist
1895James KenyonConservative
1902 by-electionSir George ToulminLiberal
1918Charles AinsworthConservative
1935Alan ChorltonConservative
1945Walter FletcherConservative
1950constituency abolished: see Bury & Radcliffe

Elections

1830s1840s1850s1860s1870s1880s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940sBack to Top

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Bury [15][16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigRichard Walker 306 66.7
RadicalEdmund Grundy[17]15333.3
Majority15333.4
Turnout45985.8
Registered electors535
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: Bury [15][16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigRichard WalkerUnopposed
Registered electors526
Whig hold
General election 1837: Bury [15][16]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigRichard Walker 251 57.8 N/A
RadicalJames Paul Cobbett[18]9622.1N/A
ConservativeRobert Spankie8720.0New
Majority15535.7N/A
Turnout43468.1N/A
Registered electors637
Whig holdSwingN/A

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigRichard Walker 325 53.0 −4.8
ConservativeHenry Hardman[19]28847.0+27.0
Majority376.0−29.7
Turnout61379.8+11.7
Registered electors768
Whig holdSwing−15.9
General election 1847: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
WhigRichard WalkerUnopposed
Registered electors868
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
PeeliteFrederick Peel 472 53.5 N/A
WhigAdam Haldane-Duncan[20][21][22]41046.5N/A
Majority627.0N/A
Turnout88292.0N/A
Registered electors959
Peelite gain from WhigSwingN/A
General election 1857: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
RadicalRobert Needham Philips 565 51.6 N/A
PeeliteFrederick Peel53048.4−5.1
Majority353.2N/A
Turnout1,09589.9−2.1
Registered electors1,218
Radical gain from PeeliteSwing
General election 1859: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalFrederick Peel 641 57.3 +8.9
LiberalThomas Barnes47842.7N/A
Majority16314.6+11.4
Turnout1,11986.8−3.1
Registered electors1,218
Liberal holdSwingN/A

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRobert Needham Philips 595 51.0 N/A
LiberalFrederick Peel57249.0−8.3
Majority232.0−12.6
Turnout1,16786.3−0.5
Registered electors1,352
Liberal holdSwingN/A
General election 1868: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRobert Needham Philips 2,830 55.6 +4.6
ConservativeGeorge Cadogan2,26444.4New
Majority56611.2+9.2
Turnout5,09491.2+4.9
Registered electors5,587
Liberal holdSwingN/A

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bury [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRobert Needham Philips 3,016 54.7 −0.9
ConservativeOliver Ormerod Walker[23]2,50045.3+0.9
Majority5169.4−1.8
Turnout5,51688.5−2.7
Registered electors6,236
Liberal holdSwing−0.9

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Bury[15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalRobert Needham PhilipsUnopposed
Registered electors6,835
Liberal hold
Lawson
General election 1885: Bury [24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalHenry James 3,976 51.2 N/A
ConservativeJohn Lawson3,78748.8New
Majority1892.4N/A
Turnout7,76394.5N/A
Registered electors8,214
Liberal holdSwingN/A
General election 1886: Bury [24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal UnionistHenry JamesUnopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Bury [24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal UnionistHenry James 4,070 55.7 N/A
LiberalJohn Parks3,24144.3New
Majority82911.4N/A
Turnout7,31193.4N/A
Registered electors7,831
Liberal Unionist hold
Cheetham
General election 1895: Bury [24][26][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeJames Kenyon 3,890 54.8 -0.9
LiberalJohn Frederick Cheetham3,21545.2+0.9
Majority6759.6-1.8
Turnout7,10589.0−4.4
Registered electors7,986
Conservative holdSwing-0.9

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Bury [24][26][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeJames Kenyon 4,132 55.7 +0.9
LiberalGeorge Toulmin3,28344.3−0.9
Majority84911.4+1.8
Turnout7,41586.4−2.6
Registered electors8,581
Conservative holdSwing+0.9
Toulmin
1902 Bury by-election[27][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalGeorge Toulmin 4,213 52.6 +8.3
Liberal UnionistHarry Levy-Lawson3,79947.4−8.3
Majority4145.2N/A
Turnout8,01291.2+4.8
Registered electors8,786
Liberal gain from ConservativeSwing+8.3
General election 1906: Bury [24][25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalGeorge Toulmin 4,626 56.9 +12.6
ConservativeReginald Jaffray Lucas3,49943.1−12.6
Majority1,12713.8N/A
Turnout8,12589.6+3.2
Registered electors9,068
Liberal gain from ConservativeSwing+12.6

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bury [28]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalGeorge Toulmin 4,866 53.3 -3.6
ConservativeEdwin Leach Hartley4,25846.7+3.6
Majority6086.6-7.2
Turnout9,12494.5+4.9
Liberal holdSwing-3.6
General election December 1910: Bury [28]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
LiberalGeorge Toulmin 4,509 51.5 -1.8
ConservativeEdwin Leach Hartley4,25448.5+1.8
Majority2553.0-3.6
Turnout8,76390.7-3.8
Liberal holdSwing+1.8

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: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UnionistCharles Ainsworth 10,043 45.9 -2.6
CLiberalGeorge Toulmin6,86231.4-20.1
LabourHarry Wallace4,97322.7New
Majority3,18114.5N/A
Turnout21,87867.0-23.7
Registered electors32,666
Unionist gain from LiberalSwing+8.7
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UnionistCharles Ainsworth 10,830 41.2 −4.7
LabourHarry Wallace9,64336.7+14.0
LiberalWilliam Alfred Lewins5,79522.1−9.3
Majority1,1874.5−10.0
Turnout26,26881.3+14.3
Registered electors32,304
Unionist holdSwing−9.4
General election 1923: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UnionistCharles Ainsworth 10,680 40.3 −0.9
LabourHarry Wallace9,56836.1−0.6
LiberalJames Duckworth6,25123.6+1.5
Majority1,1124.2−0.3
Turnout26,49980.8−0.5
Registered electors32,803
Unionist holdSwing−0.2
General election 1924: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UnionistCharles Ainsworth 13,382 46.9 +6.6
LabourHarry Wallace10,28636.10.0
LiberalJames Duckworth4,84717.0−6.6
Majority3,09610.8+6.6
Turnout28,51586.5+5.7
Registered electors32,982
Unionist holdSwing+3.3
General election 1929: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UnionistCharles Ainsworth 14,845 42.1 −4.8
LabourJames Bell13,17537.5+1.4
LiberalClifford Stanley Ickringill7,16020.4+3.4
Majority1,6704.6−6.2
Turnout35,18081.4−5.1
Registered electors43,216
Unionist holdSwing−3.1

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeCharles Ainsworth 24,975 70.3 +28.2
LabourJames Bell10,53229.7-7.8
Majority14,44340.6+36.0
Turnout35,50781.6+0.2
Conservative holdSwing+17.9
General election 1935: Bury [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeAlan Chorlton 18,425 49.4 -20.9
LabourEdith Summerskill12,84534.4+4.7
LiberalDonald Johnson6,06516.2New
Majority5,58015.0-25.6
Turnout37,33583.3+1.7
Conservative holdSwing-12.8

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40Another 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;

  • Labour: William Harvey Moore[30]
General election 1945: Bury [31]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
ConservativeWalter Fletcher 14,012 39.9 -9.5
LabourSydney Hand13,90239.6+5.2
LiberalArthur Walter James7,21120.5+4.3
Majority1100.3-14.7
Turnout35,12578.2-5.1
Conservative holdSwing-7.3

References