Ross, or the Southern division of Herefordshire was a county constituency centred on the town of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire. 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.
| Ross | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | Herefordshire |
| Major settlements | Ross-on-Wye |
| 1885–1918 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Herefordshire |
| Replaced by | Hereford |
The constituency was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the three-seat Herefordshire constituency was replaced by two single-member county divisions: the Leominster (or Northern) division, and the Ross (or Southern) division.
Ross was abolished for the 1918 general election.
Boundaries
The Sessional Divisions of Dore, Harewood's Ends, Hereford, Ledbury and Ross and the Municipal Borough of Hereford.[1]
Members of Parliament
Elections
| Decades: |
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Michael Biddulph | 4,415 | 54.8 | ||
| Conservative | Joseph Bailey | 3,643 | 45.2 | ||
| Majority | 772 | 9.6 | |||
| Turnout | 8,058 | 79.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 10,179 | ||||
| Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 3,968 | 70.4 | +25.2 | |
| Liberal | Thomas Duckham | 1,670 | 29.6 | -25.2 | |
| Majority | 2,298 | 40.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,638 | 55.4 | -23.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,179 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.2 | |||
Elections in the 1890s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 4,326 | 52.8 | -17.6 | |
| Liberal | Joseph Pulley | 3,869 | 47.2 | +17.6 | |
| Majority | 457 | 5.6 | -35.2 | ||
| Turnout | 8,195 | 74.7 | +19.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,968 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +17.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 4,573 | 61.8 | +9.0 | |
| Liberal | Arthur Withy | 2,828 | 38.2 | -9.0 | |
| Majority | 1,745 | 23.6 | +18.0 | ||
| Turnout | 7,401 | 65.8 | -8.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,249 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +9.0 | |||
Elections in the 1900s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | Unopposed | |||
| Liberal Unionist hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Alan Coulston Gardner | 4,497 | 51.8 | New | |
| Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,185 | 48.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 312 | 3.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 8,682 | 83.5 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 10,394 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,947 | 55.7 | +7.5 | |
| Liberal | Frederick Whitley-Thomson | 3,928 | 44.3 | -7.5 | |
| Majority | 1,019 | 11.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 8,875 | 84.6 | +1.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,486 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.5 | |||
Elections in the 1910s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 5,073 | 52.0 | +3.8 | |
| Liberal | Henry Webb | 4,678 | 48.0 | -3.8 | |
| Majority | 395 | 4.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,751 | 89.1 | +5.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,946 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | -3.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,748 | 50.6 | -1.4 | |
| Liberal | Henry Webb | 4,627 | 49.4 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 121 | 1.2 | -2.8 | ||
| Turnout | 9,375 | 85.6 | -3.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,946 | ||||
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -1.4 | |||
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;
- Unionist: Percy Clive
- Liberal: Clement Woodbine Parish
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionist | Charles Pulley | 3,260 | 64.6 | +14.0 | |
| NFU | T. Percy Preece | 1,784 | 35.4 | New | |
| Majority | 1,476 | 29.2 | +28.0 | ||
| Turnout | 5,044 | 44.2 | -41.4 | ||
| Unionist hold | Swing | -1.4 | |||