Kidderminster (UK Parliament constituency)

Kidderminster was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

Kidderminster
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Kidderminster in Worcestershire, showing boundaries used from 1974–1983
County	Worcestershire
Major settlements	Kidderminster
1918–1983
Seats	One
Replaced by	Wyre Forest and Leominster[1]
1832–1918
Seats	One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency
Created from	Worcestershire

History

The borough of Kidderminster returned two members to Parliament in 1295, Walter Caldrigan and William Lihtfot, but not to any subsequent one.^[2][3] From 1295 to 1832 Kidderminster had no separate representation from Worcestershire.

The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election and was abolished for the 1983 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new Wyre Forest constituency.

Boundaries

1832–1868

The Reform Act 1832 enfranchised Kidderminster as a parliamentary borough. The constituency comprised the township of Kidderminster Borough and part of the township of Kidderminster Foreign.^[2] The Parliamentary Boundaries Act of the same year set out the boundaries in detail:

From the Point at or near Proud Cross at which the Boundary of the old Borough meets the Broomfield Road, along the Boundary of the old Borough, to the Point at which the Abberley Road meets the Black Brook; thence, Westward, along the Abberley Road to the first Point at which the same is met by a Hedge running due South therefrom; thence along the said Hedge to its Southern Extremity near a Stone Quarry; thence in a straight Line to the said Stone Quarry; thence in a straight Line to the First Mile Stone on the Bewdley Road; thence, Westward, along the Bewdley Road to the Point at which the same is joined by a Footpath leading to the Stourport Road; thence along the said Footpath to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the old Borough; thence, Southward, along the Boundary of the old Borough to the Point at which the same meets the South-eastern Fence of a Wood called "The Copse," situated on the Eastern Bank of the River Stour; thence along the said Fence to the Point at which the same meets Hoo Lane; thence across Hoo Lane, over a Stile called "Gallows Stile," along a Footpath leading from the said Stile to the Lane from Hoo Brook to Comberton Hill, to the Point at which the last-mentioned Footpath meets the Lane from Hoo-Brook to Comberton Hill; thence, Northward, along the Lane from Hoo-Brook to Comberton Hill to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the old Borough; thence, Northward, along the Boundary of the old Borough to the Point first described.^[4]

1868–1918

The Representation of the People Act 1867 (also known as the Second Reform Act) redrew parliamentary constituencies. The consequential Boundary Act of the following year extended the boundaries of the parliamentary borough. Three areas of the parish of Kidderminster and part of the parish of Wolverley were added.^[5]

1918–1950

The next change in constituency boundaries was carried out under the Representation of the People Act 1918. The parliamentary borough was abolished and a new Kidderminster constituency was created as a division of the parliamentary county of Worcestershire. It consisted of a wide area of northern Worcestershire, comprising the following local government districts:^[2][6]

• The municipal borough of Kidderminster
• Bromsgrove Urban District
• North Bromsgrove Urban District
• Redditch Urban District
• Bromsgrove Rural District
• Kidderminster Rural District

1950–1983

The Representation of the People Act 1948 redrew constituencies throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland: the revised boundaries were first used at the 1950 general election. The 1948 legislation also introduced the terms "borough constituency" and "county constituency".^[2] The Bromsgrove and Redditch areas were formed into a separate Bromsgrove constituency, while the new Kidderminster County Constituency, now took much of north west Worcestershire. It was defined as follows:^[7]

• The boroughs of Bewdley and Kidderminster
• The urban district of Stourport on Severn
• The rural districts of Kidderminster, Martley and Tenbury

The boundaries were not altered at the next redistribution in 1970 and the seat remained unchanged until the 1983 general election, when constituencies were realigned to the administrative geography introduced in 1974. A new seat of Wyre Forest was formed centred on Kidderminster.^[8]

Members of Parliament

Year	1st Member	2nd member
1295	Walter Caldrigan	William Lihtfot

Year		Member	Party
	1832	Richard Godson	Whig[9]
	1835	George Philips	Whig[9][10]
	1837	Richard Godson	Conservative[9]
	1847		Peelite[11][12][13][14][3]
	1849	John Best	Conservative[15][16]
	1852	Robert Lowe	Whig[17][18][19]
	1859	Alfred Rhodes Bristow	Liberal
	1862	Luke White	Liberal
	1865	Albert Grant[note A]	Conservative
	1868	Thomas Lea	Liberal
	1874	Albert Grant[note A]	Conservative
	1874	Sir William Fraser	Conservative
	1880	John Brinton	Liberal
	1886	Sir Augustus Godson	Conservative
	1906	Edmund Broughton Barnard	Liberal
	1910	Eric Knight	Conservative
	1922	Sir John Wardlaw-Milne	Unionist
	1945	Louis Tolley	Labour
	1950	Sir Gerald Nabarro	Conservative
	1964	Sir Tatton Brinton	Conservative
	1974	Esmond Bulmer	Conservative
1983		constituency abolished

Note A: ^ Grant was granted the title of baron in the Italian nobility by Victor Emmanuel II in 1868, and styled himself "Baron Albert Grant" thereafter. His election in 1874 was overturned on petition.^[20]

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Kidderminster ^[21][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Richard Godson	172	52.0
	Whig	George Philips	159	48.0
Majority			13	4.0
Turnout			331	84.9
Registered electors			390
	Whig win (new seat)

General election 1835: Kidderminster ^[21][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Philips	197	61.4	+13.4
	Conservative	Richard Godson	124	38.6	−13.4
Majority			73	22.8	+18.8
Turnout			321	83.8	−1.1
Registered electors			383
	Whig hold		Swing	+13.4

General election 1837: Kidderminster ^[21][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Godson	198	55.8	+17.2
	Whig	John Bagshaw	157	44.2	−17.2
Majority			41	11.6	N/A
Turnout			355	80.7	−3.1
Registered electors			440
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+17.2

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kidderminster ^[21][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Godson	212	51.5	−4.3
	Whig	Samson Ricardo[22]	200	48.5	+4.3
Majority			12	3.0	−8.6
Turnout			412	85.5	+4.8
Registered electors			482
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.3

General election 1847: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Peelite	Richard Godson	Unopposed
Registered electors			548
	Peelite gain from Conservative

Godson's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 5 September 1849: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Best	217	52.0	N/A
	Whig	Thomas Gisborne[23]	200	48.0	N/A
Majority			17	4.0	N/A
Turnout			417	84.4	N/A
Registered electors			494
	Conservative gain from Peelite		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Lowe	246	61.8	N/A
	Conservative	John Best (politician, born 1821)	152	38.2	N/A
Majority			94	23.6	N/A
Turnout			398	80.4	N/A
Registered electors			495
	Whig gain from Peelite		Swing	N/A

Lowe was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 14 August 1855: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Lowe	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Lowe	234	61.6	−0.2
	Conservative	William Boycott[24]	146	38.4	+0.2
Majority			88	23.2	−0.4
Turnout			380	75.7	−4.7
Registered electors			502
	Whig hold		Swing	−0.2

General election 1859: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alfred Rhodes Bristow	216	51.1	−10.5
	Conservative	John Walter Huddleston[3]	207	48.9	+10.5
Majority			9	2.2	−21.0
Turnout			423	86.9	+11.2
Registered electors			487
	Liberal hold		Swing	−10.5

Elections in the 1860s

Bristow resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 27 May 1862: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Luke White	229	51.1	0.0
	Conservative	John Gilbert Talbot[25]	219	48.9	0.0
Majority			10	2.2	0.0
Turnout			448	90.9	+4.0
Registered electors			493
	Liberal hold		Swing	0.0

General election 1865: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Grant	285	51.4	+2.5
	Liberal	Luke White	270	48.6	−2.5
Majority			15	2.8	N/A
Turnout			555	90.7	+3.8
Registered electors			612
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+2.5

General election 1868: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Lea	1,262	61.1	+12.5
	Conservative	William Makins[26]	802	38.9	−12.5
Majority			460	22.2	N/A
Turnout			2,064	88.9	−1.8
Registered electors			2,323
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.5

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Albert Grant	1,509	51.9	+13.0
	Liberal	Thomas Lea	1,398	48.1	−13.0
Majority			111	3.8	N/A
Turnout			2,907	85.7	−3.2
Registered electors			3,394
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+13.0

The election was declared void on petition.

By-election, 1 Aug 1874: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Fraser	1,651	55.6	+3.7
	Liberal	George Harris Lea[27]	1,318	44.4	−3.7
Majority			333	11.2	+7.4
Turnout			2,969	87.5	+1.8
Registered electors			3,394
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.7

Elections in the 1880s

John Brinton

General election 1880: Kidderminster ^{[21][page needed]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Brinton	1,795	54.9	+6.8
	Conservative	Albert Grant	1,472	45.1	−6.8
Majority			323	9.8	N/A
Turnout			3,267	90.6	+4.9
Registered electors			3,606
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	6.8

Immediately following the election, upon discovering his election agent had been reported for bribery at a previous election, Brinton resigned to seek re-election at a by-election.

By-election, 8 May 1880: Kidderminster ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Brinton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1885: Kidderminster ^[28][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Brinton	2,172	51.9	−3.0
	Conservative	Augustus Godson	2,014	48.1	+3.0
Majority			158	3.8	−6.0
Turnout			4,186	92.9	+2.3
Registered electors			4,506
	Liberal hold		Swing	−3.0

Wilfred Blunt

General election 1886: Kidderminster ^[28][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Augustus Godson	2,081	53.7	+5.6
	Liberal	Wilfrid Blunt	1,796	46.3	−5.6
Majority			285	7.4	N/A
Turnout			3,877	86.0	−6.9
Registered electors			4,506
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+5.6

Elections in the 1890s

Richard Eve

General election 1892: Kidderminster ^[28][29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Augustus Godson	2,066	53.4	−0.3
	Liberal	Richard Eve	1,801	46.6	+0.3
Majority			265	6.8	−0.6
Turnout			3,867	91.3	+5.3
Registered electors			4,236
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.3

General election 1895: Kidderminster ^[28][29][30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Augustus Godson	2,008	54.0	+0.6
	Liberal	Richard Eve	1,713	46.0	−0.6
Majority			295	8.0	+1.2
Turnout			3,721	88.7	−2.6
Registered electors			4,195
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.3

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Kidderminster ^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Augustus Godson	1,950	51.9	−2.1
	Liberal	Edmund Barnard	1,804	48.1	+2.1
Majority			146	3.8	−4.2
Turnout			3,754	87.5	−1.2
Registered electors			4,289
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.1

Edmund Barnard

General election 1906: Kidderminster ^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edmund Barnard	2,354	53.1	+5.0
	Conservative	Stanley Baldwin	2,083	46.9	−5.0
Majority			271	6.2	N/A
Turnout			4,437	94.5	+7.0
Registered electors			4,697
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+5.0

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Kidderminster ^[28][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Knight	2,353	54.3	+7.4
	Liberal	Edward Fraser	1,984	45.7	−7.4
Majority			369	8.6	N/A
Turnout			4,337	94.7	+0.2
Registered electors			4,579
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+7.4

General election December 1910: Kidderminster ^[28][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Eric Knight	2,188	52.2	−2.1
	Liberal	Edmund Barnard	2,003	47.8	+2.1
Majority			185	4.4	−4.2
Turnout			4,191	91.5	−3.2
Registered electors			4,579
	Conservative hold		Swing	−2.1

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: Eric Knight

General election 1918: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Eric Knight	13,497	58.0	+5.8
	Labour	John Baker	9,760	42.0	New
Majority			3,737	16.0	+11.6
Turnout			23,257	58.4	−33.1
Registered electors			39,798
	Unionist hold		Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Wardlaw-Milne	19,711	68.2	+10.2
	Labour	John Hutchinson Bruce	9,203	31.8	−10.2
Majority			10,508	36.4	+20.4
Turnout			28,914	70.0	+11.6
Registered electors			41,286
	Unionist hold		Swing	+10.2

Henry Purchase

General election 1923: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Wardlaw-Milne	15,469	53.1	−15.1
	Liberal	Henry Purchase	9,663	33.2	New
	Labour	Louis Tolley	3,990	13.7	−18.1
Majority			5,806	19.9	−16.5
Turnout			29,122	69.4	−0.6
Registered electors			41,939
	Unionist hold		Swing	+1.5

General election 1924: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Wardlaw-Milne	18,040	59.1	+6.0
	Labour	J. Clifford Leigh	6,792	22.3	+8.6
	Liberal	Henry Purchase	5,667	18.6	−14.6
Majority			11,248	36.8	+16.9
Turnout			30,499	71.3	+1.9
Registered electors			42,770
	Unionist hold		Swing	−1.3

General election 1929: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Wardlaw-Milne	21,643	48.1	−11.0
	Labour	Frank G. Lloyd	12,246	27.3	+5.0
	Liberal	John William Hughes	11,050	24.6	+6.0
Majority			9,397	20.8	−16.0
Turnout			44,939	75.6	+4.3
Registered electors			59,421
	Unionist hold		Swing	−8.0

Elections in the 1930s

Jessie Stephen

General election 1931: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Wardlaw-Milne	33,359	77.3	+29.2
	Labour	Jessie Stephen	9,814	22.7	−4.6
Majority			23,545	54.6	+33.8
Turnout			43,173	69.0	−6.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+16.8

General election 1935: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Wardlaw-Milne	28,494	69.5	−7.8
	Labour	Charles Coombes	12,485	30.5	+7.8
Majority			16,009	39.0	−15.6
Turnout			40,979	60.2	−8.8
	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;

• Conservative: John Wardlaw-Milne

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Kidderminster^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Louis Tolley	34,421	55.8	+25.3
	Conservative	John Wardlaw-Milne	27,272	44.2	−25.3
Majority			7,149	11.6	N/A
Turnout			61,693	70.7	+10.5
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+25.3

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Kidderminster^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerald Nabarro	22,950	49.96	+5.75
	Labour	Louis Tolley	19,145	41.67	−14.12
	Liberal	John Maurice Eccles	3,844	8.37	New
Majority			3,805	8.29	N/A
Turnout			45,939	84.08	+13.37
Registered electors			56,640
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.94

General election 1951: Kidderminster^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerald Nabarro	25,483	55.63	+5.67
	Labour	IA Jack Williams	20,325	44.37	+2.70
Majority			5,158	11.26	+2.97
Turnout			45,808	83.02	−1.06
Registered electors			55,179
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.49

General election 1955: Kidderminster^[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerald Nabarro	26,142	59.33	+3.70
	Labour	IA Jack Williams	17,918	40.67	−3.70
Majority			8,341	18.66	+7.40
Turnout			38,307	81.07	−1.95
Registered electors			47,254
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.70

General election 1959: Kidderminster^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gerald Nabarro	27,699	60.14	+0.81
	Labour	Joan Tomlinson	18,356	39.86	−0.81
Majority			9,343	20.28	+1.62
Turnout			46,055	79.10	−1.97
Registered electors			58,223
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.81

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Kidderminster^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tatton Brinton	24,425	50.75	−9.41
	Labour	George W Jones	17,571	36.51	−3.35
	Liberal	Lionel A King	5,824	12.10	New
	British and Commonwealth Party	Miles S Blair	310	0.64	New
Majority			6,854	14.24	−6.05
Turnout			48,130	79.41	+0.31
Registered electors			60,606
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.03

General election 1966: Kidderminster^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tatton Brinton	24,628	51.99	+1.24
	Labour	John W Wardle	21,451	45.28	+8.77
	Independent	Reginald Smith	1,292	2.73	New
Majority			3,177	6.71	−7.53
Turnout			47,371	75.57	−3.84
Registered electors			62,688
	Conservative hold		Swing	−3.77

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Kidderminster^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Tatton Brinton	27,667	51.75
	Labour	Graham F Smith	18,297	34.22
	Liberal	H Brian Lamb	7,502	14.03
Majority			9,370	17.53
Turnout			53,466	73.84
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Kidderminster^[1][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Esmond Bulmer	27,065	42.50	−9.25
	Labour	Reginald Jones	18,380	28.87	−5.35
	Liberal	Anthony Batchelor	18,230	28.63	+14.60
Majority			8,685	13.63	−3.90
Turnout			63,675	81.22	+7.38
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Kidderminster^[1][41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Esmond Bulmer	25,602	43.27	+0.77
	Labour	Reginald Jones	18,833	31.83	+2.96
	Liberal	Anthony Batchelor	14,733	24.90	−3.73
Majority			6,769	11.44	−2.20
Turnout			59,168	74.95	−6.27
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.10

General election 1979: Kidderminster^[1][42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Esmond Bulmer	33,523	53.74	+10.47
	Labour	Tony Wright	17,871	28.65	−3.18
	Liberal	Garrett Adams	9,939	15.93	−8.97
	National Front	Albert Luckman	1,052	1.69	New
Majority			15,652	25.09	+13.65
Turnout			62,385	77.56	+2.61
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.82