Bradford Central (UK Parliament constituency)

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Bradford Central
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Riding of Yorkshire
Major settlementsBradford
1885–1955
SeatsOne
Created fromBradford
Replaced byBradford North, Bradford East, Bradford South and Bradford West

Bradford Central was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held under the first-past-the-post voting system.

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, when the Redistribution of Seats Act split the two-member Bradford constituency into three single-seat divisions. It was abolished for the 1955 general election.

Political history[edit]

For most of its existence, Bradford Central was a marginal seat, initially between the Liberal Party and the Conservatives or their Liberal Unionist allies. The Liberals held it for all but eleven of the years from 1885 to 1918, after which it became a Labour-Conservative marginal. Control alternated between Labour and the Conservatives through the 1920s and 1930s, and in 1945 it became a safe seat for Labour.

Boundaries[edit]

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Bradford wards of Exchange, Lister Hills, Little Horton, North, and West.

1918–1950: The County Borough of Bradford wards of East, Exchange, Manningham, North, South, and West.

1950–1955: The County Borough of Bradford wards of Bradford Moor, Exchange, Manningham, North East, and South.

Members of Parliament[edit]

Year Member [1] Party [2][3]
1885 William Forster Liberal
1886 George Shaw-Lefevre Liberal
1895 James Wanklyn Liberal Unionist
1906 Sir George Robertson Liberal
1916 Sir James Hill Liberal
1918 Henry Ratcliffe Unionist
1922 William Leach Labour
1924 Anthony Gadie Unionist
1929 William Leach Labour
1931 George Eady Conservative
1935 William Leach Labour
1945 Maurice Webb Labour
1955 constituency abolished

Elections[edit]

Bradford Central election results

Elections in the 1880s[edit]

1885 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Edward Forster 5,275 58.6
Conservative George Motley Waud 3,732 41.4
Majority 1,543 17.2
Turnout 9,007 79.7
Registered electors 11,297
Liberal win (new seat)
By-election 21 April 1886: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Shaw-Lefevre 4,407 54.9 −3.7
Conservative Edward Hoare 3,627 45.1 +3.7
Majority 780 9.8 −4.4
Turnout 8,032 71.1 −8.6
Registered electors 11,297
Liberal hold
1886 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Shaw-Lefevre 4,410 52.7 −2.2
Liberal Unionist Charles Norwood 3,951 47.3 +2.2
Majority 459 5.4 −4.4
Turnout 8,361 74.0 +2.9
Registered electors 11,297
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s[edit]

1892 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Shaw-Lefevre 4,710 52.6 −0.1
Liberal Unionist Marquess of Lorne 4,245 47.4 +0.1
Majority 465 5.2 −0.2
Turnout 8,955 78.3 +4.3
Registered electors 11,434
Liberal hold
By-election, 23 August 1892: Bradford Central[2][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Shaw-Lefevre Unopposed
Liberal hold
1895 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist James Wanklyn 4,024 50.3 +2.9
Liberal George Shaw-Lefevre 3,983 49.7 −2.9
Majority 41 0.6 N/A
Turnout 7,917 77.6 −0.7
Registered electors 10,316
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +2.9

Elections in the 1900s[edit]

1900 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist James Wanklyn 4,634 53.6 +3.3
Liberal A. Anderton 4,007 46.4 −3.3
Majority 627 7.2 +6.6
Turnout 8,641 82.8 +5.2
Registered electors 10,442
Liberal Unionist hold
1906 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir George Scott Robertson 4,954 57.8 +4.2
Conservative Vicary Gibbs[5] 3,614 42.2 −4.2
Majority 1,340 15.6 N/A
Turnout 8,568 85.9 +3.1
Registered electors 9,978
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing 4.2

Elections in the 1910s[edit]

January 1910 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir George Scott Robertson 5,249 59.3 +1.5
Liberal Unionist Viscount Howick 3,608 40.7 −1.5
Majority 1,641 18.6 +3.0
Turnout 8,857 89.9 +4.0
Registered electors 9,848
Liberal hold
December 1910 general election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir George Scott Robertson 4,677 58.0 −1.3
Conservative G. H. R. Pauling 3,381 42.0 +1.3
Majority 1,296 16.0 −2.6
Turnout 8,058 81.8 −8.1
Registered electors 9,848
Liberal hold
1916 by-election: Bradford Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir James Hill, Bt Unopposed
Liberal hold
1918 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Henry Butler Ratcliffe 12,434 51.0 +9.0
Labour William Leach 7,636 31.3 New
Liberal Sir James Hill, Bt 4,304 17.7 −40.3
Majority 4,798 19.7 N/A
Turnout 24,374 54.7 −27.1
Registered electors 44,549
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +27.7
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s[edit]

1922 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Leach 14,296 42.4 +11.1
Unionist Fred Denby Moore 12,171 36.1 −14.9
Liberal Rev. William Paxton 7,250 21.5 +3.8
Majority 2,125 6.3 N/A
Turnout 33,717 75.4 +20.7
Registered electors 44,689
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +13.0
1923 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Leach 14,241 44.6 +1.8
Unionist Jonas Pearson 9,725 30.4 −5.7
Liberal Rev. William Paxton 7,973 25.0 +3.5
Majority 4,516 14.2 +7.9
Turnout 31,939 71.0 −4.4
Registered electors 44,991
Labour hold
1924 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Anthony Gadie 17,854 51.7 +21.3
Labour William Leach 16,652 48.3 +3.7
Majority 1,202 3.4 N/A
Turnout 34,506 76.5 +5.5
Registered electors 45,127
Unionist gain from Labour Swing +8.8
1929 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Leach 24,876 59.0 +10.7
Unionist Anthony Gadie 17,265 41.0 −10.7
Majority 7,611 18.9 N/A
Turnout 42,141 80.0 +3.5
Registered electors 52,674
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +10.7

Elections in the 1930s[edit]

1931 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Eady 24,986 61.4 +20.4
Labour William Leach 15,697 38.6 −20.4
Majority 9,289 22.8 N/A
Turnout 40,673 78.2 −1.8
Registered electors 51,996
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +20.4
1935 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Leach 16,397 51.8 +13.2
Conservative George Eady 15,241 48.2 −13.2
Majority 1,156 3.6 N/A
Turnout 31,638 66.0 −12.2
Registered electors 47,906
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +13.2

Elections in the 1940s[edit]

1945 general election: Bradford Central[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maurice Webb 16,764 57.5 +6.7
Conservative T. L. Dallas 7,776 26.6 −21.6
Liberal Peter Edward Trench 4,655 15.9 New
Majority 8,988 30.9 +27.3
Turnout 29,205 76.2 +10.2
Registered electors 38,331
Labour hold

Elections in the 1950s[edit]

1950 general election: Bradford Central[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maurice Webb 24,822 58.7 +1.2
Conservative T. Boyce 13,375 31.7 +5.1
Liberal Charles Frederick Sarsby 4,063 9.6 −6.3
Majority 11,447 27.1 −3.8
Turnout 42,260 84.6 +8.4
Registered electors 49,935
Labour hold
1951 general election: Bradford Central[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Maurice Webb 25,215 60.7 +2.0
Conservative Arthur Tiley 16,343 39.3 +7.6
Majority 8,872 21.4 −5.7
Turnout 41,558 83.7 −0.9
Registered electors 49,625
Labour hold

References[edit]

  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 79. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 99. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  4. ^ The by-election in 1892 was caused by the appointment of George Shaw-Lefevre to the ministerial post of First Commissioner of Works. Until the 1920s, appointment as a minister required an MP to seek re-election.
  5. ^ Vicary Gibbs had been the MP for St Albans from 1892 to 1904
  6. ^ "UK General Election results February 1950, part 4". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  7. ^ "UK General Election results October 1951, part 4". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1974)
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