Altrincham by-election, 1913

The Altrincham by-election was held on May 28, 1913. The contest took place following the resignation of John Robert Kebty-Fletcher, the sitting Conservative member of parliament for Altrincham.

Kebty-Fletcher had won the seat from the Liberal Party at the previous general election in December 1910 with a slim majority of 119 votes. The Liberals had formed a minority government with the support of Irish Nationalists. As the price of Nationalist support the government was attempting to introduce Home Rule for Ireland. The government majority had been reduced from 126 to 106 following the loss of a string of by-elections since December 1910. The Liberals hoped to reverse this trend by regaining the Altrincham seat"Altrincham Result, Great Rise in Unionist Majority", The Times, May 30, 1913, p.8]

On May 2, the candidates for the by-election were selected. The Altrincham Conservative Association chose George C Hamilton of Knutsford, while the Liberals nominated the Honorable Lawrence Kay-Shuttleworth, eldest son of Lord Shuttleworth, Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire. ["Altricham Contest - Selection of the Party Candidates", The Times, May 3, 1913, p.10] The writ for the by-election was moved on May 8, and the date for the election was set as May 28. The delay was due to allow for the week-long Whitsun holiday enjoyed by Manchester workers. ["Parliament", The Times, May 9, 1913, p.11] "Altrincham Polling Day", The Times, May 10, 1913, p.8]

One of the main issues in the contest was Home Rule The Irish Nationalist leaders John Redmond and T P O'Connor urged Irish voters to support Kay-Shuttleworth. Hamilton spoke out in support of the Ulster Unionists who were threatening armed insurrection to resist devolution. ["The Altrincham Election- Manifesto for Irish Voters", The Times, May 9, 1913, p.12] This led to the Manchester Guardian launching an attack on the Conservative candidate as a "revolutionist". ["Altrincham Issues", The Times, May 23, 1913, p.10] The apparent lack of support for Hamilton by Kebty-Fletcher, and his treatment by the local Conservative Party caused some controversy, although he eventually issued a letter discounting the story. The Altrincham Trades Council called on workers to vote against Hamilton, who as a major employer refused to pay union rates. ["Hecklers at Altricham", The Times, May 21, 1913, p.8]

Results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = George C Hamilton
votes = 9,409
percentage = 53.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Hon. L Kay-Shuttleworth
votes = 8,147
percentage = 46.7
change = Election box majority
votes = 1,262
percentage = 6.9
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing =

The Conservatives easily held the seat with a greatly increased majority. This was however partly explained by an increase in the electorate of 1,939 voters since 1910. Nevertheless the result was deeply disappointing for the government. In contrast, Unionists were delighted, and Lord Londonderry, President of the Ulster Unionist Council sent a message of congratulation to Hamilton.

Hamilton held the seat for ten years, losing to a Liberal candidate at the 1923 general election.

References