Westhoughton (UK Parliament constituency)

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Westhoughton
Type = County
Year = 1885
Abolition = 1918
members = one

Westhoughton was a parliamentary constituency in Lancashire. Centred on the former mining and cotton town of Westhoughton, it returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election.

History and Boundaries

1885 - 1918

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the existing constituency of South East Lancashire into eight single-member seats. The new seat of South-East Lancashire, Westhoughton Division comprised an area surrounding, but not including, the town of Bolton. [cite web |url=http://www.londonancestor.com/maps/bc-lanc-se.htm |title=South East Lancashire, New Divisions of County (Map) |accessdate=2008-09-28 |author=Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales |date=1885 |work=Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales |publisher=londonancestor.com] It consisted of the towns of Aspull, Blackrod, Horwich, Little Lever, Turton and Westhoughton, and the surrounding townships of Anglezarke, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Darcy Lever, Edgeworth, Entwistle, Great Lever, Harwood, Heaton, Longworth, Lostock, Middle Hulton, Over Hulton, Quarlton and Rivington, plus the parts of Rumworth, Sharples and Tonge with Haulgh outside the Parliamentary Borough of Bolton. [Seventh Schedule, "Counties At Large, Number Of Members And Names And Contents Of Divisions", Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (C.23)] F A Youngs Jr., "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England", Vol.II: Northern England, London 1991]

1918 - 1950

The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised parliamentary seats throughout Great Britain. Constituencies were redefined in terms of the urban and rural districts created by the Local Government Act 1894. Lancashire, Westhoughton Division consisted of five adjoining urban districts: Aspull, Blackrod, Hindley, Horwich and Westhoughton. ["Ninth Schedule: Redistribution of Seats", Representation of the People Act 1918 (C.5)]

1950 - 1983

The next redrawing of English constituencies was effected by the Representation of the People Act 1948. The Act introduced the term "county constituency". Westhoughton County Constituency was enlarged by the addition of Standish with Langtree Urban District and Wigan Rural District. ["First Schedule, Parliamentary Constituencies", Representation of the People Act 1948 (C.65)] The revised boundaries were first used at the 1950 general election, and were unchanged until abolition.

Abolition

The 1983 redistribution of seats reflected local government reforms made in 1974. The bulk of the seat became part of the parliamentary county of Greater Manchester: Blackrod, Horwich and Westhoughton formed part of the new Bolton West county constituency, Aspull and Standish part of Wigan borough constituency and Hindley was included in Leigh borough constituency. Some parishes in the north of the old constituency remained in Lancashire, and were included in Chorley county constituency ["The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983" (S.I. 1983 No.417)]

Members of Parliament

References

*Rayment-hc