Heywood (UK Parliament constituency)

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

Heywood was a county constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, it was represented by one Member of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1918.

Boundaries and History

This area had previously been represented as part of South East Lancashire division. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the former constituency into eight new seats, one of which was designated South-East Lancashire, Heywood Division. ["Schedule 7: Counties at Large, Number of Members and Names and Contents of Divisions", Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885 (C.23)]

The division comprised the municipal borough of Heywood, the cotton town of Ramsbottom, and a number of surrounding townships, namely: Ainsworth, Ashworth, Pilkington, Tottington Higher End and the rural part of the parish of Spotland. [F A Youngs Jr., "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England", Vol.II: Northern England, London, 1991]

The division was mostly industrial but it included some agriculture. The town of Heywood was the most Liberal part of the constituency. It had an engineering based economy. Ramsbottom was which was more marginal in politics. The countryside element of the constituency was Conservative inclined. Overall the division was Liberal 1885-1895, Liberal Unionist 1895-1904 and after a change of allegiance by the sitting MP was Liberal again from 1904 until the constituency was abolished in 1918.

The constituency adjoined Westhoughton to the west, Rossendale to the north, Middleton and Rochdale to the east as well as Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth, Bury, and another bit of the Middleton constituency to the south.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 abolished this constituency. The successor seat was Heywood and Radcliffe.

Members of Parliament

Elections

ources

* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/hcommons3.htm Historical list of MPs]

References

* "Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
* "British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918", compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
* "Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910". by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
* "Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918", edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
* "Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945", edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)