Chigwell was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
| Chigwell | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1955–February 1974 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | Chelmsford and Woodford |
| Replaced by | Brentwood and Ongar and Epping Forest |
History
The constituency was created for the 1955 general election as a result of the First Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. The seat was abolished by the Second Review for the February 1974 general election when the bulk of the electorate formed the basis of the new constituency of Epping Forest, together with parts of the abolished constituency of Epping.
Boundaries
The constituency consisted of the Urban District of Chigwell (transferred from Woodford) and the Rural District of Ongar (transferred from Chelmsford).[1]
On abolition, Chigwell, which comprised the bulk of the constituency, was included in the new constituency of Epping Forest and the Rural District of Ongar (now part of the merged Rural District of Epping and Ongar) was included in the new constituency of Brentwood and Ongar. A small part in the south (part of Hainault) had been absorbed into the London Borough of Redbridge on its creation within Greater London and was now added to Ilford North.
Members of Parliament
| Year | Member | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | John Biggs-Davison | Conservative | ||
| 1974 | constituency abolished | |||
Elections
Elections in the 1950s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 19,503 | 52.5 | ||
| Labour Co-op | Douglas Clark | 17,628 | 47.5 | ||
| Majority | 1,875 | 5.0 | |||
| Turnout | 37,131 | 79.7 | |||
| Conservative win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 23,422 | 56.7 | +4.2 | |
| Labour | Tony Harman | 17,860 | 43.3 | −4.2 | |
| Majority | 5,562 | 13.4 | +8.4 | ||
| Turnout | 41,282 | 82.2 | +2.5 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.2 | |||
Elections in the 1960s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 20,699 | 47.3 | −9.4 | |
| Labour | Eric Moonman | 16,978 | 38.8 | −4.4 | |
| Liberal | Gudrun Claire Collis | 6,058 | 13.9 | New | |
| Majority | 3,721 | 8.5 | −4.9 | ||
| Turnout | 43,735 | 81.9 | −0.3 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 20,906 | 47.2 | −0.1 | |
| Labour | Eric Deakins | 18,338 | 41.4 | +2.6 | |
| Liberal | Gudrun Claire Collis | 5,007 | 11.3 | −2.6 | |
| Majority | 2,568 | 5.8 | −2.7 | ||
| Turnout | 44,251 | 81.3 | −0.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −1.4 | |||
Elections in the 1970s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Biggs-Davison | 26,404 | 59.5 | +12.3 | |
| Labour | William J Sheaff | 17,972 | 40.5 | −0.9 | |
| Majority | 8,432 | 19.0 | +13.2 | ||
| Turnout | 44,376 | 72.7 | −8.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +6.6 | |||