Newcastle-upon-Tyne (UK Parliament constituency)

Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Former Borough constituency; for the House of Commons
County	Northumberland
Major settlements	Newcastle upon Tyne
1283–1918
Seats	Two
Replaced by	Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Newcastle upon Tyne North and Newcastle upon Tyne West

Newcastle-upon-Tyne was a parliamentary borough in the county of Northumberland of the House of Commons of England from 1283 to 1706, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the bloc vote system.

Newcastle first sent Members to Parliament in 1283, although it was not always possible to act upon the writ of summons, which was disregarded on at least four occasions (1315, 1327, 1332 and 1337) because of warfare with the Scots.^[1]

The constituency was abolished in 1918, being split into four divisions; Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, Newcastle-upon-Tyne North and Newcastle-upon-Tyne West.^[2]

Boundaries

The constituency was based upon the town, later city, of Newcastle upon Tyne in the historic county of Northumberland in North East England. In 1848, the constituency boundaries were described in A Topographical Dictionary of England.^[3]

The borough first exercised the elective franchise in the 23rd of Edward the First, since which time it has returned two members to parliament: the present electoral limits are co-extensive with those of the county of the town, comprising 5730 acres; the old boundaries, which were abrogated in 1832, included 2700 acres only.

When the House of Commons debated the boundaries to be used from 1832, the Tory Party suggested including Gateshead (to the south) and South Shields (to the east) within the Newcastle-upon-Tyne constituency. The Whigs resisted this idea, so these two neighbouring settlements were not incorporated into this seat.^[4]

The contents of the parliamentary borough, as defined by the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 (2 and 3 Wm. 4, c. 64) were:

The Town and County of the Town of Newcastle and the several Townships of Byker, Heaton, Jesmond, Westgate, and Elswick.^[5]^[6]

The boundaries remained unchanged from 1832 until the area was divided into single member constituencies in 1918.^[7] These were not necessarily identical to the boundaries used for local government purposes.

In the period after 1885, the constituency was surrounded by Wansbeck to the west and north, Tyneside to the north east and east, Jarrow to the south east, Gateshead to the south, and Chester-le-Street to the south west.^[8]

Members of Parliament

Party affiliations are derived from Stook Smith and Craig (see reference section below). Tory is used prior to the 1835 general election and Conservative from that time. Liberal candidates (as listed by Craig) before the formal creation of the party, shortly after the 1859 general election, are listed as Whig or Radical if the information is available in the work by Stooks Smith.

MPs, who were known by the same name, are distinguished in the table below and the election results by a number in brackets after the name. It is not suggested that such numbers were used by contemporaries of the individuals so numbered.

MPs 1336–1660

Parliament	First member	Second member
1336	William Acton (senior)^[9]
1378	William Bishopdale^[10]
1381	William Bishopdale^[10]
1386	John Howell	Laurence Acton^[11]
1388 (February)	William Bishopdale	Sampson Hardyng^[11]
1388 (September)	Henry Carlisle	Stephen Whitgray^[11]
1390 (January)	William Bishopdale	Stephen Whitgray^[11]
1390 (November)
1391	William Bishopdale	Laurence Acton^[11]
1393	John Morton	Richard/William Langton^[11]
1394	Henry Carlisle	Thomas Diringdon^[11]
1395	John Morton	William Langton^[11]
1397 (January)	William Redmarshall	Sampson Hardyng^[11]
1397 (September)	William Redmarshall	Laurence Acton^[11]
1399	Roger Thornton	Laurence Acton^[11]
1401
1402	Robert Darcy	Richard Beverley^[11]
1404 (January)
1404 (October)
1406	John Paulyn	Robert Hebburn^[11]
1407	William Johnson	William Langton^[11]
1410
1411	Roger Thornton	Roger Booth^[11]
1413 (February)
1413 (May)	Richard Dalton	Robert Whelpington^[11]
1414 (April)	William Middleton	Robert Swinburne^[11]
1414 (November)	William Johnson	Robert Whelpington^[11]
1415	Roger Booth	Robert Whelpington^[11]
1416 (March)	Roger Booth	Thomas Hebburn^[11]
1416 (October)
1417	Roger Thornton	John Strother^[11]
1419	Roger Thornton	John Strother^[11]
1420	Roger Booth	John Wall^[11]
1421 (May)	Emericus Hering	John Strother^[11]
1421 (December)	Roger Booth	William Ellerby^[11]
1510-1523	No names known^[12]
1529	Sir Thomas Tempest	Henry Anderson^[12]
1536	?Sir Thomas Tempest	?^[12]
1539	?
1542	?
1545	Sir Robert Bowes	Robert Brandling^[12]
1547	Sir Francis Leke	Sir Robert Brandling^[12]
1553 (March)	Robert Lewen	Bertram Anderson^[12]
1553 (October)	Sir Robert Brandling	Edward Hall^[12]
1554 (April)	Bertram Anderson	Cuthbert Horsley^[12]
1554 (November)	Bertram Anderson	John Watson^[12]
1555	Sir Robert Brandling	Cuthbert Blount^[12]
1558	Bertram Anderson	Robert Lewen^[12]
1559 (January)	Robert Lewen	Cuthbert Blount^[13]
1562 (December)	Sir Robert Brandling	Bertram Anderson^[13]
1571	William Carr	William Jenison I^[13]
1572 (April)	William Jenison I	William Selby^[13]
1584	William Jenison I	Henry Anderson^[13]
1586	Henry Anderson	Edward Lewen^[13]
1588 (October)	Henry Anderson	Henry Mitford^[13]
1593	Henry Anderson	Henry Mitford^[13]
1597 (October)	Henry Chapman	Henry Lindley^[13]
1601 (October)	William Jenison II	George Selby^[13]
1604	George Selby	Henry Chapman
1614	Henry Anderson	William Jenison II
1621	Henry Anderson	Sir Thomas Ridell
1624	Sir Peter Riddel	Sir Henry Anderson
1625	Sir Thomas Ridell	Sir Henry Anderson
1626	Sir Peter Riddel	Sir Henry Anderson
1628	Sir Peter Riddel	Sir Thomas Ridell
1629–1640	No Parliaments convened
1640 (April)	Sir Peter Riddel	Thomas Liddel
1640 (November)	Sir Henry Anderson, disabled 1643	John Blakiston
1645	Sir Henry Anderson	John Blakiston, replaced 1647 by Robert Ellison)
1648	Robert Ellison)	John Blakiston, died 1649
1654	Sir Arthur Hesilrige	(One seat only)
1656	Walter Strickland	(One seat only)
1659	Mark Shaftoe (of Newcastle)	Thomas Lilburne

MPs 1660–1918

Election	1st member		1st party		2nd party
1660		Robert Ellison		Sir Francis Anderson
1661		Sir John Marlay
1673		Sir William Blackett, Bt (1)
1679		Sir William Blackett, Bt (1)		Sir Ralph Carr
1680		Sir Nathaniel Johnson		Sir Ralph Carr
1685		Sir Nathaniel Johnson		Sir William Blackett, Bt (2)
1689		Sir Ralph Carr	Tory	Sir William Blackett, Bt (2)
1690		Sir Ralph Carr	Tory	William Carr (1)	Tory
1695		Sir William Blackett, Bt (2)	Whig
1700		Sir Henry Liddell, Bt	Whig
1705		Sir William Blackett, Bt (2)	Whig
1706		Sir Henry Liddell, Bt	Whig
1710		Sir William Blackett, Bt (3) died 1728; declared not duly elected in 1727, in 1729		William Wrightson
1722				William Carr (2)
1727^[14]				Nicholas Fenwick
1729 on petition		William Carr (2)
1734		Sir Walter Calverley-Blackett, Bt
1747^[15]				Matthew Ridley
1774				Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bt (1)
1777		Sir John Trevelyan, Bt
1780		Andrew Robinson Stoney
1784		Charles Brandling	Tory^[16]		Whig^[16]
1798 by-election		Charles John Brandling	Tory^[16]		Whig^[16]
1812		Sir Matthew White Ridley, Bt (2)	Whig^[16]^[17]	Cuthbert Ellison	Whig^[16]
1830				John Hodgson	Tory^[16]
1834				John Hodgson	Conservative^[16]
1835				William Ord	Whig^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]
1836 by-election		John Hodgson John Hodgson-Hinde from August 1836	Conservative^[16]
1847		Thomas Emerson Headlam	Whig^[21]^[22]^[23]
1852				John Blackett	Whig^[24]
1856 by-election				George Ridley	Whig^[25]^[26]
1859			Liberal	George Ridley	Liberal
1860				Somerset Beaumont	Liberal
1865				Sir Joseph Cowen (1)	Liberal
1874 by-election				Joseph Cowen (2)	Liberal
1874		Charles Frederick Hamond	Conservative
1880		Ashton Wentworth Dilke	Liberal
1883 by-election		John Morley	Liberal
1885					Independent Liberal
1886				James Craig	Liberal
1892				Sir Charles Frederick Hamond	Conservative
1895		William Cruddas	Conservative	Sir Charles Frederick Hamond	Conservative
1900		Sir Walter Richard Plummer	Conservative	George Renwick	Conservative
1906		Walter Hudson	Labour	Thomas Cairns	Liberal
1908 by-election				George Renwick	Conservative
1910 (January)				Edward Shortt	Liberal
1918	Constituency abolished

Elections

The bloc vote electoral system was used in elections to fill two seats and first past the post for single member by-elections. Each voter had up to as many votes as there were seats to be filled. Votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings (until the secret ballot was introduced in 1872).

Note on percentage change calculations: Where there was only one candidate of a party in successive elections, for the same number of seats, change is calculated on the party percentage vote. Where there was more than one candidate, in one or both successive elections for the same number of seats, then change is calculated on the individual percentage vote (if applicable).

The reference to some candidates as Non Partisan does not, necessarily, mean that they did not have a party allegiance. It means that the sources consulted did not specify a party allegiance.

Before the Representation of the People Act 1832, the borough had an electorate limited to its freemen. There were about 2,500 voters in the second half of the 18th century.^[27]

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s –1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s

Elections of the 1710s

General election 1710: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Blackett (3)	1,177	44.0	N/A
	Nonpartisan	William Wrightson	886	33.2	N/A
	Nonpartisan	William Carr (2)	609	22.8	N/A
Turnout			2,672	N/A	N/A

General election 1715: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Blackett (3)	639	44.0	...
	Nonpartisan	William Wrightson	550	37.9	+4.7
	Nonpartisan	James Clavering	263	18.1	N/A
Turnout			1,452	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1720s

General election 1722: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Carr (2)	1,264	38.3	N/A
	Nonpartisan	William Blackett(3)	1,158	35.9	-8.1
	Nonpartisan	William Wrightson	831	25.8	-12.1
Turnout			3,223	N/A	N/A

General election 1727: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Blackett (3)	1,202	39.9	+4.0
	Nonpartisan	Nicholas Fenwick	1,189	39.5	N/A
	Nonpartisan	William Carr (2)	620	20.6	-17.7
Turnout			3,011	N/A	N/A

Death of Blackett, in 1728
On petition Carr vice Blackett

Elections of the 1730s

General election 1734: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	1,354	42.9	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Nicholas Fenwick	1,083	34.3	-5.2
	Nonpartisan	William Carr (2)	716	22.7	-2.1
Turnout			3,153 (1,795 electors)	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1740s

General election 1741: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	1,453	32.3	-10.6
	Nonpartisan	Nicholas Fenwick	1,231	27.4	-6.9
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Ridley	1,131	25.1	N/A
	Nonpartisan	William Carr (2)	683	15.2	-7.5
Turnout			4,498 (2,391 electors)	N/A	N/A

General election 1747: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Ridley	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1750s

General election 17 April 1754: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Ridley	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1760s

General election 27 March 1761: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Ridley	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General election 21 March 1768: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Matthew Ridley	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1770s

General election 11 October 1774: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Walter Calverley-Blackett	1,432	33.2	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Sir Matthew White Ridley (1)	1,411	32.7	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Constantine Phipps	795	18.4	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Thomas Delaval	677	15.7	N/A
Turnout			4,315 (2,162 electors)	N/A	N/A

Death of Blackett

By-election 27 February 1777: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Trevelyan	1,163	52.1	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Andrew Stoney-Bowes	1,068	47.9	N/A
Majority			95	4.3	N/A
Turnout			2,231	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1780s

General election 11 September 1780: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Sir Matthew White Ridley (1)	1,408	38.8	+6.1
	Nonpartisan	Andrew Stoney-Bowes	1,135	31.3	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Thomas Delaval	1,085	29.9	+14.2
Turnout			3,628 (2,245 electors)	N/A	N/A

General election 26 April 1784: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections of the 1790s

General election 1790: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General election 1796: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Resignation of Brandling in December 1797

By-election 1798: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1800s

General election 1802: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

General election 1806: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

General election 1807: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (1)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Tory	Charles Brandling	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Elections of the 1810s

General election 1812: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Cuthbert Ellison	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Ridley succeeded as the 3rd Baronet, upon the death of his father (and predecessor as MP) in 1813

General election 1818: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Cuthbert Ellison	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

General election 1818: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Cuthbert Ellison	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Elections of the 1820s

General election 1820: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	616	47.0	*N/A*
	Whig	Cuthbert Ellison	477	36.4	*N/A*
	Tory	John Scott	217	16.6	New
Majority			260	17.8	N/A
Turnout			1,310 (731 electors)	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing
	Whig hold		Swing

General election 1826: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*
	Whig	Cuthbert Ellison	Unopposed	*N/A*	*N/A*

Elections of the 1830s

General election 1830: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[16]^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed
	Tory	John Hodgson	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 5,000
	Whig hold
	Tory gain from Whig

General election 1831: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[16]^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	Unopposed
	Tory	John Hodgson	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 5,000
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

General election 1832: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[16]^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	2,112	43.2
	Tory	John Hodgson	1,686	34.5
	Radical	Charles Attwood	1,092	22.3
Turnout			2,850	73.0
Registered electors			3,905
Majority			426	8.7
	Whig hold
Majority			594	12.2
	Tory hold

General election 1835: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[16]^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Ord	1,843	33.0	+11.4
	Whig	Matthew White Ridley (2)	1,499	26.8	+5.2
	Conservative	John Hodgson	1,254	22.5	−12.0
	Radical	James Aytoun	988	17.7	−4.6
Majority			245	4.3	−4.4
Turnout			3,107	76.6	+3.6
Registered electors			4,054
	Whig hold		Swing	+8.7
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	+5.6

Ridley's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 27 July 1836: Newcastle-upon-Tyne^[16]^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hodgson	1,576	50.8	+28.3
	Whig	Christopher Blackett	1,528	49.2	−10.6
Majority			48	1.6	N/A
Turnout			3,104	75.5	−1.1
Registered electors			4,110
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+19.5

General election 1837: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[16]^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Ord	1,792	29.4	−3.6
	Conservative	John Hodgson-Hinde	1,701	27.9	+16.7
	Whig	Charles John Bigge	1,187	19.5	−7.3
	Conservative	John Blenkinsopp Coulson^[30]	1,127	18.5	+7.3
	Chartist	Augustus Harding Beaumont^[31]	290	4.8	New
Turnout			3,173	69.2	−7.4
Registered electors			4,582
Majority			91	1.5	−2.8
	Whig hold		Swing	−6.0
Majority			514	8.4	N/A
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+11.1

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Hodgson-Hinde	Unopposed
	Whig	William Ord	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,124
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

General election 1847: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Ord	2,196	36.2	*N/A*
	Whig	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,068	34.1	*N/A*
	Conservative	Richard Hodgson^[32]	1,680	27.7	N/A
Majority			388	6.4	N/A
Turnout			3,812 (est)	72.7 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			5,245
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Blackett	2,418	37.9	*N/A*
	Whig	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,172	34.0	−0.1
	Whig	William Henry Watson^[33]^[34]	1,795	28.1	N/A
Majority			377	5.9	+1.5
Turnout			3,193 (est)	60.6 (est)	−12.1
Registered electors			5,269
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Blackett resigned due to ill health, causing a by-election.^[35]

By-election, 5 February 1856: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1 seat)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Ridley	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Ridley	2,445	39.1	+1.2
	Whig	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,133	34.1	+0.1
	Conservative	Peter Carstairs^[36]	1,673	26.8	New
Majority			460	7.3	+1.4
Turnout			3,962 (est)	66.5 (est)	+5.9
Registered electors			5,962
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1859: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,688	46.1	+12.0
	Liberal	George Ridley	2,679	46.0	+6.9
	Liberal	Peter Alfred Taylor	462	7.9	N/A
Majority			2,217	38.1	+30.8
Turnout			2,915 (est)	48.5 (est)	−18.0
Registered electors			6,008
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Headlam was appointed Judge-Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 28 June 1859: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1 seat) ^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,153	56.0	+9.9
	Conservative	William Cuthbert^[37]	1,086	28.2	New
Majority			1,067	27.8	−10.3
Turnout			3,846	64.0	+15.5
Registered electors			6,008
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

Ridley resigned after being appointed a Copyhold, Inclosure and Tithe Commissioner.

By-election, 7 December 1860: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1 seat) ^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Somerset Beaumont	2,346	61.0	*N/A*
	Independent Liberal	Peter Carstairs^[38]^[39]	1,500	39.0	New
Majority			846	22.0	−16.1
Turnout			3,846	70.2	+21.7
Registered electors			5,475
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1865: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Cowen	2,941	39.3	*N/A*
	Liberal	Thomas Emerson Headlam	2,477	33.1	−13.0
	Liberal	Somerset Beaumont	2,060	27.5	−18.5
Majority			417	5.6	−32.5
Turnout			3,739 (est)	56.4 (est)	+7.9
Registered electors			6,630
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1868: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Cowen	7,057	42.9	+3.6
	Liberal	Thomas Emerson Headlam	6,674	40.6	+7.5
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	2,725	16.6	New
Majority			3,949	24.0	+18.4
Turnout			9,591 (est)	51.7 (est)	−4.7
Registered electors			18,557
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

Cowen's death caused a by-election, at which his son was elected.

By-election, 17 Jan 1874: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1 seat)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Cowen	7,356	53.7	−29.8
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	6,353	46.3	+29.7
Majority			1,003	7.4	−16.6
Turnout			13,709	64.0	+12.3
Registered electors			21,407
	Liberal hold		Swing	−29.8

General election 1874: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Cowen	8,464	40.8	−2.1
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	6,479	31.2	+14.6
	Liberal	Thomas Emerson Headlam	5,807	28.0	−12.6
Turnout			13,615 (est)	63.6 (est)	+11.9
Registered electors			21,407
Majority			1,985	9.6	−14.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.7
Majority			672	3.2	N/A
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+14.7

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Cowen	11,766	42.9	+2.1
	Liberal	Ashton Wentworth Dilke	10,404	37.9	+9.9
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	5,271	19.2	−12.0
Majority			5,133	18.7	+9.1
Turnout			17,037 (est)	71.6 (est)	+8.0
Registered electors			23,800
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.1
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+7.8

Dilke's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 26 Feb 1883: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1 seat)^[29]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Morley	9,443	56.8	−24.0
	Conservative	Gainsford Bruce^[40]	7,187	43.2	+24.0
Majority			2,256	13.6	−5.1
Turnout			16,630	62.1	−9.5 (est)
Registered electors			26,305
	Liberal hold		Swing	−24.0

General election 1885: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	Joseph Cowen	10,489	34.9	−8.0
	Liberal	John Morley	10,129	33.6	−4.3
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	9,500	31.5	+12.3
Turnout			30,478	73.0	+1.4 (est)
Registered electors			30,314
Majority			989	3.4	N/A
	Independent Liberal gain from Liberal		Swing	N/A
Majority			629	2.1	−16.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	−5.3

Cowen lost the support of the local Liberal Association during the campaign period, and Liberal supporters were urged to only vote for Morley.

Morley was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

1886 Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Morley	11,110	56.8	+23.2
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	8,449	43.2	+12.7
Majority			2,661	13.6	+11.5
Turnout			19,559	64.5	−8.5
Registered electors			30,314
	Liberal hold		Swing	+5.8

General election 1886: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Morley	10,681	26.6	−7.0
	Liberal	James Craig	10,172	25.4	*N/A*
	Liberal Unionist	William Armstrong	9,657	24.1	New
	Conservative	Matthew White Ridley	9,580	23.9	−7.6
Majority			515	1.3	−0.8
Turnout			40,090	67.3	−5.7
Registered electors			30,314
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.3
	Liberal gain from Independent Liberal		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	13,823	39.0	+15.1
	Liberal	John Morley	10,905	30.8	+4.2
	Liberal	James Craig	10,686	30.2	+4.8
Majority			3,137	8.8	N/A
Turnout			24,537 (est)	76.4	+9.1
Registered electors			32,117
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+5.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	−5.5

Morley is appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

1892 Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Morley	12,983	53.6	−7.4
	Liberal Unionist	Pandeli Ralli	11,244	46.4	+7.4
Majority			1,739	7.2	-1.6
Turnout			24,227	75.4	−1.0
Registered electors			32,117
	Liberal hold		Swing	−7.4

General election 1895: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]^[43]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Frederick Hamond	12,833	25.4	+5.9
	Conservative	William Cruddas	12,170	24.2	+4.7
	Liberal	John Morley	11,862	23.6	−7.2
	Liberal	James Craig	11,154	22.2	−8.0
	Ind. Labour Party	Fred Hammill	2,302	4.6	New
Majority			308	0.6	−8.2
Turnout			25,769 (est)	79.6	+3.2
Registered electors			32,373
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.7
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+6.0

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]^[43]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Richard Plummer	15,097	29.7	+4.3
	Conservative	George Renwick	14,752	29.0	+4.8
	Liberal	Samuel Storey	10,488	20.7	−2.9
	Liberal	Hedworth Lambton	10,463	20.6	−1.6
Majority			4,264	8.3	+7.7
Turnout			50,800	74.1	−5.5
Registered electors			34,690
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.9

General election 1906: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Repr. Cmte.	Walter Hudson	18,869	31.1	*New*
	Liberal	Thomas Cairns	18,423	30.5	+9.8
	Conservative	Walter Richard Plummer	11,942	19.8	−9.9
	Conservative	George Renwick	11,223	18.6	−10.4
Turnout			60,457	84.6	+10.5
Registered electors			36,909
Majority			6,927	11.3	N/A
	Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A
Majority			7,200	11.9	N/A
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+9.9

1908 Newcastle-upon-Tyne by-election^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Renwick	13,863	48.5	+7.1
	Liberal	Edward Shortt	11,720	41.1	+10.6
	Social Democratic Federation	Edward Hartley	2,971	10.4	New
Majority			2,143	7.4	N/A
Turnout			28,554	76.4	−8.2
Registered electors			37,389
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	−1.8

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[44]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Shortt	18,779	28.9	−1.6
	Labour	Walter Hudson	18,241	28.1	−3.0
	Conservative	Walter Richard Plummer	14,067	21.6	+1.8
	Conservative	George Renwick	13,928	21.4	+2.8
Turnout			65,015	86.1	+1.5
Registered electors			38,534
Majority			4,712	7.3	−3.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.7
Majority			4,174	6.5	−4.8
	Labour hold		Swing	−2.9

General election December 1910: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2 seats)^[41]^[42]^[44]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Shortt	16,599	28.1	−0.8
	Labour	Walter Hudson	16,447	28.0	−0.1
	Conservative	Edward Clark	12,915	22.0	+0.4
	Conservative	Jasper Nicholas Ridley	12,849	21.9	+0.5
Turnout			58,810	78.3	−7.8
Majority			3,684	6.1	−1.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	−0.6
Majority			3,598	6.1	−0.4
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.3

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

Liberal: Edward Shortt
Labour: Walter Hudson
Unionist: Walter Richard Plummer,^[45] Nicholas Grattan-Doyle^[46]

1918 by-election: Newcastle-upon-Tyne^[42]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Shortt	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Notes

References

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F. W. S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
Electoral Reform in England and Wales, by Charles Seymour (David & Charles Reprints 1970)
The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F. W. S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 1)

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