# Ormskirk (UK Parliament constituency)

Ormskirk was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as a division of the parliamentary county of Lancashire. The constituency boundaries were changed in 1918, 1950, 1955 and 1974.

## History

The constituency was a Labour - Conservative marginal for much of its history, changing hands several times between the two parties during its 98-year existence.
The seat was initially a safe Conservative seat under the influence of the Stanleys, the Earls of Derby. Indeed, the seat was held for twenty years by Arthur Stanley, a younger son of the 16th Earl. The only serious challenge by the Liberal Party in this period was in 1910 when William Lever, the leading industrialist, contested the seat. Indeed, this was the last time the Liberal Party would contest the constituency until the 1970s.
James Bell became the first non Conservative to be elected for this seat since its creation in 1885, principally due to a divided conservative vote between the Coalition Conservatives and the candidate of the National Farmers Union at the 1918 general election. Francis Blundell regained the seat for the Conservatives in 1922 but was to lose it to Labour's Sam Tom Rosbotham in 1929.
Sam Tom followed Ramsay MacDonald when the Labour Party split in 1931, and then defended the seat successfully for National Labour in both 1931 and 1935. He was succeeded in 1939 by Commander Stephen King-Hall for National Labour.
In a repeat of 1918, the election of 1945 saw future Prime Minister, Harold Wilson elected when the Conservative Party opted to stand against the National candidate, Stephen King-Hall, and split the anti Labour vote. With Harold Wilson moving in 1950 to the newly created Huyton constituency, the seat saw a succession of Conservative Members who were then moved on to the House of Lords, until the election of the much respected Colonel Douglas Glover in the 1953 by-election.
The retirement of Douglas Glover in 1970 saw the election of Harold Soref for the Conservatives who, however, was only to hold the seat for four years. Boundary changes brought in Kirkby New Town, leading to the election of Robert Kilroy-Silk for Labour.
The constituency ceased to exist with the implementation of the 1983 boundary changes. The sitting MP moved to the new Knowsley North seat.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1918

The constituency, officially designated as South-West Lancashire, Ormskirk Division consisted of the town of Ormskirk and a number of surrounding parishes, namely: Aintree, Aughton, Bickerstaffe, Croxteth Park, Dalton, Downholland, Halsall, Kirkby, Knowsley, Lathom, Litherland, Lunt, Lydiate, Maghull, Melling, Netherton, Ormskirk, Orrell and Ford, Prescot, Scarisbrick, Sefton, Simonswood, Skelmersdale & Upholland.

### 1918–1950

The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised constituencies throughout the United Kingdom. Boundaries were adjusted and seats were defined in terms of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1894. According to the schedules of the Act, the Lancashire, Ormskirk Division comprised:
* Formby Urban District
* Lathom and Burscough Urban District
* Ormskirk Urban District
* Rainford Urban District
* Skelmersdale Urban District
* Upholland Urban District
* Sefton Rural District
* West Lancashire Rural District
* The civil parish of Dalton from Wigan Rural District

### 1950–1955

The Representation of the People Act 1948 redistributed parliamentary seats, with the constituencies first being used in the general election of 1950. The term "county constituency" was introduced in place of "division". Ormskirk County Constituency was redefined as consisting of the following districts:
* Formby Urban District
* Ormskirk Urban District
* Rainford Urban District
* West Lancashire Rural District (except the parishes of Aintree and Ford)
This reflected local government boundary changes in 1931–32: Lathom & Burscough UD had been absorbed by Ormskirk UD and Sefton RD by West Lancashire RD.

### 1955–1974

Following further council boundary changes in 1954, the remaining parishes from West Lancashire RD, (Aintree and Ford), were included in the constituency from 1955.

### 1974–1983

From 1970 the seat was again redefined, to cover the urban districts of Formby, Kirkby, Ormskirk and Rainford, and West Lancashire Rural District.

## Abolition

The constituency was abolished by the Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983, which redrew constituencies based on the new counties and districts created in 1974.
The Ormskirk area became part of West Lancashire, Kirkby was included in Knowsley North, Rainford in St Helens North and Formby, Aintree and Melling in Crosby.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Arthur Forwood | Conservative |
| | 1898 by-election | Arthur Stanley | Conservative |
| | 1918 | James Bell | Labour |
| | 1922 | Francis Blundell | Conservative |
| | 1929 | Samuel Rosbotham | Labour |
| | 1931 | Samuel Rosbotham | National Labour |
| | 1939 by-election | Stephen King-Hall | National Labour |
| | 1945 | Harold Wilson | Labour |
| | 1950 | Ronald Cross | Conservative |
| | 1951 by-election | Arthur Salter | Conservative |
| | 1953 by-election | Douglas Glover | Conservative |
| | 1970 | Harold Soref | Conservative |
| | Feb 1974 | Robert Kilroy-Silk | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished: see West Lancashire, Knowsley North, St Helens North & Crosby | constituency abolished: see West Lancashire, Knowsley North, St Helens North & Crosby |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Forwood | 5,133 | 68.7 | |
| | Liberal | John Prince Sheldon | 2,343 | 31.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,790 | 37.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,476 | 85.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,714 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Forwood | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Forwood | 4,618 | 68.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | James Middlehurst | 2,101 | 31.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,517 | 37.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,719 | 70.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,553 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Forwood | 4,780 | 71.7 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Stoner | 1,885 | 28.3 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,895 | 43.4 | +6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,665 | 65.9 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,107 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
Forwood's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 20 Oct 1898: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Stanley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Stanley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Stanley | 6,207 | 61.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Climenson Yelverton Charles Dawbarn | 3,891 | 38.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,316 | 23.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,098 | 80.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,624 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Stanley | 6,919 | 59.7 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal | William Lever | 4,679 | 40.3 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,240 | 19.4 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,598 | 85.8 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election December 1910: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Stanley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1918: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Bell | 6,545 | 37.2 | New |
| | Unionist | Thomas Fermor-Hesketh | 6,080 | 34.5 | N/A |
| | National Farmers Union | Stephen Hirst | 4,989 | 28.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 465 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,614 | 61.0 | N/A |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Francis Blundell | 11,921 | 58.7 | +24.2 |
| | Labour | James Bell | 8,374 | 41.3 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,547 | 17.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,295 | 67.8 | +6.8 |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Francis Blundell | 10,598 | 53.0 | −5.7 |
| | Labour | Robert Barrie Walker | 9,388 | 47.0 | +5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,210 | 6.0 | −11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,986 | 65.7 | −2.1 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -5.7 | |
General election 1924: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Francis Blundell | 13,392 | 56.3 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Robert Barrie Walker | 10,402 | 43.7 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,990 | 12.6 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,794 | 75.9 | +10.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Samuel Rosbotham | 20,350 | 53.4 | +9.7 |
| | Unionist | Francis Blundell | 17,761 | 46.6 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,589 | 6.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,111 | 74.8 | −1.1 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +9.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Labour | Samuel Rosbotham | 30,368 | 75.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | F V King | 10,115 | 25.0 | −28.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,253 | 50.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,485 | 71.7 | −3.1 |
| | National Labour gain from Labour | National Labour gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Labour | Samuel Rosbotham | 27,624 | 58.5 | −16.5 |
| | Labour | F V King | 19,579 | 41.5 | +16.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,045 | 17.0 | −33.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,203 | 65.8 | −5.9 |
| | National Labour hold | National Labour hold | Swing | | |

#### 1939 Ormskirk by-election

In the Ormskirk By-Election of 27 October 1939, Stephen King-Hall, National Labour was elected unopposed.

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harold Wilson | 30,126 | 46.3 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative | A C Greg | 23,104 | 35.5 | New |
| | National | Stephen King-Hall | 11,848 | 18.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,022 | 10.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,078 | 69.3 | +3.5 |
| | Labour gain from National | Labour gain from National | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ronald Cross | 28,654 | 66.27 | |
| | Labour | LC Edwards | 14,583 | 33.73 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,071 | 32.54 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,237 | 83.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
1951 Ormskirk by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Salter | 24,190 | 71.47 | +5.20 |
| | Labour | H A Kelly | 8,969 | 26.50 | −7.23 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Fred Barton | 689 | 2.04 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,221 | 44.97 | +21.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,848 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Salter | 26,729 | 67.43 | +1.16 |
| | Labour | Ernest Kavanagh | 12,908 | 32.57 | −1.16 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,821 | 34.86 | +2.32 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,637 | 78.68 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1953 Ormskirk by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 17,984 | 65.38 | −2.02 |
| | Labour | Muriel Ferguson | 9,512 | 34.62 | +2.02 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,472 | 30.76 | −4.11 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,496 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 27,066 | 68.36 | +0.93 |
| | Labour | Thomas W Henry | 12,527 | 31.64 | −0.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,539 | 36.72 | +1.86 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39539 | 73.05 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 32,952 | 69.15 | +0.79 |
| | Labour | Gwilym Roberts | 14,701 | 30.85 | −0.79 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,251 | 38.30 | +1.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,653 | 77.59 | +4.54 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 33,704 | 62.54 | −6.61 |
| | Labour | James Harold | 20,186 | 37.46 | +6.61 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,518 | 25.08 | −13.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,890 | 75.85 | −1.74 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Douglas Glover | 32,763 | 58.77 | −3.77 |
| | Labour | William J. Quinn | 22,983 | 41.23 | +3.77 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,780 | 17.54 | −7.54 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,746 | 73.87 | −1.98 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harold Soref | 40,517 | 61.4 | +2.6 |
| | Labour | Robert Kilroy-Silk | 25,486 | 38.6 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,031 | 22.77 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,003 | 72.49 | −1.38 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Kilroy-Silk | 34,807 | 47.19 | |
| | Conservative | Harold Soref | 27,004 | 36.61 | |
| | Liberal | David Parry | 11,949 | 16.20 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,803 | 10.58 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 73,706 | 77.32 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Kilroy-Silk | 35,392 | 50.33 | +3.14 |
| | Conservative | Brian Keefe | 26,541 | 37.74 | +1.13 |
| | Liberal | David Parry | 8,387 | 11.93 | −4.27 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,851 | 12.59 | +2.01 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,320 | 72.80 | −4.52 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Ormskirk :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Kilroy-Silk | 37,222 | 50.03 | −0.33 |
| | Conservative | Brian Keefe | 36,364 | 48.87 | +11.13 |
| | Workers Revolutionary | S Pirani | 820 | 1.10 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 858 | 1.15 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 74,406 | 76.11 | +3.31 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |