# St George (UK Parliament constituency)

St George was a parliamentary constituency in what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was part of the Parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets and returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

## History

The constituency, formally known as Tower Hamlets, St George Division, was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 by the division of the existing two-member parliamentary borough of Tower Hamlets into seven divisions, each returning one MP.
This was an area on the north bank of the River Thames, with a lot of its inhabitants employed as dock workers or in the sugar refining industry. Pelling comments that it had the largest proportion of immigrant Irishmen in the metropolis.
The constituency was marginal between the Conservative and Liberal parties. Pelling suggests the Conservative MP, elected in 1885, owed his victory to generosity "bordering on corruption". Political issues important in the area were protectionism (as sugar refining was damaged by foreign subsidies to rivals) and the immigration of "pauper aliens" (the neighbouring division of Whitechapel had a large population of immigrant Jews).
The seat was abolished for the 1918 general election. The area was incorporated in a new seat of Stepney, Whitechapel and St George's.

## Boundaries

The constituency comprised two civil parishes: St George in the East and Wapping, taking its name from the former and so ultimately from St George in the East church in contrast to the St George's Hanover Square constituency in Westminster. Although lying in Middlesex, the parishes formed part of the East End of London, and were administered as part of the Metropolis.
In 1889 the area was removed from Middlesex to the new County of London, and in 1900 it was included in the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney, but no changes were made to constituency boundaries until 1918.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Charles Ritchie | Conservative |
| | 1892 | John Benn | Liberal |
| | 1895 | Harry Marks | Conservative |
| | 1900 | Sir Thomas Dewar | Conservative |
| | 1906 | William Wedgwood Benn | Liberal |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1885: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Ritchie | 1,744 | 59.6 | |
| | Liberal | David Salomons | 1,180 | 40.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 564 | 19.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,924 | 67.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,317 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Ritchie | 1,561 | 59.2 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal | Richard Eve | 1,076 | 40.8 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 485 | 18.4 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,637 | 61.1 | −6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,317 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.4 | |
Ritchie was appointment President of the Local Government Board, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 12 Aug 1886: St George's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Ritchie | 1,546 | 63.5 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | Richard Eve | 889 | 36.5 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 657 | 27.0 | +8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,435 | 56.4 | −4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,317 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.3 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Benn | 1,661 | 56.8 | +16.0 |
| | Conservative | Charles Ritchie | 1,263 | 43.2 | −16.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 398 | 13.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,924 | 77.9 | +16.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,755 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +16.0 | |
General election 1895: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Marks | 1,581 | 50.2 | +7.0 |
| | Liberal | John Benn | 1,570 | 49.8 | −7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,151 | 82.4 | +4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,824 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.0 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Dewar | 1,437 | 55.7 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal | Bertram Straus | 1,141 | 44.3 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 296 | 11.4 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,578 | 73.3 | −9.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,518 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
General election 1906: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Wedgwood Benn | 1,685 | 61.3 | +17.0 |
| | Conservative | H. Hallifax Wells | 1,064 | 38.7 | −17.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 621 | 22.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,749 | 84.7 | +11.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,246 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +17.0 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Wedgwood Benn | 1,568 | 58.0 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative | Percy Coleman Simmons | 1,134 | 42.0 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 434 | 16.0 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,702 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -3.3 | |
1910 Tower Hamlets St George by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Wedgwood Benn | 1,598 | 59.5 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | Percy Coleman Simmons | 1,089 | 40.5 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 509 | 19.0 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,687 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
General election December 1910: Tower Hamlets, St. George :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Wedgwood Benn | 1,401 | 57.8 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Clifton Brown | 1,022 | 42.2 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 379 | 15.6 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,423 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.7 | |