# West Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)

West Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament until 1885, and then one member until 1918.

## History

The constituency was created for the 1868 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

## Boundaries

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Pirehill South, Cuttlestone and Seisdon (excluding the parish of Rushall), and the Townships of Willenhall and Wednesfield.
1885–1918: The sessional divisions of Penkridge (except the parishes of Great Wyrley and Norton Canes), Stafford (including the whole of the parish of Gnosall), and Stone, and the Municipal Borough of Stafford.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1868–1885

| Election | 1st Member | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Member | 2nd Party |
| 1868 | | Sir Smith Child, Bt. | Conservative | | Hugo Meynell-Ingram | Conservative |
| 1871 | | Sir Smith Child, Bt. | Conservative | | Francis Monckton | Conservative |
| 1874 | | Alexander Staveley Hill | Conservative | | Francis Monckton | Conservative |
| 1885 | representation reduced to one member | representation reduced to one member | representation reduced to one member | representation reduced to one member | representation reduced to one member | representation reduced to one member |

### MPs 1885–1918

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Hamar Bass | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Hamar Bass | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1898 by-election | Sir Alexander Henderson | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1906 | Henry McLaren | Liberal |
| | 1910 | George Lloyd | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1912 | George Lloyd | Conservative |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: West Staffordshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Smith Child | 3,909 | 27.5 | |
| | Conservative | Hugo Meynell-Ingram | 3,773 | 26.5 | |
| | Liberal | William Orme Foster | 3,295 | 23.2 | |
| | Liberal | Henry Hodgetts-Foley | 3,244 | 22.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 478 | 3.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,111 (est) | 71.5 (est) | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,942 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1870s

Ingram's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 13 Jun 1871: West Staffordshire (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Monckton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1874: West Staffordshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Staveley Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Francis Monckton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,365 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: West Staffordshire (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Staveley Hill | 4,123 | 27.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Francis Monckton | 3,967 | 26.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Anson | 3,564 | 23.8 | New |
| | Liberal | James Hall Renton | 3,344 | 22.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 403 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,499 (est) | 66.4 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,288 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1885: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hamar Bass | 4,820 | 54.0 | +7.9 |
| | Conservative | Francis Monckton | 4,106 | 46.0 | −8.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 714 | 8.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,926 | 83.9 | +17.5 (est) |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,636 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.0 | |
General election 1886: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Hamar Bass | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Hamar Bass | 5,227 | 64.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Kempster | 2,879 | 35.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,348 | 29.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,106 | 78.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,395 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Hamar Bass | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
Bass's death caused a by-election.
1898 West Staffordshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Alexander Henderson | 4,769 | 54.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Adams | 3,993 | 45.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 776 | 8.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,762 | 82.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,580 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Alexander Henderson | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
General election 1906: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry McLaren | 5,586 | 54.3 | New |
| | Liberal Unionist | Alexander Henderson | 4,708 | 45.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 878 | 8.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,294 | 88.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,584 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | George Lloyd | 5,892 | 52.5 | +6.8 |
| | Liberal | Henry McLaren | 5,327 | 47.5 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 565 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,219 | 92.0 | +3.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,197 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +6.8 | |
General election December 1910: West Staffordshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | George Lloyd | 5,602 | 52.2 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | Walter Meakin | 5,123 | 47.8 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 479 | 4.4 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,725 | 87.9 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,197 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist 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;
* Unionist: Philip Ashworth
* Liberal: Beddoe Rees