# St Helens (UK Parliament constituency)

St Helens was a constituency in the county of Lancashire, England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency was abolished in 1983, being split into North and South seats.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The municipal borough of St Helens.
1918–1983: The County Borough of St Helens.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| | 1885 | Henry Seton-Karr | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Thomas Glover | Labour |
| | 1910 | Rigby Swift | Conservative |
| | 1918 | James Sexton | Labour |
| | 1931 | Richard Austin Spencer | Conservative |
| | 1935 | William Albert Robinson | Labour |
| | 1945 | Hartley Shawcross | Labour | Resigned May 1958 |
| | 1958 by-election | Leslie Spriggs | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 3,750 | 50.4 | |
| | Liberal | David Gamble | 3,693 | 49.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 57 | 0.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,443 | 89.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,291 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 3,621 | 51.5 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Sinclair | 3,404 | 48.5 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 217 | 3.0 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,025 | 84.7 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,291 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 4,258 | 50.3 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | William Rann Kennedy | 4,199 | 49.7 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 59 | 0.6 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,457 | 90.3 | +5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,370 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.2 | |
General election 1895: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 4,700 | 53.5 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal | John Forster | 4,091 | 46.5 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 609 | 7.0 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,791 | 88.4 | −1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,950 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 5,300 | 60.9 | +7.4 |
| | Liberal | Charles Conybeare | 3,402 | 39.1 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,898 | 21.8 | +14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,702 | 80.9 | −7.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,763 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.4 | |
General election 1906: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | Thomas Glover | 6,058 | 56.6 | New |
| | Conservative | Henry Seton-Karr | 4,647 | 43.4 | −17.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,411 | 13.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,705 | 87.9 | +7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,174 | | |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Glover | 6,512 | 53.3 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative | Rigby Swift | 5,717 | 46.7 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 795 | 6.6 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,229 | 93.6 | +5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,068 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.3 | |
General election December 1910: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Rigby Swift | 6,016 | 51.1 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | Thomas Glover | 5,752 | 48.9 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 264 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,768 | 90.1 | −3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,068 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.4 | |
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: Rigby Swift
* Labour: James Sexton
1915 St Helens by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Rigby Swift | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
General election 1918: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 15,583 | 57.1 | +8.2 |
| C | Unionist | Rigby Swift | 11,689 | 42.9 | −8.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,894 | 14.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,272 | 61.5 | −28.6 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +8.2 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 20,731 | 58.7 | +1.6 |
| | Unionist | Edward Wooll | 14,587 | 41.3 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,144 | 17.4 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,318 | 80.0 | +18.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 1923: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 20,086 | 55.5 | −3.2 |
| | Unionist | Margaret Evelyn Pilkington | 16,109 | 44.5 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,977 | 11.0 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,195 | 80.5 | +0.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.2 | |
General election 1924: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 21,313 | 55.8 | +0.3 |
| | Unionist | Margaret Evelyn Pilkington | 16,908 | 44.2 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,405 | 11.6 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,221 | 83.1 | +2.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 27,665 | 58.6 | +2.8 |
| | Unionist | Richard Austin Spencer | 19,560 | 41.4 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,105 | 17.2 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,225 | 78.3 | −4.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Austin Spencer | 26,131 | 52.4 | +11.0 |
| | Labour | James Sexton | 23,701 | 47.6 | −11.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,430 | 4.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,832 | 78.9 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Robinson | 29,044 | 53.7 | +6.1 |
| | Conservative | Richard Austin Spencer | 25,063 | 46.3 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,981 | 7.4 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,107 | 82.6 | +3.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: William Robinson
* Conservative: S J Hill

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hartley Shawcross | 34,675 | 66.2 | +12.5 |
| | Conservative | Frank Whitworth | 17,686 | 33.8 | −12.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,989 | 32.4 | +25.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,361 | 76.7 | −5.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +12.5 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hartley Shawcross | 39,514 | 63.2 | −3.0 |
| | Conservative | Alfred Hall-Davis | 20,741 | 33.18 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal | Joseph H Winskill | 2,263 | 3.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,773 | 30.0 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,518 | 84.9 | +8.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hartley Shawcross | 37,688 | 63.3 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | Michael Hughes-Young | 21,830 | 36.7 | +3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,858 | 26.6 | −3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,518 | 79.7 | −5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hartley Shawcross | 35,737 | 64.3 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Abram Maxwell Caplin | 19,854 | 35.7 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,883 | 28.6 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,591 | 73.5 | −6.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1958 St Helens by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 26,405 | 64.7 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | Mark Carlisle | 14,411 | 35.3 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,994 | 29.4 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,816 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 35,961 | 62.1 | −2.2 |
| | Conservative | Mark Carlisle | 21,956 | 37.9 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,005 | 24.2 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 57,917 | 76.9 | +3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 34,137 | 67.0 | +4.9 |
| | Conservative | Keith Speed | 16,826 | 33.0 | −4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,311 | 34.0 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,963 | 72.3 | −4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 33,325 | 70.8 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative | Christopher C. Fielden | 13,776 | 29.2 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,549 | 41.6 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,101 | 68.6 | −3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 31,587 | 65.7 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | Ian D. McGaw | 16,509 | 34.3 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,078 | 31.4 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,096 | 64.5 | −4.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 32,621 | 59.0 | −6.7 |
| | Liberal | AE Lycett | 10,905 | 19.7 | New |
| | Conservative | KJ Bridgeman | 10,752 | 19.5 | −14.8 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | M Pike | 991 | 1.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,716 | 39.3 | +7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,269 | 73.2 | +8.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 32,620 | 64.1 | +5.1 |
| | Conservative | K.J. Bridgeman | 10,554 | 20.8 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal | A.E. Lycett | 7,689 | 15.1 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,066 | 43.3 | +4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,863 | 66.9 | −6.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: St Helens :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Leslie Spriggs | 32,489 | 59.6 | −4.5 |
| | Conservative | J. Brown | 16,934 | 31.1 | +10.3 |
| | Liberal | Ian Smith | 4,587 | 8.4 | −6.7 |
| | Workers Revolutionary | J. Boylan | 471 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,555 | 28.5 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,481 | 72.8 | +5.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

## Sources

* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 1)