# Birmingham South (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham South was a parliamentary constituency in Birmingham which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until it was abolished for the 1918 general election.
Elections were held using the first-past-the-post voting system.

## Boundaries

Before 1885 the city of Birmingham had been a three-member constituency (see Birmingham UK Parliament constituency for further details). Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary borough of Birmingham was split into seven single-member divisions, one of which was Birmingham South. It consisted of the wards of Deritend and St Martin, and part of the local government district of Balsall Heath.
The division was bounded to the west by Birmingham Edgbaston, to the north-west by Birmingham Central, to the north by Birmingham East, to the east by Birmingham Bordesley and in the south by the then city boundary and the East Worcestershire constituency.
In the 1918 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the Representation of the People Act 1918 provided for twelve new Birmingham divisions. The South division was abolished.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Joseph Powell-Williams | Liberal |
| 1886 | Joseph Powell-Williams | Liberal Unionist |
| 1904 | Viscount Morpeth | Liberal Unionist |
| 1911 | Leo Amery | Liberal Unionist |
| 1912 | Leo Amery | Unionist |
| 1918 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Powell Williams | 5,099 | 60.6 | |
| | Conservative | Henry Hawkes | 3,311 | 39.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,788 | 21.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,410 | 79.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,643 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Joseph Powell Williams | 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: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Joseph Powell Williams | 5,193 | 69.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William James Lancaster | 2,270 | 30.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,923 | 39.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,463 | 69.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,814 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Joseph Powell Williams | 4,830 | 79.3 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal | Walter Priestman | 1,257 | 20.7 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,573 | 58.6 | +19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,087 | 52.5 | −16.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,604 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +9.7 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Joseph Powell Williams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
1904 Birmingham South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Howard | 5,299 | 70.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | James Hirst Hollowell | 2,223 | 29.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,076 | 40.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,522 | 62.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,984 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1906: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Howard | 5,541 | 67.7 | N/A |
| | Lib-Lab | John Valentine Stevens | 2,641 | 32.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,900 | 35.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,182 | 70.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,611 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Howard | 6,207 | 71.5 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal | Arnold Ernest Butler | 2,476 | 28.5 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,731 | 43.0 | +7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,683 | 77.7 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +3.8 | |
General election December 1910: Birmingham South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Howard | 4,701 | 71.0 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | Arnold Ernest Butler | 1,923 | 29.0 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,778 | 42.0 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,624 | 59.3 | −18.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -0.5 | |
1911 Birmingham South by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Leo Amery | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
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: Leo Amery
* Liberal: John Gibbard Hurst