# Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)

Rothwell was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rothwell area of West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

## History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 for the 1918 general election. It was abolished for the 1950 general election.

## Boundaries

The Urban Districts of Ardsley East and West, Emley, Flockton, Horbury, Rothwell, and Stanley; and the Rural Districts of Hunslet, and Wakefield.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| | 1918 | William Lunn | Labour | Died May 1942 |
| | 1942 by-election | Thomas Brooks | Labour |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 9,998 | 46.4 | |
| C | Unionist | Henry Christopher Bruce Wilson | 6,621 | 30.8 | |
| | Liberal | John Athur Yonge | 4,909 | 22.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,377 | 15.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,528 | 63.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,899 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 17,831 | 62.8 | +16.4 |
| | Unionist | Albert Braithwaite | 10,580 | 37.2 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,251 | 25.6 | +10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,411 | 78.4 | +14.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,227 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.0 | |
General election 1923: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 15,115 | 66.0 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal | Benjamin Pickersgill Wilson | 7,788 | 34.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,327 | 32.0 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,903 | 60.9 | −17.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,611 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 16,540 | 61.8 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal | Benjamin Pickersgill Wilson | 10,240 | 38.2 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,300 | 23.6 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,780 | 69.3 | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,635 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.2 | |
General election 1929: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 27,320 | 61.7 | −0.1 |
| | Unionist | James Wilder Harrison | 8,799 | 19.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Herbert Holdsworth | 8,141 | 18.4 | −19.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,521 | 41.8 | +18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,260 | 79.2 | +9.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 55,869 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 24,897 | 52.9 | −8.8 |
| | Conservative | Clifford Harrison Stringer | 22,198 | 47.1 | +27.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,699 | 5.8 | −36.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,095 | 79.9 | +0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,974 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −18.0 | |
General election 1935: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Lunn | 31,472 | 64.5 | +11.6 |
| | Conservative | Gwendoline Beaumont | 17,352 | 35.5 | −11.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,120 | 29.0 | +23.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,824 | 75.4 | −4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,730 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +11.6 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: William Lunn
* Conservative: H.J. White
1942 Rothwell by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Brooks | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
General election 1945: Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Brooks | 43,829 | 74.0 | +9.5 |
| | Conservative | Sir Arthur William Milborne-Swinnerton-Pilkington, 13th Baronet | 15,370 | 26.0 | −9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,459 | 48.0 | +19.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,199 | 75.3 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 78,588 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.5 | |