# South Hams (UK Parliament constituency)

South Hams was a county constituency based on the South Hams district of Devon. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, and abolished for the 1997 general election. The constituency covered a vast part of the English Riviera on the south Devon coast.

## History

This was a safe seat for the Conservative Party. During the fourteen years and three parliaments of its existence, it was held by a single member, Anthony Steen.
In the 1987 general election the well-known Labour MP and staunch republican Willie Hamilton contested the seat, finishing third.

## Boundaries

The District of South Hams wards of Avon and Harbourne, Avonleigh, Bickleigh and Shaugh, Brixton, Charterlands, Cornwood and Harford, Dart Valley, Dartington, Dartmouth Clifton, Dartmouth Hardness, Erme Valley, Garabrook, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Kingswear, Malborough, Marldon, Modbury, Newton and Noss, Salcombe, Saltstone, Skerries, South Brent, Sparkwell, Stoke Gabriel, Stokenham, Thurlestone, Totnes, Totnes Bridgetown, Ugborough, West Dart, Wembury, and Yealmpton, and the Borough of Torbay wards of Blatchcombe, Furzeham with Churston, and St Peter's with St Mary's.
The main towns of this South Devon constituency were Totnes and Ivybridge. It was divided in 1997 to form parts of the new constituencies of Totnes and Devon South West.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1983 | Anthony Steen | Conservative |
| | 1997 | constituency abolished: see Totnes and Devon South West | constituency abolished: see Totnes and Devon South West |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: South Hams :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 31,855 | 57.24 |
| | Liberal | Anthony H. Rogers | 19,454 | 34.96 |
| | Labour | Graham Morris | 3,824 | 6.87 |
| | Ecology | Wendy Morgan | 518 | 0.93 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,401 | 22.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,133 | 74.92 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1987: South Hams :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 34,218 | 55.4 | |
| | Liberal | Robert Chave | 21,072 | 34.09 | |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 5,060 | 8.2 | |
| | Green | Christopher Titmuss | 1,178 | 1.9 | |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Timothy Langsford | 277 | 0.45 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,146 | 21.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,805 | 78.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: South Hams :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Anthony Steen | 35,951 | 53.4 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | RV Evans | 22,240 | 33.0 | −1.1 |
| | Labour | E Cohen | 8,091 | 12.0 | +3.8 |
| | Green | Christopher Titmuss | 846 | 1.3 | −0.6 |
| | Natural Law | LJ Somerville | 227 | 0.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,711 | 20.4 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 67,355 | 81.0 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.5 | |