# Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the city of Birmingham, in what is now the West Midlands Metropolitan County, but at the time was Warwickshire.

## Boundaries and history

Until 1832, excepting for the single year 1275, Birmingham was only represented in Parliament as part of the county constituency of Warwickshire.
It became a parliamentary borough in its own right following the passage of the Reform Act 1832 and remained a single constituency electing two members of Parliament until it was divided in 1885.
The Reform Act 1832 introduced a uniform borough franchise on top of ancient franchise rights in existing parliamentary boroughs: (see the Unreformed House of Commons for a list of the different franchises in each borough). As new boroughs, like Birmingham, had no ancient franchise holders only the new franchise rules applied to them. Seymour explains that:-
   Only one class of new rights was created by the act of 1832. This was the £10 occupation qualification. According to the act, the franchise was granted to all male persons who for a year before registration had occupied as owner or tenants "any house, warehouse, country house, shop or other building, either separately or jointly with any land" of a clear yearly value of £10. The land must be within the electoral limits of the borough; and in order to qualify, the occupier must have been rated in respect of such premises, to all rates for the relief of the poor; and he must have paid at the time of registration all rates and taxes due from him the preceding April.
   This occupation franchise was the characteristic of the borough franchise after 1832. As ownership furnished the ordinary qualification for franchise in the counties, so in the boroughs, occupation, actual or constructive, was the basis of the suffrage. While however, in the counties no provision was made for ascertaining the true value or bona fide rent which was to qualify for the franchise; in the boroughs, assessment to the taxes was embodied with the condition of value, and actual payment was super-added. There was another difference between the character of the county and borough franchises, as determined by the Reform Act. In the latter no claimant could be registered as a voter if he had received parochial relief within the past twelve months; in the counties, no disqualification was attached to the receipt of poor-relief. ...
From 1832 to 1868 the constituency returned two members, but the Representation of the People Act 1867 conferred a third seat from the 1868 United Kingdom general election. However the 1867 act also introduced the limited vote restricting electors in three member constituencies to casting a maximum of two votes.
A way in which the limited vote system may fail to achieve its end of minority representation, is if the largest party is very well organised and is able to arrange the distribution of its supporters vote for maximum advantage. Charles Seymour explained the reaction of the Liberals of Birmingham after the limited vote was enacted.
   The Liberals of Birmingham realized that if they were to retain the third seat, their vote must be divided economically between the three candidates.
   To prevent waste of votes, an organization must be built up which could control absolutely the choice of the elector; and each elector must vote invariably as he was told. The success of the Birmingham organization, which soon became known as the Caucus was unbroken and no Conservative candidate was returned. It was copied in many other constituencies and inaugurated a new era in the development of party electoral machinery, the effect of which upon the representative system has been profound.
The area was split into seven single-member constituencies in 1885; Birmingham Bordesley, Birmingham Central, Birmingham East, Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham North, Birmingham South and Birmingham West.

## Members of Parliament

* Constituency created (1832)
| Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party |
| 1832 | Thomas Attwood | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | Radical |
| 1840 | George Muntz | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | Radical |
| 1844 | George Muntz | Radical | Richard Spooner | Conservative |
| 1847 | George Muntz | Radical | William Scholefield | Radical |
| 1857 | John Bright | Radicals | William Scholefield | Radical |
| 1859 | John Bright | Liberal | William Scholefield | Liberal |
| 1867 | John Bright | Liberal | George Dixon | Liberal |
* Third member added (1868)
| Year | Year | Year | Year | First member | First party | Second member | Second party | Third member | Third party |
| | | | 1868 | George Dixon | Liberal | Philip Henry Muntz | Liberal | John Bright | Liberal |
| | | | 1876 | Joseph Chamberlain | Liberal | Philip Henry Muntz | Liberal | John Bright | Liberal |
* Constituency abolished (1885)

## Elections

Note: When the exact number of electors voting is unknown, turnout is estimated on the basis of dividing votes cast by two. To the extent that electors did not use both their possible votes, turnout will be underestimated.

### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Thomas Attwood | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) |
| | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) | Radical win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Thomas Attwood | 1,718 | 40.0 | N/A |
| | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | 1,660 | 38.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 915 | 21.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 745 | 17.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,580 | 70.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,681 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1837: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Thomas Attwood | 2,145 | 40.4 | +0.4 |
| | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | 2,114 | 39.8 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | Augustus Stapleton | 1,046 | 19.7 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,068 | 20.1 | +2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,135 | 59.9 | −10.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,236 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | +0.6 | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1840s

* Resignation of Attwood by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds
By-election, 25 January 1840: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | George Muntz | 1,458 | 61.4 | −18.8 |
| | Conservative | Charles Wetherell | 917 | 38.6 | +18.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 541 | 22.8 | +2.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,375 | 51.4 | −8.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,619 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −18.9 | |
General election 1841: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | George Muntz | 2,176 | 36.5 | −3.9 |
| | Radical | Joshua Scholefield | 1,963 | 32.9 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 1,825 | 30.6 | +10.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 138 | 2.3 | −17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,756 | 64.0 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,870 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −4.7 | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −6.2 | |
* Death of Scholefield
By-election, 15 July 1844: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,095 | 50.2 | +19.6 |
| | Radical | William Scholefield | 1,735 | 41.5 | −27.9 |
| | Radical | Joseph Sturge | 346 | 8.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 360 | 8.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,176 | 68.1 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,129 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | +23.8 | |
General election 1847: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | George Muntz | 2,830 | 35.2 | −1.3 |
| | Radical | William Scholefield | 2,824 | 35.1 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Spooner | 2,302 | 28.6 | −2.0 |
| | Radical | Robert Allen (Birmingham candidate) | 89 | 1.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 522 | 6.5 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,110 | 72.2 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,081 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
* Note (1847): 5,110 electors voted. Scholefield was classified (for this election) as a Radical, as was Allen. (Source: Stooks Smith)
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | George Muntz | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Radical | William Scholefield | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,936 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold |
General election 1857: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | George Muntz | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Radical | William Scholefield | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,074 | | |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold |
* Death of Muntz.
By-election, 10 August 1857: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold | Radical hold |
General election 1859: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Scholefield | 4,425 | 43.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Bright | 4,282 | 41.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Thomas Dyke Acland | 1,544 | 15.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,738 | 26.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,898 (est) | 64.0 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,222 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal | William Scholefield | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,997 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
* 'Death of Scholefield
By-Election 23 July 1867: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Dixon | 5,819 | 58.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Sampson Lloyd | 4,214 | 42.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,605 | 16.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,033 | 66.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,997 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Birmingham (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Dixon | 15,198 | 25.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Philip Henry Muntz | 14,614 | 24.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Bright | 14,601 | 24.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Sampson Lloyd | 8,700 | 14.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Sebastian Evans | 7,061 | 11.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,901 | 9.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,685 (est) | 54.0 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,042 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
* Appointment of Bright as President of the Board of Trade
By-Election 21 December 1868: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1870s

* Appointment of Bright as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
By-election, 20 Oct 1873: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1874: Birmingham (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal | George Dixon | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal | Philip Henry Muntz | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 51,361 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
* Resignation of Dixon
By-election, 27 June 1876: Birmingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Chamberlain | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Back to Elections

### Elections in the 1880s

94635
General election 1880: Birmingham (3 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Philip Henry Muntz | 22,969 | 24.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Bright | 22,079 | 23.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Joseph Chamberlain | 19,544 | 20.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Frederick Burnaby | 15,735 | 16.6 | New |
| | Conservative | Augustus Gough-Calthorpe | 14,308 | 15.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,809 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 94,635 | 74.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 63,398 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Appointment of Bright as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chamberlain as President of the Board of Trade
By-Election 8 May 1880: Birmingham (2 seats) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Liberal | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Liberal | Joseph Chamberlain | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
* Constituency abolished 1885
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