# Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)

Northwich was a constituency in Cheshire 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 1983 general election.

## History

Northwich was first created as one of eight single-member divisions of Cheshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
It was abolished following the reorganisation of local authorities in 1974 by the Third Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies for the 1983 general election, when it was divided roughly equally between the re-established constituency of Eddisbury and the new constituency of Tatton.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Runcorn, and parts of the Sessional Divisions of Eddisbury, Leftwich and Northwich.
Comprised the towns of Runcorn, Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich, and surrounding rural areas.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Middlewich, Northwich, Runcorn, Sandbach and Winsford, and parts of the Rural Districts of Congleton, Northwich and Runcorn.
Sandbach transferred from Crewe.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Middlewich, Northwich and Winsford, and the Rural Districts of Northwich and Tarvin.
Gained the Rural District of Tarvin from the additional parts of the Rural District of Northwich from the abolished constituency of Eddisbury. Sandbach and the part of the Rural District of Congleton transferred to Knutsford, and Runcorn (including the part of the rural district thereof) transferred to the new constituency of Runcorn.
1955–1983: The Urban District of Northwich, and parts of the Rural Districts of Northwich and Tarvin.
Middlewich, Winsford, the southern part of the Rural District of Tarvin and a small part of the Rural District of Northwich transferred to the new constituency of Nantwich.
From 1 April 1974 until the constituency was abolished at the next boundary review which came into effect for the 1983 general election, the constituency was primarily situated in the newly formed District of Vale Royal, but its boundaries were unchanged.
On abolition, Northwich and eastern areas were included in the new constituency of Tatton. Cuddington, Weaverham and western areas included in the re-established constituency of Eddisbury.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | John Brunner | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Robert Verdin | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1887 by-election | Sir John Brunner | Liberal |
| | Jan 1910 | Sir John Brunner II | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Harry Dewhurst | Coalition Conservative |
| | 1922 | Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Sir John Foster | Conservative |
| | Feb 1974 | Alastair Goodlad | Conservative |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 5,023 | 55.7 | |
| | Conservative | William Henry Verdin | 3,995 | 44.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,028 | 11.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,018 | 85.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,577 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Robert Verdin | 4,416 | 52.7 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 3,958 | 47.3 | −8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 458 | 5.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,374 | 79.2 | −6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,577 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.4 | |
Verdin's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 13 Aug 1887: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 5,112 | 56.2 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry Grosvenor | 3,983 | 43.8 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,129 | 12.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,095 | 83.7 | +4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,868 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +8.9 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 5,580 | 56.3 | +9.0 |
| | Conservative | George Whiteley | 4,325 | 43.7 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,255 | 12.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,905 | 84.3 | +5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,750 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +9.0 | |
General election 1895: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 5,706 | 58.4 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Ward | 4,068 | 41.6 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,638 | 16.8 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,774 | 82.9 | −1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,788 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.1 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 5,377 | 53.5 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | Charles Leopold Samson | 4,678 | 46.5 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 699 | 7.0 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,055 | 83.3 | +0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,067 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.9 | |
General election 1906: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 6,343 | 58.2 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Bordrigge North | 4,551 | 41.8 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,792 | 16.4 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,894 | 87.0 | +3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,527 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.7 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 6,661 | 54.6 | −3.6 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Williams | 5,542 | 45.4 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,119 | 9.2 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,203 | 91.1 | +4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,389 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.6 | |
General election December 1910: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 6,071 | 51.4 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | Julius John Jersey de Knoop | 5,740 | 48.6 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 331 | 2.8 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,811 | 88.2 | −2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,389 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.2 | |
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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: John Brunner
* Unionist: Julius John Jersey de Knoop
General election 1918: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Harry Dewhurst | 15,444 | 61.4 | +12.8 |
| | Liberal | John Brunner | 9,723 | 38.6 | −12.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,721 | 22.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,167 | 64.1 | −24.1 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.8 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 15,454 | 54.2 | −7.2 |
| | Labour | John Williams | 13,066 | 45.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,388 | 8.4 | −14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,520 | 71.6 | +7.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 11,835 | 38.5 | −15.7 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Mort | 9,765 | 31.7 | New |
| | Labour | John Williams | 9,183 | 29.8 | −16.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,070 | 6.8 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,783 | 76.1 | +4.5 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 14,545 | 43.2 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 11,630 | 34.6 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Mort | 7,465 | 22.2 | −9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,915 | 8.6 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,640 | 80.7 | +4.6 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | 0.0 | |
General election 1929: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 15,477 | 34.3 | −8.9 |
| | Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 15,473 | 34.3 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | John Barlow | 14,163 | 31.4 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4 | 0.0 | −8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,113 | 83.6 | +2.9 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -4.3 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 30,061 | 65.6 | +31.3 |
| | Labour | Barbara Ayrton-Gould | 15,746 | 34.4 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,315 | 31.2 | +31.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,807 | 82.8 | −3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colum Crichton-Stuart | 24,316 | 54.5 | −11.1 |
| | Labour | Thomas Reid | 20,289 | 46.5 | +12.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,027 | 9.0 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,605 | 77.9 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### 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;
* Conservative: John Foster
* Labour: Robert Chorley
* Liberal: Felix Brunner
General election 1945: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 20,198 | 41.4 | −13.1 |
| | Labour | Robert Chorley | 20,183 | 41.3 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal | Felix Brunner | 8,460 | 17.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 0.1 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,841 | 78.1 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 25,144 | 48.4 | +7.0 |
| | Labour | Charles Mapp | 19,886 | 38.2 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal | Walter Norman Leak | 6,989 | 13.4 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,258 | 10.2 | +10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,019 | 87.7 | +9.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 29,375 | 56.8 | +8.4 |
| | Labour | Robert Patrick Walsh | 22,300 | 43.2 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,075 | 13.6 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,675 | 83.7 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 20,697 | 59.4 | +2.6 |
| | Labour | Derek Page | 14,142 | 40.6 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,555 | 18.8 | +5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,889 | 79.7 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 20,396 | 54.5 | −4.9 |
| | Labour | John Crawford | 12,426 | 33.2 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal | Richard Eric Lewis | 4,602 | 12.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,970 | 21.3 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,424 | 84.5 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 17,277 | 47.4 | −7.1 |
| | Labour | John Crawford | 12,892 | 35.3 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal | Geoff Tordoff | 6,331 | 17.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,385 | 12.1 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,500 | 83.0 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 16,483 | 45.1 | −2.3 |
| | Labour | Barry Jones | 15,780 | 43.1 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal | Douglas Bedford Taylor | 4,310 | 11.8 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 703 | 2.0 | −10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,573 | 82.3 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Foster | 20,366 | 51.3 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | Alfred Bates | 15,746 | 39.6 | −3.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Noel Armstrong | 3,604 | 9.1 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,620 | 11.7 | +9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,716 | 78.5 | −3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 19,778 | 45.36 |
| | Labour Co-op | S. G. Benyon | 13,485 | 30.92 |
| | Liberal | R. Reaper | 10,344 | 23.72 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,293 | 14.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,607 | 83.68 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 18,663 | 45.12 |
| | Labour | Peter Kent | 14,053 | 33.98 |
| | Liberal | D Reaper | 8,645 | 20.90 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,610 | 11.14 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,361 | 78.59 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Northwich :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Alastair Goodlad | 23,201 | 52.77 |
| | Labour | PA Kent | 14,455 | 32.88 |
| | Liberal | G Little | 6,311 | 14.35 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,746 | 19.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,967 | 80.88 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |