# Newton (UK Parliament constituency)

Newton was a parliamentary borough in the county of Lancashire, in England. It was represented by two Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1559 to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until its abolition in 1832.
In 1885 a county constituency with the same name was created and represented by one Member of Parliament. This seat was abolished in 1983.

## Parliamentary borough

The borough consisted of the parish of Newton-le-Willows in the Makerfield district of South Lancashire. It was first enfranchised in 1558 (though the Parliament so summoned did not meet until the following year), and was a rotten borough from its inception: Newton was barely more than a village even at this stage, and so entirely dominated by the local landowner that its first return of members described it bluntly as "the borough of Sir Thomas Langton, knight, baron of Newton within his Fee of Markerfylde". By 1831, just before its abolition, the population of the borough had reached only 2,139, and contained 285 houses.
The right to vote was exercised by all freeholders of property in the borough valued at forty shillings or more, or by one representative of joint tenants of any such freeholds; Newton was the only borough where the forty-shilling freehold franchise (which applied in the counties) was the sole qualification to vote. In 1797, the borough's last contested election, 76 electors cast their votes; by 1831 it was estimated that the electorate had fallen to about 52. (As elsewhere, each elector had as many votes as there were seats to be filled and votes had to be cast by a spoken declaration, in public, at the hustings.)
In practice, however, the townsmen of Newton had no say in choosing their representatives: as the owners of the majority of the qualifying freeholds, the lords of the manor exercised total control. During most of the Elizabethan period, Langton seems to have allowed the Duchy of Lancaster to nominate many of the members, which may have been a quid pro quo for Newton's being enfranchised in the first place, but later patrons could regard its parliamentary seats as their personal property. Langton's heir sold the manor to the Fleetwood family in 1594, the sale explicitly including the right of "the nomination, election and appointment" of the two burgesses representing the borough in Parliament, one of the earliest recorded instances of the right to elect MPs being bought and sold. By the first half of the next century it had passed to the Leghs, who owned it for the rest of its existence.
By the time of the Reform Act 1832, Newton was one of the most notorious of all England's pocket boroughs, mainly because the Legh control was more complete than that of the patrons in most other constituencies. It was one of the 56 boroughs to be totally disenfranchised by the Reform Act.

## County constituency

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 created a new Newton constituency, as one of twenty-three divisions of the parliamentary county of Lancashire.

### Boundaries 1885–1918

The constituency, officially designated as South-West Lancashire, Newton Division consisted of a number of townships and parishes around Newton le Willows namely:
* Ashton in Makerfield
* Billinge Chapel End
* Billinge Higher End
* Part of Eccleston
* Rainhill
* Winstanley
The electorate also included the freeholders of the municipal boroughs of St Helens and Warrington who were entitled to vote in the county.

### Boundaries 1918–1950

The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised constituencies throughout the United Kingdom. Boundaries were adjusted and seats were defined in terms of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1894. According to the schedules of the Act, the Lancashire, Newton Division comprised:
* Golborne Urban District
* Haydock Urban District
* Newton in Makerfield Urban District
* Leigh Rural District (except the civil parish of Astley)
* Warrington Rural District

### Boundaries 1950–1983

The Representation of the People Act 1948 redistributed parliamentary seats, with the constituencies first being used in the general election of 1950. The term "county constituency" was introduced in place of "division". Newton County Constituency was redefined as consisting of the following districts:
* Golborne Urban District
* Haydock Urban District
* Irlam Urban District
* Newton-le-Willows Urban District
* Warrington Rural District
The changes reflected the fact that Leigh Rural District had been abolished in 1933, Newton in Makerfield Urban district had been renamed Newton le Willows in 1939. Irlam was transferred from the neighbouring Stretford constituency.
The boundaries were unchanged at the next redistribution of seats in 1970. Although local government was reorganised in 1972, boundaries were unchanged until 1983.

### Abolition

The constituency was abolished by the Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983, which reorganised seats on the lines of the 1974 counties and districts, by which time the Newton constituency had become vastly oversized with an electorate of over 80,000 in 1979. The bulk of the seat formed part of the new Makerfield County Constituency. Irlam was included in the Worsley County Constituency, while part of Golborne became part of both Leigh Borough Constituency and Warrington North Borough Constituency. The town of Newton itself, as well as Haydock, were incorporated into the St Helens North Borough Constituency.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1559–1660

| Parliament | First member | Second member |
| 1559 (Jan) | Sir George Howard | Richard Chetwode |
| 1562–3 | Francis Alford | Ralph Browne |
| 1571 | Anthony Mildmay | Richard Stoneley |
| 1572 | John Gresham | John Savile |
| 1584 | Robert Langton | Edward Savage |
| 1586 (Oct) | Robert Langton | Edward Savage |
| 1588 (Oct) | Edmund Trafford | Robert Langton |
| 1593 | Edmund Trafford | Robert Langton |
| 1597 | William Cope | Geoffrey Osbaldeston |
| 1601 (Oct) | Thomas Langton | Richard Ashton |
| 1604 | Sir John Luke | Richard Ashton |
| 1614 | William Ashton | Roger Charnock |
| 1620–1 (Jan) | Sir George Wright | Richard Kippax |
| 1624 | Thomas Charnock | Edmund Breres |
| 1625 | Miles Fleetwood | Sir Henry Edmonds |
| 1626 | Miles Fleetwood | Sir Henry Edmonds |
| 1627–8 | Sir Henry Holcroft | Sir Francis Onslow |
| 1629–1640 | No parliaments summoned | No parliaments summoned |
| 1640 (Apr) | Sir Richard Wynn, 2nd Baronet, sat for Andover | William Sherman |
| 1640 (Nov) | William Ashurst | Peter Legh, died after duel and repl. by Sir Roger Palmer, disabled 1644 and repl. by Peter Brooke |
| 1645 | William Ashurst | Peter Brooke |
| 1653–1658 | Newton not represented in Barebones and First and Second Protectorate Parliaments | Newton not represented in Barebones and First and Second Protectorate Parliaments |
| 1659 | William Brereton | Peter Legh |

### MPs 1660–1832

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1660 | | Richard Legh | | | William Banks | |
| April 1661 | | Richard Legh | | | John Vaughan | |
| June 1661 | | Richard Legh | | | Sir Philip Mainwaring | |
| October 1661 | | Richard Legh | | | The Lord Gorges of Dundalk | |
| 1679 | | Sir John Chicheley | | | Andrew Fountaine | |
| 1685 | | Sir John Chicheley | | | Peter Legh | |
| 1689 | | Sir John Chicheley | | | Francis Cholmondeley | |
| 1690 | | Sir John Chicheley | | | George Cholmondeley | |
| 1691 | | John Bennet | | | George Cholmondeley | |
| 1695 | | Legh Banks | | | Thomas Brotherton | |
| 1698 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Brotherton | |
| 1701 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Legh, junior | |
| July 1702 | | John Grubham Howe | | | Thomas Legh, junior | |
| December 1702 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Legh, junior | |
| 1703 | | John Ward | | | Thomas Legh, junior | |
| 1713 | | John Ward | | | Abraham Blackmore | |
| 1715 | | Sir Francis Leicester | | | William Shippen | |
| 1727 | | Legh Master | | | William Shippen | |
| 1743 | | Legh Master | | | Peter Legh | |
| 1747 | | Sir Thomas Egerton | | | Peter Legh | |
| 1754 | | Randle Wilbraham | | | Peter Legh | |
| 1768 | | Anthony James Keck | | | Peter Legh | |
| 1774 | | Anthony James Keck | | | Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym | |
| 1780 | | Thomas Peter Legh | | | Thomas Davenport, KC | |
| 1786 | | Thomas Peter Legh | | | Thomas Brooke | |
| September 1797 | | Thomas Langford Brooke | | | Thomas Brooke | |
| December 1797 | | Peter Patten | | | Thomas Brooke | |
| 1806 | | Colonel Peter Heron | | | Thomas Brooke | |
| 1807 | | Colonel Peter Heron | | | John Ireland Blackburne | |
| 1814 | | Thomas Legh | | | John Ireland Blackburne | |
| 1818 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Claughton | |
| 1825 | | Thomas Legh | | | Sir Robert Townsend-Farquhar | |
| 1826 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Alcock | |
| 1830 | | Thomas Legh | | | Thomas Houldsworth | |
| 1832 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

### MPs 1885–1983

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | constituency re-established with one MP | constituency re-established with one MP |
| 1885 | R. A. Cross | Conservative |
| 1886 by-election | Thomas Legh | Conservative |
| 1899 by-election | Richard Pilkington | Conservative |
| 1906 | James Andrew Seddon | Labour |
| 1910 | Roundell Palmer | Conservative |
| 1918 | Robert Young | Labour |
| 1931 | Reginald Essenhigh | Conservative |
| 1935 | Robert Young | Labour |
| 1950 | Fred Lee | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | John Evans | Labour |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. A. Cross | 4,414 | 52.3 | |
| | Liberal | George McCorquodale | 4,031 | 47.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 383 | 4.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,445 | 90.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,344 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. A. Cross | 4,302 | 55.2 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal | George Errington | 3,486 | 44.8 | −2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 816 | 10.4 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,788 | 83.3 | −7.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,344 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.9 | |
Cross was appointed Secretary of State for India and was elevated to the peerage, becoming Viscount Cross, causing a by-election.
By-election, 16 Aug 1886: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Legh | 4,062 | 54.8 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal | Daniel O'Connell French | 3,355 | 45.2 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 707 | 9.6 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,417 | 79.4 | −3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,344 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Legh | 4,713 | 55.2 | 0.0 |
| | Liberal | William Neill | 3,819 | 44.8 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 894 | 10.4 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,532 | 85.4 | +2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,993 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 0.0 | |
General election 1895: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Legh | 5,358 | 58.2 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal | James Moon | 3,854 | 41.8 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,504 | 16.4 | +6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,212 | 83.2 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,073 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
Legh is elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Newton.
By-election, 16 Jan 1899: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Pilkington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Pilkington | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. | James Seddon | 6,434 | 52.2 | New |
| | Conservative | Richard Pilkington | 5,893 | 47.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 541 | 4.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,327 | 89.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,837 | | |
| | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Seddon | 7,256 | 52.7 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Roundell Palmer | 6,504 | 47.3 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 752 | 5.4 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,760 | 93.0 | +3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,803 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
General election December 1910: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Roundell Palmer | 6,706 | 50.5 | +3.2 |
| | Labour | James Seddon | 6,562 | 49.5 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 144 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,268 | 89.6 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,803 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +3.2 | |
General election 1918: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 9,808 | 55.0 | +5.5 |
| C | Unionist | Henry Lygon | 8,014 | 45.0 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,794 | 10.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,822 | 73.0 | −16.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 24,397 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +5.5 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 12,312 | 55.6 | +0.6 |
| | Unionist | Henry Baker Bates | 8,214 | 37.1 | −7.9 |
| | Independent | G.F. Clarke | 1,618 | 7.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,098 | 18.5 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,144 | 86.1 | +13.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 25,707 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
General election 1923: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 12,492 | 59.9 | +4.3 |
| | Unionist | Henry Baker Bates | 8,375 | 40.1 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,117 | 19.8 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,867 | 78.5 | −7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 26,572 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
General election 1924: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 12,875 | 56.1 | −3.8 |
| | Unionist | J.A.W. Watts | 10,066 | 43.9 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,809 | 12.2 | −7.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,941 | 84.6 | +6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 27,105 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.8 | |
General election 1929: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 18,176 | 60.5 | +4.4 |
| | Unionist | Reginald Essenhigh | 11,887 | 39.5 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,289 | 21.0 | +8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,063 | 84.6 | 0.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,533 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.4 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Reginald Essenhigh | 16,064 | 50.60 | |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 15,683 | 49.40 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 381 | 1.20 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,747 | 85.88 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 19,992 | 58.5 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Essenhigh | 14,201 | 41.5 | −9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,791 | 17.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,193 | 84.8 | −1.1 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Young | 25,197 | 62.0 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Lewis | 15,465 | 38.0 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,732 | 24.0 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,662 | 76.2 | −8.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 31,832 | 59.1 | −2.9 |
| | Conservative | Kenneth Lewis | 22,068 | 40.1 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,764 | 18.0 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,900 | 88.0 | +11.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 31,374 | 58.3 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Herbert W Jones | 22,476 | 41.7 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,898 | 16.6 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,850 | 87.2 | −0.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 29,299 | 57.9 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative | Norman Miscampbell | 21,344 | 42.2 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,955 | 15.7 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,643 | 81.8 | −5.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 31,041 | 57.4 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | Norman Miscampbell | 23,065 | 42.6 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,976 | 14.8 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,106 | 83.1 | +1.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 32,932 | 56.0 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative | David C Stanley | 17,980 | 30.6 | −12.0 |
| | Liberal | Clifford L Jones | 7,919 | 13.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,952 | 25.4 | +10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,831 | 82.0 | −1.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 36,901 | 62.8 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | Peter H Craig | 21,845 | 37.2 | +6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,056 | 25.6 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,746 | 78.0 | −4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frederick Lee | 34,873 | 52.5 | −10.3 |
| | Conservative | John Stanley | 25,863 | 39.0 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal | Robert Magee | 5,678 | 8.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,010 | 13.5 | −12.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66,414 | 74.0 | −4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Evans | 38,369 | 49.3 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | Barry Porter | 23,599 | 30.3 | −8.7 |
| | Liberal | Neveille Leather | 15,939 | 20.5 | +11.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,770 | 19.0 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77,907 | 82.5 | +8.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Evans | 38,956 | 53.3 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | Roger Baldwin | 22,484 | 30.7 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | Neveille Leather | 11,738 | 16.0 | −4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,472 | 22.6 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 73,178 | 76.8 | −5.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Newton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Evans | 41,466 | 51.4 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Huntley | 30,125 | 37.3 | +6.6 |
| | Liberal | Rodney Smith | 8,471 | 10.5 | −5.5 |
| | National Front | A Fishwick | 641 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,341 | 14.1 | −8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 80,703 | 78.4 | +1.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |