# Skipton (UK Parliament constituency)

Skipton was a county constituency centred on the town of Skipton in Yorkshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished nearly a hundred years later, for the 1983 general election. It was then partly replaced by the new Skipton and Ripon constituency.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: Part of the Wapentake of Skipton and Ewecross.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Barnoldswick, Earby, and Skipton, and the Rural Districts of Bowland, Sedbergh, Settle, and Skipton.
1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Barnoldswick, Earby, and Skipton, the Rural Districts of Bowland, Sedbergh, and Settle, and the Rural District of Skipton except the parishes of Steeton with Eastburn, and Sutton.
In 1974 the rural district of Sedbergh became part of the new county of Cumbria.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Mathew Wilson | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Walter Morrison | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1892 | Charles Savile Roundell | Liberal |
| | 1895 | Walter Morrison | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1900 | Frederick Whitley-Thomson | Liberal |
| | 1906 | William Clough | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Richard Roundell | Conservative |
| | 1924 | Ernest Bird | Conservative |
| | 1933 by-election | George Rickards | Conservative |
| | 1944 by-election | Hugh Lawson | Common Wealth |
| | 1945 | Burnaby Drayson | Conservative |
| | 1979 | John Watson | Conservative |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished: see Skipton & Ripon | constituency abolished: see Skipton & Ripon |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Mathew Wilson | 5,059 | 54.2 | |
| | Conservative | Samuel Lister | 4,269 | 45.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 790 | 8.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,328 | 86.4 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,796 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Walter Morrison | 4,423 | 50.8 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | Mathew Wilson | 4,289 | 49.2 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 134 | 1.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,712 | 80.7 | −5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,796 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Roundell | 4,700 | 50.5 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Walter Morrison | 4,608 | 49.5 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 92 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,308 | 77.0 | −3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,087 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +1.3 | |
General election 1895: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Walter Morrison | 4,902 | 50.7 | +1.2 |
| | Liberal | James Anson Farrer | 4,763 | 49.3 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 139 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,665 | 87.1 | +10.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,096 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.2 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick Whitley-Thomson | 5,139 | 50.7 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Walter Morrison | 5,007 | 49.3 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 132 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,146 | 85.5 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,865 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +1.4 | |
General election 1906: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Clough | 5,834 | 51.0 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative | Richard Roundell | 5,601 | 49.0 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 233 | 2.0 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,435 | 90.0 | +4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,707 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.3 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Clough | 6,579 | 52.0 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Richard Roundell | 6,071 | 48.0 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 508 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,650 | 91.2 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,864 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.0 | |
General election December 1910: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Clough | 6,151 | 50.2 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative | Richard Roundell | 6,100 | 49.8 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 51 | 0.4 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,251 | 88.4 | −2.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,864 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.8 | |
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 and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: William Clough
* Unionist: Richard Roundell
General election 1918: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Richard Roundell | 12,599 | 55.0 | +5.2 |
| | Liberal | William Anderton Brigg | 10,318 | 45.0 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,281 | 10.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,917 | 64.2 | −24.2 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.2 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Richard Roundell | 13,251 | 41.7 | −13.3 |
| | Liberal | Harry Verney | 10,228 | 32.3 | −12.7 |
| | Labour | Tom Snowden | 8,229 | 26.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,023 | 9.4 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,479 | 85.2 | +21.0 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -0.3 | |
General election 1923: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Richard Roundell | 12,676 | 39.9 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal | Harry Verney | 11,285 | 35.6 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | George Willey | 7,767 | 24.5 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,391 | 4.3 | −5.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,728 | 83.6 | −1.6 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -2.6 | |
General election 1924: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Roy Bird | 14,924 | 46.0 | +6.1 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Woffenden | 8,947 | 27.5 | −8.1 |
| | Labour | George Willey | 8,626 | 26.5 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,977 | 18.5 | +14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,497 | 83.8 | +0.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +7.1 | |
General election 1929: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Roy Bird | 16,588 | 39.5 | −6.5 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 13,088 | 31.2 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Woffenden | 12,320 | 29.3 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,500 | 8.3 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,996 | 83.4 | −0.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -5.6 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ernest Roy Bird | 28,013 | 68.2 | +28.7 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 13,053 | 31.8 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,960 | 36.4 | +28.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,066 | 80.3 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1933 Skipton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Rickards | 18,136 | 43.0 | −25.2 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 14,157 | 33.5 | +1.7 |
| | Liberal | Robert Denby | 9,219 | 21.8 | +21.8 |
| | Communist | James Rushton | 704 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,979 | 9.5 | −26.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,216 | 82.7 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -13.5 | |
General election 1935: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Rickards | 22,847 | 56.2 | −12.0 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 17,788 | 43.8 | +12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,059 | 12.4 | −24.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,635 | 79.6 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Conservative: George Rickards
* Labour: John Davies

### Elections in the 1940s

1944 Skipton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Common Wealth | Hugh Lawson | 12,222 | 44.8 | New |
| | Conservative | Harry Riddiough | 12,001 | 44.0 | −12.2 |
| | Independent Labour | Joseph Toole | 3,029 | 11.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 221 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,252 | 54.9 | −24.7 |
| | Common Wealth gain from Conservative | Common Wealth gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1945: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 17,905 | 41.5 | −14.7 |
| | Labour | John Davies | 15,704 | 36.4 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal | Eric Townsend | 9,546 | 22.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,201 | 5.1 | −7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,155 | 80.1 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 22,254 | 49.2 | +7.7 |
| | Labour | Thomas J. Roberts | 16,290 | 36.0 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal | Eric Arthur Greenwood | 6,689 | 14.8 | −7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,964 | 13.2 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,233 | 88.9 | +8.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 26,024 | 59.0 | +9.8 |
| | Labour | Edgar Hewitt | 18,064 | 41.0 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,960 | 18.0 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,088 | 86.1 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 25,101 | 61.2 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Vincent P. Richardson | 15,919 | 38.8 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,182 | 22.4 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,020 | 82.5 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.2 | |
General election 1959: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 20,278 | 48.3 | −12.9 |
| | Labour | Frank Hooley | 11,178 | 26.6 | −12.2 |
| | Liberal | Claire Graham | 10,543 | 25.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,100 | 21.7 | −0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,999 | 85.7 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 18,561 | 46.2 | −2.1 |
| | Labour | Roderick MacSween | 11,715 | 29.2 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal | Wilfrid E.H. Pickard | 9,886 | 24.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,846 | 17.0 | −3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,162 | 84.0 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.5 | |
General election 1966: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 17,532 | 45.1 | −1.1 |
| | Labour | Gordon A. Knott | 13,276 | 34.1 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal | Wilfrid E.H. Pickard | 8,104 | 20.8 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,256 | 11.0 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,912 | 82.0 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −3.0 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 20,817 | 51.3 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | Kenneth Targett | 12,011 | 29.6 | −4.5 |
| | Liberal | Jean Y.L. Burns | 7,733 | 19.1 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,806 | 21.7 | +10.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,561 | 78.6 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.4 | |
General election February 1974: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 19,301 | 43.3 | −8.0 |
| | Liberal | Claire Brooks | 17,185 | 38.6 | +19.5 |
| | Labour | Terry Wheeler | 8,079 | 18.1 | −11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,116 | 4.7 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,565 | 85.6 | +7.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Burnaby Drayson | 17,882 | 41.3 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal | Claire Brooks | 17,232 | 39.9 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | C.G. Burks | 8,109 | 18.8 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 590 | 1.4 | −3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,223 | 82.1 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Skipton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Grenville Bernard Watson | 23,177 | 51.2 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal | Claire Brooks | 17,484 | 38.6 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Brian Michael Selby | 4,632 | 10.2 | −8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,693 | 12.6 | +11.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,293 | 84.1 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.6 | |