# Knutsford (UK Parliament constituency)

Knutsford was a county 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

Knutsford 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 primarily between Altrincham and Sale and the new constituencies of Congleton and Tatton.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Bucklow, parts of the Sessional Divisions of Daresbury, Prestbury, Leftwich, Northwich, and Stockport, and the part of the Borough of Warrington in the county of Cheshire.
The seat was centred around the town of Knutsford and stretched from Daresbury to the west, Disley to the east, and Holmes Chapel to the south.
1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Bollington, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, Knutsford, and Wilmslow, and parts of the Rural Districts of Bucklow, Congleton, Macclesfield, Northwich, and Runcorn.
Gained Hazel Grove from Hyde and Bramhall from Altrincham. Lost eastern fringe, including Disley, to Macclesfield.
1945–1950: The County Boroughs of Stockport (part) and Warrington (part)$^1$, the Urban Districts of Alderley Edge (part), Bollington, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, Knutsford, Marple (part)$^1$ and Wilmslow, and parts of the Rural Districts of Bucklow, Congleton, Macclesfield, Northwich, Runcorn and Warrington$^1$.
$^1$Trivial parts of electorate.
As part of an interim review of abnormally large constituencies (those exceeding an electorate of 100,000) in time for the 1945 election, the definition of the constituency's boundaries was altered to reflect changes in local authority boundaries. The only non-trivial adjustment to the electorate was to include the area comprising the former Urban District of Handforth, which had been absorbed into the Urban District of Wilmslow, transferred from the abolished Altrincham constituency.
1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Alsager, Bowdon, Hale, Knutsford, Sandbach and Wilmslow, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton.
Major realignment of boundaries, losing eastern and western parts, whilst being extended to the north and south:
* Bollington and the part of the Rural District of Macclesfield, including Poynton, transferred to the constituency of Macclesfield;
* Hazel Grove and Bramhall included in the new constituency of Cheadle;
* Offerton (now part of the County Borough of Stockport) included in the new constituency of Stockport South;
* the parts of the Rural Districts of Northwich and Runcorn transferred to the respective constituencies of the same name;
* Alsager transferred from Crewe and Sandbach from Northwich, along with the parts of the Rural District of Congleton in both constituencies; and
* Bowdon, Hale and remaining parts of the Rural District of Bucklow transferred from the abolished constituency of Bucklow.
1955–1974: The Urban Districts of Alderley Edge, Bowdon, Hale, Knutsford, and Wilmslow, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton.
Alsager and Sandbach transferred to Crewe.
1974–1983: The Urban Districts of Bowdon, Hale, and Knutsford, and the Rural Districts of Bucklow and Congleton.
Alderley Edge transferred to Macclesfield and Wilmslow to Cheadle.
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 comprised parts of the newly formed Boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield and Vale Royal in Cheshire, the City of Manchester (parish of Ringway) and the Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester (Bowdon, Hale and the parishes of Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington and Warburton), but its boundaries were unchanged.
On abolition, the constituency was broken up as follows:
* Bowdon and Hale, Dunham Massey and Warburton to Altrincham and Sale;
* Carrington and Warburton to the new constituency of Davyhulme;
* Ringway to Manchester Wythenshawe;
* southern parts, comprising the former Rural District of Congleton to the new constituency of Congleton; and
* remaining parts, including Knutsford and surrounding rural areas to the new constituency of Tatton.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1885 | Alan Egerton | Conservative |
| 1906 | Alfred John King | Liberal |
| Jan 1910 | Alan Sykes | Conservative |
| 1922 | Ernest Makins | Conservative |
| 1945 | Walter Bromley-Davenport | Conservative |
| 1970 | John Davies | Conservative | Resigned November 1978 |
| 1979 by-election | Jock Bruce-Gardyne | Conservative |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | 4,663 | 57.7 | |
| | Liberal | John Barlow | 3,419 | 42.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,244 | 15.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,082 | 86.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,314 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | 4,754 | 63.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Alexander Mere Latham | 2,792 | 37.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,962 | 26.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,546 | 80.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,348 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alfred King | 5,296 | 53.5 | New |
| | Conservative | Alan Egerton | 4,596 | 46.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 700 | 7.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,892 | 88.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,141 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Sykes | 6,199 | 54.9 | +8.4 |
| | Liberal | Alfred King | 5,084 | 45.1 | −8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,115 | 9.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,283 | 92.9 | +4.1 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election December 1910: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Sykes | 6,127 | 56.8 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | J.H. Whitworth | 4,658 | 43.2 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,469 | 13.6 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,785 | 88.8 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
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;
* Unionist: Alan Sykes
* Liberal: Philip Oliver
General election 1918: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Alan Sykes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Makins | 15,650 | 57.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Percy Butlin | 11,388 | 42.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,262 | 15.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,038 | 77.2 | N/A |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Makins | 13,838 | 50.1 | −7.8 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Stanley | 13,758 | 49.9 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 80 | 0.2 | −15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,596 | 76.8 | −1.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -7.8 | |
General election 1924: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Makins | 18,199 | 60.5 | +10.4 |
| | Liberal | John Paul McDougall | 11,885 | 39.5 | −10.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,314 | 21.0 | +20.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,084 | 80.9 | +4.1 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +10.4 | |
General election 1929: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Ernest Makins | 22,605 | 53.5 | −7.0 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Jalland | 19,629 | 46.5 | +7.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,976 | 7.0 | −14.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,234 | 80.5 | −0.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -7.0 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ernest Makins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1935: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ernest Makins | 30,252 | 63.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Harold Heathcote-Williams | 17,253 | 36.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,999 | 27.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,505 | 76.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
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: Ernest Makins
* Liberal: Harold Heathcote-Williams

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 33,056 | 56.2 | −7.5 |
| | Labour | Frederick Lockwood Tyler | 14,416 | 24.5 | New |
| | Liberal | Lawrence Lauderdale Maitland | 10,703 | 18.2 | −18.1 |
| | Common Wealth | Frank William Young | 628 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,640 | 31.7 | +4.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,175 | 77.1 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 29,707 | 59.17 |
| | Labour | Cyril Hamnett | 12,794 | 25.48 |
| | Liberal | Lawrence Lauderdale Maitland | 7,703 | 15.34 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,913 | 33.69 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,204 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 34,114 | 69.97 |
| | Labour | Cyril Hamnett | 14,640 | 30.03 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,474 | 39.94 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 29,074 | 75.20 |
| | Labour | Cyril Hamnett | 9,588 | 24.80 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,486 | 50.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,662 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 27,270 | 62.9 | −12.3 |
| | Liberal | Frank Tetlow | 8,117 | 18.8 | New |
| | Labour | Norman Selwyn | 7,945 | 18.3 | −6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,153 | 44.1 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,332 | 81.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 26,826 | 53.4 | −9.5 |
| | Liberal | Michael J Hunkin | 12,499 | 24.9 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | David Dollimore | 10,882 | 21.7 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,327 | 28.5 | −15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,207 | 80.34 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -7.8 | |
General election 1966: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Bromley-Davenport | 26,550 | 51.5 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal | Geoff Tordoff | 12,839 | 24.9 | 0.0 |
| | Labour | Keith J Hill | 12,174 | 23.6 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,711 | 26.6 | −1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,563 | 79.1 | −1.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.0 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Davies | 33,194 | 59.82 |
| | Labour | Andrew Bennett | 11,612 | 20.93 |
| | Liberal | Geoff Tordoff | 10,684 | 19.25 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,582 | 38.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,490 | 74.75 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Davies | 23,632 | 52.50 |
| | Liberal | Brian M. Lomax | 12,542 | 27.86 |
| | Labour | Barry W. McColgan | 8,840 | 19.64 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,090 | 24.64 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,014 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Davies | 21,636 | 51.02 |
| | Liberal | Brian M. Lomax | 11,210 | 26.43 |
| | Labour | D.L. Swain | 9,565 | 22.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,426 | 24.59 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,411 | 76.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
1979 Knutsford by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jock Bruce-Gardyne | 22,086 | 67.13 | +16.11 |
| | Liberal | Robert Ingham | 5,206 | 15.82 | −10.61 |
| | Labour | Alan G Barton | 5,124 | 15.57 | −6.98 |
| | Ind. Conservative | Michael Byrne | 486 | 1.48 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,880 | 51.31 | +26.72 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,902 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +13.4 | |
General election 1979: Knutsford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jock Bruce-Gardyne | 26,795 | 59.58 | +8.56 |
| | Labour | Alan G Barton | 8,992 | 19.99 | −2.56 |
| | Liberal | Robert Ingham | 8,499 | 18.90 | −7.53 |
| | Ind. Conservative | J Brown | 690 | 1.53 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,803 | 39.59 | +15.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,976 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |