# Accrington (UK Parliament constituency)

Accrington was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

## History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. The original county constituency of North East Lancashire was replaced by a borough constituency for the 1918 general election. The constituency was based on the town of Accrington.
From the 1983 general election, the constituency was abolished. The successor seat was Hyndburn, named after the local government area including the town of Accrington. 85.5% of the new seat came from the former Accrington constituency.

## Boundaries

This constituency was part of the historic county of Lancashire in North West England.

### 1885–1918

The constituency, officially named North East Lancashire, Accrington Division consisted of the Municipal Borough of Accrington, and the parishes of Altham, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Hapton, Huncoat, Oswaldtwistle, and Rishton.
Neighbouring constituencies were Blackburn to the south west and Burnley to the north east and Darwen to the north. Accrington also had short boundaries with Clitheroe at both its north and east borders and Rossendale to the south and south east.

### 1918–1950

The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Constituencies were defined in terms of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1894.
The Parliamentary Borough of Accrington consisted of the Municipal Borough of Accrington and the Urban Districts of Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Oswaldtwistle, and Rishton. The three parishes of Altham, Hapton and Huncoat passed to the Clitheroe constituency.

### 1950–1983

The Representation of the People Act 1948 replaced the term "parliamentary borough" with "borough constituency". The Accrington Borough Constituency was defined in the same terms as in the 1918 legislation. However, there were boundary changes reflecting local government changes in the 1930s: the Huncoat area rejoined the constituency as the parish had been absorbed by the Borough of Accrington, while an enlargement of the county borough of Blackburn took away part of Rishton. These boundaries were first used in the 1950 general election.

### Abolition

In 1974 local government in England and Wales was reorganised. However, parliamentary boundaries were not altered until 1983. The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 created new constituencies based on the new districts. A new Hyndburn Borough Constituency was formed. The new seat included the whole of the Accrington constituency with the addition of Altham and Great Harwood.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Frederick William Grafton | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Robert Hodge | Conservative |
| | 1892 | Sir Joseph Leese | Liberal |
| | 1910 | Harold Baker | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Ernest Gray | Conservative |
| | 1922 | Charles Buxton | Labour |
| | 1923 | Hugh Edwards | Liberal |
| | 1929 | Tom Snowden | Labour |
| | 1931 | Henry Procter | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Walter Scott-Elliot | Labour |
| | 1950 | Henry Hynd | Labour |
| | 1966 | Arthur Davidson | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished – see Hyndburn | constituency abolished – see Hyndburn |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick William Grafton | 5,320 | 52.4 | |
| | Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 4,842 | 47.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 478 | 4.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,162 | 94.1 | ' |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,797 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
1886 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 4,971 | 51.1 | +3.5 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 4,751 | 48.9 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 220 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,722 | 90.0 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,797 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.5 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

1892 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 6,019 | 52.4 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 5,472 | 47.6 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 547 | 4.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,491 | 93.4 | +3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,309 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.5 | |
1893 Accrington by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 5,822 | 51.1 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 5,564 | 48.9 | +1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 258 | 2.2 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,386 | 92.1 | −1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,361 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.3 | |
1895 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 6,168 | 51.4 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | William Mitchell | 5,828 | 48.6 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 340 | 2.8 | −2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,996 | 93.5 | +0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,832 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.0 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 6,585 | 50.6 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Edward E Nicholls | 5,993 | 46.1 | −2.5 |
| | Independent Labour | John Hempsall | 433 | 3.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 592 | 4.5 | +1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,011 | 91.5 | −2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,221 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
1906 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Leese | 7,209 | 56.8 | +6.2 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Dan Irving | 4,852 | 38.3 | New |
| | Independent Labour | S. M. Holden | 619 | 4.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,357 | 18.5 | +14.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,680 | 82.9 | −8.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,301 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Harold Baker | 8,968 | 58.1 | +1.3 |
| | Conservative | Albert Henry Jessel | 6,455 | 41.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,513 | 16.2 | −2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,423 | 94.6 | +11.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,297 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
December 1910 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Harold Baker | 8,129 | 55.7 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | Ernest Gray | 6,461 | 44.3 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,668 | 11.4 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,590 | 89.5 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,297 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.4 | |
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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: James Bell
* Liberal: Harold Baker
* Unionist: Ernest Gray
1918 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Ernest Gray | 13,808 | 47.2 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal | Harold Baker | 8,378 | 28.6 | −27.1 |
| | Labour | Charles Buxton | 6,369 | 21.7 | New |
| | National Democratic | William Hammond | 738 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,430 | 18.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,555 | 69.5 | −20.0 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +15.0 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Buxton | 16,462 | 44.3 | +22.6 |
| | Unionist | Ernest Gray | 11,408 | 30.6 | −16.6 |
| | Liberal | Harold Baker | 9,395 | 25.1 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,054 | 13.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,265 | 88.7 | +19.2 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +19.6 | |
1923 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hugh Edwards | 19,981 | 54.3 | +29.2 |
| | Labour | Charles Buxton | 16,793 | 45.7 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,188 | 8.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,774 | 86.5 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +13.9 | |
1924 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Constitutionalist | Hugh Edwards | 20,391 | 52.9 | N/A |
| | Labour | Charles Buxton | 18,148 | 47.1 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,243 | 5.8 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,539 | 90.1 | +3.6 |
| | Constitutionalist hold | Constitutionalist hold | Swing | | |
1929 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Tom Snowden | 25,336 | 52.3 | +5.2 |
| | Liberal | Hugh Edwards | 23,110 | 47.7 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,226 | 4.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,446 | 88.7 | −1.4 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

1931 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Procter | 30,799 | 62.89 | |
| | Labour | Tom Snowden | 18,177 | 37.11 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,622 | 25.78 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,976 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
1935 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Procter | 25,273 | 54.4 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | Frederick George Burgess | 21,203 | 45.6 | +8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,070 | 8.8 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,696 | 67.7 | |
| | 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 and by the July 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Conservative: Henry Procter
* Labour: Walter Scott-Elliot
* British Union: Doreen Bell
1945 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Walter Scott-Elliot | 21,102 | 48.65 | |
| | Conservative | Henry Procter | 16,025 | 36.95 | |
| | Liberal | Gerald Vernon Mortimer | 6,247 | 14.40 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,077 | 11.70 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,374 | 83.27 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

1950 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Henry Hynd | 23,295 | 48.82 |
| | Conservative | Henry Procter | 19,022 | 39.86 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Kenneth Blakeman | 5,403 | 11.32 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,273 | 8.96 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,720 | 91.01 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
1951 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Henry Hynd | 24,802 | 52.31 |
| | Conservative | Francis Henry Gerard Heron Goodhart | 22,611 | 47.69 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,191 | 4.62 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,413 | 89.96 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
1955 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Henry Hynd | 22,502 | 51.5 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Dennis C. Walls | 21,157 | 48.5 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,345 | 3.0 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,659 | 85.7 | −4.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1959 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Hynd | 22,242 | 50.7 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Martin Henry | 21,642 | 49.3 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 600 | 1.4 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,884 | 87.9 | +2.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.8 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1964 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Harry Hynd | 20,561 | 49.7 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative | Victor Montagu | 15,143 | 36.6 | −12.7 |
| | Liberal | Terence Anthony Maher | 5,653 | 13.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,418 | 13.1 | +11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,357 | 84.5 | −3.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1966 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Davidson | 21,330 | 53.0 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative | David L. Maxwell | 14,508 | 36.1 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | Julian H.S. Gould | 4,375 | 10.9 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,822 | 16.9 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,213 | 83.1 | −1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

1970 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Davidson | 20,828 | 50.7 | −2.3 |
| | Conservative | Reginald C. Webster | 20,234 | 49.3 | +13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 594 | 1.4 | −15.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,062 | 80.2 | −2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.8 | |
February 1974 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Davidson | 20,050 | 47.5 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | Alan d'Arcy Fearn | 15,018 | 35.5 | −13.2 |
| | Liberal | W.I. Cooper | 7,191 | 17.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,032 | 12.0 | +10.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,259 | 83.9 | +3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.2 | |
October 1974 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Davidson | 19,838 | 49.2 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | J. McLaughlin | 13,618 | 33.8 | −1.7 |
| | Liberal | W I Cooper | 5,704 | 14.1 | −2.9 |
| | National Front | David Riley | 1,176 | 2.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,220 | 15.4 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,336 | 79.37 | −4.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.8 | |
1979 general election: Accrington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Davidson | 19,576 | 48.9 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative | A. Cheetham | 16,282 | 40.7 | +6.9 |
| | Liberal | R. Holden | 3,646 | 9.11 | −5.0 |
| | National Front | David Riley | 508 | 1.3 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,294 | 8.23 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,012 | 78.7 | −0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | –3.6 | |

## References and Notes

Notes
* ↑ Nominee of the local branches of the Independent Labour Party and Social Democratic Federation but repudiated by both national headquarters
References
* ↑ Seventh Schedule: Counties at Large, Part I: England, Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885 (C.23)
* ↑ Ninth Schedule, Part 1(2): Parliamentary Boroughs, England excluding London and Monmouthshire, Representation of the People Act, 1918 (C.64)
* ↑ F A Youngs Jr., Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II: Northern England, London, 1991
* ↑ The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983 No. 417)
* 1 2 3 4 5 British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
* 1 2 3 4 5 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
* ↑ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 147 (171 in web page), Lancashire North East
* ↑ "Alan Fearn". The Daily Telegraph. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2013.

## Sources

* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)
* Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885–1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
* British Parliamentary Constituencies: A Statistical Compendium, by Ivor Crewe and Anthony Fox (Faber and Faber 1984)
* British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
* British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
* British Parliamentary Election Results 1950–1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
* Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
* Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
* Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945–1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)