# Isle of Thanet (UK Parliament constituency)

Isle of Thanet was a county constituency 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 February 1974 general election.
It was located on the Isle of Thanet, in Kent.

## Boundaries

1918–1950: The Boroughs of Margate, Ramsgate, and Sandwich, the Urban District of Broadstairs and St Peters, and the Rural District of Isle of Thanet.
1950–1974: The Boroughs of Margate and Ramsgate, the Urban District of Broadstairs and St Peters, and in the Rural District of Eastry the parishes of Acol, Minster, Monkton, St Nicholas at Wade, and Sarre.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Edward King-Harman | Conservative |
| 1888 | James Lowther | Conservative |
| 1904 | Harry Marks | Conservative |
| 1910 | Norman Craig | Conservative |
| 1919 | Esmond Harmsworth | Unionist |
| 1929 | Harold Balfour | Unionist |
| 1945 | Edward Carson | Conservative |
| 1953 | William Rees-Davies | Conservative |
| 1974 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward King-Harman | 3,381 | 55.9 | |
| | Liberal | Edmund Francis Davies | 2,670 | 44.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 711 | 11.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,051 | 76.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,941 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward King-Harman | 3,399 | 72.2 | +16.3 |
| | Liberal | Edward Gripper Banks | 1,311 | 27.8 | −16.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,088 | 44.4 | +32.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,710 | 59.3 | −16.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,941 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +16.3 | |
King-Harman's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 29 Jun 1888: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Lowther | 3,547 | 55.1 | −17.1 |
| | Liberal | Edward Knatchbull-Hugessen | 2,889 | 44.9 | +17.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 658 | 10.2 | −34.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,436 | 78.2 | +18.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,228 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −17.1 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Lowther | 3,901 | 57.7 | −14.5 |
| | Liberal | Heber Hart | 2,857 | 42.3 | +14.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,044 | 15.4 | −29.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,758 | 68.2 | +8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,913 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −14.5 | |
General election 1895: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Lowther | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Lowther | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
1904 Isle of Thanet by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Marks | 4,048 | 52.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Joseph King | 3,666 | 47.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 382 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,714 | 71.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,823 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1906: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harry Marks | 5,154 | 51.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Joseph King | 3,961 | 39.5 | N/A |
| | Ind. Conservative | Frederick E McCormick Goodhart | 925 | 9.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,193 | 11.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,040 | 84.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,891 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Norman Craig | 6,892 | 66.9 | +15.6 |
| | Liberal | Julian William Wellesley Weigall | 3,410 | 33.1 | −6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,482 | 33.8 | +22.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,302 | 81.8 | −2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,588 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +11.0 | |
General election December 1910: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Norman Craig | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
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: Norman Craig
* Liberal:
General Election 1918: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Norman Craig | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
1919 Isle of Thanet by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Esmond Harmsworth | 9,711 | 57.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William J. West | 7,058 | 42.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,653 | 15.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,769 | 52.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,767 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Esmond Harmsworth | 16,116 | 61.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Alfred Suenson-Taylor | 10,226 | 38.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,890 | 22.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,342 | 68.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,500 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Esmond Harmsworth | 13,821 | 50.1 | −11.1 |
| | Liberal | Reginald Rait | 13,773 | 49.9 | +11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 0.2 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,594 | 69.5 | +1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 39,679 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −11.1 | |
General election 1924: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Esmond Harmsworth | 21,130 | 65.8 | +15.7 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Luxmoore | 6,779 | 21.1 | −28.8 |
| | Labour | Dudley Aman | 4,202 | 13.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,351 | 44.7 | +44.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,111 | 77.6 | +8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,395 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +22.3 | |
General election 1929: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Harold Balfour | 22,595 | 52.9 | −12.9 |
| | Liberal | Alfred Suenson-Taylor | 15,648 | 36.6 | +15.5 |
| | Labour | Edgar Joseph Plaisted | 4,490 | 10.5 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,947 | 16.3 | −28.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,733 | 73.3 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 58,330 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −14.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harold Balfour | 33,173 | 74.2 | +21.3 |
| | Liberal | George Ivor Phillips | 11,517 | 25.8 | −10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,656 | 48.4 | +32.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,690 | 73.6 | +0.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Harold Balfour | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
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: Harold Balfour
* Liberal: Richard Pope-Hennessy
* Labour: FW Mellanby

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Carson | 15,023 | 48.7 | N/A |
| | Labour | Thomas Boyd | 12,075 | 39.2 | New |
| | Liberal | Philip John Willmett | 3,732 | 12.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,948 | 9.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,830 | 69.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Carson | 31,345 | 55.5 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Christopher Boyd | 20,522 | 36.4 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal | Charles Wrong | 4,561 | 8.1 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,823 | 19.1 | +9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,431 | 83.0 | +13.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Carson | 33,551 | 61.6 | +6.1 |
| | Labour | Otto Shaw | 20,892 | 38.4 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,659 | 23.2 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,444 | 78.0 | −5.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1953 Isle of Thanet by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 25,261 | 61.3 | −0.3 |
| | Labour | Frank Woodbridge | 15,935 | 38.7 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,326 | 22.6 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,196 | 58.7 | −19.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 31,270 | 62.2 | +0.6 |
| | Labour | Kingston Jones | 18,981 | 37.8 | −0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,289 | 24.4 | +1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,251 | 71.9 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 29,453 | 54.5 | −7.7 |
| | Labour | Henry Fountain | 17,555 | 32.5 | −5.3 |
| | Liberal | George MacDonald-Jones | 6,998 | 13.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,898 | 22.0 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,007 | 75.1 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 27,870 | 47.7 | −6.8 |
| | Labour | Ernest Wistrich | 20,520 | 35.2 | +2.7 |
| | Liberal | David Norrington | 9,979 | 17.1 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,350 | 12.5 | −9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,369 | 74.2 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 29,302 | 47.5 | −0.2 |
| | Labour | Leonard John A Bishop | 24,416 | 39.6 | +4.4 |
| | Liberal | Frederick G Redman | 7,952 | 12.9 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,886 | 7.9 | −4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,670 | 75.7 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Isle of Thanet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Rees-Davies | 33,434 | 51.9 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | Leonard John A Bishop | 21,709 | 33.7 | −5.9 |
| | Liberal | Tudor Gates | 7,176 | 11.1 | −1.8 |
| | Ind. Conservative | Ian Josephs | 2,136 | 3.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,725 | 18.2 | +10.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 64,458 | 72.2 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |