# Houghton-le-Spring (UK Parliament constituency)

Houghton-le-Spring was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. Centred on the town of Houghton-le-Spring, now part of the City of Sunderland, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.

## History
### Creation

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of eight new single-member divisions of the county of Durham, replacing the two 2-member seats of North Durham and South Durham. The seat included the towns of Houghton-le-Spring, Hetton-le-Hole and Seaham and areas to the south and west of the borough of Sunderland. The majority now lies within the City of Sunderland in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear.

### Boundaries
#### 1885–1918

* The Sessional Divisions of Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland and Seaham Harbour (part); and
* The Municipal Borough of Sunderland
NB included only non-resident freeholders in the parliamentary borough of Sunderland.
See map on Vision of Britain website.

#### 1918–1950

* The Urban District of Houghton-le-Spring;
* the Rural Districts of South Shields and Sunderland; and
* part of the Rural District of Houghton-le-Spring.
Rural/coastal areas between South Shields and Sunderland, including the Boldons, transferred from Jarrow. Lost Hetton-le-Hole to the new Durham Division of County Durham and Seaham to the new Seaham Division.

#### 1950–1955

* The Urban Districts of Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham; and
* the Rural District of Sunderland.
Seaham (including Seaham Harbour) transferred back from the abolished Seaham Division. Lost areas to the Borough Constituencies of South Shields, Sunderland North and Sunderland South as a result of the expansion of the respective County Boroughs. Remaining northern areas, largely comprising the Urban District of Boldon (which had largely succeeded the abolished Rural District of South Shields), transferred to Jarrow.

#### 1955–1974

* The Urban Districts of Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham; and
* the Rural District of Sunderland except the parts of the parishes of Ford, Herrington, Hylton, and Silksworth added to the County Borough of Sunderland by the Sunderland Extension Act 1950 (14 Geo. 6. c. liv).

#### 1974–1983

* The Urban Districts of Hetton, Houghton-le-Spring, and Seaham; and
* in the Rural District of Easington, the parishes of Burdon, Cold Hesledon, Dalton-le-Dale, East Murton, Seaton with Slingley, and Warden Law.
The Urban District of Hetton transferred back from Durham and northern parts of the Rural District of Easington, including East Murton, transferred from Easington. Parts comprising the former Rural District of Sunderland, which had been largely absorbed by the County Borough, were transferred to Sunderland North (Hylton) and Sunderland South (Ryhope and Silksworth).

### Abolition

The seat was abolished for the 1983 general election as a result of the periodic review of parliamentary constituencies following the re-organisation of local government under the Local Government Act 1972. On abolition, Seaham and East Murton, which had been retained within the county of Durham and comprised about 40% of the electorate, were returned to the Easington constituency. The remainder, including Houghton-le-Spring and Hetton-le-Hole, was included in the new constituency of Houghton and Washington in the county of Tyne and Wear.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | John Wilson | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Nicholas Wood | Conservative |
| | 1892 | Henry Fenwick | Liberal |
| | 1895 | Robert Cameron | Liberal |
| | 1913 by-election | Tom Wing | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Robert Richardson | Labour |
| | 1931 | Robert Chapman | Conservative |
| | 1935 | William Stewart | Labour |
| | 1945 | Bill Blyton | Labour |
| | 1964 | Tom Urwin | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | John Wilson | 6,511 | 57.7 | |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Wood | 4,767 | 42.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,744 | 15.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,278 | 86.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,992 | | |
| | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) | Lib-Lab win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Wood | 5,870 | 53.7 | +11.4 |
| | Lib-Lab | John Wilson | 5,059 | 46.3 | −11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 811 | 7.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,929 | 84.1 | −2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,992 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | +11.4 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Fenwick | 6,256 | 52.6 | +6.3 |
| | Conservative | Nicholas Wood | 4,823 | 40.6 | −13.1 |
| | Independent Liberal and Direct Veto | Jonathan Hargrove | 814 | 6.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,433 | 12.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,893 | 86.7 | +2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,716 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.7 | |
General election 1895: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Cameron | 6,592 | 53.6 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative | Vincent Charles Stuart Wortley Corbett | 5,711 | 46.4 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 881 | 7.2 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,303 | 88.0 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.4 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Cameron | 6,865 | 58.3 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | Ralph Stapleton Ward-Jackson | 4,917 | 41.7 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,948 | 16.6 | +9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,782 | 82.3 | −5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,317 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.7 | |
General election 1906: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Cameron | 9,429 | 72.2 | +13.9 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Roland Edmund Lomax Vaughan Williams | 3,639 | 27.8 | −13.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,790 | 44.4 | +27.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,068 | 83.2 | +0.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,711 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +13.9 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Cameron | 10,393 | 70.3 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative | Hugh Sidney Streatfield | 4,382 | 29.7 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,011 | 40.6 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,775 | 84.4 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,504 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −1.9 | |
General election December 1910: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Cameron | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
1913 Houghton-le-Spring by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Wing | 6,930 | 43.6 | N/A |
| | Unionist | Thomas Richardson | 4,807 | 30.2 | New |
| | Labour | William House | 4,165 | 26.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,123 | 13.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,902 | 83.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,032 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
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;
* Liberal: Thomas Wing
* Unionist:
* Labour: W. P. Richardson
General election 14 December 1918: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 7,315 | 36.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Thomas Wing | 6,626 | 32.9 | N/A |
| C | National Democratic | John Lindsley | 6,185 | 30.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 689 | 3.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,126 | 61.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,552 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 14,611 | 51.9 | +15.5 |
| | Unionist | Walter William Shaw | 7,555 | 26.9 | New |
| | Liberal | John Edward Johnston | 5,958 | 21.2 | −11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,056 | 25.0 | +21.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,124 | 78.4 | +16.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,871 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +13.6 | |
General election 1923: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 15,225 | 59.3 | +7.4 |
| | Liberal | Aaron Curry | 10,445 | 40.7 | +19.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,780 | 18.6 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,670 | 69.0 | −9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,224 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.1 | |
General election 1924: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 17,857 | 57.8 | −1.5 |
| | Liberal | Aaron Curry | 13,023 | 42.2 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,834 | 15.6 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,880 | 79.6 | +10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,779 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.5 | |
General election 1929: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 25,056 | 57.1 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Wing | 10,267 | 23.4 | −18.8 |
| | Unionist | William George Pearson | 8,545 | 19.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,789 | 33.7 | +18.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,868 | 80.3 | +0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 54,615 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.1 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Chapman | 25,549 | 52.95 | |
| | Labour | Robert Richardson | 22,700 | 47.05 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,849 | 5.90 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,249 | 82.78 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Stewart | 30,665 | 57.15 | |
| | Conservative | Robert Chapman | 22,990 | 42.85 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,675 | 14.30 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,945 | 82.04 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Billy Blyton | 43,730 | 66.67 |
| | Conservative | TB Martin | 21,864 | 33.33 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,866 | 33.34 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,594 | 76.87 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Billy Blyton | 36,044 | 77.14 |
| | Conservative | Beatrice Bolam | 10,682 | 22.86 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,362 | 54.28 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,726 | 87.22 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Billy Blyton | 37,718 | 75.80 |
| | Conservative | Beatrice Bolam | 12,042 | 24.20 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,676 | 51.60 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,760 | 86.61 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Billy Blyton | 33,375 | 76.11 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Edward Sydney Egerton | 10,476 | 23.89 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,899 | 52.22 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,851 | 79.49 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Billy Blyton | 35,960 | 75.93 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Robert Coghill Arbuthnot | 11,398 | 24.07 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,562 | 51.86 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,358 | 83.41 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 32,914 | 74.82 |
| | Conservative | Peter Coles Price | 11,076 | 25.18 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,838 | 49.64 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,990 | 78.70 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1966: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 32,067 | 77.51 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Howard Michael Craig-Cooper | 9,304 | 22.49 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,763 | 55.02 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,371 | 73.88 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 32,888 | 73.41 |
| | Conservative | Frederick Howard Michael Craig-Cooper | 11,914 | 26.59 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,974 | 46.82 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,802 | 71.60 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 34,263 | 76.89 | +3.48 |
| | Conservative | RC Ritchie | 10,300 | 23.11 | −3.48 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,963 | 53.77 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,563 | 75.09 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.48 | |
General election October 1974: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 29,699 | 68.44 | |
| | Liberal | W Robson | 9,298 | 21.43 | New |
| | Conservative | RC Ritchie | 4,399 | 10.14 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,401 | 47.01 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,396 | 72.44 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Houghton-le-Spring :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Urwin | 30,181 | 68.45 | |
| | Conservative | Philip Straw | 9,105 | 20.65 | |
| | Liberal | J Ellis | 4,479 | 10.16 | |
| | Workers Revolutionary | D Temple | 326 | 0.74 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,076 | 47.80 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,091 | 72.89 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |