# Ilkeston (UK Parliament constituency)

Ilkeston is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was represented by one Member of Parliament. In 1983 it was abolished, together with South East Derbyshire, when the Derbyshire county constituencies were redrawn - the constituencies of Amber Valley and Erewash were created and the constituency of South Derbyshire was re-created.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Division of Smalley, and the parishes of Breaston, Draycott and Wilne, Hopwell, Longeaton, Ockbrook, Risley, and Sawley and Wilsthorpe in the Sessional Division of Derby.
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Ilkeston, the Urban Districts of Heanor and Ripley, and the Rural District which consisted of the parishes of Codnor Park and Shipley.
1950–1983: The Municipal Borough of Ilkeston, the Urban Districts of Alfreton, Heanor, and Ripley, and in the Rural District of Belper the parish of Shipley.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Thomas Watson | Liberal |
| | 1887 | Sir Walter Foster | Liberal |
| | 1910 | Jack Seely | Liberal |
| | 1922 | George Oliver | Labour |
| | 1931 | Abraham Flint | National Labour |
| | 1935 | George Oliver | Labour |
| | 1964 | Ray Fletcher | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Watson | 5,780 | 60.4 | |
| | Conservative | William Drury Nathaniel Drury-Lowe | 3,793 | 39.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,987 | 20.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,573 | 89.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,660 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Watson | 4,621 | 54.9 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Leeke | 3,793 | 45.1 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 828 | 9.8 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,414 | 78.9 | −10.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,660 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −5.5 | |
Watson's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 24 Mar 1887: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 5,512 | 56.9 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Leeke | 4,180 | 43.1 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,332 | 13.8 | +4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,692 | 88.5 | +9.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,948 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 6,185 | 58.4 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Leeke | 4,402 | 41.6 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,783 | 16.8 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,587 | 78.2 | −0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,541 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
General election 1895: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 6,215 | 54.2 | −4.2 |
| | Conservative | Edward Picton Baumgarten | 5,254 | 45.8 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 961 | 8.4 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,469 | 87.1 | +8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,175 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 6,633 | 53.8 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative | Henry Wright | 5,698 | 46.2 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 935 | 7.6 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,331 | 84.9 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,519 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.4 | |
General election 1906: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 9,655 | 64.3 | +10.5 |
| | Conservative | LC Tipper | 5,358 | 35.7 | −10.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,297 | 28.6 | +21.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,013 | 87.2 | +2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 17,216 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +10.5 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Balthazar Foster | 10,632 | 62.3 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Forbes St John Morrow | 6,432 | 37.7 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,200 | 24.6 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,064 | 87.7 | +0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,467 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.0 | |
1910 Ilkeston by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Seely | 10,204 | 59.8 | −2.5 |
| | Conservative | Henry Wright | 6,871 | 40.2 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,333 | 19.6 | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,075 | 87.7 | 0.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,467 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.5 | |
General election December 1910: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Seely | 9,990 | 62.7 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | William Marshall Freeman | 5,946 | 37.3 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,044 | 25.4 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,936 | 81.9 | −5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,467 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
1912 Ilkeston by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Seely | 9,049 | 53.6 | −9.1 |
| | Unionist | William Marshall Freeman | 7,838 | 46.4 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,211 | 7.2 | −18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,887 | 81.7 | −0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,670 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −9.1 | |
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: John Seely
* Unionist: William Marshall Freeman
General election 1918: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | John Seely | 9,660 | 54.8 | −7.9 |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 7,962 | 45.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,698 | 9.6 | −15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,622 | 61.0 | −20.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 9,432 | 40.0 | −5.2 |
| | National Liberal | John Seely | 8,348 | 35.3 | −19.5 |
| | Unionist | William Marshall Freeman | 5,841 | 24.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,084 | 4.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,621 | 76.8 | +15.8 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.1 | |
General election 1923: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 9,191 | 42.1 | +2.1 |
| | Unionist | William Marshall Freeman | 6,566 | 30.0 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Worrall Casey | 6,112 | 27.9 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,625 | 12.1 | +7.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,869 | 69.4 | −7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.6 | |
General election 1924: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 11,011 | 44.9 | +2.8 |
| | Unionist | Victor Raikes | 9,203 | 37.5 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | Anna Barlow | 4,320 | 17.6 | −10.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,808 | 7.4 | −4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,534 | 76.1 | +6.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.4 | |
General election 1929: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 20,202 | 59.0 | +14.1 |
| | Liberal | John Vincent Shaw | 7,766 | 22.7 | +5.1 |
| | Unionist | Victor Raikes | 6,258 | 18.3 | −19.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,436 | 36.3 | +28.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,226 | 80.7 | +4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.5 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Labour | Abraham Flint | 17,587 | 50.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 17,585 | 50.0 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2 | 0.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,172 | 79.7 | −1.0 |
| | National Labour gain from Labour | National Labour gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 23,851 | 64.3 | +14.3 |
| | National | Charles Markham | 13,250 | 35.7 | −14.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,601 | 28.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,101 | 81.7 | +2.0 |
| | Labour gain from National Labour | Labour gain from National Labour | Swing | +14.3 | |

### 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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: George Oliver
* Conservative:
* Liberal:
General election 1945: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 26,536 | 66.8 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Philip G Hartley | 8,439 | 21.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Charles Orton Foster | 4,720 | 11.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,097 | 45.5 | +16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,695 | 81.1 | −0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 39,495 | 64.9 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Eugene MacPherson | 11,262 | 18.5 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | DFR Evans | 10,113 | 16.6 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28,233 | 46.4 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,870 | 88.5 | +7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.3 | |
General election 1951: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 40,671 | 67.41 |
| | Conservative | C Frank Baker | 10,273 | 17.03 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Eugene MacPherson | 9,387 | 15.56 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 30,398 | 50.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,331 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 38,961 | 69.29 |
| | Conservative | John Farr | 17,268 | 30.71 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,693 | 38.58 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,229 | 80.37 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | George Oliver | 39,930 | 68.59 |
| | Conservative | Gerald Ivan Walters | 18,286 | 31.41 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,644 | 37.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,216 | 83.50 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 33,924 | 60.2 | −8.6 |
| | Conservative | Jeffery Nicholas Lewis Tillett | 13,542 | 24.0 | −7.4 |
| | Liberal | Peggy Edwards | 8,930 | 15.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,382 | 36.2 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,396 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 36,522 | 70.09 |
| | Conservative | Basil J Eales | 15,582 | 29.91 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,940 | 40.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,104 | 76.20 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 32,961 | 59.9 | −10.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Beardsley | 15,870 | 28.9 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal | Wim Smit | 6,157 | 11.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,091 | 31.0 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,988 | 74.15 | −2.05 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 31,500 | 52.02 |
| | Conservative | PM Morrell | 17,320 | 28.60 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Pool | 11,734 | 19.38 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,180 | 23.42 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,554 | 81.45 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 31,153 | 54.96 |
| | Conservative | A N R Hamilton | 15,858 | 27.98 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Pool | 9,671 | 17.06 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,295 | 27.25 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,682 | 74.85 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Ilkeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ray Fletcher | 29,270 | 50.61 |
| | Conservative | Michael Clark | 21,160 | 35.99 |
| | Liberal | Desmond Blackburn | 7,879 | 13.40 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,110 | 14.62 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,309 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |