# Sheffield Brightside (UK Parliament constituency)

53°24′32″N 1°26′38″W﻿ / ﻿53.409°N 1.444°W﻿ / 53.409; -1.444
Sheffield, Brightside was a parliamentary constituency in the City of Sheffield. Created for the 1885 general election, and replaced at the 2010 general election by the new constituency of Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, using the first-past-the-post voting system.
In its first fifty years, Brightside returned a variety of Liberal, Conservative and Labour MPs. However, from 1945 onwards, it became one of the Labour Party's safest seats in the United Kingdom. It was represented by David Blunkett from 1987 until its abolition; he continued to hold the successor seat until he retired in 2015, becoming the seat's longest-serving MP.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Sheffield ward of Brightside.
1918–1950: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of Brightside and Burngreave.
1950–1955: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of Brightside, Firth Park, and Tinsley.
1955–1983: The County Borough of Sheffield wards of Brightside, Firth Park, Nether Shire, and Southey Green.
1983–2010: The City of Sheffield wards of Brightside, Firth Park, Nether Shire, Owlerton, and Southey Green.
Sheffield Brightside covered the north of the city. It bordered the constituencies of Rotherham, Sheffield Central, Sheffield Heeley and Sheffield Hillsborough.
Following their review of parliamentary representation in South Yorkshire, the Boundary Commission for England recommended that Sheffield Brightside should gain all of Burngreave and Hillsborough wards, with Walkley moving to Sheffield Central, and that the constituency be renamed Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.

## History

Sheffield Brightside was created in 1885 when the former Sheffield constituency was split into five constituencies.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | A. J. Mundella | Liberal |
| | 1897 by-election | Fred Maddison | Liberal |
| | 1900 | James Hope | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Tudor Walters | Liberal |
| | 1922 | Arthur Ponsonby | Labour |
| | 1930 by-election | Fred Marshall | Labour |
| | 1931 | Hamer Russell | Conservative |
| | 1935 | Fred Marshall | Labour |
| | 1950 | Richard Winterbottom | Labour |
| | 1968 by-election | Edward Griffiths | Labour |
| | Oct 1974 | Joan Maynard | Labour |
| | 1987 | David Blunkett | Labour |
| 2010 | 2010 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | 4,616 | 57.7 | |
| | Conservative | Edmund Fitzalan-Howard | 3,382 | 42.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,234 | 15.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,998 | 86.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,298 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
Mundella was appointed President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 9 Feb 1886: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1886: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | 4,280 | 55.7 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Edmund Fitzalan-Howard | 3,398 | 44.3 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 882 | 11.4 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,678 | 82.6 | −3.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,298 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | 4,938 | 57.4 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | Bargrave Deane | 3,661 | 42.6 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,277 | 14.8 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,599 | 82.7 | +0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,400 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.7 | |
Mundella was appointed President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 23 Aug 1892: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1895: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. J. Mundella | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Mundella's death caused a by-election.
1897 Sheffield Brightside by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Lib-Lab | Frederick Maddison | 4,289 | 51.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | James Hope | 4,106 | 48.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 183 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,395 | 74.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,301 | | |
| | Lib-Lab hold | Lib-Lab hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hope | 4,992 | 55.3 | N/A |
| | Lib-Lab | Frederick Maddison | 4,028 | 44.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 964 | 10.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,020 | 77.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,700 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1906: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Tudor Walters | 5,409 | 55.1 | +10.4 |
| | Conservative | James Hope | 4,408 | 44.9 | −10.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,001 | 10.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,817 | 81.1 | +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,108 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.4 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Tudor Walters | 6,156 | 56.6 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Vickers | 4,200 | 38.7 | −6.2 |
| | Social Democratic Federation | Charles Lapworth | 510 | 4.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,956 | 17.9 | +7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,866 | 86.5 | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,564 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 | |
General election December 1910: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Tudor Walters | 5,766 | 59.6 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative | Douglas Vickers | 3,902 | 40.4 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,864 | 19.2 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,672 | 77.0 | −9.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,564 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
General election 1918: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | Tudor Walters | 12,164 | 64.2 | +4.6 |
| | Labour | Richard Edward Jones | 6,781 | 35.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,383 | 28.4 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,945 | 52.0 | −25.0 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Ponsonby | 16,692 | 60.4 | +24.6 |
| | National Liberal | Tudor Walters | 10,949 | 39.6 | −24.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,743 | 20.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,641 | 75.0 | +23.0 |
| | Labour gain from National Liberal | Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Ponsonby | 14,741 | 53.0 | −7.4 |
| | Unionist | Matthew Sheppard | 9,408 | 33.8 | New |
| | Liberal | Thomas Illingworth Clough | 3,684 | 13.2 | −26.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,333 | 19.2 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,833 | 73.0 | −2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1924: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Ponsonby | 17,053 | 55.4 | +2.4 |
| | Unionist | Matthew Sheppard | 13,708 | 44.6 | +10.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,345 | 10.8 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,761 | 78.9 | +5.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1929: Sheffield Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Arthur Ponsonby | 20,277 | 55.2 | −0.2 |
| | Unionist | R.I. Money | 9,828 | 26.8 | −17.8 |
| | Liberal | W.A.Lambert | 6,612 | 18.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,449 | 28.4 | +17.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,717 | 77.3 | −1.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1930s

1930 Sheffield Brightside by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Marshall | 11,543 | 46.3 | −8.9 |
| | Conservative | Hamer Russell | 8,612 | 34.6 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal | W.A. Lambert | 3,650 | 14.7 | −3.3 |
| | Communist | J. T. Murphy | 1,084 | 4.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,931 | 11.7 | −16.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,889 | 52.0 | −25.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hamer Russell | 20,270 | 53.1 | +26.3 |
| | Labour | Fred Marshall | 15,528 | 40.6 | −14.6 |
| | Communist | J. T. Murphy | 1,571 | 4.1 | N/A |
| | New Party | E. C. Snelgrove | 847 | 2.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,742 | 12.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,216 | 79.6 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Marshall | 18,985 | 58.5 | +17.9 |
| | Conservative | Hamer Russell | 13,467 | 41.5 | −11.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,518 | 17.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,452 | 68.7 | −10.9 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Fred Marshall | 19,373 | 61.2 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | Brian Taylor | 8,177 | 25.8 | −15.7 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 4,115 | 13.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,196 | 35.4 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,665 | 75.5 | +6.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 32,542 | 69.6 | +8.4 |
| | National Liberal | H. S. V. Smith | 13,136 | 28.1 | +2.3 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 1,081 | 2.3 | −11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,406 | 41.5 | +6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,759 | 84.6 | +9.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 31,519 | 69.9 | +0.3 |
| | National Liberal | Alfred L Wood | 12,433 | 27.6 | −0.5 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 1,116 | 2.5 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,086 | 42.3 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,068 | 81.4 | −3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 27,643 | 66.9 | −3.0 |
| | National Liberal | Edward W Flynn | 12,239 | 29.6 | +2.0 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 1,461 | 3.5 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,404 | 37.3 | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,343 | 71.1 | −10.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 28,302 | 67.5 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | Hugo Clifford Holmes | 12,269 | 29.3 | −0.3 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 1,373 | 3.3 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,033 | 38.2 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,944 | 73.5 | +2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 27,317 | 70.7 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Leitch | 9,963 | 25.8 | −3.5 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 1,356 | 3.5 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,354 | 44.9 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,669 | 70.3 | −3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Winterbottom | 26,653 | 75.9 | +5.2 |
| | Conservative | Raymond Whitley Hadfield | 7,476 | 21.3 | −4.5 |
| | Communist | Howard Hill | 989 | 2.8 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,177 | 54.6 | +9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,118 | 66.2 | −4.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
1968 Sheffield Brightside by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Edward Griffiths | 14,179 | 55.2 | −20.7 |
| | Conservative | Colin Renfrew | 8,931 | 34.8 | +13.5 |
| | Communist | Robert Wilkinson | 1,069 | 4.1 | +1.3 |
| | Independent | Ronald Guest | 918 | 3.6 | New |
| | Independent | H. L. Lambert | 586 | 2.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,248 | 20.4 | −34.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,683 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Edward Griffiths | 23,941 | 72.2 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative | Tony Newton | 8,572 | 25.8 | +4.5 |
| | Communist | Gordon Ashberry | 665 | 2.0 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,369 | 46.4 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,178 | 62.0 | −4.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Edward Griffiths | 27,363 | 68.4 | −3.8 |
| | Conservative | John Smith | 6,796 | 17.0 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Blades | 5,347 | 13.4 | New |
| | Communist | Violet Gill | 513 | 1.3 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,567 | 51.4 | +5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,019 | 74.5 | +12.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joan Maynard | 18,108 | 49.7 | −18.7 |
| | Independent Labour | Edward Griffiths | 10,182 | 27.9 | New |
| | Conservative | Roy Walker | 4,905 | 13.5 | –3.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Blades | 3,271 | 9.0 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,926 | 21.8 | −29.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,466 | 67.4 | −7.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joan Maynard | 25,672 | 68.5 | +18.8 |
| | Conservative | Betty Knightly | 7,979 | 21.2 | +7.7 |
| | Liberal | Malcolm Johnson | 3,482 | 9.3 | +0.3 |
| | National Front | K. T. Brack | 354 | 0.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,693 | 47.3 | +25.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,487 | 68.8 | +1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joan Maynard | 25,531 | 58.0 | −10.5 |
| | Liberal | Francis Butler | 10,322 | 23.4 | +14.1 |
| | Conservative | David Grayson | 7,888 | 17.9 | −3.3 |
| | National Front | P. A. Spinks | 286 | 0.7 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,209 | 34.5 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,037 | 65.5 | −3.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Blunkett | 31,208 | 69.9 | +11.9 |
| | Conservative | Mary Glyn | 7,017 | 15.7 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal | John Leeman | 6,434 | 14.4 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,191 | 54.2 | +19.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,659 | 68.7 | +3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Blunkett | 29,771 | 70.4 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Tim Loughton | 7,090 | 16.8 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Richard Franklin | 5,273 | 12.5 | −1.9 |
| | International Communist | David Hyland | 150 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,681 | 53.7 | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,224 | 66.3 | −2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1997: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Blunkett | 24,901 | 73.5 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Francis Butler | 4,947 | 14.6 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Buckwell | 2,850 | 8.4 | −8.4 |
| | Referendum | Brian Farnsworth | 624 | 1.8 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Paul Davidson | 482 | 1.4 | New |
| | Natural Law | Richard Scott | 61 | 0.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,954 | 58.9 | +5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,865 | 57.5 | −8.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Blunkett | 19,650 | 76.9 | +3.4 |
| | Conservative | Matthew Wilson | 2,601 | 10.2 | +1.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Alison Firth | 2,238 | 8.8 | −5.8 |
| | Socialist Alliance | Brian Wilson | 361 | 1.4 | New |
| | Socialist Labour | Robert Morris | 354 | 1.4 | New |
| | UKIP | Anthony Suter | 348 | 1.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,049 | 66.7 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,552 | 47.2 | −10.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2005: Sheffield, Brightside :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Blunkett | 16,876 | 68.5 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Harston | 3,232 | 13.1 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative | Tim Clark | 2,205 | 9.0 | −1.2 |
| | BNP | Christopher Hartigan | 1,537 | 6.2 | New |
| | UKIP | Judith Clarke | 779 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,644 | 55.4 | −11.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,629 | 48.5 | +1.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −6.4 | |