# Glasgow Bridgeton (UK Parliament constituency)

Glasgow Bridgeton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1885 to 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.
For many years it was represented by James Maxton, the leader of the Independent Labour Party whose policies were to the left of the Labour Party.

## Boundaries

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of the first and fourth Municipal Wards.
The constituency was described in the Glasgow Parliamentary Divisions Act 1896 as being:
   The area within a line beginning at a point in the centre of Albert Bridge, where the same intersects the centre line of the River Clyde, and thence proceeding eastwards along the centre of that river till it meets the parliamentary boundary of the city at Harvie's Dyke; thence northwards along the said parliamentary boundary to the centre of London Road; thence westwards along the centres of London Road and Canning Street to a point opposite the centre of Clyde Street; thence northwards along the centres of Clyde Street and Abercromby Street to the centre of Gallowgate; thence westwards along the centre of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre of Saltmarket; thence southwards along the centre of Saltmarket to the centre of the River Clyde at the point first described.
In the Representation of the People Act 1918 it was described as:
   That portion of the city which is bounded by a line commencing at a point on the centre line of London Road, where the road is crossed by the Caledonian Railway (Glasgow Lines), thence south-westward and southward along the centre line of the said railway to where it joins the Caledonian Railway Branch Line from Dalmarnock to Rutherglen, thence southward along the centre line of the said last-mentioned railway to a point on the municipal boundary at the centre line of the River Clyde, thence south-westward and north-westward along the municipal boundary of the city to a point on the centre line of the River Clyde about 77 yards south-eastward from the centre of Rutherglen Bridge, thence westward, northward and westward along the centre line of the River Clyde to the centre of Albert Bridge thence northward along the centre line of Saltmarket to the centre line of Gallowgate, thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to the centre line of Abercromby Street, thence southwestward along the centre line of Abercromby Street to the centre line of Canning Street, thence eastward along the centre line of Canning Street and London Road to the point of commencement.
The Representation of the People Act 1948 provided that the constituency was to consist of the Calton and Dalmarnock wards of the City of Glasgow. The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Glasgow Bridgeton, Glasgow Provan and Glasgow Shettleston) Order, 1955 added to this the portion of the Mile-End ward that had previously been part of the Glasgow Camlachie constituency.
The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970 provided that the constituency was to consist of:
   The following wards of the county of the city of Glasgow, namely, Calton and Dalmarnock and that part of Mile-End ward which lies to the west of a line commencing at a point on the northern boundary of the ward immediately opposite the centre line of Millerston Street; thence southward to and along the centre line of Millerston Street to the centre line of Gallowgate; thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre line of Fielden Street; thence southward along the centre line of Fielden Street to the termination of the line on the southern boundary of the Mile-End ward opposite the centre of Fielden Street.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Sir Edward Richard Russell | Liberal |
| 1887 by-election | Sir George Otto Trevelyan | Liberal |
| 1897 by-election | Sir Charles Cameron | Liberal |
| 1900 | Charles Scott Dickson | Unionist |
| 1906 | James William Cleland | Liberal |
| 1910 (Dec) | Alexander MacCallum Scott | Liberal |
| 1922 | James Maxton | Labour |
| 1931 | James Maxton | Independent Labour Party |
| 1946 by-election | James Carmichael | Independent Labour Party |
| 1947 | James Carmichael | Labour |
| 1961 by-election | James Bennett | Labour |
| 1974 (Feb) | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1885: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Russell | 3,601 | 44.7 | |
| | Conservative | Elphinstone Vans Agnew Maitland | 3,478 | 43.2 | |
| | Scottish Land Restoration | William Forsyth | 978 | 12.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 123 | 1.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,057 | 80.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,058 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Russell | 4,364 | 55.0 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Colin Mackenzie | 3,567 | 45.0 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 797 | 10.0 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,931 | 78.9 | −1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,058 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.2 | |
Russell resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 2 Aug 1887: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Trevelyan | 4,654 | 58.9 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Evelyn Ashley | 3,253 | 41.1 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,401 | 17.8 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,907 | 78.3 | −0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,095 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Trevelyan | 4,729 | 58.5 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | William Charles Maughan | 3,351 | 41.5 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,378 | 17.0 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,080 | 76.9 | −2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,512 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
Trevelyan was appointed Secretary for Scotland, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 1892: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Trevelyan | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1895: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Trevelyan | 3,161 | 48.7 | −9.8 |
| | Conservative | Charles Dickson | 2,719 | 41.9 | +0.4 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | James Watson | 609 | 9.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 442 | 6.8 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,489 | 61.9 | −15.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,481 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −5.1 | |
1897 Glasgow Bridgeton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Cameron | 4,506 | 50.7 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | Charles Dickson | 4,381 | 49.3 | +7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 125 | 1.4 | −5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,887 | 81.3 | +19.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,930 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.7 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Dickson | 5,032 | 55.5 | +13.6 |
| | Liberal | Alexander Murison | 4,041 | 44.5 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 991 | 11.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,041 | 77.5 | +15.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,706 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.9 | |
General election 1906: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James William Cleland | 5,585 | 58.2 | +13.7 |
| | Conservative | Charles Dickson | 4,019 | 41.8 | −13.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,566 | 16.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,604 | 84.1 | +6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,421 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.7 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James William Cleland | 5,336 | 60.1 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative | Patrick Keith Lang | 3,539 | 39.9 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,797 | 20.2 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,875 | 87.5 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election December 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | MacCallum Scott | 4,759 | 55.5 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | William Hutchison | 3,816 | 44.5 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 943 | 11.0 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,575 | 85.6 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.6 | |
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: MacCallum Scott
* Unionist: William Hutchison
General election 1918: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | MacCallum Scott | 10,887 | 55.2 | −0.3 |
| | Labour | James Maxton | 7,860 | 39.8 | New |
| | Independent | Eunice Murray | 991 | 5.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,207 | 15.4 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,738 | 52.0 | −33.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,980 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
* Unionist candidate William Hutchison withdrew when Coalition Government endorsed the Liberal candidate

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Maxton | 17,890 | 63.7 | +23.9 |
| | National Liberal | MacCallum Scott | 10,198 | 36.3 | −18.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,692 | 27.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,088 | 76.7 | +24.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,627 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +21.4 | |
General election 1923: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Maxton | 15,735 | 64.8 | +1.1 |
| | Unionist | J. B. Black | 6,101 | 25.1 | New |
| | Liberal | Thomas Randall Anderson | 2,445 | 10.1 | −26.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,634 | 39.7 | +12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,281 | 66.5 | −10.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,522 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +13.7 | |
General election 1924: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Maxton | 16,850 | 61.3 | −3.5 |
| | Unionist | Maurice James McCracken | 10,633 | 38.7 | +13.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,217 | 22.6 | −17.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,483 | 75.1 | +8.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36,571 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −8.6 | |
General election 1929: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Maxton | 21,033 | 67.7 | +6.4 |
| | Unionist | Maurice James McCracken | 10,049 | 32.3 | −6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,984 | 35.4 | +12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,082 | 71.6 | −3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,421 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.4 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Labour Party | James Maxton | 16,630 | 58.21 | |
| | Unionist | Catherine Gavin | 11,941 | 41.79 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,689 | 16.42 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,571 | | |
| | Ind. Labour Party gain from Labour | Ind. Labour Party gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Labour Party | James Maxton | 17,691 | 64.95 | |
| | Unionist | McInnes Shaw | 8,951 | 32.86 | |
| | Labour | Samuel McLaren | 594 | 2.18 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,740 | 32.09 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,236 | | |
| | Ind. Labour Party hold | Ind. Labour Party hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Labour Party | James Maxton | 13,220 | 66.4 | +1.5 |
| | Unionist | Richard Brooman-White | 6,695 | 33.6 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,525 | 32.8 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,915 | 58.4 | |
| | Ind. Labour Party hold | Ind. Labour Party hold | Swing | | |
1946 Glasgow Bridgeton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Labour Party | James Carmichael | 6,351 | 34.3 | − 32.1 |
| | Labour | John Wheatley | 5,180 | 28.0 | New |
| | Unionist | Victor Dunn Warren | 3,987 | 21.6 | −15.0 |
| | SNP | Wendy Wood | 2,575 | 13.9 | New |
| | United Socialist Movement | Guy Aldred | 405 | 2.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,171 | 6.3 | −26.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,498 | | |
| | Ind. Labour Party hold | Ind. Labour Party hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Carmichael | 20,268 | 59.4 | N/A |
| | Unionist | Francis Charles Irwin | 11,025 | 32.3 | −1.3 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Robert Duncan | 1,974 | 5.8 | −60.6 |
| | Communist | D. Kelly | 858 | 2.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,243 | 27.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,125 | 76.9 | +18.5 |
| | Labour gain from Ind. Labour Party | Labour gain from Ind. Labour Party | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Carmichael | 21,307 | 63.6 | +4.2 |
| | Unionist | Richard A. Thomson | 10,382 | 31.0 | −1.3 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | Robert Duncan | 1,796 | 5.4 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,925 | 32.6 | +5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,485 | 76.9 | 0.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Carmichael | 20,476 | 57.7 | −5.9 |
| | Unionist | Paul Thomas Cowcher | 12,375 | 34.9 | +3.9 |
| | Ind. Labour Party | George Stone | 2,619 | 7.4 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,101 | 22.8 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,470 | 66.0 | −10.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Carmichael | 21,048 | 63.4 | +5.7 |
| | Unionist | Iain Docherty | 12,139 | 36.6 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,909 | 26.8 | +4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,187 | 68.5 | +2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

1961 Glasgow Bridgeton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Bennett | 10,930 | 57.5 | −5.9 |
| | Unionist | Malcolm McNeill | 3,935 | 20.7 | −15.9 |
| | SNP | Ian Macdonald | 3,549 | 18.7 | New |
| | Ind. Labour Party | George Stone | 586 | 3.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,995 | 36.8 | +10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,000 | 41.9 | −26.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1964: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Bennett | 18,879 | 71.59 | +8.19 |
| | Unionist | John Hogg | 7,492 | 28.41 | −8.19 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,387 | 43.18 | +16.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,371 | 63.57 | −4.93 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,482 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.19 | |
General election 1966: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Bennett | 16,219 | 74.27 | +2.68 |
| | Conservative | John Hogg | 5,619 | 25.73 | −2.68 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,600 | 48.54 | +5.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,838 | 58.77 | −4.80 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,159 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.68 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Glasgow Bridgeton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Bennett | 11,056 | 62.86 | −11.41 |
| | Conservative | Robert Gavin | 3,801 | 21.61 | −4.12 |
| | SNP | Gordon E J Wallace | 1,550 | 8.81 | New |
| | Independent Protestant | Jack T A Glass | 1,180 | 6.71 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,255 | 41.25 | −7.29 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,787 | 56.26 | −1.51 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,262 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.65 | |