# Bury (UK Parliament constituency)

Bury was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bury in Lancashire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The constituency was created for the 1832 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Bury & Radcliffe.

## Boundaries

1885-1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Bury as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.
1918-1950: The county borough of Bury and the urban district of Tottington.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1832 | Richard Walker | Whig-Radical |
| | 1852 | Frederick Peel | Peelite |
| | 1857 | Robert Needham Philips | Radical |
| | 1859 | Frederick Peel | Liberal |
| | 1865 | Robert Needham Philips | Liberal |
| | 1885 | Sir Henry James | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Sir Henry James | Liberal Unionist |
| | 1895 | James Kenyon | Conservative |
| | 1902 by-election | Sir George Toulmin | Liberal |
| | 1918 | Charles Ainsworth | Conservative |
| | 1935 | Alan Chorlton | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Walter Fletcher | Conservative |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished: see Bury & Radcliffe | constituency abolished: see Bury & Radcliffe |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Walker | 306 | 66.7 | |
| | Radical | Edmund Grundy | 153 | 33.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 153 | 33.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 459 | 85.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 535 | | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Walker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 526 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1837: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Walker | 251 | 57.8 | N/A |
| | Radical | James Paul Cobbett | 96 | 22.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Robert Spankie | 87 | 20.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 155 | 35.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 434 | 68.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 637 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Walker | 325 | 53.0 | −4.8 |
| | Conservative | Henry Hardman | 288 | 47.0 | +27.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 6.0 | −29.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 613 | 79.8 | +11.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 768 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −15.9 | |
General election 1847: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Walker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 868 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Frederick Peel | 472 | 53.5 | N/A |
| | Whig | Adam Haldane-Duncan | 410 | 46.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 62 | 7.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 882 | 92.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 959 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Whig | Peelite gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1857: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Robert Needham Philips | 565 | 51.6 | N/A |
| | Peelite | Frederick Peel | 530 | 48.4 | −5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35 | 3.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,095 | 89.9 | −2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,218 | | |
| | Radical gain from Peelite | Radical gain from Peelite | Swing | | |
General election 1859: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick Peel | 641 | 57.3 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Barnes | 478 | 42.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 163 | 14.6 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,119 | 86.8 | −3.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,218 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Needham Philips | 595 | 51.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Frederick Peel | 572 | 49.0 | −8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23 | 2.0 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,167 | 86.3 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,352 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Needham Philips | 2,830 | 55.6 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | George Cadogan | 2,264 | 44.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 566 | 11.2 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,094 | 91.2 | +4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,587 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Needham Philips | 3,016 | 54.7 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | Oliver Ormerod Walker | 2,500 | 45.3 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 516 | 9.4 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,516 | 88.5 | −2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,236 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.9 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Needham Philips | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,835 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1885: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry James | 3,976 | 51.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Lawson | 3,787 | 48.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 189 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,763 | 94.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,214 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1886: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry James | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry James | 4,070 | 55.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Parks | 3,241 | 44.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 829 | 11.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,311 | 93.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,831 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |
General election 1895: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Kenyon | 3,890 | 54.8 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal | John Frederick Cheetham | 3,215 | 45.2 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 675 | 9.6 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,105 | 89.0 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,986 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Kenyon | 4,132 | 55.7 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal | George Toulmin | 3,283 | 44.3 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 849 | 11.4 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,415 | 86.4 | −2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,581 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
1902 Bury by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Toulmin | 4,213 | 52.6 | +8.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Harry Levy-Lawson | 3,799 | 47.4 | −8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 414 | 5.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,012 | 91.2 | +4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,786 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.3 | |
General election 1906: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Toulmin | 4,626 | 56.9 | +12.6 |
| | Conservative | Reginald Jaffray Lucas | 3,499 | 43.1 | −12.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,127 | 13.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,125 | 89.6 | +3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,068 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +12.6 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Toulmin | 4,866 | 53.3 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative | Edwin Leach Hartley | 4,258 | 46.7 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 608 | 6.6 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,124 | 94.5 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -3.6 | |
General election December 1910: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Toulmin | 4,509 | 51.5 | −1.8 |
| | Conservative | Edwin Leach Hartley | 4,254 | 48.5 | +1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 255 | 3.0 | −3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,763 | 90.7 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.8 | |
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: George Toulmin
* Unionist:
General election 1918: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Ainsworth | 10,043 | 45.9 | −2.6 |
| C | Liberal | George Toulmin | 6,862 | 31.4 | −20.1 |
| | Labour | Harry Wallace | 4,973 | 22.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,181 | 14.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,878 | 67.0 | −23.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,666 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.7 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Ainsworth | 10,830 | 41.2 | −4.7 |
| | Labour | Harry Wallace | 9,643 | 36.7 | +14.0 |
| | Liberal | William Alfred Lewins | 5,795 | 22.1 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,187 | 4.5 | −10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,268 | 81.3 | +14.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,304 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −9.4 | |
General election 1923: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Ainsworth | 10,680 | 40.3 | −0.9 |
| | Labour | Harry Wallace | 9,568 | 36.1 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal | James Duckworth | 6,251 | 23.6 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,112 | 4.2 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,499 | 80.8 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,803 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
General election 1924: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Ainsworth | 13,382 | 46.9 | +6.6 |
| | Labour | Harry Wallace | 10,286 | 36.1 | 0.0 |
| | Liberal | James Duckworth | 4,847 | 17.0 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,096 | 10.8 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,515 | 86.5 | +5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,982 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election 1929: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Ainsworth | 14,845 | 42.1 | −4.8 |
| | Labour | James Bell | 13,175 | 37.5 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal | Clifford Stanley Ickringill | 7,160 | 20.4 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,670 | 4.6 | −6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,180 | 81.4 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 43,216 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −3.1 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Ainsworth | 24,975 | 70.3 | +28.2 |
| | Labour | James Bell | 10,532 | 29.7 | −7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,443 | 40.6 | +36.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,507 | 81.6 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +17.9 | |
General election 1935: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Chorlton | 18,425 | 49.4 | −20.9 |
| | Labour | Edith Summerskill | 12,845 | 34.4 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal | Donald Johnson | 6,065 | 16.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,580 | 15.0 | −25.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,335 | 83.3 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -12.8 | |

### 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: William Harvey Moore
General election 1945: Bury :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Walter Fletcher | 14,012 | 39.9 | −9.5 |
| | Labour | Sydney Hand | 13,902 | 39.6 | +5.2 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Walter James | 7,211 | 20.5 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 110 | 0.3 | −14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,125 | 78.2 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -7.3 | |