# Carmarthen (1542–1918 UK Parliament constituency)

Carmarthen was a borough constituency of the House of Commons in the English Parliament and later the UK Parliament. It existed between 1542 until 1832 representing the town of Carmarthen, Wales. In 1832 it was expanded and named Carmarthen Boroughs from 1832 until 1918. A county-wide constituency of Carmarthenshire also existed between 1542 and 1885.
In 1918 Carmarthen Boroughs was abolished and a new county-wide division with the name Carmarthen was established.

## History

Until 1832, Carmarthen was a borough constituency consisting of the town of Carmarthen.
Between 1832 and 1918 Carmarthen was a district of boroughs constituency, consisting of Carmarthen itself and Llanelli, and was sometimes called "The Carmarthen Boroughs". A county-wide constituency also existed, called Carmarthenshire, until 1885 (at which point it was split into East and West).
In 1918, the Carmarthen borough constituency was abolished, but the name was transferred to the new county-wide division of Carmarthen.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1542–1640

| Parliament | Member |
| 1542 | Gruffydd Williams |
| 1545 | Gruffydd Williams |
| 1547 | Thomas Phaer |
| 1553 (Mar) | William Parry |
| 1553 (Oct) | Gruffydd Hygons |
| 1554 (Apr) | William Aubrey |
| 1554 (Nov) | John Parry |
| 1555 | William Wightman |
| 1558 | John Vaughan |
| 1559 | John Parry |
| 1563 | John Morgan |
| 1571 | ?John Vaughan |
| 1572 | Thomas Wigmore |
| 1584 | John Puckering, sat for Bedford replaced 1584 by Edward Donne Lee |
| 1586 | Edward Donne Lee |
| 1588 | Gelly Meyrick |
| 1593 | Sir Thomas Baskerville |
| 1597 | Henry Vaughan |
| 1601 | Walter Rice |
| 1604–1611 | Sir Walter Rice |
| 1614 | William Thomas |
| 1621 | Henry Vaughan |
| 1624 | Henry Vaughan |
| 1626 | Henry Vaughan |
| 1628 | Henry Vaughan |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned |

### 1640–1832

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1640 (Apr) | Francis Lloyd | Royalist |
| | 1640 (Nov) | Francis Lloyd | Royalist |
| February 1644 | February 1644 | Lloyd disabled from sitting – seat vacant | Lloyd disabled from sitting – seat vacant |
| | 1646 | William Davies | |
| December 1648 | December 1648 | Davies not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge | Davies not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge |
| 1653 | 1653 | Carmarthen was not represented in the Barebones Parliament or the First or Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Carmarthen was not represented in the Barebones Parliament or the First or Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| | January 1659 | David Morgan | |
| May 1659 | May 1659 | Not represented in the restored Rump | Not represented in the restored Rump |
| | April 1660 | Arthur Annesley | |
| | 1661 | Hon. John Vaughan | |
| | 1679 | Altham Vaughan | |
| | 1685 | Richard Vaughan | |
| | 1725 | James Phillips | |
| | 1727 | Arthur Bevan | |
| | 1741 | Sir John Philipps | |
| | 1747 | Thomas Mathews | |
| | 1751 | Griffith Philipps | |
| | 1761 | The Earl Verney | |
| | 1768 | Griffith Philipps | |
| | 1774 | John Adams | |
| | 1780 | George Philipps | |
| | 1784 | John George Philipps | |
| | May 1796 | Magens Dorrien Magens | |
| | November 1796 | John George Philipps | |
| | 1803 | Sir William Paxton | |
| | 1806 | Vice-Admiral George Campbell | Whig |
| | 1813 | John Campbell | Whig |
| | 1821 | John Jones | Tory |

### 1832–1918: Carmarthen Boroughs

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1832 | Hon. William Yelverton | Whig |
| 1835 | David Lewis | Conservative |
| 1837 | David Morris | Whig |
| 1859 | David Morris | Liberal |
| 1864 | William Morris | Liberal |
| 1868 | (Sir) John Cowell-Stepney | Liberal |
| 1874 | Charles William Nevill | Conservative |
| 1876 | (Sir) Arthur Cowell-Stepney | Liberal |
| 1878 by-election | Benjamin Thomas Williams | Liberal |
| 1882 by-election | John Jones Jenkins | Liberal |
| 1886 | Sir Arthur Cowell-Stepney | Liberal |
| 1892 | Evan Rowland Jones | Liberal |
| 1895 | Sir John Jones Jenkins | Liberal Unionist |
| 1900 | Alfred Davies | Liberal |
| 1906 | W. Llewelyn Williams | Liberal |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | John Jones | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
At the 1830 general election, rioting broke out during polling, at which point John Jones and his Whig rival, John George Philipps, had secured three votes apiece. The vote was abandoned and a by-election was called four months later in December.
1831 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | John Jones | 274 | 57.4 |
| | Whig | John George Philipps | 203 | 42.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 477 | c. 66.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 723 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1832: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Henry Yelverton | 302 | 50.6 | +8.0 |
| | Tory | John Jones | 295 | 49.4 | −8.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 597 | 87.3 | c. +21.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 684 | | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +8.0 | |
General election 1835: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Lewis | 304 | 53.1 | +3.7 |
| | Whig | William Henry Yelverton | 268 | 46.9 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 36 | 6.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 572 | 74.0 | −13.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 773 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +3.7 | |
General election 1837: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Morris | 333 | 53.7 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | David Lewis | 287 | 46.3 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 46 | 7.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 620 | 78.9 | +4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 786 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 938 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1847: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 991 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 849 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1857: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 799 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1859: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | David Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 823 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

1864 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1865: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Morris | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 884 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1868: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Cowell-Stepney | 1,892 | 76.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Morgan Dalrymple Treherne | 595 | 23.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,297 | 52.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,487 | 75.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,286 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles William Nevill | 1,654 | 52.8 | +28.9 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Cowell-Stepney | 1,481 | 47.2 | −28.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 173 | 5.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,135 | 69.8 | −5.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,494 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +28.9 | |
1876 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Cowell-Stepney | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative |
1878 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Benjamin Thomas Williams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Benjamin Thomas Williams | 1,935 | 51.5 | +4.3 |
| | Independent Liberal | John Jones Jenkins | 1,825 | 48.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 110 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,760 | 70.0 | +0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,369 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
1882 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Jones Jenkins | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1885: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Jones Jenkins | 2,884 | 69.2 | +17.7 |
| | Conservative | John Simmons Tregoning | 1,281 | 30.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,603 | 38.4 | +35.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,165 | 77.1 | +7.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,399 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1886: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Cowell-Stepney | 2,120 | 52.8 | −16.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Jones Jenkins | 1,898 | 47.2 | +16.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 222 | 5.6 | −32.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,018 | 74.4 | −2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,399 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −16.4 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Evan Rowland Jones | 2,412 | 52.4 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Jones Jenkins | 2,187 | 47.6 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 225 | 4.8 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,599 | 87.0 | +12.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,289 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.4 | |
General election 1895: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Jones Jenkins | 2,443 | 50.5 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal | Evan Rowland Jones | 2,391 | 49.5 | −2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,834 | 90.0 | +3.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,370 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alfred Davies | 2,837 | 58.1 | +8.6 |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Jones Jenkins | 2,047 | 41.9 | −8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 790 | 16.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,884 | 87.9 | −2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,557 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +8.6 | |
General election 1906: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | W. Llewelyn Williams | 3,902 | 68.3 | +10.2 |
| | Conservative | Vere Ponsonby | 1,808 | 31.7 | −10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,094 | 36.6 | +20.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,710 | 91.2 | +3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,258 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +10.2 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | W. Llewelyn Williams | 4,197 | 68.1 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Viscount Tiverton | 1,965 | 31.9 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,232 | 36.2 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,162 | 91.0 | −0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,772 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
General election December 1910: Carmarthen Boroughs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | W. Llewelyn Williams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
1912 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | W. Llewelyn Williams | 3,836 | 58.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Coulson Bond | 2,555 | 39.1 | N/A |
| | Independent Labour | Frank G Vivian | 149 | 2.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,281 | 19.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,540 | 89.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,281 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -8.3 | |
1915 Carmarthen Boroughs by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | W. Llewelyn Williams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |