# St Austell (UK Parliament constituency)

St Austell was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of St Austell in Cornwall. 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 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

## Boundaries

The Sessional Divisions of Powder East and South, and Ryder, and the civil parishes of Ladock and St Blazey.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | William Copeland Borlase | Liberal |
| 1887 | William Alexander McArthur | Liberal |
| 1908 | Thomas Agar-Robartes | Liberal |
| 1915 | Sir Francis Layland-Barratt | Liberal |
| 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1885: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Copeland Borlase | 4,464 | 67.2 | |
| | Conservative | John Heywood Johnstone | 2,183 | 32.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,281 | 34.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,647 | 75.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,860 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Copeland Borlase | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Borlase's resignation caused a by-election.
By-election 18 May 1887: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | 3,540 | 51.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Edward Brydges Willyams | 3,329 | 48.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 211 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,869 | 77.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,883 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | 4,201 | 61.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Westlake | 2,593 | 38.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,608 | 23.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,794 | 75.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,005 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
McArthur was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 23 Aug 1892 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1895: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | 4,193 | 57.6 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Michael Williams | 3,092 | 42.4 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,101 | 15.2 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,285 | 79.1 | +3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,213 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1906: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Alexander McArthur | 5,667 | 69.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Richard Garnett | 2,516 | 30.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,151 | 38.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,183 | 80.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,235 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
1908 St Austell by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Agar-Robartes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Agar-Robartes | 6,225 | 66.5 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Francis Tyringham Higgins Bernard | 3,138 | 33.5 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,087 | 33.0 | −5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,363 | 85.4 | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,968 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.8 | |
General election December 1910: St Austell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Agar-Robartes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
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: Thomas Agar-Robartes
* Unionist:
1915 St Austell by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |