# Sowerby (UK Parliament constituency)

53°42′18″N 1°56′13″W﻿ / ﻿53.705°N 1.937°W﻿ / 53.705; -1.937
Sowerby (/ˈsoʊərbi, ˈsaʊərbi/) was a county constituency centred on the village of Sowerby in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

## History

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new Calder Valley constituency.

## Boundaries

1885–1918:
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Todmorden, the Urban Districts of Barkisland, Hebden Bridge, Luddendenfoot, Midgley, Mytholmroyd, Rishworth, Sowerby, Sowerby Bridge, and Soyland, the Rural District of Todmorden, and the civil parish of Norland in the Rural District of Halifax.
1950–1983: The Municipal Borough of Todmorden, the Urban Districts of Elland, Hebden Royd, Ripponden, and Sowerby Bridge, and the Rural District of Hepton.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Edward Crossley | Liberal |
| 1892 | John William Mellor | Liberal |
| 1904 | John Sharp Higham | Liberal |
| 1918 | Robert Hewitt Barker | Independent NADSS |
| 1922 | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | Unionist |
| 1923 | Arnold Williams | Liberal |
| 1924 | Geoffrey Shaw | Unionist |
| 1929 | William John Tout | Labour |
| 1931 | Malcolm McCorquodale | Conservative |
| 1945 | John Belcher | Labour |
| 1949 | Douglas Houghton | Labour |
| 1974 | Max Madden | Labour |
| 1979 | Donald Thompson | Conservative |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Crossley | 6,427 | 68.5 | |
| | Conservative | Frederick Milner | 2,960 | 31.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,467 | 37.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,387 | 82.6 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,364 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Crossley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John William Mellor | 5,754 | 63.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry Tipping Crook | 3,324 | 36.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,430 | 26.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,078 | 75.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,963 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John William Mellor | 5,328 | 58.7 | −4.7 |
| | Conservative | John Bailey* | 3,753 | 41.3 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,575 | 17.4 | −9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,081 | 77.7 | +1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,686 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.7 | |
*Some sources describe Bailey as a Liberal Unionist.

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John William Mellor | 5,528 | 57.6 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | John Bailey | 4,067 | 42.4 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,461 | 15.2 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,595 | 80.0 | +2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,998 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
* some sources describe as Liberal Unionist
1904 Sowerby by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,049 | 60.9 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | 3,877 | 39.1 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,172 | 21.8 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,926 | 80.6 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,311 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election 1906: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,482 | 61.6 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | 4,034 | 38.4 | −4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,448 | 23.2 | +8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,516 | 84.2 | +4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,492 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.0 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,811 | 58.8 | −2.8 |
| | Conservative | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | 4,781 | 41.2 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,030 | 17.6 | −5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,592 | 90.5 | +6.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,805 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.8 | |
General election December 1910: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1918: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Unionist | Robert Hewitt Barker* | 8,287 | 37.0 | New |
| | Labour | John William Ogden | 7,306 | 32.7 | New |
| | Liberal | John Sharp Higham | 6,778 | 30.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 981 | 4.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,371 | 65.2 | N/A |
| | Ind. Unionist gain from Liberal | Ind. Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
    * An official Unionist candidate was selected ahead of the election, but when the writ for the election was issued, the Coalition Whips ordered the local Unionists to withdraw the candidate in favour of Higham – who was given the Coalition Coupon but then repudiated it.
    Some local Unionists were angered by this state of affairs, and persuaded the local branch of the NADSS to sponsor Barker, who was known to be a Conservative. Barker then received considerable support from local Unionists during the campaign. There is no information on whether he took a whip in the House of Commons, but he voted fairly consistently with the coalition.

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | 11,710 | 39.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Arnold Williams | 8,144 | 27.7 | −2.5 |
| | Labour | John William Ogden | 7,496 | 25.5 | −7.2 |
| | National Liberal | Frank Roebuck | 2,023 | 6.9 | −23.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,566 | 12.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,373 | 83.9 | +18.7 |
| | Unionist gain from Independent | Unionist gain from Independent | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arnold Williams | 11,350 | 39.6 | +11.9 |
| | Unionist | William Simpson-Hinchliffe | 9,932 | 34.6 | −5.3 |
| | Labour | Arthur Dawson | 7,389 | 25.8 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,418 | 5.0 | 17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,671 | 81.0 | −2.9 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +8.6 | |
General election 1924: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Geoffrey Shaw | 11,181 | 37.8 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal | Arnold Williams | 9,480 | 32.1 | −7.5 |
| | Labour | Arthur Dawson | 8,881 | 30.1 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,701 | 5.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,542 | 83.2 | +2.2 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.3 | |
General election 1929: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William John Tout | 14,223 | 37.2 | +7.1 |
| | Unionist | Arthur Colegate | 12,057 | 31.6 | −6.2 |
| | Liberal | Thomas George Graham | 11,890 | 31.2 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,166 | 5.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,170 | 83.4 | +0.2 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +6.6 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 25,511 | 68.27 | |
| | Labour | William John Tout | 11,857 | 31.73 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,654 | 36.54 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,368 | 81.05 | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 18,707 | 53.9 | −14.4 |
| | Labour | William John Tout | 16,035 | 46.2 | +14.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,672 | 7.7 | −28.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,742 | 75.9 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
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;
* Conservative: Malcolm McCorquodale
* Labour: Cyril Hackett Wilkinson

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Belcher | 17,710 | 50.8 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Malcolm McCorquodale | 10,777 | 30.9 | −23.0 |
| | Liberal | Douglas Eugene Moore | 6,373 | 18.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,933 | 19.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,860 | 82.0 | +6.1 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
1949 Sowerby by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 18,606 | 53.0 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Paul Bryan | 16,454 | 47.0 | +16.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,152 | 6.0 | −13.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,060 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 22,846 | 45.4 | −5.4 |
| | Conservative | Paul Bryan | 19,181 | 38.1 | +7.2 |
| | Liberal | Adrian Liddell Hart | 8,306 | 16.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,665 | 7.3 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,333 | 88.3 | +6.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 22,766 | 46.1 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Paul Bryan | 21,118 | 42.7 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal | John G Walker | 5,573 | 11.3 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,648 | 3.4 | −3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,457 | 86.9 | −1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 20,092 | 45.2 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | Betty Harvie Anderson | 17,309 | 38.9 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal | John G Walker | 7,046 | 15.9 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,783 | 6.3 | +2.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,447 | 81.4 | −5.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 18,949 | 43.5 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Kenyon McKim | 16,993 | 39.0 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal | John G Walker | 7,654 | 17.6 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,956 | 4.5 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,596 | 83.0 | +1.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 21,582 | 54.2 | +10.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Kenyon McKim | 18,220 | 45.8 | +6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,362 | 8.4 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,802 | 79.5 | −3.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 21,591 | 56.9 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | William G Burman | 16,361 | 43.1 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,230 | 13.8 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,952 | 77.7 | −1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Douglas Houghton | 16,583 | 43.8 | −13.1 |
| | Conservative | William G Burman | 16,114 | 42.6 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | David Shutt | 5,137 | 13.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 469 | 1.2 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,834 | 75.6 | −2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Max Madden | 14,492 | 36.1 | −7.7 |
| | Conservative | Donald Thompson | 14,377 | 35.8 | −6.8 |
| | Liberal | David Shutt | 11,254 | 28.1 | +14.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 115 | 0.3 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,123 | 83.0 | +7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Max Madden | 14,971 | 38.8 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | Donald Thompson | 14,325 | 37.1 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal | David Shutt | 9,136 | 23.7 | −4.4 |
| | More Prosperous Britain | Harold Smith | 157 | 0.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 646 | 1.7 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,589 | 80.7 | −2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Sowerby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Donald Thompson | 16,797 | 42.2 | +5.1 |
| | Labour | Max Madden | 15,617 | 39.3 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal | David Shutt | 7,369 | 18.5 | −5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,180 | 2.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,783 | 80.7 | 0.0 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |