# Rotherhithe (UK Parliament constituency)

Rotherhithe was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Rotherhithe district of South London. 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 system.
The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election when it became part of the revived Bermondsey constituency.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1918

The Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey wards of St Olave's, St John's, St Thomas's, St Mary, Rotherhithe and St Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey.

### 1918–1950

The Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey wards of St John, St Olave, Bermondsey five and six, and Rotherhithe one, two and three.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Charles Hamilton | Conservative |
| | 1892 | John Macdona | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Hubert Carr-Gomm | Liberal |
| | 1918 | John Lort-Williams | Unionist |
| | 1923 | Ben Smith | Labour |
| | 1931 | Norah Runge | Conservative |
| | 1935 | Ben Smith | Labour |
| | 1946 b-e | Bob Mellish | Labour |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1885: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hamilton | 3,327 | 54.3 | |
| | Lib-Lab | Richard Pankhurst | 2,800 | 45.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 527 | 8.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,127 | 72.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,455 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hamilton | 3,202 | 60.2 | +5.9 |
| | Liberal | William Brampton Gurdon | 2,115 | 39.8 | −5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,087 | 20.4 | +11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,317 | 62.9 | −9.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,455 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.9 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Macdona | 3,995 | 59.1 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal | Harold Glanville | 2,765 | 40.9 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,230 | 18.2 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,760 | 70.1 | +7.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,638 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
General election 1895: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Macdona | 4,092 | 64.6 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal | Ambrose Pomeroy | 2,246 | 35.4 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,846 | 29.2 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,338 | 69.0 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,188 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Macdona | 3,938 | 62.6 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Hart-Davies | 2,356 | 37.4 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,582 | 25.2 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,294 | 65.8 | −3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,559 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.0 | |
General election 1906: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hubert Carr-Gomm | 4,192 | 59.8 | +22.4 |
| | Conservative | John Macdona | 2,821 | 40.2 | −22.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,371 | 19.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,013 | 80.6 | +14.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,700 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.4 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hubert Carr-Gomm | 4,474 | 55.6 | −4.2 |
| | Conservative | Assheton Pownall | 3,570 | 44.4 | +4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 904 | 11.2 | −8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,044 | 84.3 | +3.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.2 | |
General election December 1910: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Hubert Carr-Gomm | 4,030 | 57.1 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | Assheton Pownall | 3,026 | 42.9 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,004 | 14.2 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,056 | 74.0 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
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: Hubert Carr-Gomm
* Unionist:
General election 1918: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | John Lort-Williams | 5,639 | 50.0 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal | Hubert Carr-Gomm | 3,889 | 34.5 | −22.6 |
| | Labour | Will Godfrey | 1,750 | 15.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,750 | 15.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,088 | 45.1 | −28.9 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.8 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Election in the 1920s

General election 1922: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Lort-Williams | 6,749 | 36.5 | −13.5 |
| | Labour | Charles Diamond | 6,703 | 36.3 | +21.8 |
| | Liberal | Hubert Carr-Gomm | 5,034 | 27.2 | −7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 46 | 0.2 | −15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,166 | 63.4 | +18.3 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -17.6 | |
General election 1923: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 9,019 | 48.0 | +11.7 |
| | Unionist | John Lort-Williams | 5,741 | 30.5 | −6.0 |
| | Liberal | Richard Hazleton | 4,035 | 21.5 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,278 | 17.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,457 | 63.8 | +0.4 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +8.8 | |
General election 1924: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 12,703 | 60.3 | +12.3 |
| | Unionist | Charles Garfield Lott Du Cann | 8,375 | 39.7 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,328 | 20.6 | +3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,906 | 70.5 | +6.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
General election 1929: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 14,664 | 61.6 | +1.3 |
| | Unionist | Gurney Braithwaite | 4,594 | 19.3 | −20.4 |
| | Liberal | Dora West | 4,556 | 19.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,070 | 42.3 | +21.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,133 | 65.9 | −0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +10.8 | |

### Election in the 1930s

General election 1931: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Norah Runge | 11,666 | 50.3 | +31.0 |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 11,536 | 49.7 | −11.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 130 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,111 | 64.3 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +21.4 | |
General election 1935: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 14,416 | 59.7 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative | Norah Runge | 9,751 | 40.3 | −10.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,665 | 19.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,899 | 71.3 | +7.0 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.0 | |

### Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Rotherhithe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Smith | 9,741 | 79.1 | +19.4 |
| | Conservative | Norah Runge | 2,577 | 20.9 | −19.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,164 | 58.2 | +38.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,098 | 68.1 | −3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +19.4 | |
1946 Rotherhithe by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bob Mellish | 7,265 | 65.0 | −14.1 |
| | Liberal | Edward Martell | 2,821 | 25.3 | New |
| | Conservative | Frederick Burden | 1,084 | 9.7 | −11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,444 | 39.7 | −18.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,170 | 50.9 | −17.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |

## In fiction

The constituency is portrayed in an episode (A Place in the World) of TV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs as the safe Docklands Labour seat of "Rotherhithe East" that is unsuccessfully contested by James Bellamy for the Conservatives in a by-election in 1920. Location scenes were actually shot in Rotherhithe in January 1975 during the making of the episode. (In real life through 1920 Rotherhithe was a Unionist seat.)