# Eskdale (UK Parliament constituency)

Eskdale was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Eskdale, district of north Cumberland not to be confused with the valley of Eskdale in the west of the county. 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.

## History

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

## Boundaries

The Municipal Borough of Carlisle, the Sessional Divisions of Cumberland Ward, Eskdale Ward, and Longtown, and part of the Sessional Division of Allerdale Ward below Derwent.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Robert Andrew Allison | Liberal |
| | 1900 | Claude Lowther | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Geoffrey Howard | Liberal |
| | 1910 | Claude Lowther | Conservative |
| 1918 | 1918 | Claude Lowther | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Andrew Allison | 4,749 | 60.0 | |
| | Conservative | Samuel Porter Foster | 3,163 | 40.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,586 | 20.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,912 | 79.1 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,000 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Andrew Allison | 4,112 | 56.0 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | James Lowther | 3,226 | 44.0 | +4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 886 | 12.0 | −8.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,338 | 73.4 | −5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,000 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Andrew Allison | 3,976 | 55.7 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry Howard | 3,163 | 44.3 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 813 | 11.4 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,139 | 75.9 | +2.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,402 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.3 | |
General election 1895: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Andrew Allison | 3,745 | 51.0 | −4.7 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Henry Howard | 3,598 | 49.0 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 147 | 2.0 | −9.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,343 | 76.5 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,603 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.7 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Claude Lowther | 4,052 | 54.7 | +5.7 |
| | Liberal | Robert Andrew Allison | 3,349 | 45.3 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 703 | 9.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,401 | 73.6 | −2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,054 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.7 | |
General election 1906: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Howard | 4,467 | 51.4 | +6.1 |
| | Conservative | Claude Lowther | 4,230 | 48.6 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 237 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,697 | 80.4 | +6.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,811 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.1 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Howard | 4,504 | 50.2 | −1.2 |
| | Conservative | Claude Lowther | 4,470 | 49.8 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 0.4 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,974 | 81.5 | +1.1 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.2 | |
General election December 1910: Eskdale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Claude Lowther | 4,581 | 52.1 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | Geoffrey Howard | 4,211 | 47.9 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 370 | 4.2 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,792 | 79.8 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.3 | |
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;
* Unionist: Claude Lowther
* Liberal: George Schuster