# Holborn (UK Parliament constituency)

Holborn was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Holborn district of Central London. 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 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Holborn & St Pancras South.

## Boundaries

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of-
* so much of the Holborn District as comprises the Parishes of—
** St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr, and
** Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place.
* The St Giles District:
** Gray's Inn,
** Furnival's Inn,
** Staple Inn, and
** Lincoln's Inn.
1918–1950: The Metropolitan Borough of Holborn.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Francis Duncan | Conservative |
| | 1888 | Gainsford Bruce | Conservative |
| | 1892 | Sir Charles Hall | Conservative |
| | 1900 | Sir James Remnant | Conservative |
| | 1912 | Sir James Remnant | Unionist |
| | 1928 | Stuart Bevan | Unionist |
| | 1935 | Sir Robert Tasker | Conservative |
| | 1945 | Max Aitken | Conservative |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished: see Holborn and St Pancras South | constituency abolished: see Holborn and St Pancras South |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Duncan | 4,047 | 62.1 | |
| | Liberal | Charles Harrison | 2,473 | 37.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,574 | 24.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,520 | 66.5 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,802 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Duncan | 3,651 | 65.2 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal | Dadabhai Naoroji | 1,950 | 34.8 | −3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,701 | 30.4 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,601 | 57.1 | −9.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,802 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
By-election, 29 Nov 1888: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gainsford Bruce | 4,398 | 56.2 | −9.0 |
| | Liberal | William Compton | 3,433 | 43.8 | +9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 965 | 12.4 | −18.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,831 | 68.8 | +11.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,383 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -9.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gainsford Bruce | 4,949 | 66.6 | +1.4 |
| | Lib-Lab | George Bateman | 2,477 | 33.4 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,472 | 33.2 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,426 | 60.8 | +3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,214 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +10.4 | |
Bruce is appointed a judge on the Queen's Bench of the High Court of Justice, causing a by-election.
1892 Holborn by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hall | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1895: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hall | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

1900 Holborn by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Remnant | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1900: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Remnant | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Remnant | 3,881 | 58.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Stephen Miall | 2,706 | 41.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,175 | 17.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,587 | 71.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,242 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Remnant | 4,847 | 68.2 | +9.3 |
| | Liberal | Richard Stapley | 2,262 | 31.8 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,585 | 36.4 | +18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,109 | 82.6 | +11.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.3 | |
General election December 1910: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Remnant | 4,313 | 72.8 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal | C. R. Cooke-Taylor | 1,615 | 27.2 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,698 | 45.6 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,928 | 68.9 | −13.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist: Sir James Farquharson Remnant
* Liberal:
General election 1918: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | James Remnant | 6,874 | 86.3 | +13.5 |
| | Independent Labour | John Hazelwood Worrall | 1,091 | 13.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,783 | 72.6 | +27.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,965 | 39.1 | −29.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,371 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | James Remnant | 8,996 | 70.5 | −15.8 |
| | Liberal | John Salter Stooke-Vaughan | 3,757 | 29.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,239 | 41.0 | −31.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,753 | 47.2 | +8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 26,991 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | James Remnant | 7,892 | 59.4 | −11.1 |
| | Liberal | John Salter Stooke-Vaughan | 3,349 | 25.2 | −4.3 |
| | Labour | Augustus West | 2,044 | 15.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,543 | 34.2 | −6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,285 | 48.8 | +1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 27,218 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −3.4 | |
General election 1924: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | James Remnant | 11,428 | 75.5 | +16.1 |
| | Labour | W.W. Messer | 3,718 | 24.5 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,710 | 51.0 | +16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,146 | 55.1 | +6.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 27,490 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
1928 Holborn by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Stuart Bevan | 6,365 | 59.7 | −15.8 |
| | Labour | Percy Allott | 2,238 | 21.0 | −3.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Morton | 2,062 | 19.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,127 | 38.7 | −12.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,665 | 39.0 | −16.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 27,357 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −6.2 | |
General election 1929: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Stuart Bevan | 10,093 | 56.8 | −18.7 |
| | Labour | Fitzroy William Hickinbottom | 4,530 | 25.5 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Morton | 3,150 | 17.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,563 | 31.3 | −19.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,773 | 54.1 | −1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,862 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −9.9 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stuart Bevan | 16,094 | 84.7 | +27.9 |
| | Labour | Fitzroy W. Hickinbottom | 2,916 | 15.3 | −10.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,178 | 69.4 | +28.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,543 | 56.7 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +19.1 | |
General election 1935: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Tasker | 11,654 | 72.9 | −11.8 |
| | Labour | Richard S. Jeffries | 4,325 | 27.1 | +11.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,329 | 45.8 | −23.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,641 | 49.0 | −7.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -11.8 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Holborn :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Max Aitken | 6,061 | 54.1 | −18.8 |
| | Labour | Irene Marcousé | 5,136 | 45.9 | +18.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 925 | 8.2 | −37.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,394 | 68.3 | +19.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -18.8 | |