# Bothwell (UK Parliament constituency)

Bothwell was a county constituency in Lanarkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It was formed by the division of Lanarkshire constituency.

## Boundaries

From 1918 the constituency consisted of "The part of the Middle Ward County District which is contained within the parishes of Old Monkland and Bothwell, exclusive of all burghs or portions of burghs situated therein."
The Representation of the People Act 1948 provided that the constituency was to consist of "The sixth district, the electoral divisions of Baillieston, Mount Vernon and Carmyle, Springboig and Garrowhill in the ninth district and that part of the electoral division of Old Monkland in the said ninth district which is bounded on the North by the city of Glasgow and the burgh of Coatbridge, on the West by the electoral division of Baillieston and on the South and East by the electoral divisions of Tannochside and Bellshill North."

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | David MacDonald | Unionist |
| | 1919 by-election | John Robertson | Labour |
| | 1926 by-election | Joseph Sullivan | Labour |
| | 1931 | Helen Shaw | Unionist |
| | 1935 | James C. Welsh | Labour |
| | 1945 | John Timmons | Labour |
| | 1964 | James Hamilton | Labour |
| 1983 | 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | David MacDonald | 9,359 | 50.9 | |
| | Labour | John Robertson | 9,027 | 49.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 332 | 1.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,386 | 69.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 26,572 | | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
1919 Bothwell by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Robertson | 13,135 | 68.8 | +19.7 |
| C | Liberal | James Moffat | 5,967 | 31.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,168 | 37.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,102 | 71.9 | +2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 26,572 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Robertson | 13,872 | 57.0 | +7.9 |
| | Unionist | Peter Denniston Ridge-Beedle | 10,484 | 43.0 | −7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,388 | 14.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,356 | 78.2 | +9.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,149 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +7.9 | |
General election 1923: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Robertson | 14,211 | 60.2 | +3.2 |
| | Unionist | Peter Denniston Ridge-Beedle | 7,569 | 32.0 | −11.0 |
| | Liberal | John Dick Scott | 1,846 | 7.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,642 | 28.2 | +14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,626 | 73.1 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,342 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.1 | |
General election 1924: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Robertson | 14,591 | 56.3 | −3.9 |
| | Unionist | Helen Shaw | 11,314 | 43.7 | +11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,277 | 12.6 | −15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,905 | 79.3 | +6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,665 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.8 | |
1926 Bothwell by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 14,830 | 59.7 | +3.4 |
| | Unionist | Alexander Morrice Mackay | 8,740 | 35.2 | −8.5 |
| | Liberal | Ernest Young | 1,276 | 5.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,090 | 24.5 | +11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,846 | 74.2 | −5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 33,505 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.0 | |
General election 1929: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 17,006 | 55.2 | −1.1 |
| | Unionist | Helen Shaw | 12,077 | 39.3 | −4.4 |
| | Communist | Helen Crawfurd | 1,677 | 5.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,929 | 15.9 | +3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,760 | 72.7 | −6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,312 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Helen Shaw | 16,571 | 49.98 | |
| | Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 14,423 | 43.50 | |
| | Communist | Barney McCourt | 2,163 | 6.52 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,148 | 6.48 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,157 | 77.71 | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Welsh | 20,900 | 60.30 | |
| | Unionist | Helen Shaw | 13,761 | 39.70 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,139 | 20.60 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,661 | 78.64 | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Timmons | 25,369 | 65.8 | +5.5 |
| | Unionist | Helen Shaw | 13,207 | 34.2 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,162 | 31.6 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,576 | 73.12 | −5.52 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Timmons | 25,715 | 56.7 | −9.1 |
| | Unionist | Norman Cadzow | 19,605 | 43.3 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,110 | 13.4 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,320 | 84.54 | +11.42 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Timmons | 26,529 | 56.3 | −0.4 |
| | Unionist | Norman Cadzow | 20,591 | 43.7 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,938 | 12.60 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,120 | 85.96 | +1.42 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Timmons | 23,365 | 54.2 | −2.1 |
| | Unionist | William Graham Greig | 19,755 | 45.8 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,610 | 8.37 | −4.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,120 | 78.93 | −7.03 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Timmons | 25,119 | 54.7 | +0.5 |
| | Unionist | William Graham Greig | 20,767 | 45.3 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,352 | 9.4 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,886 | 82.17 | +3.24 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 27,556 | 60.4 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative | James Brown Highgate | 18,068 | 39.6 | −5.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,488 | 20.80 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,624 | 80.44 | −1.73 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 27,166 | 61.0 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | James Brown Highgate | 16,198 | 36.3 | −0.7 |
| | Communist | Thomas Woods | 1,209 | 2.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,968 | 24.7 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,573 | 77.78 | −2.66 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 26,431 | 54.7 | −6.3 |
| | Conservative | James Brown Highgate | 15,720 | 32.5 | −3.8 |
| | SNP | Tom McAlpine | 6,157 | 12.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,711 | 22.17 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,151 | 75.32 | −2.46 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 22,326 | 46.8 | −7.9 |
| | Conservative | David McAllister | 12,725 | 26.7 | −5.8 |
| | SNP | Gerald Alexander Fisher | 6,710 | 14.1 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal | James Park | 5,362 | 11.2 | New |
| | Communist | David Bolton | 562 | 1.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,601 | 20.13 | −2.04 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,685 | 81.22 | +5.90 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 22,086 | 48.64 | +1.82 |
| | SNP | John McCool | 11,138 | 24.53 | +10.46 |
| | Conservative | David Anderson Roser | 8,125 | 17.89 | −8.79 |
| | Liberal | Terry Grieve | 4,057 | 8.93 | −2.31 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,948 | 24.11 | +3.98 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,406 | 76.50 | −4.72 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.32 | |
General election 1979: Bothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Hamilton | 26,492 | 54.97 | +6.33 |
| | Conservative | James Lang Patrick Scott | 11,275 | 23.40 | +5.51 |
| | Liberal | Terry Grieve | 5,225 | 10.84 | +1.91 |
| | SNP | John McCool | 5,202 | 10.79 | −13.74 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,217 | 31.57 | +7.46 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,194 | 78.61 | +2.11 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.41 | |