# Holland with Boston (UK Parliament constituency)

Holland with Boston was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

## History

The constituency was created in 1918 and abolished in 1997. By the time of its abolition, it was a safe Conservative seat. However, Holland with Boston had been held by both the Liberal and Labour parties before the Second World War.
From 1885 to 1918 the parliamentary borough of Boston returned one MP, while the Lincolnshire county division of Spalding, in the south-east of the historic county, elected another MP. In 1918 these two seats were merged to form this constituency.
When created in 1918 the constituency had the same boundaries as the traditional sub-division of the historic county known as the Parts of Holland, which had become an administrative county in 1889.
In 1997 the constituency was abolished and replaced by two new constituencies, Boston and Skegness and South Holland and The Deepings.

## Boundaries

1918–1974: The county of the Parts of Holland.
1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Boston, the Urban District of Spalding, and the Rural Districts of Boston, East Elloe, and Spalding.
1983–1997: The Borough of Boston, and the District of South Holland wards of Donington, Fleet, Gedney, Holbeach Hurn, Holbeach St John, Holbeach Town, Long Sutton, Moulton, Sutton Bridge, The Saints, and Whaplode.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | William Royce | Labour |
| 1924 by-election | Arthur Dean | Conservative |
| 1929 by-election | Sir James Blindell | Liberal |
| 1931 | Sir James Blindell | National Liberal |
| 1937 by-election | Sir Herbert Butcher | National Liberal |
| 1950 | Sir Herbert Butcher | National Liberal & Conservative |
| 1966 | Sir Richard Body | Conservative |
| 1997 | constituency abolished: see Boston and Skegness and South Holland and the Deepings | constituency abolished: see Boston and Skegness and South Holland and the Deepings |

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

General election 1918: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Royce | 8,788 | 39.8 | |
| C | Unionist | Ernest Belcher | 7,718 | 35.0 | |
| | Liberal | George Peel | 5,557 | 25.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,070 | 4.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,063 | 55.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 40,004 | | |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Royce | 12,489 | 39.1 | −0.7 |
| | Unionist | Henry Cameron-Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy | 11,898 | 37.3 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | Ewan Siegfried Agnew | 7,535 | 23.6 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 591 | 1.8 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,922 | 76.9 | +21.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,516 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −1.5 | |
General election 1923: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Royce | 15,697 | 54.1 | +15.0 |
| | Unionist | Arthur Dean | 13,331 | 45.9 | +8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,366 | 8.2 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,028 | 68.8 | −8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,220 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.2 | |
1924 Holland with Boston by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Arthur Dean | 12,907 | 39.6 | −6.3 |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 12,101 | 37.1 | −17.0 |
| | Liberal | Richard Pattinson Winfrey | 7,596 | 23.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 806 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,604 | 77.2 | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,220 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | −5.4 | |
General election 1924: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Arthur Dean | 15,459 | 47.5 | +1.6 |
| | Labour | G. R. Blanco White | 10,689 | 32.8 | −21.3 |
| | Liberal | Richard Pattinson Winfrey | 6,413 | 19.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,770 | 14.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,561 | 75.8 | +7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,929 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +11.5 | |
1929 Holland with Boston by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Blindell | 13,000 | 38.1 | +18.4 |
| | Labour | G. R. Blanco White | 9,294 | 27.3 | −5.5 |
| | Unionist | Frederick Van den Berg | 8,257 | 24.2 | −23.3 |
| | Agricultural Party | F.W. Dennis | 3,541 | 10.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,706 | 10.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,092 | 75.6 | −0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 45,079 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +15.9 | |
General election 1929: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Blindell | 19,792 | 43.8 | +24.1 |
| | Unionist | Frederick Van den Berg | 15,877 | 35.1 | −12.4 |
| | Labour | Charles Edward Snook | 9,556 | 21.1 | −11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,915 | 8.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,225 | 81.5 | +5.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 55,522 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +18.3 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | James Blindell | 30,375 | 77.5 | +42.4 |
| | Labour | John Parker | 8,840 | 22.5 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,535 | 55.0 | +46.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,215 | 68.5 | −13.0 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | James Blindell | 25,162 | 65.5 | −12.0 |
| | Labour | Ernest E. Reynolds | 13,264 | 34.5 | +12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,898 | 31.0 | −24.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,426 | 63.6 | −4.9 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
1937 Holland with Boston by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 21,846 | 60.0 | −5.5 |
| | Labour | Ernest E. Reynolds | 14,556 | 40.0 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,290 | 20.0 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,396 | 59.4 | −4.2 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | −5.5 | |
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal National: Herbert Butcher
* Labour: E Kennedy
* British Union: Sylvia Morris

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 26,939 | 55.9 | −4.1 |
| | Labour | Arthur E. Monks | 21,263 | 44.1 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,676 | 11.8 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,202 | 72.9 | +13.5 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 30,336 | 53.9 | −2.0 |
| | Labour | Horace W. Lee | 22,374 | 39.8 | −2.3 |
| | Liberal | Raymond D Blankley | 3,500 | 6.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,962 | 14.1 | +2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 68,411 | 82.1 | +9.2 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 31,683 | 57.9 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Janet A Walters | 22,994 | 42.0 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,689 | 15.9 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 69,453 | 78.7 | −3.4 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 28,412 | 53.2 | −4.7 |
| | Labour | William A Rippon | 19,329 | 39.8 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Valentine | 5,581 | 7.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,083 | 13.4 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,040 | 76.1 | −2.6 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 29,013 | 53.5 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | John DT Williamson | 17,839 | 32.9 | −6.9 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Valentine | 7,334 | 13.5 | +6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,174 | 20.6 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70,588 | 76.7 | +0.6 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Herbert Butcher | 29,082 | 55.3 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Walter Long | 23,451 | 44.6 | +11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,631 | 10.7 | −9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 71,064 | 73.9 | −2.8 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 26,683 | 50.3 | −5.0 |
| | Labour | Robert H. Hickman | 26,367 | 49.7 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 316 | 0.6 | −10.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,050 | 74.9 | +1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 33,580 | 58.0 | +7.7 |
| | Labour | Robert N.H. Sackur | 24,241 | 41.9 | −7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,339 | 16.1 | +15.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77,245 | 74.8 | −0.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election February 1974: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 30,561 | 47.6 | −10.4 |
| | Labour | M Cornish | 18,180 | 28.3 | −13.6 |
| | Liberal | Raymond Stephenson | 15,466 | 24.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,381 | 19.3 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 79,775 | 80.4 | +5.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 28,145 | 47.6 | 0.0 |
| | Labour | M Cornish | 19,461 | 33.5 | +5.2 |
| | Liberal | Raymond Stephenson | 10,476 | 18.0 | −6.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,684 | 14.9 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 80,454 | 72.1 | −8.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 35,440 | 55.5 | +7.9 |
| | Labour | Malcolm Fox | 17,908 | 28.0 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | J Wright | 10,480 | 16.4 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,532 | 27.5 | +12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 85,578 | 74.5 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 24,962 | 55.2 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | Carole Le Brun | 13,226 | 29.2 | +12.8 |
| | Labour | John Moore | 6,970 | 15.4 | −12.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,736 | 26.0 | −1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63,562 | 71.0 | −3.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 27,412 | 57.8 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal | Carole Le Brun | 9,817 | 20.7 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | John Hough | 9,734 | 20.4 | +5.0 |
| | Independent | David James | 405 | 0.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,595 | 37.1 | +11.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,539 | 72.2 | +1.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Holland with Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Body | 29,159 | 55.1 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | John Hough | 15,328 | 29.0 | +8.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nigel Ley | 8,434 | 15.9 | −4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,831 | 26.1 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,921 | 77.9 | +5.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.6 | |