Biggleswade (UK Parliament constituency)

Biggleswade was a county constituency in Bedfordshire which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until its abolition in 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Biggleswade
Former constituency for the House of Commons
County	Bedfordshire
1885–1918
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire
Created from	Bedfordshire

Boundaries

The constituency was created as the Northern or Biggleswade Division of Bedfordshire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, when the two-member Parliamentary County of Bedfordshire was divided into the two single-member constituencies of Biggleswade and Luton. It comprised the sessional divisions of Bedford, Biggleswade and Sharnbrook, part of the sessional division of Ampthill and the municipal borough of Bedford.[1] Only non-resident freeholders of the municipal borough (which comprised the Parliamentary Borough of Bedford) were entitled to vote.

The constituency was abolished in 1918. The northern part of the Division surrounding the Borough of Bedford, including Kempston, was included in the Bedford Division. The southern part, including Ampthill and Biggleswade, was included in the new Mid Bedfordshire Division.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[2]	Party
	1885	Charles Magniac	Liberal
	1886	Viscount Baring	Liberal Unionist
	1892	George Russell	Liberal
	1895	Lord Alwyne Compton	Liberal Unionist
	1906	Arthur Black	Liberal
	1918	Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Biggleswade [3][4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Charles Magniac	6,037	57.7	N/A
	Conservative	Walter Barttelot	4,422	42.3	N/A
Majority			1,615	15.4	N/A
Turnout			10,459	78.5	N/A
Registered electors			13,322
	Liberal win (new seat)

General election 1886: Biggleswade [3][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Francis Baring	4,853	52.6	+10.3
	Liberal	Charles Magniac	4,371	47.4	-10.3
Majority			482	5.2	N/A
Turnout			9,224	69.2	-9.3
Registered electors			13,322
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+10.3

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Biggleswade [3][4][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	George Russell	5,600	52.6	+5.2
	Liberal Unionist	Francis Baring	5,056	47.4	-5.2
Majority			544	5.2	N/A
Turnout			10,656	77.9	+8.7
Registered electors			13,686
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+5.2

General election 1895: Biggleswade [3][4][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Alwyne Compton	5,643	51.2	+3.8
	Liberal	George Russell	5,376	48.8	-3.8
Majority			267	2.4	N/A
Turnout			11,019	80.2	+2.3
Registered electors			13,744
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+3.8

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Biggleswade [3][4][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Alwyne Compton	Unopposed
	Liberal Unionist hold

General election 1906: Biggleswade [3][4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Arthur Black	6,902	61.6	N/A
	Liberal Unionist	Alwyne Compton	4,298	38.4	N/A
Majority			2,604	23.2	N/A
Turnout			11,200	79.5	N/A
Registered electors			14,085
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Biggleswade [3][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Arthur Black	6,631	52.4	-9.2
	Liberal Unionist	Rowland Prothero	6,020	47.6	+9.2
Majority			611	4.8	-18.4
Turnout				90.2	+10.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	-9.2

Black

General election December 1910: Biggleswade [3][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Arthur Black	6,536	52.9	+0.5
	Conservative	Geoffrey Carr Glyn	5,808	47.1	-0.5
Majority			728	5.8	+1.0
Turnout				88.0	-2.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.5

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Arthur Black
• Unionist: Geoffrey Carr Glyn[9]

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies
• Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918

References

1. Debretts Guide to the House of Commons 1886
2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)
3. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
4. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
5. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
6. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1896
7. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
8. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
9. Biggleswade Chronicle 15 May 1914