Southend (UK Parliament constituency)

Southend-on-Sea was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Southend in Essex, 1918-50

Southend
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1950
Number of membersone
Replaced bySouthend East
Southend West
Created fromSouth East Essex

History

The constituency was created under the Representation of the People Act 1918 by splitting the County Borough of Southend-on-Sea from the existing constituency of South East Essex. The sitting MP for that constituency, Rupert Guinness, was elected to the new constituency. It was abolished for the 1950 general election, when the expanded County Borough (which had incorporated the Urban District of Shoeburyness) was divided into the new constituencies of Southend East and Southend West.

Boundaries

1918–1945: The County Borough of Southend-on-Sea.[1]

1945–1950: Part of the County Borough of Southend-on-Sea.[1] (No changes to constituency boundaries).

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[2] Party
1918 Rupert Guinness, 2nd Earl of Iveagh Conservative
1927 by-election Gwendolen Guinness, Countess of Iveagh Conservative
1935 Henry Channon Conservative
1950 constituency abolished: see Southend East and Southend West

Guinness family

For most of the 20th century, this constituency and one of its successors was held by four members of the Guinness family. When Rupert Guinness was elevated to the Peerage upon the death of his father, he was succeeded by his wife, Gwendolen. When she retired in 1935 she was succeeded by her eldest daughter's husband, Henry "Chips" Channon. Channon continued to serve as MP for one of the successor constituencies, Southend West, until his death in 1958. That seat was then represented by his son, Paul Channon, until 1997. Because of this connection, the seat became known in the media as "Guinness-on-Sea".[3]

Elections

Elections in the 1910s
General election 1918: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
C Unionist Rupert Guinness 12,392 63.3
Ind. Conservative Joseph Francis 4,242 21.6
Liberal Chalton Hubbard 2,965 15.1
Majority 8,150 41.7
Turnout 53.9
Unionist hold Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Rupert Guinness 17,920 61.9 -1.4
Liberal Henry George Walker 11,039 38.1 +23.0
Majority 6,881 23.8 -17.9
Turnout 68.0 +14.1
Unionist hold Swing -12.2
General election 1923: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Rupert Guinness 15,566 50.2 -11.7
Liberal Douglas Young 15,453 49.8 +11.7
Majority 113 0.4 -23.4
Turnout 69.3 +1.3
Unionist hold Swing -11.7
General election 1924: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Rupert Guinness 23,417 62.5
Liberal Douglas Young 10,924 29.1
Labour Sydney Alexander Moseley 3,144 8.4 n/a
Majority 12,493 33.4
Turnout 79.3
Unionist hold Swing
1927 Southend by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Gwendolen Guinness 21,221 54.6 -7.9
Liberal Dougal Meston 11,912 30.7 +1.6
Labour James Erskine Harper 4,777 12.3 +3.9
Ind. Conservative E.A. Hailwood 917 2.4 +2.4
Majority 9,309 23.9
Turnout 73.2
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1929: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Gwendolen Guinness 27,605 55.8 +1.2
Liberal Dougal Meston 21,884 44.2 +13.5
Majority 5,721 11.6
Turnout 67.0
Unionist hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Gwendolen Guinness 46,564 85.7
Labour Albert Bechervaise 7,741 14.3
Majority 38,823 71.4
Turnout 68.5
Conservative hold Swing
General election 1935: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Channon 36,865 65.1
Liberal Murray Gladstone 11,934 21.1
Labour Helen Keynes 7,796 13.8
Majority 24,931 44.0
Turnout 56,595 65.9
Conservative hold Swing

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;

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: Southend [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Henry Channon 23,712 44.6
Labour Gordon Sandison 20,635 38.9
Liberal H Douglas Tanner 8,735 16.5
Majority 3,077 5.7
Turnout 73.3
Conservative hold Swing
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gollark: See? Irritated fish!
gollark: Except in lists.
gollark: Oh, and commas.
gollark: Whitespace forever!

References
  1. Craig, Fred W. S. (1972). Boundaries of parliamentary constituencies 1885-1972;. Chichester: Political Reference Publications. ISBN 0900178094. OCLC 539011.
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)
  3. Obituary: Lord Kelvedon | Obituaries | Guardian Unlimited
  4. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  5. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
  6. Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
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