East Norfolk by-election, 1939
Encyclopedia
The East Norfolk by-election, 1939 was a parliamentary by-election
held on 26 January 1939 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of East Norfolk
.
Member of Parliament
(MP), William Lygon, Viscount Elmley
had succeeded to the peerage as the 8th Earl Beauchamp
. He been East Norfolk's MP since he was first elected as a Liberal
at the 1929 general election
, and joined the breakaway National Liberals in 1931.
for the National Liberals, and N.R. Tillett for the Labour Party
.
was again a two-way contest between Medlicott and Tilett, and Medlicott held the seat. When the East Norfolk constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election
, he was returned for the new Central Norfolk
seat.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 26 January 1939 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of East Norfolk
East Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
East Norfolk was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Norfolk. It returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868. Another Eastern division was created in 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
.
Previous MP
The seat had become vacant on 14 November 1938, when the constituency's National LiberalNational Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), William Lygon, Viscount Elmley
William Lygon, 8th Earl Beauchamp
William Lygon, 8th Earl Beauchamp was a politician in the United Kingdom.He was the eldest son of the controversial William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp, sometime leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords. Standing as a Liberal, he was elected as Member of Parliament for East Norfolk at the 1929...
had succeeded to the peerage as the 8th Earl Beauchamp
Earl Beauchamp
Earl Beauchamp was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for William Lygon, 1st Baron Beauchamp, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Elmley, in the County of Worcester. He had already been created Baron Beauchamp of Powyke in the County of Worcester, in 1806,...
. He been East Norfolk's MP since he was first elected as a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, and joined the breakaway National Liberals in 1931.
Candidates
Only two candidates contested the by-election: Frank MedlicottFrank Medlicott
Brigadier Frank Medlicott was a National Liberal Party and later Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.He first stood for parliament as a Liberal, contesting Acton in 1929....
for the National Liberals, and N.R. Tillett for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
Result
Medlicott held the seat for the National Liberals, with a reduced but still substantial majority.Aftermath
The 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
was again a two-way contest between Medlicott and Tilett, and Medlicott held the seat. When the East Norfolk constituency was abolished for the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, he was returned for the new Central Norfolk
Central Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
Central Norfolk was a county constituency in the county of Norfolk. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
seat.
Votes
See also
- East Norfolk constituencyEast Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)East Norfolk was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Norfolk. It returned two Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868. Another Eastern division was created in 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
- NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...