Hallamshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Hallamshire was a Parliamentary constituency
covering the Hallamshire
district of England
. The constituency was created in 1885 and abolished in 1918. It should not be confused with Sheffield Hallam. The seat was a large geographical area which in the west included the moors
of the Pennines (Howden Moors, Midhope Moors, Broom Read Moor, Bradfield Moor and Hallam Moor), but came down from the hills in the centre to include better farmland north of Sheffield around Ecclesfield
. In the north-east it included part of the South Yorkshire coalfield and some mining villages. In the south, the residents of Sheffield who owned their freeholds could vote in this division.
For twenty years the Member of Parliament
was a prominent Sheffield cutler
and steel manufacturer, Sir Frederick Mappin, who was able to unite the middle-class voters from Sheffield with the hill-farmers and the miners to vote for him as a Liberal
. When he retired the local Liberal association selected a miner, John Wadsworth, who was President of the Yorkshire Miners Association in 1903 and sponsored by the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. With the other MFGB sponsored MPs, Wadsworth transferred to the Labour Party
in 1909.
. On its creation in 1885 it was defined as containing the Municipal Borough
of Sheffield, and the Parishes
of Bradfield
, Ecclesfield
, Wath-upon-Dearne
, Brampton Bierlow
, Wentworth
, Handsworth
, Tankersley, Nether Hoyland
, and Wortley
.
The Municipal Borough of Sheffield was also a Parliamentary Borough and so the only electors from that area entitled to vote in Hallamshire were those who were freeholders. They could, of course, also exercise their vote in the appropriate division of the Parliamentary Borough of Sheffield. However there were always considerable numbers of Sheffield freeholders who voted at elections for Hallamshire according to Henry Pelling
in his Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910.
This anomaly of the electoral system was ended in 1918. The remainder of the constituency formed the cores of both the Penistone
and Wentworth
constituencies in boundary changes made that year.
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:...
covering the Hallamshire
Hallamshire
Hallamshire is the historical name for an area of South Yorkshire, England, in the current city of Sheffield.The origin of the name is uncertain. The English Place-Name Society describe "Hallam" originating from a formation meaning "on the rocks"...
district of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The constituency was created in 1885 and abolished in 1918. It should not be confused with Sheffield Hallam. The seat was a large geographical area which in the west included the moors
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
of the Pennines (Howden Moors, Midhope Moors, Broom Read Moor, Bradfield Moor and Hallam Moor), but came down from the hills in the centre to include better farmland north of Sheffield around Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield is a suburb and civil parish in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, about north of Sheffield City Centre. At the 2001 census the civil parish— which also includes the Sheffield suburbs of Chapeltown, Grenoside, High Green, and formerly Thorpe Hesley —had a population...
. In the north-east it included part of the South Yorkshire coalfield and some mining villages. In the south, the residents of Sheffield who owned their freeholds could vote in this division.
For twenty years the 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,...
was a prominent Sheffield cutler
Cutler
A cutler is a maker of cutlery.Cutler may also refer to:-Places in the United States:*Cutler, California, a town*Cutler, Florida, now part of the Village of Palmetto Bay*Cutler Bay, Florida, formerly known as Cutler Ridge*Cutler, Illinois...
and steel manufacturer, Sir Frederick Mappin, who was able to unite the middle-class voters from Sheffield with the hill-farmers and the miners to vote for him 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...
. When he retired the local Liberal association selected a miner, John Wadsworth, who was President of the Yorkshire Miners Association in 1903 and sponsored by the Miners' Federation of Great Britain. With the other MFGB sponsored MPs, Wadsworth transferred to 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...
in 1909.
Boundaries
The consistuency covered an area north and west of inner SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
. On its creation in 1885 it was defined as containing the Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Sheffield, and the Parishes
Parish (subnational entity)
A parish is an administrative division used by several countries. In the British Isles it is known as a civil parish to distinguish it from the ecclesiastical parish.-External links:* Editorial in The Guardian, 2011-05-16....
of Bradfield
Bradfield, South Yorkshire
Bradfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Peak District. Bradfield itself is divided into two settlements, High Bradfield atop a hill and Low Bradfield in the valley of the River Loxley.Bradfield is the largest parish in...
, Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield is a suburb and civil parish in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, about north of Sheffield City Centre. At the 2001 census the civil parish— which also includes the Sheffield suburbs of Chapeltown, Grenoside, High Green, and formerly Thorpe Hesley —had a population...
, Wath-upon-Dearne
Wath-upon-Dearne
Wath-upon-Dearne is a small town on the south side of the Dearne Valley in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, lying 5 miles north of Rotherham, almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It has a population...
, Brampton Bierlow
Brampton Bierlow
Brampton Bierlow, often known simply as Brampton, is a former mining village and civil parish situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, on the south side of the Dearne Valley, between Barnsley and Rotherham. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a...
, Wentworth
Wentworth, South Yorkshire
Wentworth is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,223.- History :...
, Handsworth
Handsworth, South Yorkshire
Handsworth is a suburb of south eastern Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Handsworth has a population of approximately 15,000. It covers an overall area of approximately...
, Tankersley, Nether Hoyland
Hoyland
Hoyland is a town near Barnsley in Northern England. The town developed from the hamlets of Upper Hoyland, Hoyland, and Hoyland Common.The town has also been known as Nether Hoyland. That name was given to it when to prevent confusion with High Hoyland. When the urban district council was formed...
, and Wortley
Wortley, South Yorkshire
Wortley is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 579.Wortley grew up as a settlement where the Sheffield to Halifax road crossed the Cheshire to Rotherham route...
.
The Municipal Borough of Sheffield was also a Parliamentary Borough and so the only electors from that area entitled to vote in Hallamshire were those who were freeholders. They could, of course, also exercise their vote in the appropriate division of the Parliamentary Borough of Sheffield. However there were always considerable numbers of Sheffield freeholders who voted at elections for Hallamshire according to Henry Pelling
Henry Pelling
Henry Mathison Pelling , was a British historian best known for his works on the history of the British Labour Party, including:*The Origins of the Labour Party and*A Short History of the Labour Party ....
in his Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910.
This anomaly of the electoral system was ended in 1918. The remainder of the constituency formed the cores of both the Penistone
Penistone (UK Parliament constituency)
Penistone was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Penistone in Yorkshire and surrounding countryside. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.-History:The constituency was...
and Wentworth
Wentworth (UK Parliament constituency)
Wentworth was a parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire. Originally created in 1918 and was abolished in 1950, the name was revived when a new constituency was created from 1983 to 2010. Throughout its history, Wentworth was a safe seat for the Labour Party.-Boundaries:Wentworth constituency...
constituencies in boundary changes made that year.
Member of Parliament
- 1885-1906: Sir Frederick Mappin, LiberalLiberal 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...
- 1906-1918: John WadsworthJohn WadsworthJohn Wadsworth was a British trade unionist and politician.Born in West Melton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Wadsworth worked as a coal miner and was elected checkweighman...
, Lib-Lab, then LabourLabour 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...
Election results
Sources
- Boundary Commission Report, 1885
- British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918 by F. W. S. CraigF. W. S. CraigFrederick Walter Scott Craig was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party...
(Parliamentary Research Services, Chichester, 1977) - Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910 by Henry PellingHenry PellingHenry Mathison Pelling , was a British historian best known for his works on the history of the British Labour Party, including:*The Origins of the Labour Party and*A Short History of the Labour Party ....
(Macmillan, London, 1967) - Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources (Election results since 1951)