Merionethshire by-election, 1899
Encyclopedia
The Merionethshire by-election, 1899 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the House of Commons constituency of Merionethshire
on 2 May 1899.
MP, Thomas Edward Ellis
on 5 April 1899.
, an academic at Lincoln College, Oxford
, a native of Merionethshire
who was described as an ardent Welsh Nationalist
. Edwards was hardly enthusiastic to take up the offer of being the Liberal candidate. He wrote to Dr Edward Jones, chairman of the county Liberals, that he had many days of anxiety and sleepless nights since learning he was the front-runner. He said that he would be relieved if not called upon to stand and would rather not take the position unless absolutely needed.
The Conservatives
had fought Merionethshire at the 1895 general election
and at its meeting in Dolgellau
on 14 April 1899 resolved that the seat should be contested at the by-election. No candidate was selected at that time however and the matter was postponed. Once Edwards was adopted by the Liberals, the Conservatives met again at Barmouth and this time decided not to oppose him.
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By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the House of Commons constituency of Merionethshire
Merioneth (UK Parliament constituency)
Merioneth, sometimes called Merionethshire, was a constituency in North Wales established in 1542, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament, and later to the Parliament of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom...
on 2 May 1899.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting 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...
MP, Thomas Edward Ellis
T. E. Ellis
Thomas Edward Ellis , usually known as T. E. Ellis, was a Welsh politician who was the leader of Cymru Fydd, a movement aimed at gaining home rule for Wales.-Life:...
on 5 April 1899.
Candidates
Merionethshire Liberal Association considered a number of possible candidates but the favourite from an early stage was Owen Morgan EdwardsOwen Morgan Edwards
Owen Morgan Edwards was a Welsh historian, educationalist and writer. He is often known as O. M. Edwards....
, an academic at Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
, a native of Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
who was described as an ardent Welsh Nationalist
Welsh nationalism
Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
. Edwards was hardly enthusiastic to take up the offer of being the Liberal candidate. He wrote to Dr Edward Jones, chairman of the county Liberals, that he had many days of anxiety and sleepless nights since learning he was the front-runner. He said that he would be relieved if not called upon to stand and would rather not take the position unless absolutely needed.
The Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
had fought Merionethshire at the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
and at its meeting in Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
on 14 April 1899 resolved that the seat should be contested at the by-election. No candidate was selected at that time however and the matter was postponed. Once Edwards was adopted by the Liberals, the Conservatives met again at Barmouth and this time decided not to oppose him.
The result
There being no other candidates putting themselves forward, Edwards was returned unopposed. He did not enjoy parliamentary life however and did not seek re-election at the general election of 1900United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
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See also
- 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...