Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1920
Encyclopedia
The Middleton and Prestwich by-election, 1920 was a by-election
held on 22 November 1920 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Middleton and Prestwich
in Lancashire
.
The by-election was triggered by the appointment as a judge of the sitting Coalition Liberal
Member of Parliament
, Sir William Ryland Dent Adkins KC. Adkins was appointed Recorder
of Birmingham
and this being an office of profit he was obliged by the electoral law of the day to submit to a by-election.
at the 1906 general election
. At the 1918 general election
Middleton was merged with Prestwich
to create a new seat and Adkins retained it as a supporter of the coalition government
of David Lloyd George
and Andrew Bonar Law, having received the The Coalition Coupon, despite the fact that he had previously acted as a loyal Asquithian. In 1918 Adkins had faced only Labour
opposition and had won by a majority of 8,330 votes.
were content to stand aside again for their coalition partner. Labour were planning to put up Alderman
M B Farr of Mossley
as their candidate but owing to an outbreak of smallpox
in the constituency a by-election truce was called on the advice of the medical authorities so as to avoid the need for the usual door to door canvassing and holding of public meetings. This opportunity to withdraw with honour may have suited Labour given the difficulty in winning the seat they faced against the combined Liberal and Conservative electorate lined up behind Adkins.
, the first general election after the fall of the Coalition when he lost to the Tories by 529 votes in a three-cornered contest, with Alderman Farr for Labour and A N Stewart-Sandeman
for the Conservatives.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 22 November 1920 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 Middleton and Prestwich
Middleton and Prestwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Middleton and Prestwich was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Middleton and Prestwich districts of Greater Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.
The by-election was triggered by the appointment as a judge of the sitting Coalition 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...
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,...
, Sir William Ryland Dent Adkins KC. Adkins was appointed Recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and this being an office of profit he was obliged by the electoral law of the day to submit to a by-election.
Constituency background
Adkins had represented Middleton since winning the seatMiddleton (UK Parliament constituency)
Middleton was a county constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, it was represented by one Member of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1918.-Members of Parliament:...
at the 1906 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
. At the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
Middleton was merged with Prestwich
Prestwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Prestwich was a constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, it was represented by one Member of Parliament...
to create a new seat and Adkins retained it as a supporter of the coalition government
Coalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
of David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and Andrew Bonar Law, having received the The Coalition Coupon, despite the fact that he had previously acted as a loyal Asquithian. In 1918 Adkins had faced only Labour
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...
opposition and had won by a majority of 8,330 votes.
By-election truce
When the by-election was first occasioned, it had apparently been the intention of the Labour Party to contest it. The ConservativesConservative 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...
were content to stand aside again for their coalition partner. Labour were planning to put up Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
M B Farr of Mossley
Mossley
Mossley is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. The town is located in the upper section of the Tame valley in the foothills of the Pennines, northeast of Ashton-under-Lyne and east of Manchester.Mossley has the distinction of...
as their candidate but owing to an outbreak of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in the constituency a by-election truce was called on the advice of the medical authorities so as to avoid the need for the usual door to door canvassing and holding of public meetings. This opportunity to withdraw with honour may have suited Labour given the difficulty in winning the seat they faced against the combined Liberal and Conservative electorate lined up behind Adkins.
Result
In the event therefore no candidate stepped forward to challenge Sir Ryland Adkins and he was returned unopposed.Adkins, 1920–1923
Adkins continued to represent the constituency until 1923United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, the first general election after the fall of the Coalition when he lost to the Tories by 529 votes in a three-cornered contest, with Alderman Farr for Labour and A N Stewart-Sandeman
Sir Nairne Stewart Sandeman, 1st Baronet
Sir Nairne Stewart Sandeman, 1st Baronet was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was elected at the 1923 general election as Member of Parliament for Middleton and Prestwich, and held the seat until his death in 1940....
for the Conservatives.