Osgoldcross by-election, 1899
Encyclopedia
The Osgoldcross by-election, 1899 was a parliamentary by-election
for the House of Commons constituency of Osgoldcross
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
held on 5 July 1899.
MP, Sir John Austin
. Austin had been MP for Osgoldcross since 1886
but he found himself in dispute with his constituency Liberal Association when he voted against certain measures in Parliament which were supported by the Liberal Party nationally. Some of these issues were on religious questions and Sir John Austin was a Roman Catholic. In some quarters the dispute with Sir John Austin was seen as an attack on him because of his religion, although he had a record of getting on well with his traditionally nonconformist constituency. However one of the issues that Austin championed was opposing the power of local authorities to impose a veto on liquor sales and this brought him into conflict with many of his pro-temperance chapel Liberals. A meeting of the Osgoldcoss Liberal Association was held at Pontefract
on 15 June 1899 and a vote of no confidence in Austin was passed. A further motion of regret at his actions was also passed but, no doubt in an effort to heal the breach between MP and local party, it was declared that Austin had broken no pledges made in his election addresses.
on 23 June 1899, chaired by Mr Arthur Hartley the chairman of Osgoldcross Liberals, at which Austin declared himself to be a loyal supporter of Liberal leader Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, selected Austin as Liberal candidate to fight the by-election. However another meeting of Liberals at Pontefract the same day adopted Charles Henry Roberts
, the son-in-law of Lady Carlisle
, as an Independent Liberal or Radical to contest the seat and this decision was endorsed by a further mass meeting at the Market Hall at Goole
later that night, chaired by the president of the Osgoldcross Liberals, Frederick Andrews. Roberts declared that he supported the entire Liberal programme as formulated by William Ewart Gladstone and the meeting endorsed his candidacy saying they wanted a man who was a Liberal “all along the line”. He also described himself as the Local Veto (i.e. pro-temperance) candidate. For this reason, Roberts is described here as the official Liberal candidate.
there had been a Conservative
candidate, in 1886 a Liberal Unionist
, in 1892
a Labour
man and in 1895
another Conservative had tried his luck. However this time, perhaps preferring not to intrude on the private grief of the Liberal Party, no other party put forward a candidate to take advantage of the Liberal split.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the House of Commons constituency of Osgoldcross
Osgoldcross (UK Parliament constituency)
Osgoldcross was a parliamentary constituency in the Osgoldcross Rural District of West Yorkshire. 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 system.- History :...
in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
held on 5 July 1899.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the resignation 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, Sir John Austin
Sir John Austin, 1st Baronet
Sir John Austin, 1st Baronet was a Liberal Party politician in England.At the 1886 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for Osgoldcross in the West Riding of Yorkshire, defeating the sitting MP Sir John Ramsden, Bt...
. Austin had been MP for Osgoldcross since 1886
United Kingdom general election, 1886
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
but he found himself in dispute with his constituency Liberal Association when he voted against certain measures in Parliament which were supported by the Liberal Party nationally. Some of these issues were on religious questions and Sir John Austin was a Roman Catholic. In some quarters the dispute with Sir John Austin was seen as an attack on him because of his religion, although he had a record of getting on well with his traditionally nonconformist constituency. However one of the issues that Austin championed was opposing the power of local authorities to impose a veto on liquor sales and this brought him into conflict with many of his pro-temperance chapel Liberals. A meeting of the Osgoldcoss Liberal Association was held at Pontefract
Pontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
on 15 June 1899 and a vote of no confidence in Austin was passed. A further motion of regret at his actions was also passed but, no doubt in an effort to heal the breach between MP and local party, it was declared that Austin had broken no pledges made in his election addresses.
Austin
Following the vote of censure against him Sir John Austin decided to resign his seat and appeal directly to his constituents on the points at issue. He chose to contest the election as a Liberal and was sometimes also referred to in the press as a Radical. However in view of his breach with the official party Austin is referred to here as an Independent Liberal.Liberals
The local Liberal Association were divided in loyalty, with some believing Austin’s record required their support. A meeting at CastlefordCastleford
Castleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
on 23 June 1899, chaired by Mr Arthur Hartley the chairman of Osgoldcross Liberals, at which Austin declared himself to be a loyal supporter of Liberal leader Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, selected Austin as Liberal candidate to fight the by-election. However another meeting of Liberals at Pontefract the same day adopted Charles Henry Roberts
Charles Henry Roberts
Charles Henry Roberts , was a British Liberal politician.-Background:Roberts was the son of Reverend Albert James Roberts, Vicar of Tidebrook, Sussex.-Political career:...
, the son-in-law of Lady Carlisle
Rosalind Howard, Countess of Carlisle
Rosalind Frances Howard, Countess of Carlisle , sometimes known as The Radical Countess, was a British aristocrat and campaigner....
, as an Independent Liberal or Radical to contest the seat and this decision was endorsed by a further mass meeting at the Market Hall at Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
later that night, chaired by the president of the Osgoldcross Liberals, Frederick Andrews. Roberts declared that he supported the entire Liberal programme as formulated by William Ewart Gladstone and the meeting endorsed his candidacy saying they wanted a man who was a Liberal “all along the line”. He also described himself as the Local Veto (i.e. pro-temperance) candidate. For this reason, Roberts is described here as the official Liberal candidate.
Others
There had been a history of contested elections in Osgoldcross in recent years. In 1885United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
there had been a Conservative
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...
candidate, in 1886 a Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
, in 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
a 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...
man and in 1895
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...
another Conservative had tried his luck. However this time, perhaps preferring not to intrude on the private grief of the Liberal Party, no other party put forward a candidate to take advantage of the Liberal split.
The result
Sir John Austin retained his seat by a clear and comfortable majority, increasing his majority from 1,065 to 2,925, having obtained well over 50% of the poll. It seems likely that Sir John received many votes from Conservative supporters who had no candidate of their own to vote for and who wanted to discomfort the Liberal Party nationally.The votes
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...