1902 Clitheroe by-election

The 1902 Clitheroe by-election was held on 1 August 1902 after the incumbent Liberal MP Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth was elevated to the House of Lords. The Labour Representation Committee candidate David Shackleton won the by-election unopposed.

Background

The incumbent Liberal MP Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth was among the new peers in the 1902 Coronation Honours announced on 26 June. He was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Shuttleworth the following month,^[1] and thus had to resign his seat in the House of Commons.

Candidates

The barrister Augustine Birrell was mentioned as a possible candidate for the Liberal Party, but withdrew his candidature early; as he found the constituency too far away from London to be able to give it adequate time to contest the seat.^[2] Philip Stanhope, a former Liberal MP for Wednesbury and for Burnley was adopted as a candidate in early July,^[3] and considered running, but stated in an interview that he wanted an alliance between the Liberals and Labour.^[4]

The Conservatives considered several candidates, including Colonel John William Robinson Parker, of Browsholme Hall, who had just returned from the Second Boer War in South Africa.^[2]

David Shackleton was the General Secretary of the Textile Factory Workers Association. Although the textile workers had not yet joined the Labour Representation Committee, Shackleton was appointed as their candidate for the by-election. Philip Snowden, who had been considered by the Independent Labour Party, withdrew from the race. The Liberals and Conservatives also withdrew, sensing Shackleton's strong lead.

Results

Shackleton was the only nominated candidate, and was elected unopposed at a meeting at Clitheroe Town Hall on 1 August.^[5]^[6]^[7] He became the third MP for the Labour Representation Committee (which would later become the Labour Party) and the first to win at a by-election. The textile workers' unions affiliated to the Labour Representative Committee shortly afterwards. Shackleton served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party for a period.

References

^ "No. 27455". The London Gazette. 18 July 1902. p. 4587.
^ ^a ^b "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36809. London. 2 July 1902. p. 10.
^ "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36811. London. 4 July 1902. p. 8.
^ "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36810. London. 3 July 1902. p. 8.
^ "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36836. London. 2 August 1902. p. 10.
^ The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 146 (170 in web page), Lancashire North East
^ Martin, Ross Murdoch (2000). The Lancashire Giant David Shackleton, Labour Leader and Civil Servant. Liverpool University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0853239345.

[1] "No. 27455". The London Gazette. 18 July 1902. p. 4587.

[TT020702-2] "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36809. London. 2 July 1902. p. 10.

[3] "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36811. London. 4 July 1902. p. 8.

[4] "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36810. London. 3 July 1902. p. 8.

[5] "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36836. London. 2 August 1902. p. 10.

[Year_Book-6] The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 146 (170 in web page), Lancashire North East

[7] Martin, Ross Murdoch (2000). The Lancashire Giant David Shackleton, Labour Leader and Civil Servant. Liverpool University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0853239345.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t e « 26th Parliament « By-elections to the 27th Parliament of the United Kingdom » 28th Parliament »
1900	December: Dover Preston Guildford Wellington Woodbridge West Derbyshire Blackpool North Monaghan
1901	February: Stretford March: Maidstone May: Monmouth Boroughs Mid Cork Oswestry Saffron Walden June: Stratford-on-Avon July: Wokingham August: Andover September: North East Lanarkshire November: Galway
1902	January: Hampstead Dewsbury February: Sheffield Ecclesall East Down South Down North Kilkenny March: South Monaghan Wakefield April: West Donegal Woolwich May: Bury July: Leeds North August: Clitheroe Tiverton East Worcestershire Belfast South Sevenoaks October: Devonport November: Cleveland Liverpool East Toxteth Orkney and Shetland
1903	January: Newmarket Liverpool West Derby February: South Antrim East Perthshire Dublin University March: Galway Woolwich Rye North Fermanagh Chertsey April: Camborne May: Preston South Kildare July: Barnard Castle August: Argyllshire September: St Andrews Burghs Rochester October: North Leitrim South Meath Belfast West Warwick and Leamington Westhoughton Fareham Londonderry November: Chorley December: Dulwich Lewisham Ludlow
1904	January: Ashburton Norwich Gateshead Ayr Burghs February: City of London St Albans Birmingham South March: Normanton Rossendale East Dorset Dublin St Stephen's Green April: Isle of Wight June: West Cavan Harborough Devonport July: Sowerby Chertsey Oswestry August: Reading North East Lanarkshire Cork City October: Isle of Thanet November: West Monmouthshire Horsham
1905	January: Stalybridge Mile End North Dorset February: North Kildare Liverpool Everton March: Appleby Buteshire April: Brighton June: Whitby Chichester Cork North Donegal Finsbury East July: Kingswinford West Down Carlisle September: Elgin Burghs Belfast North October: Barkston Ash Hampstead November: Normanton December: New Forest
Lists of UK by-elections 1801–1806 1806–1818 1818–1832 1832–1847 1847–1857 1857–1868 1868–1885 1885–1900 1900–1918 1918–1931 1931–1950 1950–1979 1979–2010 2010–present Northern Ireland Hereditary peers