Bath (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1295 onwards

Bath

County constituency
for the House of Commons

Boundary of Bath in South West England

County| Somerset
Population| 88,859 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate| 73,241 (2023)[2]
Current constituency
Created| 1295
Member of Parliament| Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrats)
Seats| Two (1295–1918)
One (1918–present)

Bath is a constituency[n 1] in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom[n 2] represented since 2017 by Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats.

Perhaps its best-known representatives have been the two with international profiles: William Pitt the Elder (Prime Minister 1766–1768) and Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong (1992–1997).[n 3]

As of the 2024 general election it has the shortest name of any constituency, with 4 letters, having previously shared the distinction with Hove.

Further to the completion of the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, at the 2024 general election the seat was subject to moderate boundary changes which involved the gain of the Bathavon North ward from the former North East Somerset constituency.[3]

## Constituency profile

[edit]

Until the 2024 general election the seat was tightly drawn around the historic city including the University of Bath campus. The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies enlarged the Bath constituency to include seven parishes to the north and west of the city. Compared to UK averages residents are wealthier and house prices are higher.[4]

## History

[edit]

Bath is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century.

### Unreformed constituency before 1832

[edit]

Bath was one of the cities summoned to send members in 1295 and represented ever since,[5] although Parliaments in early years were sporadic. Like almost all English constituencies before the Great Reform Act 1832, it originally returned two members to each Parliament.[6]

The precise way in which Bath's MPs were chosen in the Middle Ages is unknown. It is recorded that "election was by the Mayor and three citizens being sent from thence to the county court who in the name of the whole community, and by the assent of the community, returned their representatives"; but whether the "assent of the community" was real or what form it took is unrecorded, even assuming it was not a completely dead letter. By the 17th century, elections had become more competitive, as the means of election in Bath had become a franchise restricted to the Mayor, Aldermen, and members of the Common Council (the City Corporation), a total of thirty voters.[6] The freemen of the city challenged this state of affairs in 1661 and again in 1705, claiming the right to vote and petitioning against the election of the candidates chosen by the corporation, but on both occasions the House of Commons, which at the time was still the final arbiter of such disputes, decided against them. The Commons resolution of 27 January 1708, "That the right of election of citizens to serve in Parliament for this city is in the mayor, aldermen and common-council only",[7] settled the matter until 1832.

Bath was the most populous of the English boroughs where the right to vote was restricted to the corporation.[6] At the time of the 1801 census, it was one of the ten largest towns or cities in England by population, and was almost unique in that the voters generally exercised their powers independently. As was the case elsewhere, the Common Council was not popularly elected, all vacancies being filled by co-option by the existing members, so that once a united interest had gained majority control it was easy to retain it. Most corporation boroughs quickly became pocket boroughs in this way, the nomination of their members of parliament being entirely decided by a patron who may have given some large benefaction to the area or simply used bribery to ensure only his supporters or croneys became members of the corporation. But in Bath, the Common Council retained its independence in most periods and took pride in electing two suitable members of parliament who had either strong local connections or else a national reputation. Nor was there any suggestion of bribery or other corruption, prolific in other "independent" constituencies. Pitt the Elder wrote to the corporation in 1761, on the occasion of his re-election as one of Bath's members, to pay tribute to "a city ranked among the most ancient and most considerable in the kingdom, and justly famed for its integrity, independence, and zeal for the public good".[8]

But even in Bath the limited electorate who voted for its members of Parliament expected them to work to procure favours for their constituents and enterprises to a degree that would be considered corrupt today. By exercising efforts successfully in this direction, the representatives could in return expect a degree of influence over the voters that differed little from patronage in the pocket boroughs, except that its duration was limited. Thus the lawyer Robert Henley, a Bath MP from 1747 and also Recorder of Bath from 1751, seems to have been assumed to have control over both seats while he held one of them and immediately after; yet when he gained a peerage and thus a seat in the House of Lords, Pitt replaced him on the understanding of being independently chosen. Pitt himself then acquired similar influence: the council vetoed Viscount Ligonier's suggestion that he should be succeeded by his nephew when he was elevated the Lords in 1763, but instead allowed Pitt to nominate a candidate to be his new colleague, and voted overwhelmingly for him when he was opposed by a local man. But Pitt's influence also waned when he fell out with the council over the Treaty of Paris later in 1763.[9]

In the final years before the Reform Act 1832, however, local magnates exerted a more controlling influence in Bath. Oldfield, writing early in the 19th century, stated that at that time the Marquess of Bath nominated one member and John Palmer the other; both were former members of Parliament for the city (Lord Bath having sat as Viscount Weymouth, before his father's death took him to the Lords), but neither was then in the Commons – each had a relation sitting as one of the members for Bath. Palmer had succeeded Earl Camden[n 4] who held one of the two seats before 1802. At the time of the Reform Act 1832, Lord Bath was still being listed as influencing one of the seats, although the second was considered independent once more.[10]

### Reformed constituency (1832–1918)

[edit]

The Reform Act 1832 opened up the franchise to all resident (male) householders whose houses had a value of at least £10 a year and imposed uniform voting provisions for all the boroughs. Bath was one of the boroughs which continued to elect two members. Given the city's medium size and its generally high property values, its electorate increased by a factor of almost 100[n 5], from 30 in 1831 to 2,853 in 1832,[11] and created a competitive and generally marginal constituency which swung between Whig and Tory (later Liberal and Conservative) control. The parliamentary borough's boundaries were also slightly extended, but only to take in those areas into which the built-up area of the city had expanded. Bath's most notable member during this period was probably the Conservative social reformer Lord Ashley, better remembered under his eventual title of 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, for the Factory Acts, the first of which came into effect while he was one of the MPs for Bath.[12]

The franchise was further reformed in 1867 and by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, with only minor boundary changes. Bath was lucky to retain its two-member representation in the 1885 reforms, as its electorate of under 7,000 was near the lower limit, and this situation lasted until the 1918 reforms.[13] The continued Liberal strength was unusual for a prosperous and predominantly middle-class town, and the seats could until 1918 not be considered safe for the Conservatives.[14]

### Modern single-member constituency (since 1918)

[edit]

Bath's representation was reduced to a single member in 1918. The Conservatives held the seat continuously until 1992, except in the 1923 Parliament, and until World War II generally won comfortably – the Liberals retained such strength that the non-Conservative vote was split, and Labour could not rise above third place until the landslide of 1945, when the Conservative James Pitman achieved a very marginal majority. From 1945 to 1970, Labour presented the main challenge, and came within 800 votes of taking the seat in 1966.

The Liberal revival in the 1970s saw the two more left-wing parties swap places, helped by the adoption of a nationally known candidate, Christopher Mayhew, who had defected from the Labour Party.[15] The formation of the SDP–Liberal Alliance made Bath a realistic target. The SDP came 1500 votes from winning in 1987 under Malcolm Dean. In 1992, Conservative Chris Patten was ousted by Liberal Democrat Don Foster in a narrow defeat widely blamed on Patten's strategising, campaign leading and communicating as Conservative Party chairman rather than canvassing his own constituents.[16] At each election from 1992 to 2015, a different Conservative candidate contested the constituency.

The boundary changes implemented in 1997 took Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Charlcombe and Freshford from the Wansdyke district, containing about 7,000 voters; these were moved elsewhere in 2010. Nominally, these areas had a slightly higher tendency to prefer a Conservative candidate but, the national government suffering from sleaze, in 1997 Don Foster more than doubled his almost 4,000 vote majority to over 9,000 votes. After winning two intervening elections, in 2010 Foster achieved his highest majority of 11,883 votes.[17]

In the 2015 general election, following the national Liberal Democrat collapse and Foster standing down, the seat was regained by the Conservatives under Ben Howlett with a 3,833-vote majority.[18]

Bath is estimated to have voted to remain in the European Union by 68.3% in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.[19]

In the 2017 general election, the constituency was regained by the Liberal Democrats' Wera Hobhouse, with the second-highest Liberal Democrat vote share increase nationally (after Richmond Park).[20]

In the 2019 general election, the constituency was one of 60 seats included in an agreement between the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru not to vie against one another in those seats (Unite to Remain). Accordingly, the Green Party did not stand and Hobhouse increased her majority to 23.6%.

In December 2023, the Labour Party included the seat in its published list of 211 non-battleground seats, suggesting they did not see it as winnable.[21]

In the 2024 general election, the Green Party stood again, achieving 12.4% of the vote, resulting in a similar drop in the Liberal Democrat vote. However, Hobhouse's majority was maintained as the Conservative vote collapsed and Labour achieved second place for the first time in the seat's history.

## Boundaries

[edit]

### Historic boundaries

[edit]

* Before 1832: The parishes of St James (Bath), St Peter and St Paul (Bath), and St Michael (Bath), and part of the parish of Walcot
* 1832–1867: As above, plus the parishes of Bathwick and Lyncombe & Widcombe, and a further part of the parish of Walcot
* 1867–1918: As above, plus part of the parish of Twerton
* 1918–1983: The county borough of Bath (boundary changes in 1955)
* 1983–1997: The City of Bath (no boundary changes)
* 1997–2010: The City of Bath, and the District of Wansdyke wards of Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Charlcombe, and Freshford
* 2010–2024: The City of Bath (see below)

### 2010–2024

[edit]

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

Following the review of the constituencies in the former county of Avon carried out by the Boundary Commission for England, as of the 2010 general election the constituency covered only the city of Bath, and none of the surrounding rural area. Between 1997 and 2010, it had been designated as a county constituency as it also included some outlying villages such as Southstoke and Freshford which were now transferred to the North East Somerset constituency. The changes in 2010 resulted in Bath becoming a borough constituency once again. With its 2010 boundaries, Bath was one of only two UK Parliament constituencies to be surrounded by another constituency, being encircled by North East Somerset; the other constituency, York Central, was entirely surrounded by York Outer.

The 2010 constituency's electoral wards were defined as:[n 6]

* Abbey, Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Lyncombe, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe.

In 2019, taking effect at that year's local elections, boundary changes to the wards took place, which included the abolition of Abbey ward, the merger of Lyncombe and Widcombe wards, the creation of Moorlands ward, and the replacement of Oldfield with Oldfield Park.[22] These ward changes did not change the parliamentary constituency boundary.

### 2024–present

[edit]

Map of boundaries from 2024

Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, the composition of the constituency from the 2024 general election was expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range by transferring the Bathavon North ward, as well as the parishes of Kelston and North Stoke (part of the redrawn Newbridge ward), from North East Somerset. The boundaries are now similar to those of 1983–1997 and the status of the seat has been changed back to a county constituency.

The current boundaries therefore now comprise the following wards of the District of Bath and North East Somerset:

* Bathavon North; Bathwick; Combe Down; Kingsmead; Lambridge; Lansdown; Moorlands; Newbridge; Odd Down; Oldfield Park; Southdown; Twerton; Walcot; Westmoreland; Weston; Widcombe & Lyncombe.[23]

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

The current Member of Parliament is Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats.

From 30 July to 4 August 1766, Bath was the constituency of the prime minister: William Pitt the Elder represented the constituency until he was raised to the peerage as Earl of Chatham shortly after becoming prime minister.

### Members of Parliament 1295–1640

[edit]

* Constituency created (1295)

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

|

Parliament | First member | Second member

|
|

1386 | Sewal Fraunceys | John Honybrigge[24]
1388 (February) | John Palmer | Edmund Ford[24]
1388 (September) | William Shropshire | Roger Skinner[24]
1390 (January) | Richard Clewer | William Rous[24]
1390 (November) |  |
1391 | Hugh de la Lynde | Nicholas Sambourne I[24]
1393 | Hugh de la Lynde | Thomas Ryton[24]
1394 | John Touprest | John Marsh I[24]
1395 | Robert Draper | John Marsh I[24]
1397 (January) | Robert Aunger | John Marsh I[24]
1397 (September) | Hugh de la Lynde | John Chaunceys[24]
1399 | John Chaunceys | John Whittocksmead[24]
1401 |  |
1402 | John Whittocksmead | John Haygoby[24]
1404 (January) |  |
1404 (October) |  |
1406 | Thomas Rymour | Henry Bartlett[24]
1407 | Henry Bartlett | John Whittocksmead[24]
1410 | Henry Bartlett | John Whittocksmead[24]
1411 |  |
1413 (February) |  |
1413 (May) | Richard Widcombe | Roger Hobbes[24]
1414 (April) | John Marsh II | Walter Rich[24]
1414 (November) | Richard Widcombe | William Radstock[24]
1415 |  |
1416 (March) | William Chapman[25]
1416 (October) |  |
1417 | Ralph Hunt | Walter Rich[24]
1419 | Richard Widcombe | John Marsh II[24]
1420 | Richard Widcombe | William Philips[24]
1421 (May) | Richard Widcombe | John Marsh II[24]
1421 (December) | Walter Rich | Robert Newlyn[24]
1510–1523 | No names known[26]
1529 | John Bird | Thomas Welpley[26]
1536 | ? |
1539 | John Reynold | John Clement[26]
1542 | ? |
1545 | Matthew Colthurst | Silvester Sedborough[26]
1547 | Richard Denys | John Clerke[26]
1553 (March) | ? |
1553 (October) | Richard Chapman | Edward Ludwell[26][27]
1554 (April) | William Crowche | Edward Ludwell[26]
1554 (November) | John Story | William Crowche[26]
1555 | ?Henry Hodgkins | ?[26]
1558 | Edward Ludwell | John Bale[26]
1558–59 | Edward St Loe | William Robinson[28]
1562–63 | Edward Ludwell, died
and replaced 1566 by John Gwynne | Thomas Turner[28]
1571 | Edward Baber | George Pearman[28]
1572 | George Pearman | Edward Baber[28]
1584 | Thomas Ayshe | William Shareston[28]
1586 | Thomas Ayshe | William Shareston[28]
1588 | John Court | John Walley[28]
1593 | William Shareston | William Price[28]
1597 | William Shareston | William Heath[28]
1601 | William Shareston | William Heath[28]
1604–1611 | William Shareston | Christopher Stone
1614 | Sir James Ley | Nicholas Hyde
1621–1622 | Sir Robert Phelips | Sir Robert Pye
1624 | Sir Robert Pye | John Malet
1625 | Nicholas Hyde
sat for Bristol
replaced by Ralph Hopton | Edward Hungerford
1626 | Richard Gay | William Chapman
1628–1629 | John Popham | Sir Walter Long
1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned

### Members of Parliament 1640–1918

[edit]

Year |  | First member | First party |  | Second member | Second party[29]

|
|
|
|
|
|

April 1640 |  | Sir Charles Berkeley |  |  | Alexander Popham |
November 1640 |  | William Bassett | Royalist |  | Alexander Popham | Parliamentarian
February 1642  | Bassett disabled from sitting – seat vacant
1645  |  | James Ashe |
1653  | Bath was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654 |  | Alexander Popham[30] |  | Bath had only one seat in the First and
Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
1656 |  | James Ashe |
January 1659 |  | John Harrington |
May 1659 | One seat vacant
March 1660  |  | Alexander Popham |  |  | William Prynne |
November 1669  |  | Sir Francis Popham |
November 1669  |  | Sir William Bassett |
1675  |  | Sir George Speke |
1679 |  | Sir Walter Long |
1681  |  | Viscount Fitzhardinge |  |  | Sir William Bassett |
1690  |  | Joseph Langton |
1693  |  | William Blathwayt | Whig
1695  |  | Sir Thomas Estcourt |
1698  |  | Alexander Popham |
1707  |  | Samuel Trotman |
1710  |  | John Codrington |
1720  |  | Robert Gay |
1722  |  | General George Wade[31] |
1727  |  | Robert Gay |
1734  |  | John Codrington |
1741  |  | Philip Bennet |
1747  |  | Robert Henley |
1748  |  | General Sir John Ligonier[32] |
1757  |  | William Pitt the Elder | Whig
1763  |  | Major-General Sir John Sebright | Whig[33]
1766  |  | John Smith | Tory[33]
1774  |  | Abel Moysey | Tory[33]
1775  |  | Lieutenant-General Sir John Sebright | Whig[33]
1780  |  | Hon. John Pratt[34] | Tory[33]
1790  |  | Viscount Weymouth | Tory[33]
1794  |  | Sir Richard Pepper Arden | Tory[33]
1796  |  | Lord John Thynne | Tory[33]
1801  |  | John Palmer | Whig[33]
1808  |  | Charles Palmer | Whig[33][35]
1826  |  | Earl of Brecknock | Tory[33]
1830 |  | Charles Palmer | Whig[33][35]
1832 |  | John Arthur Roebuck | Radical[33][36]
1837 |  | Viscount Powerscourt | Conservative[33] |  | William Heald Ludlow Bruges | Conservative[33]
1841 |  | Viscount Duncan | Whig[36][37][38][39] |  | John Arthur Roebuck | Radical[33][36]
1847 |  | Lord Ashley | Conservative
1851 |  | George Treweeke Scobell | Whig[40]
1852 |  | Thomas Phinn | Whig[41]
1855 |  | William Tite | Whig[42]
1857 |  | Sir Arthur Elton | Whig[43]
1859 |  | Liberal |  | Arthur Edwin Way | Conservative
1865 |  | James McGarel-Hogg | Conservative
1868 |  | Donald Dalrymple | Liberal
May 1873 |  | Viscount Chelsea | Conservative
June 1873 |  | Viscount Grey de Wilton | Conservative
October 1873 |  | Arthur Hayter | Liberal
1874 |  | Nathaniel Bousfield | Conservative
1880 |  | Edmond Wodehouse | Liberal
1885 |  | Robert Stickney Blaine | Conservative
1886 |  | Liberal Unionist |  | Colonel Robert Laurie | Conservative
1892 |  | Wyndham Murray | Conservative
1906 |  | Donald Maclean | Liberal |  | George Peabody Gooch | Liberal
1910 |  | Lord Alexander Thynne | Conservative |  | Sir Charles Hunter | Conservative
1918 | Representation reduced to one Member

### Members of Parliament since 1918

[edit]

Election | Member | Party

|
|

| 1918 | Charles Foxcroft | Unionist
| 1923 | Frank Raffety | Liberal
| 1924 | Charles Foxcroft | Unionist
| 1929 by-election | Charles Baillie-Hamilton | Unionist
| 1931 | Loel Guinness | Conservative
| 1945 | James Pitman | Conservative
| 1964 | Sir Edward Brown | Conservative
| 1979 | Chris Patten | Conservative
| 1992 | Don Foster | Liberal Democrat
| 2015 | Ben Howlett | Conservative
| 2017 | Wera Hobhouse | Liberal Democrat

## Elections

[edit]

Bath election results

### Elections in the 2020s

[edit]

General election 2024: Bath[44] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Wera Hobhouse | 19,883  | 41.3  | −12.1
| Labour | Dan Bewley  | 8,665  | 18.0  | +5.5
| Conservative | James Wright  | 7,659  | 15.9  | −16.2
| Green | Dominic Tristram  | 5,952  | 12.4  | +12.1
| Reform UK | Teresa Hall  | 3,798  | 7.9  | +6.8
| Independent | Colin David Blackburn  | 1,749  | 3.6  | N/A
| Workers Party | Matthew Alford | 230  | 0.5  | N/A
| Independent | Bill Blockhead  | 169  | 0.4  | −0.2
| Independent | A.N.ON  | 25  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 11,218  | 23.3  | −0.3
Turnout | 48,130  | 69.1  | −8.6
Registered electors | 69,655  |  |
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −8.8  |

### Elections in the 2010s

[edit]

2019 notional result[45]

Party  | Vote  | %
| Liberal Democrats | 30,376 | 53.4
| Conservative | 18,251 | 32.1
| Labour | 7,120 | 12.5
| Brexit Party | 642 | 1.1
| Others | 341 | 0.6
| Green | 146 | 0.3
Turnout | 56,876  | 77.7
Electorate | 73,241
Candidates at the Bath 2019 general election declaration General election 2019: Bath[46] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Wera Hobhouse | 28,419  | 54.5  | +7.2
| Conservative | Annabel Tall  | 16,097  | 30.9  | −4.9
| Labour | Mike Davies  | 6,639  | 12.7  | −2.0
| Brexit Party | Jimi Ogunnusi  | 642  | 1.2  | N/A
| Independent | Bill Blockhead  | 341  | 0.7  | N/A
Majority | 12,322  | 23.6  | +12.1
Turnout | 52,138  | 76.9  | +2.6
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +6.0  |
General election 2017: Bath[47] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Wera Hobhouse | 23,436  | 47.3  | +17.6
| Conservative | Ben Howlett | 17,742  | 35.8  | −2.0
| Labour | Joe Rayment  | 7,279  | 14.7  | +1.5
| Green | Eleanor Field  | 1,125  | 2.3  | −9.6
Majority | 5,694  | 11.5  | N/A
Turnout | 49,582  | 74.3  | −1.2
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +9.8  |
General election 2015: Bath[48] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Ben Howlett | 17,833  | 37.8  | +6.4
| Liberal Democrats | Steve Bradley  | 14,000  | 29.7  | −26.9
| Labour | Ollie Middleton  | 6,216  | 13.2  | +6.3
| Green | Dominic Tristram  | 5,634  | 11.9  | +9.5
| UKIP | Julian Deverell  | 2,922  | 6.2  | +4.3
| Independent | Loraine Morgan-Brinkhurst  | 499  | 1.1  | N/A
| English Democrat | Jenny Knight  | 63  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 3,833  | 8.1  | N/A
Turnout | 47,167  | 77.5  | +5.7
| Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +16.7  |
General election 2010: Bath[49] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Don Foster | 26,651  | 56.6  | +11.2
| Conservative | Fabian Richter  | 14,768  | 31.4  | −0.5
| Labour | Hattie Ajderian  | 3,251  | 6.9  | −7.5
| Green | Eric Lucas  | 1,120  | 2.4  | −3.6
| UKIP | Ernie Warrender  | 890  | 1.9  | +0.2
| Christian | Steve Hewett  | 250  | 0.5  | N/A
| Independent | A.N.ON  | 69  | 0.1  | N/A
| Independent | Sean Geddis  | 56  | 0.1  | N/A
| All The South Party  | Robert Craig  | 31  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 11,883  | 25.2  | +15.1
Turnout | 47,086  | 71.8  | +2.7
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +5.8  |

### Elections in the 2000s

[edit]

General election 2005: Bath[50] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Don Foster | 20,101  | 43.9  | −6.6
| Conservative | Sian Dawson  | 15,463  | 33.7  | +4.6
| Labour | Hattie Ajderian  | 6,773  | 14.8  | −0.9
| Green | Eric Lucas  | 2,494  | 5.4  | +2.2
| UKIP | Richard Crowder  | 770  | 1.7  | +0.2
| Independent | Patrick Cobbe  | 177  | 0.4  | N/A
| Independent | Graham Walker  | 58  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 4,638  | 10.2  | −11.2
Turnout | 45,836  | 68.6  | +3.7
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −5.6  |
General election 2001: Bath[51] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Don Foster | 23,372  | 50.5  | +2.0
| Conservative | Ashley Fox | 13,478  | 29.1  | −2.1
| Labour | Marilyn Hawkings  | 7,269  | 15.7  | −0.7
| Green | Michael Boulton  | 1,469  | 3.2  | +2.1
| UKIP | Andrew Tettenborn | 708  | 1.5  | +0.9
Majority | 9,894  | 21.4  | +4.1
Turnout | 46,296  | 64.9  | −11.3
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +2.1  |

### Elections in the 1990s

[edit]

General election 1997: Bath[52] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Don Foster | 26,169  | 48.5  | −0.4
| Conservative | Alison McNair  | 16,850  | 31.2  | −9.4
| Labour | Tim Bush  | 8,828  | 16.4  | +8.6
| Referendum | Tony Cook  | 1,192  | 2.2  | N/A
| Green | Richard Scrase  | 580  | 1.1  | +0.3
| UKIP | Peter Sandell  | 315  | 0.6  | N/A
| Natural Law | Nicholas Pullen  | 55  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 9,319  | 17.3  | +10.2
Turnout | 53,989  | 76.2  | −9.2
| Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +4.9  |
General election 1992: Bath[53][54] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Democrats | Don Foster | 25,718  | 48.9  | +6.2
| Conservative | Chris Patten | 21,950  | 41.8  | −3.6
| Labour | Pamela Richards  | 4,102  | 7.8  | −2.8
| Green | Duncan McCanlis  | 433  | 0.8  | −0.5
| Liberal | May Barker  | 172  | 0.3  | N/A
| Anti-Federalist League | Alan Sked | 117  | 0.2  | N/A
| Independent | John Rumming  | 79  | 0.2  | N/A
Majority | 3,768  | 7.1  | N/A
Turnout | 52,571  | 82.4  | +3.0
| Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.9  |

### Elections in the 1980s

[edit]

General election 1987: Bath[55] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Chris Patten | 23,515  | 45.4  | −1.7
| SDP | Malcolm Dean  | 22,103  | 42.7  | +6.7
| Labour | Jenny Smith  | 5,507  | 10.6  | −4.6
| Green | Derek Wall | 687  | 1.3  | +0.4
Majority | 1,412  | 2.7  | −8.4
Turnout | 51,812  | 79.4  | +5.0
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.2  |
General election 1983: Bath[56] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Chris Patten | 22,544  | 47.1  | +0.7
| SDP | Malcolm Dean  | 17,240  | 36.0  | +8.0
| Labour | Adrian Pott  | 7,259  | 15.2  | −7.8
| Ecology | Don Grimes  | 441  | 0.9  | −1.3
| Progressive Liberal  | R. S. Wandle  | 319  | 0.7  | N/A
| World Government | Gilbert Young  | 67  | 0.1  | N/A
Majority | 5,304  | 11.1  | −7.3
Turnout | 47,870  | 74.4  | −3.7
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.4  |

### Elections in the 1970s

[edit]

General election 1979: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Chris Patten | 23,025  | 46.4  | +8.7
| Liberal | Christopher Mayhew | 13,913  | 28.0  | −5.4
| Labour | M. Baber  | 11,407  | 23.0  | −5.6
| Ecology | Don Grimes  | 1,082  | 2.2  | N/A
| National Front | Thomas Mundy  | 206  | 0.4  | N/A
Majority | 9,112  | 18.4  | +14.1
Turnout | 49,633  | 78.1  | −0.5
| Conservative hold | Swing | +7.0  |
General election October 1974: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Edward Brown | 18,470  | 37.7  | −3.1
| Liberal | Christopher Mayhew | 16,348  | 33.4  | +2.7
| Labour | Malcolm Bishop | 14,011  | 28.6  | +0.7
| United Democratic  | John Vernon Kemp  | 150  | 0.3  | N/A
Majority | 2,122  | 4.3  | −5.8
Turnout | 48,979  | 78.6  | −4.4
| Conservative hold | Swing | −2.9  |
General election February 1974: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Edward Brown | 20,920  | 40.8  | −8.2
| Liberal | Peter Downey  | 15,738  | 30.7  | +17.6
| Labour | Malcolm Bishop | 14,396  | 27.9  | −8.2
| Ind. Conservative | H. B. de Laterriere  | 204  | 0.4  | N/A
| World Government | Gilbert Young  | 118  | 0.2  | −1.6
Majority | 5,182  | 10.1  | −2.8
Turnout | 51,376  | 83.0  | +5.9
| Conservative hold | Swing | −12.9  |
General election 1970: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Edward Brown | 22,344  | 49.0  | +6.0
| Labour | David Young | 16,493  | 36.1  | −5.1
| Liberal | Roger H. Crowther  | 5,957  | 13.1  | −2.7
| World Government | Gilbert Young  | 840  | 1.8  | N/A
Majority | 5,851  | 12.9  | +11.1
Turnout | 45,634  | 77.1  | −3.4
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5  |

### Elections in the 1960s

[edit]

General election 1966: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Edward Brown | 19,344  | 43.0  | −3.5
| Labour | Frederick S. Moorhouse  | 18,544  | 41.2  | +6.8
| Liberal | Roger H. Crowther  | 7,095  | 15.8  | −2.6
Majority | 800  | 1.8  | −10.3
Turnout | 44,983  | 80.5  | −3.7
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1964: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Edward Brown | 22,255  | 46.5  | −3.8
| Labour | Frederick S. Moorhouse  | 16,464  | 34.4  | −2.3
| Liberal | Brian R. Pamplin  | 8,795  | 18.4  | +5.4
| World Government | Gilbert Young  | 318  | 0.7  | N/A
Majority | 5,791  | 12.1  | −1.6
Turnout | 45,832  | 84.2  | +0.6
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1950s

[edit]

General election 1959: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | James Pitman | 24,048  | 50.33  |
| Labour | George E Mayer  | 17,515  | 36.66  |
| Liberal | George Allen  | 6,214  | 13.01  |
Majority | 6,533  | 13.67  |
Turnout | 47,777  | 83.60  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1955: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | James Pitman | 24,489  | 51.94  |
| Labour Co-op | Thomas W Richardson  | 17,646  | 37.43  |
| Liberal | Barbara Burwell  | 5,011  | 10.63  | N/A
Majority | 6,843  | 14.51  |
Turnout | 47,146  | 82.46  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1951: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | James Pitman | 27,826  | 55.26  |
| Labour | Victor Mishcon | 22,530  | 44.74  |
Majority | 5,296  | 10.52  |
Turnout | 50,356  | 85.64  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1950: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | James Pitman | 23,070  | 47.16  |
| Labour | Hugh Bruce Oliphant Cardew  | 19,340  | 39.54  |
| Liberal | Philip William Hopkins  | 6,508  | 13.30  |
Majority | 3,730  | 7.62  |
Turnout | 48,918  | 87.28  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1940s

[edit]

General election 1945: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | James Pitman | 20,196  | 43.6  | −13.0
| Labour | Dorothy Archibald | 18,120  | 39.2  | +19.5
| Liberal | Philip William Hopkins  | 7,952  | 17.2  | −6.5
Majority | 2,076  | 4.4  | −28.5
Turnout | 46,268  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Election in the 1930s

[edit]

General Election 1939–40:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

* Conservative: Lord Ronaldshay[57]
* Liberal: Philip William Hopkins[58]
* Labour: George Gilbert Desmond[59]
* A minority of Bath Conservatives, led by the town Mayor, Adrian Hopkins objected to Ronaldshay who had no link with the town. Hopkins was considering running as an Independent.[60] Desmond was under pressure to withdraw in favour of the Liberal candidate fighting on a Popular Front programme

General election 14 November 1935: Bath[61] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Loel Guinness | 20,670  | 56.6  | −7.4
| Liberal | Sidney Reginald Daniels | 8,650  | 23.7  | +2.4
| Labour | George Gilbert Desmond | 7,185  | 19.7  | +5.0
Majority | 12,020  | 32.9  | −9.8
Turnout | 36,505  | 74.5  | −6.1
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.7  |
General election 27 October 1931: Bath[61] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Loel Guinness | 24,696  | 64.0  | +17.1
| Liberal | Sidney Reginald Daniels | 8,241  | 21.3  | −8.8
| Labour | George Gilbert Desmond | 5,680  | 14.7  | −8.3
Majority | 16,455  | 42.7  | +25.9
Turnout | 38,617  | 80.6  | −0.7
| Conservative hold | Swing | +12.9  |

### Election in the 1920s

[edit]

General election 30 May 1929: Bath[61] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Charles Baillie-Hamilton | 17,845  | 46.9  | −8.9
| Liberal | Sidney Reginald Daniels | 11,485  | 30.1  | −0.5
| Labour | George Gilbert Desmond | 8,769  | 23.0  | +9.4
Majority | 6,360  | 16.8  | −8.4
Turnout | 38,099  | 81.3  | −3.2
| Unionist hold | Swing | +0.5  |
1929 Bath by-election[61] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Charles Baillie-Hamilton | 11,171  | 45.1  | −10.7
| Liberal | Sidney Reginald Daniels | 7,255  | 29.3  | −1.3
| Labour | George Gilbert Desmond | 6,359  | 25.7  | +12.1
Majority | 3916  | 15.8  | −9.4
Turnout | 24,785  | 72.8  | −11.7
| Unionist hold | Swing | −4.6  |
General election 29 October 1924: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Charles Foxcroft | 16,067  | 55.8  | +7.4
| Liberal | Frank Raffety | 8,800  | 30.6  | −21.0
| Labour | Walter Barton Scobell  | 3,914  | 13.6  | N/A
Majority | 7,267  | 25.2  | N/A
Turnout | 23,781  | 84.5  | +5.4
| Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.2  |
General election 6 December 1923: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Frank Raffety | 13,694  | 51.6  | +19.6
| Unionist | Charles Foxcroft | 12,830  | 48.4  | −1.8
Majority | 864  | 3.2  | N/A
Turnout | 26,524  | 79.1  | −3.3
| Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +10.7  |
E.H. Spender General election 15 November 1922: Bath[62] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Charles Foxcroft | 13,666  | 50.2  | −24.6
| Liberal | Harold Spender | 8,699  | 32.0  | N/A
| Labour | Herbert Elvin | 4,849  | 17.8  | −7.4
Majority | 4,967  | 18.2  | −31.4
Turnout | 27,214  | 82.4  | +16.2
| Unionist hold | Swing |  |

### Election in the 1910s

[edit]

General election 1918: Bath  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

C | Unionist | Charles Foxcroft | 15,605 | 74.8 |
| Labour | Alfred James Bethell  | 5,244  | 25.2  | N/A
Majority | 10,361  | 49.6  |
Turnout | 20,849  | 66.2  |
Registered electors | 31,512  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing |  |
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

* Unionist: Charles Hunter, Lord Alexander Thynne
* Liberal: Harry Geen,[63] J.C. Meggott[64]

Hardy General election December 1910: Bath[65] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Lord Alexander Thynne | 3,875  | 26.0  | +0.2
| Conservative | Charles Hunter | 3,841  | 25.7  | +0.4
| Liberal | George Peabody Gooch | 3,631  | 24.3  | −0.2
| Liberal | George Hardy | 3,585  | 24.0  | −0.4
Majority | 210  | 1.4  | +0.6
Turnout | 14,932  | 92.0  | −2.7
Registered electors | 8,144  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.2  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4  |
Gooch General election January 1910: Bath[65] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Lord Alexander Thynne | 3,961  | 25.8  | +4.1
| Conservative | Charles Hunter | 3,889  | 25.3  | +3.8
| Liberal | Donald Maclean | 3,771  | 24.5  | −4.0
| Liberal | George Peabody Gooch | 3,757  | 24.4  | −3.9
Majority | 118  | 0.8  | N/A
Turnout | 15,378  | 94.7  | +3.9
Registered electors | 8,144  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.1  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.9  |

### Elections in the 1900s

[edit]

Maclean General election 1906: Bath[66][67] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Donald Maclean | 4,102  | 28.5  | +6.9
| Liberal | George Peabody Gooch | 4,069  | 28.3  | +7.2
| Conservative | Lord Alexander Thynne | 3,123  | 21.7  | −6.8
| Conservative | Wyndham Murray | 3,088  | 21.5  | −7.3
Majority | 946  | 6.6  | N/A
Turnout | 14,382  | 90.8  | +7.3
Registered electors | 7,968  |  |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.9  |
| Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +7.3  |
Murray General election 1900: Bath[66][68][67] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Wyndham Murray | 3,486  | 28.8  | +1.5
| Liberal Unionist | Edmond Wodehouse | 3,439  | 28.5  | +1.8
| Liberal | Donald Maclean | 2,605  | 21.6  | −1.6
| Liberal | Alpheus Morton | 2,549  | 21.1  | −1.7
Turnout | 12,079  | 83.5  | −6.2
Registered electors | 7,300  |  |
Majority | 881  | 7.2  | +3.1
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.6  |
Majority | 834  | 6.9  | +3.4
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +1.8  |

### Elections in the 1890s

[edit]

Conway Fuller General election 1895: Bath (2 seats)[66][69][68] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Wyndham Murray | 3,445  | 27.3  | +1.2
| Liberal Unionist | Edmond Wodehouse | 3,358  | 26.7  | +0.9
| Liberal | Martin Conway | 2,917  | 23.2  | −1.0
| Liberal | John Fuller | 2,865  | 22.8  | −1.1
Turnout | 12,585  | 89.7  | +0.4
Registered electors | 7,059  |  |
Majority | 528  | 4.1  | +2.2
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.1  |
Majority | 441  | 3.5  | +1.9
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +1.0  |
Adye General election 1892: Bath (2 seats)[66][69] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Wyndham Murray | 3,198  | 26.1  | −1.7
| Liberal Unionist | Edmond Wodehouse | 3,177  | 25.8  | −2.5
| Liberal | Thomas P Baptie[70] | 2,981  | 24.2  | +2.0
| Liberal | John Miller Adye | 2,941  | 23.9  | +2.2
Turnout | 12,297  | 89.3  | +0.9
Registered electors | 6,922  |  |
Majority | 217  | 1.9  | −3.7
| Conservative hold | Swing | −1.9  |
Majority | 196  | 1.6  | −4.5
| Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | −2.3  |

### Elections in the 1880s

[edit]

Verney Murray General election 1886: Bath (2 seats)[66][69] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal Unionist | Edmond Wodehouse | 3,309  | 28.3  | +1.9
| Conservative | Robert Peter Laurie | 3,244  | 27.8  | +3.3
| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,588  | 22.2  | −2.2
| Liberal | Frederick Verney | 2,529  | 21.7  | −2.8
Turnout | 5,870  | 88.4  | −3.5
Registered electors | 6,637  |  |
Majority | 721  | 6.1  | N/A
| Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.1  |
Majority | 656  | 5.6  | +4.1
| Conservative hold | Swing | +3.1  |
Wodehouse Hayter General election 1885: Bath (2 seats)[66][69] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Robert Stickney Blaine | 3,208  | 26.4  | +2.8
| Liberal | Edmond Wodehouse | 2,990  | 24.7  | −2.3
| Conservative | Robert Peter Laurie | 2,971  | 24.5  | +2.1
| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,953  | 24.4  | −2.7
Turnout | 6,099  | 91.9  | +1.4 (est)
Registered electors | 6,637  |  |
Majority | 255  | 2.0  | N/A
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.8  |
Majority | 19  | 0.2  | −3.2
| Liberal hold | Swing | −2.2  |
By-election, 8 May 1880: Bath (1 seat)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | Unopposed
| Liberal hold

* Caused by Hayter's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

General election 1880: Bath (2 seats)[71][72] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,712  | 27.1  | +1.0
| Liberal | Edmond Wodehouse | 2,700  | 27.0  | +2.2
| Conservative | Reginald Hardy | 2,359  | 23.6  | −1.2
| Conservative | Thomas James Smyth  | 2,241  | 22.4  | −1.9
Majority | 341  | 3.4  | N/A
Turnout | 5,006 (est)  | 90.5 (est)  | +2.0
Registered electors | 5,534  |  |
| Liberal hold | Swing | +1.1  |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.1  |

### Elections in the 1870s

[edit]

General election 1874: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,520  | 26.1  | −10.9
| Conservative | Nathaniel Bousfield | 2,397  | 24.8  | +9.6
| Liberal | John William Nicholas Hervey[73] | 2,391  | 24.8  | −7.9
| Conservative | Arthur Egerton | 2,348  | 24.3  | +9.1
Turnout | 4,828 (est)  | 88.5 (est)  | +1.8
Registered electors | 5,454  |  |
Majority | 123  | 1.3  | −1.1
| Liberal hold | Swing | −10.0  |
Majority | 6  | 0.0  | N/A
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.7  |
By-election, 9 Oct 1873: Bath (1 seat)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,210  | 50.9  | −18.8
| Conservative | William Forsyth[74] | 2,071  | 47.7  | +17.4
| Independent Liberal | Charles Thompson[75] | 57  | 1.3  | N/A
Majority | 139  | 3.2  | +0.8
Turnout | 4,338  | 83.7  | −3.0
Registered electors | 5,182  |  |
| Liberal hold | Swing | −18.1  |

* Caused by Dalrymple's death.

By-election, 27 June 1873: Bath (1 seat)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Arthur Egerton | 2,194  | 50.4  | +20.1
| Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 2,143  | 49.2  | −20.5
| Independent Liberal | John Charles Cox[76][77] | 15  | 0.3  | N/A
Majority | 51  | 1.2  | N/A
Turnout | 4,352  | 84.0  | −2.7
Registered electors | 5,182  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +20.3  |

* Caused by Cadogan's elevation to the peerage, becoming Earl Cadogan.

By-election, 7 May 1873: Bath (1 seat)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Viscount Chelsea | 2,251  | 53.1  | +22.8
| Liberal | Jerom Murch[78] | 1,991  | 46.9  | −22.8
Majority | 260  | 6.2  | N/A
Turnout | 4,242  | 81.9  | −4.8
Registered electors | 5,182  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +22.8  |

* Caused by Tite's death.

### Elections in the 1860s

[edit]

General election 1868: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | William Tite | 2,478  | 37.0  | N/A
| Liberal | Donald Dalrymple | 2,187  | 32.7  | N/A
| Conservative | James Hogg | 2,024  | 30.3  | N/A
Majority | 163  | 2.4  | N/A
Turnout | 4,357 (est)  | 86.7 (est)  | N/A
Registered electors | 5,024  |  |
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing |  |
General election 1865: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | William Tite | Unopposed
| Conservative | James Hogg | Unopposed
Registered electors | 2,960  |  |
| Liberal hold
| Conservative hold

### Elections in the 1850s

[edit]

General election 1859: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | William Tite | 1,349  | 34.7  | +1.7
| Conservative | Arthur Edwin Way | 1,339  | 34.5  | +1.6
| Liberal | Thomas Phinn | 1,198  | 30.8  | −3.3
Turnout | 2,613 (est)  | 82.0 (est)  | +5.1
Registered electors | 3,185  |  |
Majority | 10  | 0.2  | +0.1
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.5  |
Majority | 141  | 3.7  | N/A
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.2  |
General election 1857: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Arthur Elton | 1,243  | 34.1  | −0.3
| Whig | William Tite | 1,200  | 33.0  | −0.3
| Conservative | Arthur Edwin Way | 1,197  | 32.9  | +0.6
Majority | 3  | 0.1  | −0.9
Turnout | 2,419 (est)  | 76.9 (est)  | −1.3
Registered electors | 3,144  |  |
| Whig hold | Swing | −0.3  |
| Whig hold | Swing | −0.3  |
By-election, 5 June 1855: Bath[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | William Tite | 1,176  | 51.0  | −16.7
| Peelite | William Whateley[79] | 1,129  | 49.0  | +16.7
Majority | 47  | 0.2  | −0.8
Turnout | 2,305  | 73.1  | −5.1
Registered electors | 3,155  |  |
| Whig hold | Swing | −16.7  |

* Caused by Phinn's resignation after his appointment as Assistant Secretary to the Admiralty

General election 1852: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | George Treweeke Scobell | 1,332  | 34.4  | +17.3
| Whig | Thomas Phinn | 1,290  | 33.3  | +16.2
| Peelite | William Whateley[80][81] | 1,253  | 32.3  | −3.2
Majority | 37  | 1.0  | N/A
Turnout | 2,564 (est)  | 78.2 (est)  | −8.1
Registered electors | 3,278  |  |
| Whig hold | Swing | +9.5  |
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.9  |
By-election, 25 June 1851: Bath[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | George Treweeke Scobell | 1,110  | 51.6  | +17.5
| Conservative | William Sutcliffe[82] | 1,041  | 48.4  | +12.9
Majority | 69  | 3.2  | N/A
Turnout | 2,151  | 68.7  | −17.6
Registered electors | 3,310  |  |
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.3  |

* Caused by Ashley-Cooper's succession to the peerage, becoming 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

### Elections in the 1840s

[edit]

General election 1847: Bath (2 seats)[71] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Anthony Ashley-Cooper | 1,278  | 35.5  | −8.4
| Whig | Adam Haldane-Duncan | 1,228  | 34.1  | +5.2
| Radical | John Arthur Roebuck | 1,093  | 30.4  | +3.1
Turnout | 2,439 (est)  | 86.3 (est)  | +13.0
Registered electors | 2,825  |  |
Majority | 185  | 5.1  | N/A
| Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | −6.8  |
Majority | 135  | 3.7  | −3.3
| Whig hold | Swing | +4.7  |
General election 1841: Bath (2 seats)[71][33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Adam Haldane-Duncan | 1,223  | 28.9  | +4.7
| Radical | John Arthur Roebuck | 1,157  | 27.3  | +4.5
| Conservative | William Heald Ludlow Bruges | 930  | 22.0  | −3.7
| Conservative | Richard Wingfield | 926  | 21.9  | −5.4
Turnout | 2,189  | 73.3  | +4.3
Registered electors | 2,985  |  |
Majority | 297  | 7.0  | N/A
| Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.6  |
Majority | 227  | 5.3  | N/A
| Radical gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.5  |

### Elections in the 1830s

[edit]

General election 1837: Bath (2 seats)[71][33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Richard Wingfield | 1,087  | 27.3  | +14.9
| Conservative | William Heald Ludlow Bruges | 1,024  | 25.7  | +13.3
| Whig | Charles Palmer | 962  | 24.2  | −14.4
| Radical | John Arthur Roebuck | 910  | 22.8  | −13.8
Majority | 125  | 3.1  | N/A
Turnout | 2,051  | 69.0  | +4.7
Registered electors | 2,973  |  |
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +14.7  |
| Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | +13.6  |
General election 1835: Bath (2 seats)[71][33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Palmer | 1,097  | 38.6  | −2.1
| Radical | John Arthur Roebuck | 1,042  | 36.6  | +5.6
| Conservative | Henry Daubeney[83] | 706  | 24.8  | N/A
Turnout | 1,776  | 64.3  | −17.3
Registered electors | 2,764  |  |
Majority | 55  | 2.0  | −7.7
| Whig hold | Swing | −3.9  |
Majority | 336  | 11.8  | +9.1
| Radical hold | Swing | +3.9  |
General election 1832: Bath (2 seats)[71][33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Palmer | 1,492  | 40.7  | N/A
| Radical | John Arthur Roebuck | 1,138  | 31.0  | N/A
| Whig | Henry William Hobhouse | 1,040  | 28.3  | N/A
Turnout | 2,329  | 81.6  | N/A
Registered electors | 2,853  |  |
Majority | 354  | 9.7  | N/A
| Whig hold | Swing | N/A |
Majority | 98  | 2.7  | N/A
| Radical gain from Tory | Swing | N/A |
General election 1831: Bath (2 seats)[33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Palmer | Unopposed
| Tory | John Thynne | Unopposed
| Whig hold
| Tory hold
General election 1830: Bath (2 seats)[33] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Palmer | Unopposed
| Tory | John Thynne | Unopposed
| Whig gain from Tory
| Tory hold

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. ^ Previously represented by two MPs in the House of Commons of England
3. ^ Also the Conservative Party chairman from 1990 to 1992
4. ^ Formerly known as John Jeffreys Pratt
5. ^ 2,853 voters registered at the first reformed election, in December 1832)
6. ^ These form the City of Bath in Bath and North East Somerset

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bath: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
2. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
3. ^ "South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
4. ^ Electoral Calculus https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.py?seat=Bath
5. ^ "2018 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England" (PDF). Boundary Commission for England. p. 28. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
6. ^ a b c "Bath Borough 1690–1715". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
7. ^ Oldfield, Thomas (1820). A Key to the House of Commons. Being a history of the last general election in 1818 ... to which is added, an abstract of the state of representation in Scotland and Ireland. p. 160 - via Google Books.
8. ^ "Bath Double Member Borough". The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
9. ^ Namier, Lewis; Brooke, John (1985). The House of Commons 1754–1790. Boydell & Brewer. p. 366\. ISBN 9780436304200 - via Google Books.
10. ^ Thorne, RG (1986). The House of Commons. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 343–344\. ISBN 9780436521010.
11. ^ "The English Reform Legislation". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820–1832, ed. D.R. Fisher, 2009. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
12. ^ Hodder, Edwin (2014). The Life and Work of the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G. Cambridge University Press. p. 245\. ISBN 9781108075541 - via Google Books.
13. ^ "Third Reform Act 1884". Parliament UK. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
14. ^ Thorpe, Andrew. "One of the most backward areas of the Country: The Labour Party's Grassroots in South West England, 1918–45" (PDF). Exeter University. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
15. ^ Adams, Michael (9 January 1997). "Obituary: Lord Mayhew". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
16. ^ "BBC Rewind: Chris Patten loses Bath". BBC News. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
17. ^ "Don Foster Lord Foster of Bath". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
18. ^ Crawley, James (31 May 2017). "'Marginal Bath seat could prove vital for Tories in General Election' – Theresa May". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
19. ^ C. Hanretty. "Final estimates of the Leave vote share in the EU referendum". Retrieved 10 June 2017 - via Google Docs.
20. ^ "GE2017 – Constituency results". Britain Elects. Retrieved 10 June 2017 - via Google Docs.
21. ^ Belger, Tom (8 December 2023). "Labour selections: Full list of 211 'non-battleground' seats now open to applications". labourlist.org. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
22. ^ "Election Timetable in England" (PDF) - via Gov.UK.
23. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "History of Parliament 1386–1421". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
25. ^ "CHAPMAN, William, of Arundel, Suss". History of Parliament Online.
26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament 1509–1558". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
27. ^ Wroughton, John (2006). Tudor Bath – Life and strife in the little city, 1485–1603. Bath: Lansdown Press. pp. 58–59\. ISBN 0-9520249-6-9.
28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament 1558–1603". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
29. ^ "Bath 1820–1832". The History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
30. ^ Popham was also elected for Wiltshire
31. ^ Field Marshal from 1743
32. ^ Created Viscount Ligonier (in the Peerage of Ireland), December 1757
33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I, to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 26–28.
34. ^ Styled Viscount Bayham from May 1786
35. ^ a b Aitken, George Atherton (1895). "Palmer, John (1742-1818)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 43\. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
36. ^ a b c The Annual Register, or a View of the History and Politics, of the Year 1841. J. G. & F. Rivington. 1842. p. 65.
37. ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 75.
38. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844–1850]. Craig, FWS (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 134–136. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
39. ^ "South Eastern Gazette". 17 October 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive. [dead link]
40. ^ Love, Robert George (March 2016). "Policing and Police Reform in a Rural County; Somerset, c. 1830–1856" (PDF). Leicester Research Archive. University of Leicester. p. 47\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
41. ^ "Bath". Bell's Weekly Messenger. 10 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive. [dead link]
42. ^ Bartlett, Peter (1999). "1859 and its Aftermath". The Poor Law of Lunacy: The Administration of Pauper Lunatics in Mid-Nineteenth-Century England. London: Leicester University Press. p. 218\. ISBN 0718501047. Retrieved 7 April 2018 - via Google Books.
43. ^ "Representation of Bath". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 19 March 1857. pp. 3, 8. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive. [dead link]
44. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll – Election of Member of Parliament for the Bath Constituency". Bath and North East Somerset Council. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
45. ^ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
46. ^ "Bath parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
47. ^ "Bath parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
48. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
49. ^ "Election 2010 – Bath". BBC News.
50. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
51. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
52. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
53. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
54. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
55. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
56. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
57. ^ Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 6 May 1939
58. ^ 8 May 1937, Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette
59. ^ Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 26 February 1938
60. ^ Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 1 April 1939
61. ^ a b c d British parliamentary election results 1818–1949, Craig, FWS
62. ^ British parliamentary election results 1885–1918, Craig, FWS
63. ^ Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 2 May 1914
64. ^ Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser, 21 January 1914
65. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
66. ^ a b c d e f The Liberal Year Book, 1907
67. ^ a b Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984 - via Google Books.
68. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
69. ^ a b c d British Parliamentary Election Results, 1885–1918 FWS Craig
70. ^ "Political Items". Western Gazette. 11 July 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
71. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Craig, FWS, ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3 - via Google Books.
72. ^ "The General Election". Leicester Chronicle. 3 April 1880. p. 8. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
73. ^ "Bath". North Devon Journal. 7 August 1873. p. 6. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
74. ^ "To the electors of Bath". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 2 October 1873. p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
75. ^ "Local Intelligence". Down Recorder. 11 October 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
76. ^ "Bath Election". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 26 June 1873. p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
77. ^ "Bath and Berwickshire Elections". Derby Mercury. 2 July 1873. p. 5. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
78. ^ "Topics of the Week". Western Gazette. 26 September 1873. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 27 December 2017 - via British Newspaper Archive.
79. ^ "Testimonial to Mr Whateley". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 21 June 1855. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive.
80. ^ "The General Election". Bell's Weekly Messenger. 12 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive.
81. ^ "Bath". Evening Mail. 2 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive.
82. ^ "Bath Chronicle Office". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 5 June 1851. p. 3. Retrieved 8 April 2018 - via British Newspaper Archive.
83. ^ "To the Electors of the City of Bath". Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. 1 January 1835. p. 2. Retrieved 8 September 2019 - via British Newspaper Archive.

## Sources

[edit]

* "Parliamentary representation". Aspects of Somerset History. Archived from the original on 8 February 2005. Retrieved 26 April 2005.
* "Bath". Vote 2005. BBC News. Retrieved 26 April 2005.
* "Bath election history". Guardian Unlimited Politics. Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 26 April 2005.
* "Bath and North-East Somerset". Boundary Commission for England. 1 January 2001. Archived from the original on 12 March 2005. Retrieved 3 July 2005.
* "Constituencies in the unreformed House". Constituency start dates. Election Demon. Retrieved 3 July 2005.
* The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services, 1983)
* Robert Beatson (1807). A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament. London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme - via Internet Archive. "Return of Members of Parliament."
* D Brunton & DH Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
* "Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803". Thomas Hansard. London: Oxford Digital Library. 1808. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015.
* The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
* FWS Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
* FWS Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)
* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754–1790 (London: HMSO, 1964)
* THB Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
* Henry Pelling, Social Geography of British Elections 1885–1910 (London: Macmillan, 1967)
* J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
* Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
* Colin Rallings & Michael Thrasher (eds), Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (London: BBC/ITN/PA News/Sky, 1995)
* Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)
* Robert Waller, The Almanac of British Politics (1st edition, London: Croom Helm, 1983)
* Frederic A Youngs, Jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)

## External links

[edit]

* Election 2005 – Bath BBC News, 23 May 2005
* Bath UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
* Bath UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
* Bath UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Vacant

since 1765

Title last held by

Buckingham |  Constituency represented by the prime minister
30 July – 4 August 1766  | Vacant

until 1770

Title next held by

Banbury

* v
* t
* e

Somerset constituencies

Current|

* Bath
* Bridgwater
* Frome and East Somerset
* Glastonbury and Somerton
* North East Somerset and Hanham
* North Somerset
* Taunton and Wellington
* Tiverton and Minehead
* Wells and Mendip Hills
* Weston-super-Mare
* Yeovil

Historic|

* Somerset (1290–1832)

* Taunton (1295–2010)
* Wells (1295–2024)
* Minehead (1563–1832)
* Ilchester (1621–1832)
* Milborne Port (1628–1832)
* Frome (1832–1950)
* Mid Somerset (1868–1885)
* East Somerset (1832–1918)
* West Somerset (1832–1918)
* South Somerset (1885–1918)
* Wellington (1885–1918)
* Somerton and Frome (1983–2024)
* Woodspring (1983–2010)
* Bridgwater and West Somerset (2010–2024)
* North East Somerset (2010–2024)
* Taunton Deane (2010–2024)

* v
* t
* e

Constituencies in South West England (58)

Labour (22)|

* Bournemouth East
* Bournemouth West
* Bristol East
* Bristol North East
* Bristol North West
* Bristol South
* Camborne and Redruth
* Exeter
* Filton and Bradley Stoke
* Forest of Dean
* Gloucester
* North Somerset
* Plymouth Moor View
* Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
* South Dorset
* South East Cornwall
* St Austell and Newquay
* Stroud
* Swindon North
* Swindon South
* Truro and Falmouth
* Weston-super-Mare

Liberal Democrats (22)|

* Bath
* Cheltenham
* Chippenham
* Frome and East Somerset
* Glastonbury and Somerton
* Honiton and Sidmouth
* Melksham and Devizes
* Mid Dorset and North Poole
* Newton Abbot
* North Cornwall
* North Devon
* South Cotswolds
* South Devon
* St Ives
* Taunton and Wellington
* Tewkesbury
* Thornbury and Yate
* Tiverton and Minehead
* Torbay
* Wells and Mendip Hills
* West Dorset
* Yeovil

Conservative (11)|

* Bridgwater
* Central Devon
* Christchurch
* East Wiltshire
* Exmouth and Exeter East
* North Cotswolds
* North Dorset
* Salisbury
* South West Devon
* South West Wiltshire
* Torridge and Tavistock

Green (1)|

* Bristol Central

Independent (2)|

* North East Somerset and Hanham
* Poole

Authority control databases: People |

* UK Parliament

|

51°23′N 2°22′W﻿ / ﻿51.38°N 2.36°W﻿ / 51.38; -2.36
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template