Bedwellty (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1983

Bedwellty

Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1983
Seats| one
Created from| South Monmouthshire and West Monmouthshire
Replaced by| Islwyn, Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney[1]

Bedwellty was a county constituency in Monmouthshire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.

It was then largely replaced by the new Islwyn constituency.

## Boundaries

[edit]

On its creation in 1918 the constituency consisted of the urban districts of Bedwas and Machen, Bedwellty, Mynyddislwyn and Risca and the civil parish of Rogerstone in St Mellons Rural District.[2] These areas had previously been divided between the West Monmouthshire and South Monmouthshire constituencies.

The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 removed Rogerstone into the constituency of Monmouth from 1950. Although there were substantial changes in local government boundaries in 1974, those of the constituency were not altered prior to its abolition in 1983.

The constituency was abolished by the Parliamentary Constituencies (Wales) Order 1983, which redistributed Commons seats and aligned boundaries with wards of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1972.

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

Election | Member | Party

|
|

| 1918 | Sir Charles Edwards | Labour
| 1950 | Harold Finch | Labour
| 1970 | Neil Kinnock | Labour
1983 | constituency abolished: see Islwyn

## Election results

[edit]

### Elections in the 1910s

[edit]

Williams General election 1918: Bedwellty[3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | 11,730  | 53.56  |
C | Liberal | William Henry Williams  | 10,170  | 46.44  |
Majority  | 1,560  | 7.12  |
Turnout | 21,900  | 70.79  |
Registered electors | 30,938  |  |
| Labour win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

### Elections in the 1920s

[edit]

General election 1922: Bedwellty[3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | 17,270  | 63.02  | +9.46
| Unionist | C.E. Bagram  | 10,132  | 36.98  | New
Majority  | 7,138  | 26.04  | +18.92
Turnout | 27,402  | 81.21  | +10.42
Registered electors | 33,741  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +9.46  |
General election 1923: Bedwellty [3][4][5][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | 17,564  | 67.55  | +4.53
| Liberal | William Henry Williams  | 8,436  | 32.45  | New
Majority  | 9,128  | 35.10  | +9.06
Turnout | 26,000  | 74.18  | −7.03
Registered electors | 35,051  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +4.53  |
General election 1924: Bedwellty [3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | Unopposed
| Labour hold
Registered electors | 35,909  |  |
General election 1929: Bedwellty [3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | 26,021  | 78.95  | N/A
| Unionist | Hubert Geoffrey Griffith  | 6,936  | 21.05  | New
Majority  | 19,085  | 57.90  | N/A
Turnout | 32,957  | 74.86  | N/A
Registered electors | 44,023  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | N/A |

### Elections in the 1930s

[edit]

General election 1931: Bedwellty[3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | Unopposed
| Labour hold
Registered electors | 44,432  |  |
General election 1935: Bedwellty[3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | Unopposed
| Labour hold
Registered electors | 45,328  |  |

### Elections in the 1940s

[edit]

General election 1945: Bedwellty[3][4][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Charles Edwards | 30,480  | 82.11  | N/A
| Conservative | H Lewis Tett  | 6,641  | 17.89  | New
Majority  | 23,839  | 64.22  | N/A
Turnout | 37,121  | 77.80  | N/A
Registered electors | 47,716  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | N/A |

### Elections in the 1950s

[edit]

General election 1950: Bedwellty [7][8] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 31,329  | 83.38  | +1.27
| Conservative | RC Pitman  | 6,247  | 16.62  | −1.27
Majority  | 25,082  | 66.76  | +2.54
Turnout | 37,576  | 85.49  | +7.69
Registered electors | 43,954  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.27  |
General election 1951: Bedwellty [7][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 31,582  | 83.28  | −0.10
| Conservative | John Smith  | 6,339  | 16.72  | +0.10
Majority  | 25,243  | 66.56  | −0.20
Turnout | 37,921  | 85.37  | −0.12
Registered electors | 44,417  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -0.10  |
General election 1955: Bedwellty [7][10] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 30,104  | 82.44  | −0.84
| Conservative | James Scott-Hopkins | 6,412  | 17.56  | +0.84
Majority  | 23,692  | 64.88  | −1.68
Turnout | 36,516  | 81.59  | −3.78
Registered electors | 44,753  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -0.84  |
General election 1959: Bedwellty [7][11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 30,697  | 81.83  | −0.61
| Conservative | Charles James Cox  | 6,817  | 18.17  | +0.61
Majority  | 23,880  | 63.66  | −1.22
Turnout | 37,514  | 83.57  | +1.98
Registered electors | 44,890  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -0.61  |

### Elections in the 1960s

[edit]

General election 1964: Bedwellty [7][12] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 29,425  | 83.51  | +1.68
| Conservative | Charles James Cox  | 5,810  | 16.49  | −1.68
Majority  | 23,615  | 67.02  | +3.36
Turnout | 35,235  | 79.11  | −4.46
Registered electors | 44,538  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.68  |
General election 1966: Bedwellty [7][13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Harold Finch | 29,723  | 86.25  | +2.74
| Conservative | Nigel Williams  | 4,739  | 13.75  | −2.74
Majority  | 24,984  | 72.50  | +5.48
Turnout | 34,462  | 76.68  | −2.43
Registered electors | 44,944  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.74  |

### Elections in the 1970s

[edit]

General election 1970: Bedwellty[7][14] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Neil Kinnock | 28,078  | 74.6  | −11.6
| Conservative | Paul Marland | 5,799  | 15.4  | +1.7
| Plaid Cymru | Charles M. Davey  | 3,780  | 10.0  | New
Majority  | 22,279  | 59.2  | −13.3
Turnout | 37,657  | 76.6  | −0.1
Registered electors | 49,157  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | −6.7  |
General election February 1974: Bedwellty[15] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Neil Kinnock | 26,664  | 67.06  | −7.50
| Conservative | Tim Yeo | 5,027  | 12.64  | −2.76
| Liberal | R Morgan  | 5,020  | 12.63  | New
| Plaid Cymru | A Moore  | 3,048  | 7.67  | −2.37
Majority  | 21,637  | 54.42  | −4.74
Turnout | 39,759  | 79.90  | +3.29
Registered electors | 49,758  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -2.37  |
General election October 1974: Bedwellty[16] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Neil Kinnock | 27,418  | 70.88  | +3.82
| Conservative | Peter Brooke | 4,556  | 11.78  | −0.86
| Liberal | RG Morgan  | 3,621  | 9.36  | −3.27
| Plaid Cymru | D Mogford  | 3,086  | 7.98  | +0.31
Majority  | 22,862  | 59.10  | +4.68
Turnout | 38,681  | 77.08  | −2.82
Registered electors | 50,183  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -2.82  |
General election 1979: Bedwellty[17] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Neil Kinnock | 28,794  | 71.35  | +0.47
| Conservative | Robert Walter | 8,358  | 20.71  | +8.93
| Plaid Cymru | T Richards  | 2,648  | 6.56  | −1.42
| Ecology | PM Rout  | 556  | 1.38  | New
Majority  | 20,436  | 50.64  | −8.46
Turnout | 40,356  | 79.59  | +2.51
Registered electors | 50,708  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -4.00  |

## References

[edit]

* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 2)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ "'Bedwellty', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
2. ^ Schedule 9 to the Representation of the People Act, 1918 (7 & 8 Geo. 5. C.64)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Monmouthshire Bedwellty PDivCon through time - Political Life Statistics - Total Electorate". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h "Monmouthshire Bedwellty PDivCon through time - Political Life Statistics - Groupings of Political Parties". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
6. ^ Etholiadau'r ganrif 1885-1997, Beti Jones
7. ^ a b c d e f g British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, FWS Craig
8. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
10. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
11. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
12. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
13. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
14. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
15. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
16. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results October 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
17. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1979". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Neil Kinnock

Political career|

* Leader of the Labour Party (1983–1992)
* Shadow Cabinet
* Member of Parliament for Bedwellty (1970–1983)
* Member of Parliament for Islwyn (1983–1995)
* Vice-President of the European Commission (1999-2004)

Shadow Cabinet elections|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982

Party elections|

* 1983
* 1988

General elections|

* 1987
* 1992

Family|

* Glenys Kinnock (wife)
* Stephen Kinnock (son)
* Helle Thorning-Schmidt (daughter-in-law)

Related topics|

* Labour Listens
* Sheffield Rally
* War of Jennifer's Ear

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