Bothwell (UK Parliament constituency)

For the constituency in Canada, see Bothwell (Canadian electoral district).

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1983

Bothwell

Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland| Lanarkshire
1918–1983
Seats| One
Created from| North West Lanarkshire and North East Lanarkshire
Replaced by| Motherwell North, Glasgow Shettleston, Hamilton, Monklands East and Monklands West[1]

Bothwell was a county constituency in Lanarkshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It was formed by the division of Lanarkshire constituency.

## Boundaries

[edit]

From 1918 the constituency consisted of "The part of the Middle Ward County District which is contained within the parishes of Old Monkland and Bothwell, exclusive of all burghs or portions of burghs situated therein."

The Representation of the People Act 1948 provided that the constituency was to consist of "The sixth district, the electoral divisions of Baillieston, Mount Vernon and Carmyle, Springboig and Garrowhill in the ninth district and that part of the electoral division of Old Monkland in the said ninth district which is bounded on the North by the city of Glasgow and the burgh of Coatbridge, on the West by the electoral division of Baillieston and on the South and East by the electoral divisions of Tannochside and Bellshill North."[2]

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

Election | Member | Party

|
|

| 1918 | David MacDonald | Unionist
| 1919 by-election | John Robertson | Labour
| 1926 by-election | Joseph Sullivan | Labour
| 1931 | Helen Shaw | Unionist
| 1935 | James C. Welsh | Labour
| 1945 | John Timmons | Labour
| 1964 | James Hamilton | Labour
1983 | constituency abolished

## Election results

[edit]

### Elections in the 1910s

[edit]

General election 1918: Bothwell [3] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

C | Unionist | David MacDonald | 9,359 | 50.9 |
| Labour | John Robertson | 9,027  | 49.1  |
Majority  | 332  | 1.8  |
Turnout | 18,386  | 69.2  |
Registered electors | 26,572  |  |
| Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
1919 Bothwell by-election[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Robertson | 13,135  | 68.8  | +19.7
C | Liberal | James Moffat  | 5,967  | 31.2  | New
Majority  | 7,168  | 37.6  | N/A
Turnout | 19,102  | 71.9  | +2.7
Registered electors | 26,572  |  |
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | N/A |
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

### Elections in the 1920s

[edit]

General election 1922: Bothwell [5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Robertson | 13,872  | 57.0  | +7.9
| Unionist | Peter Denniston Ridge-Beedle  | 10,484  | 43.0  | −7.9
Majority  | 3,388  | 14.0  | N/A
Turnout | 24,356  | 78.2  | +9.0
Registered electors | 31,149  |  |
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +7.9  |
General election 1923: Bothwell [6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Robertson | 14,211  | 60.2  | +3.2
| Unionist | Peter Denniston Ridge-Beedle  | 7,569  | 32.0  | −11.0
| Liberal | John Dick Scott  | 1,846  | 7.8  | New
Majority  | 6,642  | 28.2  | +14.2
Turnout | 23,626  | 73.1  | −5.1
Registered electors | 32,342  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +7.1  |
General election 1924: Bothwell [7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Robertson | 14,591  | 56.3  | −3.9
| Unionist | Helen Shaw | 11,314  | 43.7  | +11.7
Majority  | 3,277  | 12.6  | −15.6
Turnout | 25,905  | 79.3  | +6.2
Registered electors | 32,665  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | −7.8  |
Joseph Sullivan 1926 Bothwell by-election[8] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 14,830  | 59.7  | +3.4
| Unionist | Alexander Morrice Mackay | 8,740  | 35.2  | −8.5
| Liberal | Ernest Young | 1,276  | 5.1  | New
Majority  | 6,090  | 24.5  | +11.9
Turnout | 24,846  | 74.2  | −5.1
Registered electors | 33,505  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +6.0  |
General election 1929: Bothwell [7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 17,006  | 55.2  | −1.1
| Unionist | Helen Shaw | 12,077  | 39.3  | −4.4
| Communist | Helen Crawfurd | 1,677  | 5.5  | New
Majority  | 4,929  | 15.9  | +3.3
Turnout | 30,760  | 72.7  | −6.6
Registered electors | 42,312  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.7  |

### Elections in the 1930s

[edit]

General election 1931: Bothwell [9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Helen Shaw | 16,571  | 49.98  |
| Labour | Joseph Sullivan | 14,423  | 43.50  |
| Communist | Barney McCourt[10] | 2,163  | 6.52  |
Majority  | 2,148  | 6.48  | N/A
Turnout | 33,157  | 77.71  |
| Unionist gain from Labour | Swing |  |
General election 1935: Bothwell [11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Welsh | 20,900  | 60.30  |
| Unionist | Helen Shaw | 13,761  | 39.70  |
Majority  | 7,139  | 20.60  | N/A
Turnout | 34,661  | 78.64  |
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1940s

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Timmons | 25,369  | 65.8  | +5.5
| Unionist | Helen Shaw | 13,207  | 34.2  | −5.5
Majority  | 12,162  | 31.6  | +11.0
Turnout | 38,576  | 73.12  | −5.52
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1950s

[edit]

General election 1950: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Timmons | 25,715  | 56.7  | −9.1
| Unionist | Norman Cadzow  | 19,605  | 43.3  | +9.1
Majority  | 6,110  | 13.4  | −8.2
Turnout | 45,320  | 84.54  | +11.42
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1951: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Timmons | 26,529  | 56.3  | −0.4
| Unionist | Norman Cadzow  | 20,591  | 43.7  | +0.4
Majority  | 5,938  | 12.60  | −0.8
Turnout | 47,120  | 85.96  | +1.42
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1955: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Timmons | 23,365  | 54.2  | −2.1
| Unionist | William Graham Greig  | 19,755  | 45.8  | +2.1
Majority  | 3,610  | 8.37  | −4.23
Turnout | 43,120  | 78.93  | −7.03
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1959: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | John Timmons | 25,119  | 54.7  | +0.5
| Unionist | William Graham Greig  | 20,767  | 45.3  | −0.5
Majority  | 4,352  | 9.4  | +1.0
Turnout | 45,886  | 82.17  | +3.24
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1960s

[edit]

General election 1964: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 27,556  | 60.4  | +5.7
| Conservative | James Brown Highgate  | 18,068  | 39.6  | −5.7
Majority  | 9,488  | 20.80  | +11.4
Turnout | 45,624  | 80.44  | −1.73
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1966: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 27,166  | 61.0  | +0.6
| Conservative | James Brown Highgate  | 16,198  | 36.3  | −0.7
| Communist | Thomas Woods  | 1,209  | 2.7  | New
Majority  | 10,968  | 24.7  | +3.9
Turnout | 44,573  | 77.78  | −2.66
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1970s

[edit]

General election 1970: Bothwell  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 26,431  | 54.7  | −6.3
| Conservative | James Brown Highgate  | 15,720  | 32.5  | −3.8
| SNP | Tom McAlpine | 6,157  | 12.8  | New
Majority  | 10,711  | 22.17  | −2.4
Turnout | 42,151  | 75.32  | −2.46
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election February 1974: Bothwell[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 22,326  | 46.8  | −7.9
| Conservative | David McAllister  | 12,725  | 26.7  | −5.8
| SNP | Gerald Alexander Fisher  | 6,710  | 14.1  | +1.3
| Liberal | James Park  | 5,362  | 11.2  | New
| Communist | David Bolton  | 562  | 1.2  | New
Majority  | 9,601  | 20.13  | −2.04
Turnout | 47,685  | 81.22  | +5.90
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election October 1974: Bothwell[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 22,086  | 48.64  | +1.82
| SNP | John McCool  | 11,138  | 24.53  | +10.46
| Conservative | David Anderson Roser  | 8,125  | 17.89  | −8.79
| Liberal | Terry Grieve  | 4,057  | 8.93  | −2.31
Majority  | 10,948  | 24.11  | +3.98
Turnout | 45,406  | 76.50  | −4.72
| Labour hold | Swing | -4.32  |
General election 1979: Bothwell[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | James Hamilton | 26,492  | 54.97  | +6.33
| Conservative | James Lang Patrick Scott  | 11,275  | 23.40  | +5.51
| Liberal | Terry Grieve  | 5,225  | 10.84  | +1.91
| SNP | John McCool  | 5,202  | 10.79  | −13.74
Majority  | 15,217  | 31.57  | +7.46
Turnout | 48,194  | 78.61  | +2.11
| Labour hold | Swing | +0.41  |

## See also

[edit]

* 1919 Bothwell by-election
* 1926 Bothwell by-election
* Bothwell

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "'Bothwell', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
2. ^ Representation of the People Act 1948, First Schedule
3. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
4. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
5. ^ The Times, 17 November 1922
6. ^ The Times, 8 December 1923
7. ^ a b Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
8. ^ The Times, 29 March 1926
9. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
10. ^ Walker, Michael. "McCourt Barney". Graham Stevenson. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
11. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939

* Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 3)

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