East Grinstead (UK Parliament constituency)

East Grinstead

Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
County| East Sussex
Major settlements| East Grinstead
1885–1983
Seats| One
Created from| East Sussex
Replaced by| Mid Sussex and Wealden
1307–1832
Seats| Two
Type of constituency| Borough constituency

East Grinstead was a parliamentary constituency in the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. It first existed as a Parliamentary borough from 1307, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons elected by the bloc vote system. The borough was disfranchised under the Reform Act 1832, but the name was revived at the 1885 election when the Redistribution of Seats Act created a new single-member county division of the same name.

Upon its abolition for the 1983 election, its territory was divided between Mid Sussex and Wealden.

## Boundaries[edit]

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Cuckfield (except the parish of Crawley), East Grinstead, and Uckfield (except the parishes of East Heathley and Waldron).

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Burgess Hill, Cuckfield, East Grinstead, Hayward's Heath, and Uckfield, and the Rural Districts of Cuckfield, East Grinstead, and Uckfield.

1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Cuckfield and East Grinstead, the Rural District of Uckfield, in the Rural District of Cuckfield the parishes of Ardingly, Balcombe, Bolney, Cuckfield Rural, Horsted Keynes, Lindfield Rural, Slaugham, West Hoathly, and Worth, and in the Rural District of Battle the parishes of Burwash, Etchingham, and Ticehurst.

1955–1974: As 1950 less the Battle RD parishes.

1974–1983: The Urban District of East Grinstead, and the Rural District of Uckfield.

## Members of Parliament[edit]

### MPs 1307–1660[edit]

Year | First member | Second member

|
|

1388 (Feb) | John Dyne | John Heldele[1]
1388 (Sep) | William Nelond | Richard Woghere[1]
1390 (Jan) |
1390 (Nov) |
1391 | John Alfray I | John Dyne[1]
1393 | Thomas Alleyn | Thomas Rasse[1]
1394 |
1395 | Thomas Farlegh | William atte Hull[1]
1397 (Jan) | John Dyne | John Punget[1]
1397 (Sep) | John Dyne | John Punget[1]
1399 | John Dyne | Richard Woghere[1]
1401 |
1402 | John Dyne | Richard Woghere[1]
1404 (Jan) |
1404 (Oct) |
1406 |
1407 | John Dyne | Richard Woghere[1]
1410 |
1411 |
1413 (Feb) |
1413 (May) | Thomas Alleyn | John Hoke[1]
1414 (Apr) |
1414 (Nov) | John Dyne | John Woghere[1]
1415 |
1416 (Mar) | John Ermyte | John Mason[1]
1416 (Oct) |
1417 |
1419 | William Fenningham | John Hamme[1]
1420 |
1421 (May) | Richard Fowell | John Woghere[1]
1421 (Dec) | John Alfray II | John Woghere[1]
1433 | Thomas Russell[2]
1447 John Alfray[3] | 1457 | Ralph Legh
1459 John Alfray[3] | 1510-1523 | No names known [4]
1529 | William Rutter | Edward Goodwin[4]
1536 | ?
1539 | ?
1542 | ? | John Sackville[4]
1545 | ?
1547 | Jasper Culpeper | John Sackville II, died
and replaced by Jan 1552 by George Darrell [4]
1553 (Mar) | Sir Robert Oxenbridge | George Darrell[4]
1553 (Oct) | Sir Thomas Stradling | John Story[4]
1554 (Apr) | Richard Whalley | Anthony Stapleton[4]
1554 (Nov) | Thomas Duffield |
1555 | ?William Barnes | John Wiseman[4]
1558 | Thomas Farnham | Thomas Parker[4]
1559 | Thomas Sackville | Humphrey Llwyd[5]
1562–3 | John Sackville | Lawrence Banester[5]
1571 | John Jeffrey | Henry Berkeley[5]
1572 | Thomas Cure | Michael Heneage[5]
1584 | Thomas Cure | Francis Alford[5]
1586 | John Covert | Drew Pickesse[5]
1589 | Francis Alford | Thomas Frere[5]
1593 | Reade Stafford | John Shurley[5]
1597 | George Rivers | Richard Baker[5]
1601 | Sir Henry Compton | George Rivers[5]
1604 | Sir Henry Compton | Sir John Swynnerton
1614 | Sir Henry Compton | George Rivers
1621 | Sir Henry Compton | Thomas Pelham
1624 | Robert Heath | Thomas Caldicot
1625 | Robert Heath | Sir Henry Compton
1626 | Robert Goodwin | Sir Henry Compton
1628-1629 | Robert Goodwin | Sir Henry Compton
1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned
1640 (Apr) | Sir Henry Compton | Robert Goodwin
1640 (Nov) | Lord Buckhurst, disabled 1644 | Robert Goodwin
1648 | Robert Goodwin | John Baker
1653 | Not represented in Barebones Parliament
1654 | John Goodwin | (one seat only)
1656 | John Goodwin | (one seat only)
1659 | Robert Goodwin | George Courthope

### MPs 1660–1832[edit]

Year | First member | Second member

|
|

1660 | Marmaduke Gresham | George Courthope
1661 | Lord Buckhurst
1675 | Edward Sackville
1678 | Thomas Pelham
12 February 1679 | Edward Sackville
7 April 1679 | Henry Powle
19 April 1679 | Sir Thomas Littleton, Bt
19 August 1679 | Goodwin Wharton | William Jephson
1681 | Sir Cyril Wyche | Henry Powle
1685 | Simon Smith | Thomas Jones
1689 | Sir Thomas Dyke | Thomas Sackville
1693 | Simon Smith
February 1695 | The Earl of Orrery
November 1695 | John Conyers
1698 | The Earl of Orrery
January 1701 | Matthew Prior
November 1701 | The Earl of Orrery
1702 | John Toke
1708 | Viscount Lumley | Henry Campion
1710 | John Conyers | Leonard Gale
1713 | Hon. Spencer Compton
1715 | The Viscount Shannon
March 1722 | Hon. Sir Spencer Compton
November 1722 | The Viscount Shannon
1725 | Edward Conyers
1727 | The Viscount Palmerston
1734 | The Earl of Middlesex | Edward Conyers
1741 | Sir Whistler Webster
1742 | John Butler
1747 | Sydney Smythe
1751 | Hon. Joseph Yorke
March 1761 | The Earl of Middlesex | Lord George Sackville
December 1761 | Sir Thomas Hales, Bt
1762 | John Irwin
1765 | Sir Charles Farnaby
1767 | Lord George Sackville
1782 | Henry Arthur Herbert
1783 | George Medley
1786 | James Cuninghame
1788 | Robert Cuninghame
1789 | Richard Ford
1790 | Nathaniel Dance | William Hamilton Nisbet
1796 | James Strange
1802 | Sir Henry Strachey | Daniel Giles
1807 | Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, Bt. | Charles Ellis
January 1812 | Richard Wellesley
March 1812 | George Gunning
June 1812 | Nicholas Vansittart
October 1812 | George Gunning | James Stephen
1815 | Sir George Johnstone Hope
May 1818 | Lord Strathavon
June 1818 | The Hon. Charles Jenkinson
1829 | Viscount Holmesdale
1830 | Frederick Richard West

* Constituency abolished (1832)

### MPs 1885–1983[edit]

* Constituency revived (1885)

Election | Name | Party | Notes

|
|
|

| 1885 | George Gregory | Conservative | MP for East Sussex 1868–1885
| 1886 | Alfred Gathorne-Hardy | Conservative | MP for Canterbury 1878–1880. Son of 1st Earl of Cranbrook
| 1895 | George Goschen | Conservative | Governor of Madras 1924–1929; 2nd Viscount Goschen 1907–1952
| 1906 | Charles Corbett | Liberal
| 1910 (Jan) | Henry Cautley | Conservative | ennobled in 1936 as Baron Cautley, triggering a by-election
| 1936 by-election | Ralph Clarke | Conservative
| 1955 | Evelyn Emmet | Conservative | Made a life peer in 1965 as Baroness Emmet of Amberley, triggering a by-election
| 1965 by-election | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | Conservative | Former broadcaster. MP for Wealden 1983–2001
1983 | Constituency abolished. See Wealden and Mid Sussex

## Elections[edit]

### Elections in the 1880s[edit]

General election 1885: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | George Gregory | 3,530  | 57.8  |
| Liberal | Charles John Heald  | 2,579  | 42.2  |
Majority  | 951  | 15.6  |
Turnout | 6,109  | 79.8  |
Registered electors | 7,660  |  |
| Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Alfred Gathorne-Hardy | 3,289  | 63.7  | +5.9
| Liberal | Charles John Heald  | 1,877  | 36.3  | -5.9
Majority  | 1,412  | 27.4  | +11.8
Turnout | 5,166  | 67.4  | −12.4
Registered electors | 7,660  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.9  |

### Elections in the 1890s[edit]

General election 1892: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Alfred Gathorne-Hardy | 3,987  | 62.9  | −0.8
| Liberal | Edward George Jenkinson  | 2,349  | 37.1  | +0.8
Majority  | 1,638  | 25.8  | −1.6
Turnout | 6,336  | 72.4  | +5.0
Registered electors | 8,754  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.8  |
George Goschen General election 1895: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | George Goschen | 3,731  | 56.5  | -6.4
| Liberal | Charles Corbett | 2,874  | 43.5  | +6.4
Majority  | 857  | 13.0  | -12.8
Turnout | 6,605  | 71.3  | −1.1
Registered electors | 9,262  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | -6.4  |

### Elections in the 1900s[edit]

Charles Corbett General election 1900: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | George Goschen | 3,890  | 56.4  | −0.1
| Liberal | Charles Corbett | 3,003  | 43.6  | +0.1
Majority  | 887  | 12.8  | −0.2
Turnout | 6,893  | 71.8  | +0.5
Registered electors | 9,596  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.1  |
E.M. Crookshank General election 1906: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Charles Corbett | 4,793  | 51.4  | +7.8
| Conservative | Edgar Crookshank | 4,531  | 48.6  | -7.8
Majority  | 262  | 2.8  | N/A
Turnout | 9,324  | 86.9  | +15.1
Registered electors | 10,726  |  |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.8  |

### Elections in the 1910s[edit]

General election January 1910: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Henry Cautley | 6,563  | 64.2  | +15.6
| Liberal | Charles Corbett | 3,660  | 35.8  | −15.6
Majority  | 2,903  | 28.4  | N/A
Turnout | 10,223  | 88.4  | +1.5
Registered electors | 11,562  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +15.6  |
General election December 1910: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Henry Cautley | 5,926  | 62.7  | -1.5
| Liberal | Henry Norman Spalding  | 3,531  | 37.3  | +1.5
Majority  | 2,395  | 25.4  | -3.0
Turnout | 9,457  | 81.8  | -6.6
Registered electors | 11,562  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | -1.5  |

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: Henry Cautley
* Liberal: Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh

By-election, 1918: East Grinstead[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Henry Cautley | Unopposed
| Unionist hold
General election 1918: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

C | Unionist | Henry Cautley | 12,584 | 67.0 | +4.3
| Labour | David Pole | 6,208  | 33.0  | New
Majority  | 6,376  | 34.0  | +8.6
Turnout | 18,792  | 52.3  | −29.5
Registered electors | 35,955  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing | +4.3  |
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

### Elections in the 1920s[edit]

General election 1922: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Henry Cautley | 15,981  | 71.0  | +4.0
| Labour | Thomas Crawford  | 6,527  | 29.0  | −4.0
Majority  | 9,454  | 42.0  | +8.0
Turnout | 22,508  | 58.2  | +5.9
Registered electors | 38,664  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing | +4.0  |
General election 1923: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Henry Cautley | 14,215  | 68.8  | −2.2
| Labour | Thomas Crawford  | 6,451  | 31.2  | +2.2
Majority  | 7,764  | 37.6  | −4.4
Turnout | 20,666  | 52.4  | −5.8
Registered electors | 39,405  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing | −2.2  |
General election 1924: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Henry Cautley | 18,365  | 64.6  | −4.2
| Liberal | Godfrey Frerichs Mowatt  | 5,604  | 19.7  | New
| Labour | John Morgan | 4,479  | 15.7  | −15.5
Majority  | 12,761  | 44.9  | +7.3
Turnout | 28,448  | 70.2  | +17.8
Registered electors | 40,500  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing | +5.7  |
General election 1929: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | Henry Cautley | 21,940  | 57.9  | −6.7
| Liberal | Barbara Bliss | 9,718  | 25.6  | +5.9
| Labour | Thomas Crawford  | 6,265  | 16.5  | +0.8
Majority  | 12,222  | 32.3  | −12.6
Turnout | 37,923  | 68.5  | −1.7
Registered electors | 55,352  |  |
| Unionist hold | Swing | −6.3  |

### Elections in the 1930s[edit]

Evan Durbin General election 1931: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Henry Cautley | 34,826  | 87.2  | +29.3
| Labour | Evan Durbin | 5,121  | 12.8  | -3.7
Majority  | 29,705  | 74.4  | +42.1
Turnout | 39,947  | 69.2  | +0.7
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

* Liberal candidate Lewis R. Jones withdrew at the last minute.

General election 1935: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Henry Cautley | 29,440  | 78.4  | -8.8
| Labour | Stanislaus Seuffert  | 8,097  | 21.6  | +8.8
Majority  | 21,343  | 56.8  | -17.6
Turnout | 37,537  | 61.2  | -8.0
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
1936 East Grinstead by-election[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Ralph Clarke | 22,207  | 79.6  | +1.2
| Labour | Albert Edward Millett  | 5,708  | 20.4  | -1.2
Majority  | 16,499  | 59.2  | +2.4
Turnout | 27,915  | 45.5  | -15.7
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.2  |

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: Ralph Clarke
* Liberal: William Cavendish Searle[8]

### Elections in the 1940s[edit]

General election 1945: East Grinstead[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Ralph Clarke | 28,273  | 57.1  | -21.3
| Labour | David George Packham  | 12,519  | 25.3  | +3.7
| Liberal | John Charles McLaughlin  | 8,711  | 17.6  | New
Majority  | 15,754  | 31.8  | -25.0
Turnout | 49,503  | 70.9  | +9.7
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1950s[edit]

General election 1950: East Grinstead[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Ralph Clarke | 29,786  | 55.1  | -2.0
| Labour | Catherine Williamson | 12,983  | 24.0  | -1.3
| Liberal | John Charles McLaughlin  | 11,329  | 20.9  | +3.3
Majority  | 16,803  | 31.1  | -0.7
Turnout | 54,098  | 81.7  | +11.8
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1951: East Grinstead[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Ralph Clarke | 32,803  | 60.3  | +5.2
| Labour | Herbert Atkinson  | 14,271  | 26.2  | +2.2
| Liberal | John Charles McLaughlin  | 7,375  | 13.5  | -7.4
Majority  | 18,532  | 34.1  | +3.0
Turnout | 54,449  | 80.3  | -1.4
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1955: East Grinstead[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Evelyn Emmet | 28,450  | 61.5  | +1.2
| Labour | Martin Mason  | 11,750  | 25.4  | -0.8
| Liberal | Judith St John Thornton  | 6,034  | 13.1  | -0.4
Majority  | 16,700  | 36.1  | +2.0
Turnout | 46,234  | 75.1  | -5.2
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1959: East Grinstead[10] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Evelyn Emmet | 31,759  | 62.3  | +0.8
| Labour | Robert William G Humphreys  | 10,104  | 19.8  | -5.6
| Liberal | Patrick Furnell | 9,100  | 17.9  | +4.8
Majority  | 21,655  | 42.5  | +6.4
Turnout | 50,963  | 77.9  | +2.8
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1960s[edit]

General election 1964: East Grinstead[10] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Evelyn Emmet | 29,094  | 53.2  | -10.1
| Liberal | Richard Holme | 14,753  | 26.7  | +8.8
| Labour | William H Hill  | 10,859  | 19.8  | 0.0
Majority  | 14,341  | 26.5  | -16.0
Turnout | 54,706  | 78.0  | +0.1
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
1965 East Grinstead by-election[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 24,896  | 55.0  | +1.8
| Liberal | Richard Holme | 14,279  | 31.5  | +4.8
| Labour | Jon Antony A Evans  | 6,101  | 13.5  | -6.4
Majority  | 10,617  | 23.5  | -3.0
Turnout | 45,276  | 64.5  | -13.5
| Conservative hold | Swing | -1.4  |
General election 1966: East Grinstead[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 31,595  | 53.2  | 0.0
| Liberal | James H Downie  | 13,611  | 27.0  | +0.3
| Labour | Arthur Harris Roberts  | 11,938  | 19.8  | 0.0
Majority  | 17,984  | 26.2  | -0.3
Turnout | 57,144  | 76.8  | -1.2
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1970s[edit]

General election 1970: East Grinstead[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 38,359  | 61.2  | +8.0
| Liberal | David Carleton Bruce Smithers  | 12,343  | 19.7  | -7.3
| Labour | Tony Banks | 12,014  | 19.2  | -0.6
Majority  | 26,016  | 41.5  | +15.3
Turnout | 62,716  | 72.5  | -4.3
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election February 1974: East Grinstead[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 23,928  | 53.3  | -7.9
| Liberal | Peter Hasler Billenness  | 15,351  | 34.2  | +14.5
| Labour | William J Short  | 5,629  | 12.5  | -6.7
Majority  | 8,577  | 19.1  | -22.4
Turnout | 44,908  | 81.5  | +9.0
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election October 1974: East Grinstead[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 22,035  | 53.2  | -0.1
| Liberal | Paul Hayden  | 12,755  | 30.8  | -3.4
| Labour | David William John Blake  | 6,648  | 16.0  | +3.5
Majority  | 9,280  | 22.4  | +3.3
Turnout | 41,438  | 74.5  | -7.0
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |
General election 1979: East Grinstead[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Geoffrey Johnson-Smith | 28,279  | 62.0  | +8.8
| Liberal | Jeremy Nieboer  | 11,102  | 24.4  | -6.4
| Labour | RJ Taylor  | 6,196  | 13.6  | -2.4
Majority  | 17,177  | 37.6  | +15.2
Turnout | 45,577  | 77.1  | +2.6
| Conservative hold | Swing |  |

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
2. ^ "RUSSELL, Thomas II, of Chichester, Suss. | History of Parliament Online".
3. ^ a b "ALFRAY, John II, of East Grinstead, Suss. | History of Parliament Online".
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
8. ^ The Liberal Magazine, 1939
9. ^ a b c d e f British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
10. ^ a b F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973
11. ^ a b c British parliamentary election results, 1974-1983 by FWS Craig

* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
* Election results, 1950 - 1979
* Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 404\. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
* Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 481\. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.

## Further reading[edit]

* Hills, Wallace Henry (c. 1906). "The Borough of East Grinstead and its Members of Parliament". The History of East Grinstead: The rise and progress of the town and the history of its institutions & People. Farncombe. Retrieved 29 October 2010.