Finsbury Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918

Finsbury Central

Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Seats| one
Created from| Finsbury
Replaced by| Finsbury

Finsbury Central was a parliamentary constituency that covered the Clerkenwell district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

## History

[edit]

The constituency was created when the two-member Finsbury constituency was divided by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. It was abolished for the 1918 general election, when it was replaced by a new single-member Finsbury constituency.

## Boundaries

[edit]

Finsbury Central in London 1885-1918

The constituency was created, in 1885, as a division of the parliamentary borough of Finsbury, in the historic county of Middlesex to the north of the City of London. The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of the parish of St James and St John, Clerkenwell.[1]

The seat was mostly located in the Clerkenwell district, with a detached portion at Muswell Hill containing about 5% of the population. The two areas were connected for historic reasons. The Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910, explains that the Knights of St John had once owned more than half of Clerkenwell, including a deer park at Muswell Hill.

In 1889 Clerkenwell was severed from Middlesex to become part of the County of London.

In 1900 the lower tier of local government in London was rationalised. The old local boards and parish vestries were replaced, in the Clerkenwell area, by the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The Muswell Hill area formed part of the Hornsey Urban District, which became the Municipal Borough of Hornsey in 1903.

The local government changes did not affect the parliamentary boundaries until the redistribution of 1918, when the Central division ceased to be a separate constituency.

## Members of Parliament

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Year | Member | Party

|
|

| 1885 | Howard Spensley | Liberal
| 1886 | Frederick Penton | Conservative
| 1892 | Dadabhai Naoroji | Liberal
| 1895 | William Massey-Mainwaring | Conservative
| 1906 | W. C. Steadman | Liberal
| 1910 | Martin Archer-Shee | Conservative
1918 | constituency abolished: see Finsbury

## Election results

[edit]

### Elections in the 1880s

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General election 1885: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Howard Spensley | 2,861  | 55.3  |
| Conservative | Saul Isaac | 2,314  | 44.7  |
Majority  | 547  | 10.6  |
Turnout | 5,175  | 69.4  |
Registered electors | 7,462  |  |
| Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Frederick Penton | 2,245  | 50.1  | +5.4
| Liberal | Howard Spensley | 2,240  | 49.9  | −5.4
Majority  | 5  | 0.2  | N/A
Turnout | 4,485  | 60.1  | −9.3
Registered electors | 7,462  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.4  |

### Elections in the 1890s

[edit]

Naoroji General election 1892: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Dadabhai Naoroji | 2,961  | 50.0  | +0.1
| Conservative | Frederick Penton | 2,956  | 50.0  | −0.1
Majority  | 5  | 0.0  | N/A
Turnout | 5,917  | 71.2  | +11.1
Registered electors | 8,311  |  |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.1  |
Massey-Mainwaring General election 1895: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | William Massey-Mainwaring | 3,588  | 56.3  | +6.3
| Liberal | Dadabhai Naoroji | 2,783  | 43.7  | −6.3
Majority  | 805  | 12.6  | N/A
Turnout | 6,371  | 71.5  | +0.3
Registered electors | 8,911  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +6.3  |

### Elections in the 1900s

[edit]

Benson General election 1900: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | William Massey-Mainwaring | 2,872  | 53.2  | −3.1
| Liberal | Joseph Benson  | 2,523  | 46.8  | +3.1
Majority  | 349  | 6.4  | −6.2
Turnout | 5,395  | 63.3  | −8.2
Registered electors | 8,523  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | −3.1  |
Goulding Steadman General election 1906: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Lib-Lab | W. C. Steadman | 3,493  | 55.5  | +8.7
| Conservative | Edward Goulding | 2,799  | 44.5  | −8.7
Majority  | 694  | 11.0  | N/A
Turnout | 6,292  | 76.0  | +12.7
Registered electors | 8,279  |  |
| Lib-Lab gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.7  |

### Elections in the 1910s

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General election January 1910: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Martin Archer-Shee | 3,559  | 52.8  | +8.3
| Lib-Lab | W. C. Steadman | 3,187  | 47.2  | −8.3
Majority  | 372  | 5.6  | N/A
Turnout | 6,746  | 83.3  | +7.3
| Conservative gain from Lib-Lab | Swing | +8.3  |
General election December 1910: Finsbury Central [2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Martin Archer-Shee | 3,335  | 54.3  | +1.5
| Liberal | Felix Rosenheim  | 2,804  | 45.7  | −1.5
Majority  | 531  | 8.6  | +3.0
Turnout | 6,139  | 75.8  | −7.5
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.5  |

## References

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1. ^ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Sixth Schedule
2. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig

* Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
* British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
* Social Geography of British Elections 1885-1910. by Henry Pelling (Macmillan 1967)
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"

* v
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Historic constituencies in London

1885|

* Battersea
* Bermondsey
* Bethnal Green North East
* Bethnal Green South West
* Bow and Bromley
* Brixton
* Camberwell North
* Chelsea
* City of London
* Clapham
* Deptford
* Dulwich
* Finsbury Central
* Finsbury East
* Fulham
* Greenwich
* Hackney Central
* Hackney North
* Hackney South
* Haggerston
* Hammersmith
* Hampstead
* Holborn
* Hoxton
* Islington East
* Islington North
* Islington South
* Islington West
* Kennington
* Kensington North
* Kensington South
* Lambeth North
* Lewisham
* Limehouse
* Marylebone East
* Marylebone West
* Mile End
* Newington West
* Norwood
* Paddington North
* Paddington South
* Peckham
* Poplar
* Rotherhithe
* Southwark West
* St George
* St George's Hanover Square
* St Pancras East
* St Pancras North
* St Pancras South
* St Pancras West
* Stepney
* Strand
* Walworth
* Wandsworth
* Westminster
* Whitechapel
* Woolwich

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