Pontypool (UK Parliament constituency)

Pontypool

Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–1983
Seats| one
Created from| North Monmouthshire and South Monmouthshire
Replaced by| Torfaen

Pontypool was a county constituency in the town of Pontypool in Monmouthshire. 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 voting system.

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election, and was replaced with Torfaen for the 1983 general election. This was to correspond with the name and area of the Torfaen local authority created in 1974. The Torfaen constituency contained the whole of the old Pontypool seat, adding just 247 electors from Monmouth.

## Boundaries[edit]

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Abersychan, Blaenavon, Llanfrechfa Upper, Llantarnam, Panteg, and Pontypool.

1950–1983: The Urban Districts of Blaenavon, Cwmbran, and Pontypool.

## Members of Parliament[edit]

Election | Member | Party

|
|

| 1918 | Thomas Griffiths | Labour
| 1935 | Arthur Jenkins | Labour
| 1946 by-election | Granville West | Labour
| 1958 by-election | Leo Abse | Labour
1983 | constituency abolished

## Election results[edit]

### Elections in the 1910s[edit]

McKenna General election 1918: Pontypool[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 8,438  | 39.0  |
C | Unionist | Leonard Wilkinson Llewelyn[2] | 7,021  | 32.5  |
| Liberal | Reginald McKenna | 6,160  | 28.5  |
Majority  | 1,417  | 6.5  |
Turnout | 21,619  | 72.1  |
| Labour win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

### Elections in the 1920s[edit]

General election 1922: Pontypool [3] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 11,198  | 40.6  | +1.6
| Unionist | Thomas George Jones  | 8,654  | 31.4  | -1.1
| Liberal | Robert Connell | 7,733  | 28.0  | -0.5
Majority  | 2,544  | 9.2  | +2.7
Turnout | 27,585  | 85.0  | +12.9
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.3  |
General election 1923: Pontypool [3] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 13,770  | 50.6  | +10.0
| Liberal | S.J. Robins  | 13,444  | 49.4  | +21.4
Majority  | 326  | 1.2  | -8.0
Turnout | 27,214  | 81.6  | -3.4
| Labour hold | Swing | -5.7  |
General election 1924: Pontypool[1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 15,378  | 52.6  | +2.0
| Unionist | Lionel Beaumont-Thomas | 13,831  | 47.4  | New
Majority  | 1,547  | 5.2  | +4.0
Turnout | 29,209  | 84.5  | +2.9
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1929: Pontypool [1] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 17,805  | 51.5  | -1.1
| Liberal | Geoffrey Crawshay | 12,581  | 36.4  | New
| Unionist | Gwilym Rowlands | 4,188  | 12.1  | -35.4
Majority  | 5,224  | 15.1  | +9.9
Turnout | 34,574  | 84.6  | +0.1
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1930s[edit]

General election 1931: Pontypool[1][4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Thomas Griffiths | 18,981  | 56.34  | +4.8
| National Liberal | Thomas Keens | 14,709  | 43.66  | +7.3
Majority  | 4,272  | 12.68  | -2.4
Turnout | 33,690  | 81.99  | -2.6
Registered electors | 41,090  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -1.25  |
General election 1935: Pontypool[1][5] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Arthur Jenkins | 22,346  | 67.92  | +11.58
| Conservative | Leonard Caplan  | 10,555  | 32.08  | -11.58
Majority  | 11,791  | 35.84  | +23.16
Turnout | 32,901  | 78.55  | -3.44
| Labour hold | Swing | +11.58  |

### Elections in the 1940s[edit]

General election 1945: Pontypool[1][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Arthur Jenkins | 27,455  | 77.28  | +9.36
| Conservative | John Gabriel Weeple  | 8,072  | 22.72  | -9.36
Majority  | 19,383  | 54.56  | +18.72
Turnout | 35,527  | 77.17  | -1.38
| Labour hold | Swing | +9.36  |
1946 Pontypool by-election Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Granville West | 23,359  | 74.09  | -3.19
| Conservative | P. Welch  | 8,170  | 25.91  | +3.19
Majority  | 15,189  | 48.17  | -6.39
Turnout | 31,529  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1950s[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Granville West | 28,267  | 72.25  | -5.03
| Conservative | Arthur Russell  | 6,616  | 16.91  | -5.81
| Liberal | Ernest Aneurin Robert Mathias  | 4,240  | 10.84  | New
Majority  | 21,651  | 55.34  | +0.78
Turnout | 39,123  | 84.78  | +7.61
| Labour hold | Swing | +0.39  |
General election 1951: Pontypool[8] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Granville West | 29,553  | 75.74  | +3.49
| Conservative | Aylwin O Hewitt  | 9,464  | 24.26  | +7.35
Majority  | 20,089  | 51.49  | -3.85
Turnout | 39,017  | 84.29  | -0.49
| Labour hold | Swing | -1.93  |
General election 1955: Pontypool[9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Granville West | 26,372  | 72.91  | -2.83
| Conservative | Aylwin O Hewitt  | 9,800  | 27.09  | +2.83
Majority  | 16,572  | 45.81  | -5.68
Turnout | 36,172  | 77.09  | -7.20
| Labour hold | Swing | -2.83  |
1958 Pontypool by-election[10] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 20,000  | 68.49  | -4.42
| Conservative | Paul S Thomas  | 6,273  | 21.48  | -5.61
| Plaid Cymru | Benjamin CL Morgan  | 2,927  | 10.02  | New
Majority  | 13,727  | 47.01  | +1.2
Turnout | 29,200  | 61.7  | -15.4
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1959: Pontypool[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 26,755  | 70.08  | -2.83
| Conservative | Paul S Thomas  | 8,903  | 23.32  | -3.77
| Plaid Cymru | Benjamin CL Morgan  | 2,519  | 6.60  | N/A
Majority  | 17,852  | 46.76  | +0.95
Turnout | 38,177  | 80.45  | +3.36
| Labour hold | Swing | +0.47  |

### Elections in the 1960s[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 27,852  | 74.57  | +4.49
| Conservative | Paul D Mendel  | 8,169  | 21.87  | -1.45
| Communist | W Edward Jones  | 1,329  | 3.56  | New
Majority  | 19,683  | 52.70  | +5.94
Turnout | 37,350  | 77.77  | -2.68
Registered electors | 48,024  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.97  |
General election 1966: Pontypool[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 27,909  | 77.05  | +2.48
| Conservative | Peter T James  | 7,418  | 20.48  | -1.39
| Communist | W Edward Jones  | 897  | 2.48  | -1.08
Majority  | 20,491  | 56.57  | +3.87
Turnout | 36,224  | 75.40  | -2.37
Registered electors | 48,040  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing | +1.94  |

### Elections in the 1970s[edit]

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

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 27,402  | 70.70  |
| Conservative | W Mather Bell  | 8,869  | 22.88  |
| Plaid Cymru | Harri Webb  | 2,053  | 5.30  | New
| Communist | Brian Watkinson  | 435  | 1.12  |
Majority  | 18,533  | 47.82  |
Turnout | 38,759  | 71.94  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election February 1974: Pontypool[15][16] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 25,133  | 59.68  | -11.02
| Liberal | Ernest Aneurin Robert Mathias  | 7,668  | 18.21  | New
| Conservative | Wellesley Theodore Octavius Wallace  | 7,497  | 17.80  | -5.08
| Plaid Cymru | Roger David Tanner  | 1,318  | 3.13  | -2.17
| Communist | Graham Robert Williams  | 498  | 1.18  | -0.06
Majority  | 17,465  | 41.47  | -6.35
Turnout | 42,114  | 77.01  | +5.07
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election October 1974: Pontypool[15][17] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 25,381  | 63.40  | +3.72
| Conservative | Robert John Moreland | 6,686  | 16.70  | -1.10
| Liberal | Ernest Aneurin Robert Mathias  | 5,744  | 14.35  | -3.86
| Plaid Cymru | Roger David Tanner  | 2,223  | 5.55  | +2.42
Majority  | 18,695  | 46.70  | +5.23
Turnout | 40,034  | 72.66  | -3.35
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.41  |
General election 1979: Pontypool[15][18] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Leo Abse | 27,751  | 61.93  | -1.47
| Conservative | Tom Sackville | 10,383  | 23.17  | +6.47
| Liberal | Ernest Aneurin Robert Mathias  | 5,508  | 12.29  | -2.06
| Plaid Cymru | William James Hyde  | 1,169  | 2.61  | -2.94
Majority  | 17,368  | 38.76  | -7.94
Turnout | 44,811  | 78.36  | +5.70
| Labour hold | Swing | -3.97  |

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
2. ^ ‘LLEWELYN, Sir Leonard Wilkinson’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 18 Sept 2017
3. ^ a b Etholiadau'r ganrif 1885-1997, Beti Jones
4. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1931". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
5. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1935". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
6. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1945". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
7. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
8. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
10. ^ "1958 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
11. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
12. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
13. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
14. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
15. ^ a b c "'Pontypool', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
16. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
17. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results October 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
18. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1979". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2016.

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