Southwark (UK Parliament constituency) facts for kids

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Southwark in London, 1868–85

Southwark in London, 1950–74

Southwark (ⁱ/ˈsʌðərk/ SUDH-ərk) was a constituency centred on the Southwark district of South London. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament from 1295 to 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the UK Parliament until its first abolition for the 1885 general election. A seat of the same name, covering a smaller area than the last form of the earlier seat in the west of the original and beyond its boundaries to the southwest, was created in 1950 and abolished in 1974.

In its last creation the seat's broad electorate heavily supported the three successive Labour candidates, who won Southwark with a majority of greater than 36% of the votes cast at its eight elections – an extremely safe seat.

Creation, boundaries, abolition
Members of Parliament
Election results
Sources

Creation, boundaries, abolition

First creation – or Southwark dual-member constituency

The constituency was created in 1295 as a parliamentary borough (also known as burgh) when its electorate was restricted to the owners of certain properties in its main streets of its burgage, returning two 'burgesses' as they were sometimes called. Its electorate was expanded to a more standard franchise in 1832. In 1833 the electorate was 4,775 adult males and this had risen to 23,472 by 1880.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 replaced the two-member constituency with the seats West Southwark, Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.

Second creation – or Southwark seat

A seat taking the old constituency name was established for the 1950 general election. Its boundaries were unaltered in the 1955 corrective review and it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	Henry Thymelby	William Beeche
1388 (Feb)	John Northampton	William Porter
1388 (Sep)	Roger Chandler	Richard atte Vine
1390 (Jan)	William Wintringham	John Mucking
1390 (Nov)
1391	William Spalding	Walter Segrave
1393	John Solas	Thomas Solas
1394
1395	John Solas	John Mucking
1397 (Jan)	Thomas atte Gill
1397 (Sep)	William Derby
1399	Ralph Spalding	John Parker
1401
1402	John Gofaire	John Mucking
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	John Baker	Thomas Spencer
1407	Thomas Colman	John Deken
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	William Horton	Thomas Spencer
1414 (Apr)	John William	John Welles
1414 (Nov)	John Solas	William Kirton
1415	William Redstone	Thomas Spencer
1416 (Mar)	John Solas	John Mucking
1416 (Oct)
1417	William Kirton	John Deken
1419	Robert William	John Welles
1420	William Kirton	John Deken
1421 (May)	William Redstone	John Deken
1421 (Dec)	Thomas Dewy	Thomas Lucas
1510–1523	No names known
1529	Sir John Shilston, died 1530	Robert Acton
1536	Thomas Bulla	?
1539	Sir Richard Long	Robert Acton
1542	Robert Acton	Thomas Bulla
1545	?	William Gyllam
1547	Sir John Gates, repl. by Jan 1552 by John Sayer	Richard Fulmerston
1553 (Mar)	John Eston	John Sayer
1553 (Oct)	Humphrey Colet
1554 (Apr)	John Eston
1554 (Nov)
1555		Humphrey Colet
1558		Robert Freeman
1559		Robert Freeman
1562–3	Thomas Cure	Oliffe Burr
1571	Thomas Cure	William Wilson
1572	Oliffe Burr	Thomas Way
1584	Thomas Way	Richard Hutton
1586	Thomas Cure	Richard Hutton
1588–9	Richard Hutton	William Pratt
1593	Hugh Browker	Richard Hutton
1597	Edmund Bowyer	Richard Hutton
1601	Mathew Dale	Zachariah Locke
1604–1611	Sir George Rivers	William Counden
1614	Edward Coxe	Richard Yarward
1621	Richard Yarward	Robert Bromfield
1624		Robert Bromfield
1625		William Coxe
1626
1628
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1885

Election	First Member		First Party		Second Party
April 1640		Robert Holborne		Richard Tuffnell
November 1640		Edward Bagshawe	Royalist	John White	Parliamentarian
January 1644	Bagshawe disabled from sitting – seat vacant			John White	Parliamentarian
1645		George Thomson		George Snelling
1653	Southwark was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament
1654		Samuel Highland		Robert Warcup
1656		Samuel Highland		Peter De La Noy
January 1659		George Thomson		Andrew Brewer
April 1660		John Langham		Sir Thomas Bludworth
1661		George Moore
1666		Sir Thomas Clarges
1679		Sir Richard How		Peter Rich
1685		Sir Peter Daniel		Anthony Bowyer
1689		John Arnold		Sir Peter Rich
1690		John Arnold		Anthony Bowyer
1695		Sir Charles Cox	Whig	Anthony Bowyer
1698				John Cholmley	Whig
January 1712				Edmund Halsey
February 1712				Sir George Matthews
1713		John Lade	Tory	Fisher Tench	Whig
1722		George Meggott		Edmund Halsey	Whig
1724 by-election		John Lade	Tory
1727		Sir Joseph Eyles	Whig
1730 by-election		Sir Joseph Eyles	Whig	Thomas Inwen
1734		George Heathcote	Tory
1741		Ralph Thrale
1743 by-election		Ralph Thrale		Alexander Hume
1747		William Belchier		Alexander Hume
1754		William Belchier		William Hammond
1761		Joseph Mawbey		Alexander Hume
1765 by-election		Joseph Mawbey		Henry Thrale	Pro-Government Chathamite/Northite
1774		Nathaniel Polhill	Radical	Henry Thrale	Pro-Government Chathamite/Northite
1780		Nathaniel Polhill	Radical	Sir Richard Hotham
1782 by-election		Henry Thornton	Tory	Sir Richard Hotham
April 1784				Sir Barnard Turner	Independent
June 1784 by-election				Paul Le Mesurier	Tory
May 1796				George Woodford Thellusson	Tory
December 1796 by-election				George Tierney	Whig
1806				Sir Thomas Turton, Bt	Tory
1812				Charles Calvert	Whig
1815 by-election		Charles Barclay
1818		Sir Robert Wilson	Radical
Aug 1830				John Rawlinson Harris
Nov 1830 by-election				Charles Calvert
1831		William Brougham	Whig	Charles Calvert
1832		William Brougham	Whig	John Humphery	Whig
1835		Daniel Whittle Harvey	Radical
1840 by-election		Benjamin Wood	Whig
1845 by-election		Sir William Molesworth	Radical
1852		Sir William Molesworth	Radical	Apsley Pellatt	Radical
1855 by-election		Sir Charles Napier	Radical	Apsley Pellatt	Radical
1857			Radical	John Locke	Radical
1859			Liberal		Liberal
1860 by-election		Austen Henry Layard	Liberal
1870 by-election		Marcus Beresford	Conservative
1880 by-election		Marcus Beresford	Conservative	Edward Clarke	Conservative
1880		Arthur Cohen	Liberal	Thorold Rogers	Liberal
1885	constituency abolished: creating all of Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Southwark West

MPs 1950–1974

Election		Member	Party
	1950	George Isaacs	Labour
	1959	Ray Gunter
	1972 by-election	Harry Lamborn
Feb 1974		constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Rawlinson Harris	1,664	40.7
	Radical	Robert Wilson	1,434	35.0
	Whig	Charles Calvert	995	24.3
Majority			230	5.7	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing
Majority			439	10.7	N/A
Turnout			2,635
	Radicals hold		Swing

Harris' death caused a by-election.

By-election November 1830: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Calvert	1,066	62.4	−2.6
	Tory	Thomas Farncomb	643	37.6	New
Majority			423	24.8	+19.1
Turnout			1,709
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1831: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Calvert	Unopposed
	Whig	William Brougham	Unopposed
	Whig hold
	Whig gain from Radical

General election 1832: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Brougham	2,264	45.2	*N/A*
	Whig	John Humphery	1,708	34.1	*N/A*
	Whig	Lancelot Baugh Allen	1,040	20.8	N/A
	Radical	Thomas Lamie Murray	0	0.0	New
Majority			668	13.3	N/A
Turnout			2,810	58.8	N/A
Registered electors			4,775
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1835: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Humphery	Unopposed
	Radicals	Daniel Whittle Harvey	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,249
	Whig hold
	Radical gain from Whig

General election 1837: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Humphery	1,941	41.1	*N/A*
	Radical	Daniel Whittle Harvey	1,927	40.9	*N/A*
	Conservative	John Richards	847	18.0	New
	Conservative	Benjamin Harrison	2	0.0	New
Turnout			2,898	52.9	N/A
Registered electors			5,477
Majority			14	0.2	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			1,080	22.9	N/A
	Radicals hold		Swing	N/A

Harvey was appointed a registrar of Metropolitan Public Carriages, causing a by-election.

By-election, 27 February 1839: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radicals	Daniel Whittle Harvey	Unopposed
	Radicals hold

Elections in the 1840s

Harvey resigned after being appointed a Commissioner of Police for the City of London, causing a by-election.

By-election, 24 January 1840: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Benjamin Wood	2,059	57.3	+16.2
	Conservative	John Walter	1,535	42.7	+24.7
Majority			524	14.6	+14.3
Turnout			3,594	71.2	+18.3
Registered electors			5,047
	Whig gain from Radicals		Swing	−4.3

General election 1841: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Humphery	Unopposed
	Whig	Benjamin Wood	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,124
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

Wood's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 12 September 1845: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Molesworth	1,943	55.9	*New*
	Conservative	Jeremiah Pilcher	1,182	34.0	New
	Radical	Edward Miall	352	10.1	New
Majority			761	21.9	N/A
Turnout			3,477	65.0	N/A
Registered electors			5,353
	Radicals gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General election 1847: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Humphery	Unopposed
	Radicals	William Molesworth	Unopposed
Registered electors			7,989
	Whig hold
	Radical gain from Whig

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Molesworth	3,941	36.7	*N/A*
	Radical	Apsley Pellatt	3,887	36.2	*N/A*
	Radical	George Scovell	2,909	27.1	N/A
Majority			978	9.1	N/A
Turnout			5,369 (est)	56.8 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			9,458
	Radicals hold
	Radical gain from Whig

Molesworth was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1 January 1853: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radicals	William Molesworth	Unopposed
	Radicals hold

Molesworth was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 27 July 1855: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radicals	William Molesworth	Unopposed
	Radicals hold

Molesworth's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 20 November 1855: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radicals	Charles Napier	Unopposed
	Radicals hold

General election 1857: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Charles Napier	3,991	39.4	+2.7
	Radical	John Locke	3,647	36.0	*N/A*
	Radical	Apsley Pellatt	2,499	24.7	−11.5
Majority			1,148	11.3	+2.2
Turnout			5,069 (est)	49.8 (est)	−7.0
Registered electors			10,170
	Radicals hold
	Radicals hold

General election 1859: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Napier	4,446	38.9	−0.5
	Liberal	John Locke	4,255	37.2	+1.2
	Liberal	Apsley Pellatt	2,730	23.9	−0.8
Majority			1,525	13.3	+2.0
Turnout			5,716 (est)	53.9 (est)	+4.1
Registered electors			10,606
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Napier's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 12 December 1860: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Austen Henry Layard	4,572	57.5	*N/A*
	Liberal	George Scovell	3,377	42.5	N/A
Majority			1,195	15.0	+1.7
Turnout			7,949	70.5	+16.6
Registered electors			11,278
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Locke was appointed Recorder of Brighton, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 24 April 1861: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Locke	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1865: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Locke	Unopposed
	Liberal	Austen Henry Layard	Unopposed
Registered electors			11,631
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

General election 1868: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Locke	6,027	41.8	*N/A*
	Liberal	Austen Henry Layard	5,908	40.9	*N/A*
	Conservative	William Cotton	2,495	17.3	New
Majority			3,413	23.6	N/A
Turnout			8,463 (est)	47.8 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			17,703
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Layard was appointed First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 21 December 1868: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Austen Henry Layard	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

Layard resigned after being appointed British ambassador to Spain.

By-election, 17 Feb 1870: Southwark (1 seat)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marcus Beresford	4,686	38.9	+21.6
	Lib-Lab	George Odger	4,382	36.4	New
	Liberal	Sydney Waterlow	2,966	24.6	−58.1
Majority			304	2.5	N/A
Turnout			12,034	68.0	+20.2
Registered electors			17,703
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+39.9

General election 1874: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Locke	5,901	32.4	−9.4
	Conservative	Marcus Beresford	5,716	31.3	+14.0
	Lib-Lab	George Odger	3,496	19.2	N/A
	Liberal	Andrew Dunn	3,121	17.1	−23.8
Turnout			11,975 (est)	58.6 (est)	+10.8
Registered electors			23,472
Majority			185	1.1	−22.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	−8.2
Majority			2,220	12.2	N/A
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+15.3

Elections in the 1880s

Locke's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 14 Feb 1880: Southwark (1 seat)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edward Clarke	7,683	50.2	+18.9
	Liberal	Andrew Dunn	6,830	44.6	−4.9
	Lib-Lab	George Shipton	799	5.2	−14.0
Majority			853	5.6	N/A
Turnout			15,312	65.2	+6.6
Registered electors			23,472
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+11.9

General election 1880: Southwark (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Cohen	9,693	27.7	−4.7
	Liberal	Thorold Rogers	9,521	27.2	+10.1
	Conservative	Edward Clarke	8,163	23.3	+7.6
	Conservative	Mark Cattley	7,674	21.9	+6.2
Majority			1,358	3.9	+2.8
Turnout			17,526 (est)	74.7 (est)	+16.1
Registered electors			23,472
	Liberal hold		Swing	−5.5
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.3

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Isaacs	35,049	68.27
	Conservative	James Greenwood (MP)	12,671	24.68
	Liberal	Lionel Fowler	2,950	5.75
	Communist	Spencer John Bent	668	1.30
Majority			22,378	43.59
Turnout			51,338	73.98
	Labour win (new seat)

General election 1951: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Isaacs	36,586	72.28
	Conservative	James Greenwood (MP)	14,032	27.72
Majority			22,554	44.56
Turnout			50,618	72.32
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1955: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Isaacs	28,174	70.30
	Conservative	James Greenwood(MP)	10,944	27.31
	Communist	Spencer John Bent	959	2.39	New
Majority			17,230	42.99
Turnout			40,077	60.18
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1959: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ray Gunter	25,036	63.99
	Conservative	James Greenwood (MP)	12,696	32.45
	Communist	Spencer John Bent	1,395	3.57
Majority			12,340	31.54
Turnout			39,127	63.37
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ray Gunter	22,426	68.82
	Conservative	Anthony Paul R Noble	8,563	26.28
	Communist	Spencer John Bent	1,599	4.91
Majority			13,863	42.54
Turnout			32,588	55.86
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1966: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ray Gunter	21,855	73.55
	Conservative	Anthony Paul Noble	6,454	21.72
	Communist	Spencer John Bent	1,404	4.73
Majority			15,401	51.83
Turnout			29,713	54.03
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Southwark
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ray Gunter	16,834	67.33
	Conservative	Jeffrey Gordon	7,040	28.16
	Communist	Earle Hume	1,128	4.51
Majority			9,794	39.17
Turnout			25,002	48.19
	Labour hold		Swing

1972 Southwark by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Lamborn	12,108	79.33	+12.00
	Conservative	Jeffrey Gordon	2,756	18.06	-10.10
	Independent	Brian McDermott	398	2.61	New
Majority			9,352	61.27
Turnout			15,262
	Labour hold		Swing

Sources

Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807
D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) Digital Bodleian
F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 4)

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