Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)

Harrow was a constituency of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament 1885—1945 in Middlesex, a traditional county; it covered an area forming part of the north-west of today's Greater London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP).

Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
Semi-rural UK House of Commons seat Harrow, or the Harrow Division of Middlesex created in 1885 before substantially reduced in 1918.
Harrow 1885-1918
Semi-rural UK House of Commons seat Harrow, or the Harrow Division of Middlesex created in 1885 before substantially reduced in 1918.
Harrow 1918-1945
18851945
Seatsone
Created fromMiddlesex
Replaced byWembley North and Wembley South
Harrow East (part of), Harrow West (part of) and Ealing West (minor contribution to)
During its existence contributed to new seat(s) of:Hendon (all), Willesden West (all) and Willesden East (all)

The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, substantially reduced on the creation of more seats in 1918 and abolished for the 1945 general election.

The 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies initially proposed recreating the constituency, with boundaries similar to that of Harrow West.[1]

Boundaries

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  • 1885–1918: The Parishes of Edgware, Great Stanmore, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Hendon, Kingsbury, Little Stanmore, Pinner, Twyford Abbey and Willesden (and the area in the Parliamentary Boroughs of Hampstead, Marylebone, Paddington and St Pancras; for many wealthy voters this sub-provision gave a choice of which seat to vote for).[2][3]
  • 1918–1945: The Urban Districts of Harrow on the Hill, Greenford, Wealdstone, and Wembley and part (the non-detached part) of Hanwell.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member Party
1885 William Ambrose Conservative
1899 by-election Irwin Cox Conservative
1906 James Gibb Liberal
Jan. 1910 Harry Mallaby-Deeley Conservative
1918 Oswald Mosley Conservative
1922 Independent
1924 Labour
1924 Sir Isidore Salmon Conservative
1941 by-election Norman Bower Conservative
1945 constituency abolished: see Harrow East and Harrow West

Election results

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Elections in the 1880s

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Milner
General election 1885: Harrow [4][5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Ambrose 4,214 56.5
Liberal Alfred Milner 3,241 43.5
Majority 973 13.0
Turnout 7,455 71.4
Registered electors 10,438
Conservative win (new seat)
General election 1886: Harrow [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Ambrose Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

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Ambrose
General election 1892: Harrow [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Ambrose 6,047 63.8 N/A
Liberal Isaac Thomas Sadler 3,428 36.2 New
Majority 2,619 27.6 N/A
Turnout 9,475 67.8 N/A
Registered electors 13,966
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: Harrow [4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Ambrose Unopposed
Conservative hold

Ambrose is appointed Attorney-General of the Duchy of Lancaster, requiring a by-election.

1895 Harrow by-election[4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Ambrose Unopposed
Conservative hold

Ambrose resigned after being appointed as a Master in Lunacy, requiring a by-election.

1899 Harrow by-election[4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Irwin Cox 6,303 54.8 N/A
Liberal Corrie Grant 5,198 45.2 New
Majority 1,105 9.6 N/A
Turnout 11,501 62.4 N/A
Registered electors 18,444
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1900s

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General election 1900: Harrow [4][5][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Irwin Cox Unopposed
Conservative hold
 
Gibb
General election 1906: Harrow [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Gibb 11,393 50.9 New
Liberal Unionist William Peel 10,977 49.1 N/A
Majority 416 1.8 N/A
Turnout 22,370 78.1 N/A
Registered electors 28,627
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

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General election January 1910: Harrow [4][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Mallaby-Deeley 16,761 55.3 +6.2
Liberal Percy Harris 13,575 44.7 −6.2
Majority 3,186 10.6 N/A
Turnout 30,336 85.7 +7.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.2
General election December 1910: Harrow [4][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Mallaby-Deeley Unopposed
Conservative hold

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;

 
Mosley
General election 1918: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Oswald Mosley 13,959 82.3 N/A
Independent Arthur Robert Chamberlayne 3,007 17.7 New
Majority 10,934 64.6 N/A
Turnout 16,957 50.4 N/A
Registered electors 33,651
Unionist hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Chamberlayne was nominated by the non-party Harrow Electors League

Elections in the 1920s

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General election 1922: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Oswald Mosley 15,290 66.0 N/A
Unionist Charles Ward-Jackson 7,868 34.0 −48.3
Majority 7,422 32.0 N/A
Turnout 23,158 65.1 +14.7
Registered electors 35,592
Independent gain from Unionist Swing
General election 1923: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Oswald Mosley 14,079 59.9 −6.1
Unionist Edward Hugh Frederick Morris 9,433 40.1 +6.1
Majority 4,646 19.8 −12.2
Turnout 23,512 64.5 −0.6
Registered electors 36,475
Independent hold Swing −6.1
General election 1924: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Isidore Salmon 16,526 54.5 +14.4
Labour Kenneth Lindsay 9,507 31.3 New
Liberal Sir Robert Blair 4,320 14.2 New
Majority 7,019 23.2 N/A
Turnout 30,353 78.5 +14.0
Registered electors 38,644
Unionist gain from Independent Swing
General election 1929: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Isidore Salmon 22,466 42.7 −11.8
Labour Hubert Beaumont 15,684 29.8 −1.5
Liberal Clement Edward Page Taylor 12,554 23.8 +9.6
Ind. Unionist WJ Sholl 1,965 3.7 New
Majority 6,782 12.9 −10.3
Turnout 52,669 74.3 −4.2
Registered electors 70,849
Unionist hold Swing −5.2

Elections in the 1930s

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General election 1931: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Isidore Salmon 48,068 71.0 +28.3
Labour George Sandilands 14,241 21.0 −8.8
Liberal Henry Cecil Banting 5,444 8.0 −15.8
Majority 33,827 50.0 +37.1
Turnout 67,753 72.1 −2.2
Conservative hold Swing +18.5
General election 1935: Harrow[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Isidore Salmon 52,729 62.7 −8.3
Labour Helen Bentwich 31,422 37.3 +16.3
Majority 21,307 25.4 −24.6
Turnout 84,151 64.4 −7.7
Conservative hold Swing -12.3

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;

Elections in the 1940s

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1941 Harrow by-election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Norman Bower 14,540 80.9 +18.2
Independent Democrat Winifred Clarice Henney 3,433 19.1 New
Majority 11,107 61.8 +36.4
Turnout 17,973 10.7 −53.7
Conservative hold Swing

References

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  1. ^ "BCE Consultation Portal".
  2. ^ "The public general acts". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports.
  3. ^ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Seventh Schedule—Counties at Large, Part I—England
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  6. ^ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  7. ^ a b c d Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  8. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  10. ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
  11. ^ British Fascism, the Labour Movement and the State by N. Copsey, D. Renton