East Dorset (UK Parliament constituency) explained

East Dorset
Type:County
Parliament:uk
Year:1885
Abolished:1950
Elects Howmany:One
Previous:Dorset, Wareham and Poole
Next:Poole and North Dorset

East Dorset is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was formally known as the Eastern Division of Dorset. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was represented by one Knight of the Shire.

History

Before 1885 the historic county of Dorset, in south-west England, was an undivided three-seat county constituency - see the article on the Dorset constituency. In 1885 the county was divided for Parliamentary purposes into four single-member county constituencies: this constituency, North Dorset, South Dorset and West Dorset (no borough constituencies were created in Dorset in the 1885 redistribution). Each of these divisions comprised roughly a quarter of the area of the county and returned one Member of Parliament.

In the 1918 redistribution, the four Dorset constituencies were retained, but their boundaries were redrawn. East Dorset was reduced in area to about half its former size, with the northern part of the pre-1918 seat being transferred to North Dorset and the southern part to South Dorset.

In the 1950 redistribution, this constituency disappeared. A new borough constituency of Poole was created. Wimborne Minster Urban District and the part of Wimborne and Cranborne Rural District previously in the abolished seat were transferred to the redrawn North Dorset.

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Poole, the Sessional Division of Wimborne, and part of the Sessional Division of Wareham.

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Poole, the Urban District of Wimborne Minster, the Rural District of Poole, and part of the Rural District of Wimborne and Cranborne.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember PartyNotes
1885Pascoe GlynLiberalYounger son of Lord Wolverton
1886George Hawkesworth BondConservativeDied in 1891
1891 by-electionHon. Humphrey SturtConservativeSucceeded as 2nd Baron Alington in 1904
1900
1904 by-electionCharles Henry LyellLiberalMP for Edinburgh South from April 1910
January 1910Hon. Frederick GuestLiberalUnseated on petition in May 1910
June 1910 by-electionHenry GuestLiberalMP for Pembroke & Haverfordwest from Dec 1910
December 1910Frederick GuestLiberalLiberal Chief Whip 1917–1921, Secretary of State for Air 1921–1922
1918Coalition Liberal
1921 by-election
1922Gordon Hall CaineIndependent ConservativeTook Conservative Whip January 1923
1923Conservative
1929Alec Ewart GlasseyLiberal
1931Gordon Hall CaineConservative
1945Mervyn WheatleyConservative
1950constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1890s

Bond's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1910s

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 from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

Elections in the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

See also

References