Mid Glamorganshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Mid Glamorganshire
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1885–1918
Number of members	one

Mid Glamorganshire was a county constituency in Glamorganshire, Wales. 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.

Overview

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1918 general election.

Boundaries

Created in the redistribution of seats in 1885 & from the old Glamorganshire constituency which had been in existence since 1541, the seat covered a wide area that included Maesteg, Llangeinor, Llynfi Valley, Aberpergwm, Margam Park, Briton Ferry, Glyncorrwg, Resolven. It was scrapped in the next redistribution of seats that took place in 1918.

History

Following the creation of the seat in 1885, this predominantly mining constituency, which included the Llyfni, Garw and Ogmore valleys, was initially represented by Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, who had served as a member for the Glamorgan county seat since 1832. Despite his venerable status the Liberal Association initially considered other candidates including Gwilym Williams and J. Carvell Williams.

Upon Talbot's death in 1890, his successor was Samuel Thomas Evans, a grocer's son from Skewen who was initially a militant nonconformist radical and supporter of Welsh Home Rule through Cymru Fydd. Evans, however, later toned down his radicalism on achieving ministerial office.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot	Liberal
	1892	Samuel Thomas Evans	Liberal
	Apr 1910	Frederick William Gibbins	Liberal
	Dec 1910	John Hugh Edwards	Liberal
1918		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

The seat was held in 1886 by the Liberals unopposed.

Elections in the 1890s

The seat was held in 1892 by the Liberals who obtained a majority of 4,216. In the General Election of July/August 1895 the Liberal Party held the constituency against the Conservative Party, obtaining an 2,677 vote majority.

Elections in the 1900s

S.T. Evans

General Election 25 September - 24 October 1900: Mid Glamorganshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Thomas Evans	7,027	75.8
	Conservative	H.Phillips	2,244	24.2
Majority			4,783	51.6
Turnout			9,271	67.8
	Liberal hold		Swing

In the General Election of January/February 1906 and in the by-election of October 1906, Samuel Thomas Evans of the Liberal Party was returned Unopposed.

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 15 January - 20 February 1910: Mid Glamorganshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir Samuel Thomas Evans	13,175	79.6	+3.8
	Conservative	Godfrey Williams	3,382	20.4	-3.8
Majority			9,793	59.2	+7.6
Turnout			16,557	82.7	'
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.8

Mid Glamorganshire by-election, April 1910

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Frederick William Gibbins	8,920	59.0	-20.6
	Labour	Vernon Hartshorn	6,210	41.0	N/A
Majority			2,710	17.9	-41.2
Turnout			15,130	75.6	-7.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	-10.3

General Election 3rd - 19 December 1910: Mid Glamorganshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Hugh Edwards	7,624	55.5	-3.4
	Labour	Vernon Hartshorn	6,102	44.5	+3.4
Majority			1,522	11.1	-6.8
Turnout			13,726	68.6	-7.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.4

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Mid Glamorgan
• Boundary Commission Map Report from 1885 showing detailed original maps used
• A map of Glamorganshire in 1885, showing its new divisions.
• The National Library for Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (John Hugh Edwards)
• The National Library for Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Frederick William Gibbins)
• The National Library for Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Samuel Thomas Evans)
• The National Library for Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Vernon Hartshorn)

Notes and references

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 1)