A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Gravesend | |
|---|---|
| Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Gravesend in Kent, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983 | |
| 1868–1983 | |
| Seats | one |
| Created from | West Kent |
| Replaced by | Gravesham and Medway[1] |
Gravesend was a county constituency centred on the town of Gravesend, Kent which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election. It is most notable for being a bellwether, with the winner of Gravesend (and its successor Gravesham) winning every election from 1918 through to the present day except for 1929, 1951, and 2005.
Boundaries
1868–1885: The parishes of Gravesend, Milton, and Northfleet.[2]
1918–1950: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban District of Northfleet, and the Rural Districts of Hoo and Strood.
1950–1955: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban Districts of Northfleet and Swanscombe,[3] and the Rural District of Strood.
1955–1983: The Borough of Gravesend, the Urban District of Northfleet, and the Rural District of Strood.
Members of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 1860s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles John Wingfield | 1,237 | 53.6 | ||
| Conservative | Bedford Pim | 1,069 | 46.4 | ||
| Majority | 168 | 7.2 | |||
| Turnout | 2,306 | 84.7 | |||
| Registered electors | 2,722 | ||||
| Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
Elections in the 1870s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Bedford Pim | 1,355 | 54.3 | +7.9 | |
| Liberal | Charles John Wingfield | 1,142 | 45.7 | −7.9 | |
| Majority | 214 | 8.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,497 | 87.4 | +2.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,856 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.9 | |||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Thomas Bevan | 1,544 | 52.1 | +6.4 | |
| Conservative | Francis Wyatt Truscott | 1,422 | 47.9 | −6.4 | |
| Majority | 122 | 4.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 2,966 | 90.3 | +2.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,286 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.4 | |||
The 1880 election was declared void on account of bribery, whereby Bevan had "given his men a holiday and paid them their wages".[5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sydney Waterlow | 1,504 | 53.9 | +1.8 | |
| Conservative | Robert Peel | 1,284 | 46.1 | −1.8 | |
| Majority | 220 | 7.8 | +3.6 | ||
| Turnout | 2,788 | 84.8 | -5.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,286 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +1.8 | |||