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
| Accrington | |
|---|---|
| Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Accrington in Lancashire, showing boundaries used from 1974-1983 | |
| County | Lancashire |
| Borough | Accrington |
| 1918–1983 | |
| Seats | 1 |
| Replaced by | Hyndburn |
| 1885–1918 | |
| Seats | 1 |
| Type of constituency | County constituency |
| Created from | North East Lancashire |
Accrington was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
History
 |
The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election. The original county constituency of North East Lancashire was replaced by a borough constituency for the 1918 general election. The constituency was based on the town of Accrington.
From the 1983 general election, the constituency was abolished. The successor seat was Hyndburn, named after the local government area including the town of Accrington. 85.5% of the new seat came from the former Accrington constituency.
Boundaries
This constituency was part of the historic county of Lancashire in North West England.
1885–1918
The constituency, officially named North East Lancashire, Accrington Division consisted of the Municipal Borough of Accrington, and the parishes of Altham, Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Hapton, Huncoat, Oswaldtwistle, and Rishton.[1]
Neighbouring constituencies were Blackburn to the south west and Burnley to the north east and Darwen to the north. Accrington also had short boundaries with Clitheroe at both its north and east borders and Rossendale to the south and south east.[citation needed]
1918–1950
The Representation of the People Act 1918 reorganised constituencies throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Constituencies were defined in terms of the districts created by the Local Government Act 1894.
The Parliamentary Borough of Accrington consisted of the Municipal Borough of Accrington and the Urban Districts of Church, Clayton-le-Moors, Oswaldtwistle, and Rishton. The three parishes of Altham, Hapton and Huncoat passed to the Clitheroe constituency.[2]
1950–1983
The Representation of the People Act 1948 replaced the term "parliamentary borough" with "borough constituency". The Accrington Borough Constituency was defined in the same terms as in the 1918 legislation. However, there were boundary changes reflecting local government changes in the 1930s: the Huncoat area rejoined the constituency as the parish had been absorbed by the Borough of Accrington, while an enlargement of the county borough of Blackburn took away part of Rishton.[3] These boundaries were first used in the 1950 general election.
Abolition
In 1974 local government in England and Wales was reorganised. However, parliamentary boundaries were not altered until 1983. The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983 created new constituencies based on the new districts. A new Hyndburn Borough Constituency was formed. The new seat included the whole of the Accrington constituency with the addition of Altham and Great Harwood.[4]
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Frederick William Grafton | Liberal | |
| 1886 | Robert Hodge | Conservative | |
| 1892 | Sir Joseph Leese | Liberal | |
| 1910 | Harold Baker | Liberal | |
| 1918 | Ernest Gray | Conservative | |
| 1922 | Charles Buxton | Labour | |
| 1923 | Hugh Edwards | Liberal | |
| 1929 | Tom Snowden | Labour | |
| 1931 | Henry Procter | Conservative | |
| 1945 | Walter Scott-Elliot | Labour | |
| 1950 | Henry Hynd | Labour | |
| 1966 | Arthur Davidson | Labour | |
| 1983 | constituency abolished – see Hyndburn | ||
Elections
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Frederick William Grafton | 5,320 | 52.4 | ||
| Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 4,842 | 47.6 | ||
| Majority | 478 | 4.8 | |||
| Turnout | 10,162 | 94.1 | ' | ||
| Registered electors | 10,797 | ||||
| Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 4,971 | 51.1 | +3.5 | |
| Liberal | Joseph Leese | 4,751 | 48.9 | −3.5 | |
| Majority | 220 | 2.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,722 | 90.0 | −4.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,797 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.5 | |||
Elections in the 1890s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Joseph Leese | 6,019 | 52.4 | +3.5 | |
| Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 5,472 | 47.6 | −3.5 | |
| Majority | 547 | 4.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 11,491 | 93.4 | +3.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,309 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Joseph Leese | 5,822 | 51.1 | −1.3 | |
| Conservative | Robert Hermon-Hodge | 5,564 | 48.9 | +1.3 | |
| Majority | 258 | 2.2 | −2.6 | ||
| Turnout | 11,386 | 92.1 | −1.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,361 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −1.3 | |||