Bolton (UK Parliament constituency)

Bolton was a borough constituency centred on the town of Bolton in the county of Lancashire. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons for the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

Created by the Reform Act 1832, it was represented by two Members of Parliament. The constituency was abolished in 1950, being split into single-member divisions of Bolton East and Bolton West.

Members of Parliament

Election	1st member		1st party	2nd member		2nd party
1832	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Torrens	Whig	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Bolling	Tory
1834	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Conservative
1835	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Peter Ainsworth	Whig
1837
1841	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			John Bowring	Radical
1847	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Bolling	Conservative
1848	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Stephen Blair	Conservative
1849	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir Joshua Walmsley	Radicals
1852	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Thomas Barnes	Radical	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Joseph Crook	Radical
1857	rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Gray	Conservative
1859	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Liberal
1861	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Thomas Barnes	Liberal
1865
1868	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			John Hick	Conservative
1874	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Kynaston Cross	Liberal
1880	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			John Pennington Thomasson	Liberal
1885	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Herbert Shepherd-Cross	Unionist	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Francis Bridgeman	Unionist
1886
1892
1895	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Conservative	rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	George Harwood	Liberal
1900
1906	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alfred Henry Gill	Labour
Jan 1910
Dec 1910
1912	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Thomas Taylor	Liberal
1914	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Tootill	Labour
1916	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			William Edge	Liberal
1918	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |				Coalition Liberal
1922	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Russell	Conservative		style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	National Liberal
1923	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Herbert Cunliffe	Conservative	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Albert Law	Labour
1924	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Cecil Hilton	Unionist
1929	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Michael Brothers	Labour	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Albert Law	Labour
1931	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir John Haslam	Conservative	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Cyril Entwistle	Conservative
1935
1940	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Edward Cadogan	Conservative
1945	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Henry Jones	Labour	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Lewis	Labour
1950	constituency abolished: see Bolton East & Bolton West

Boundaries

1832–1885: The township of Great Bolton, Little Bolton, and Haulgh, except the detached part of the township of Little Bolton which was situate to the north of the town of Bolton.

1885–1918: The existing parliamentary borough, and so much of the municipal borough of Bolton as was not already included in the parliamentary borough.

Elections

1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – References

Winning candidates are highlighted in bold.

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Torrens	Template:Replace	36.7
		William Bolling	Template:Replace	28.8
		John Ashton Yates	482	28.2
		William Eagle	107	6.3
Turnout			935	89.9
Registered electors			1,040
Majority			135	7.9
	win (new seat)
Majority			10	0.6
	win (new seat)

General election 1835: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Bolling	Template:Replace	40.4
		Peter Ainsworth	Template:Replace	37.7
		Robert Torrens	343	21.9
Majority			43	2.7
Turnout			927	92.6
Registered electors			1,001
	hold		Swing	+7.1
	hold		Swing	+6.2

General election 1837: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Peter Ainsworth	Template:Replace	34.9
		William Bolling	Template:Replace	34.5
		Andrew Knowles	538	30.6
Turnout			1,079	80.5
Registered electors			1,340
Majority			8	0.4
	hold		Swing	+0.1
Majority			69	3.9
	hold		Swing	−5.9

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Peter Ainsworth	Template:Replace	29.6
		John Bowring	Template:Replace	27.2
		Peter Rothwell	536	23.7
		William Bolling	441	19.5
Turnout			1,164	79.1
Registered electors			1,471
Majority			55	2.4
	hold		Swing	−19.7
Majority			173	7.7
	gain from		Swing

General election 1847: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Bolling	Template:Replace	35.5
		John Bowring	Template:Replace	32.4
		John Brooks	645	32.1
Majority			69	3.4
Turnout			1,363 (est)	92.1 (est)
Registered electors			1,479
	gain from		Swing	−6.5
	hold		Swing	+4.5

Bolling's death caused a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 12 September 1848: Bolton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Bowring resigned after being appointed Consul-General at Canton, China, causing a by-election.

By-election, 9 February 1849: Bolton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Joshua Walmsley	Template:Replace	52.2
		Thomas Ridgway Bridson	568	47.8
Majority			53	4.4
Turnout			1,189	82.7
Registered electors			1,437
	hold		Swing	−12.3

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Thomas Barnes	Template:Replace	29.4
		Joseph Crook	Template:Replace	28.7
		Stephen Blair	717	28.3
		Peter Ainsworth	346	13.6
Majority			10	0.4
Turnout			1,268 (est)	75.9 (est)
Registered electors			1,671
	hold		Swing	+0.3
	gain from		Swing	+0.1

General election 1857: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Gray	Template:Replace	35.0
		Joseph Crook	Template:Replace	33.7
		Thomas Barnes	832	31.3
Majority			98	3.7
Turnout			1,794 (est)	92.8 (est)
Registered electors			1,933
	gain from		Swing	+1.6
	hold		Swing	+0.8

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1859: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			2,050
	hold
	hold

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1860s

Crook's resignation caused a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 11 Feb 1861: Bolton (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Template:Election box candidate minor party

General election 1865: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Gray	Template:Replace	28.5
		Thomas Barnes	Template:Replace	27.3
		Samuel Pope	864	24.1
Turnout			1,796 (est)	82.2 (est)
Registered electors			2,186
Majority			43	1.2
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			252	7.1
	hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1868: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Hick	Template:Replace	26.6
		William Gray	Template:Replace	25.7
		Thomas Barnes	5,451	23.9
		Samuel Pope	5,436	23.8
Majority			611	2.7
Turnout			11,399 (est)	90.1 (est)
Registered electors			12,650
	hold		Swing	+6.3
	gain from		Swing	+7.4

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Hick	Template:Replace	26.2
		John Kynaston Cross	Template:Replace	25.3
		William Gray	5,650	24.7
		James Knowles	5,440	23.8
Turnout			11,430 (est)	90.7 (est)
Registered electors			12,595
Majority			205	0.9
	hold		Swing	−0.2
Majority			132	0.6
	gain from		Swing	+1.2

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Kynaston Cross	Template:Replace	26.2
		John Pennington Thomasson	Template:Replace	25.1
		Thomas Lever Rushton	6,540	24.6
		Francis Bridgeman	6,415	24.1
Majority			133	0.5
Turnout			13,296 (est)	95.3 (est)
Registered electors			13,956
	gain from		Swing	+1.3
	hold		Swing	+1.0

File:J-k-cross-1880.jpg

Cross

File:J-P-Thomasson-1880.jpg

Thomasson

General election 1885: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Herbert Shepherd-Cross	Template:Replace	26.6
		Francis Bridgeman	Template:Replace	25.8
		John Kynaston Cross	6,725	22.6
		John Pennington Thomasson	6,228	21.0
		Henry Marriott Richardson	1,191	4.0
Majority			1,705	5.6
Majority			930	3.2
Turnout			15,069	93.8
Registered electors			16,063
	gain from		Swing	+2.8
	gain from		Swing	+2.9

General election 1886: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Herbert Shepherd-Cross	Template:Replace	27.5
		Francis Bridgeman	Template:Replace	27.2
		Joseph Crook Haslam	6,452	22.9
		Roger Charnock Richards	6,314	22.4
Majority			1,216	4.3
Turnout			14,167	88.2
Registered electors			16,063
	hold		Swing	+0.3
	hold		Swing	+0.0

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1890s

File:Herbert Shepherd-Cross.jpg

Shepherd-Cross

General election 1892: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Herbert Shepherd-Cross	Template:Replace	26.6
		Francis Bridgeman	Template:Replace	25.7
		Frank Taylor	7,575	23.9
		John Harwood	7,536	23.8
Majority			565	1.8
Turnout			31,680	89.6
Registered electors			17,772
	hold		Swing	-1.0
	hold		Swing	-1.3

File:George Harwood.jpg

Harwood

General election 1895: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Herbert Shepherd-Cross	Template:Replace	31.0
		George Harwood	Template:Replace	30.6
		Francis Bridgeman	7,901	28.6
		Frederick Brocklehurst	2,694	9.8
Turnout			27,642	92.1
Registered electors			18,183
Majority			5,900	21.2
	hold		Swing	−1.2
Majority			552	2.0
	gain from		Swing	+1.9

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1900s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1900: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold
	hold

File:George Goschen the younger.jpg

Goschen

General election 1906: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Harwood	Template:Replace	39.0
		Alfred Henry Gill	Template:Replace	37.1
		George Goschen	6,693	23.9
Majority			3,723	13.2
Turnout			28,062	91.5
Registered electors			20,388
	hold
	gain from

File:Alfred Gill.JPG

Gill

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Harwood	Template:Replace	31.5
		Alfred Henry Gill	Template:Replace	30.5
		Miles Walker Mattinson	7,479	19.2
		Percy Ashworth	7,326	18.8
Turnout			38,944	93.8
Registered electors			21,341
Majority			4,796	12.3
	hold		Swing	−0.5
Majority			4,385	11.3
	hold		Swing	−1.0

General election December 1910: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Harwood	Template:Replace	35.5
		Alfred Henry Gill	Template:Replace	34.7
		George Hesketh (soldier)	8,697	29.8
Turnout			29,163	89.3
Registered electors			21,341
Majority			1,661	5.7
	hold		Swing	+6.1
Majority			1,411	4.9
	hold		Swing	+6.2

Harwood's death causes a by-election.

1912 Bolton by-election (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Thomas Taylor	Template:Replace	53.1
		Arthur Brooks	8,835	46.9
Majority			1,176	6.2
Turnout			18,846	88.9
Registered electors			21,195
	hold		Swing	N/A

Gill's death caused a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1914 Bolton by-election (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Taylor's resignation causes a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1916 Bolton by-election (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	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;

• Liberal: Thomas Taylor
• Labour: Robert Tootill
• Unionist: Thomas Clarke Pilling Gibbons

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link coalition 1918Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box end 1918Back to Elections

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1918: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold
	hold

General election 1922: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Russell	Template:Replace	29.3
		William Edge	Template:Replace	24.3
		Samuel Lomax	20,559	16.1
		William James Abraham	20,156	15.8
		Isaac Edwards	18,534	14.5
Turnout			127,755	75.7
Registered electors			84,342
Majority			16,932	13.2
	gain from		Swing	N/A
Majority			10,859	8.5
	hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1923: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Albert Law	Template:Replace	18.6
		Herbert Cunliffe	Template:Replace	16.9
		Cecil Hilton	22,640	16.8
		William Edge	22,173	16.5
		Fleming Eccles	21,045	15.6
		John Fletcher Steele	21,040	15.6
Turnout			134,864	78.8
Registered electors			85,613
Majority			2,960	2.1
	gain from		Swing	+5.2
Majority			660	0.4
	hold		Swing

General election 1924: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Herbert Cunliffe	Template:Replace	23.7
		Cecil Hilton	Template:Replace	22.8
		Albert Law	30,632	20.9
		William Harold Hutchinson	28,918	19.8
		J. Percy Taylor	10,036	6.9
		Alfred Ernest Holt	8,558	5.9
Turnout			146,239	84.7
Registered electors			86,366
Majority			2,773	1.9
	gain from		Swing	+2.3
	hold		Swing	+1.9

File:Cyril Entwistle.jpg

Entwistle

General election 1929: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Albert Law	Template:Replace	24.0
		Michael Brothers	Template:Replace	20.9
		Cyril Entwistle	36,667	20.3
		Cecil Hilton	35,850	19.8
		Patrick Redmond Barry	27,074	15.0
Turnout			180,999	75.1
Registered electors			120,463
Majority			7,670	4.2
Majority			1,221	0.6
	gain from		Swing	+3.3
	gain from		Swing	+2.1

Back to Elections

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Cyril Entwistle	Template:Replace	33.94
		John Haslam	Template:Replace	32.42
		Albert Law	33,737	17.25
		Michael Brothers	32,049	16.39
Turnout			195,572	79.56
Majority			29,666	15.17
	gain from		Swing
Majority			34,336	17.55
	gain from		Swing

General election 1935: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Cyril Entwistle	Template:Replace	29.05
		John Haslam	Template:Replace	28.15
		Albert Law	39,890	21.41
		John Lynch	39,871	21.40
Turnout			186,355	75.07
Majority			12,575	6.64
	hold		Swing
Majority			14,258	7.65
	hold		Swing

Back to Elections

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;

• Conservative: Cyril Entwistle, John Haslam
• Labour: E Mellor

However, in the by-election held in 1940 no other parties contested the seat due to the War-time electoral pact meaning that the Conservative candidate Edward Cadogan was elected unopposed.

General election 1945: Bolton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Jack Jones	Template:Replace	23.99
		John Lewis	Template:Replace	23.28
		Sir John Reynolds, 2nd Baronet	31,217	16.79
		Cyril Entwistle	30,911	16.63
		Robert Kewley Spedding	18,180	9.78
		Brian Reginald Connell	17,710	9.53
Turnout			185,879	77.2
Majority			13,378	7.20
	gain from		Swing
Majority			12,355	6.65
	gain from		Swing

Back to Elections