West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

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West Fife
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland Fife
1885–1974 (1974)
Number of members One
Replaced by Central Fife,
Dunfermline,
Kirkcaldy[1]
Created from Fife

West Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1974. It is famous for providing the Communist Party Of Great Britain with its longest-serving Member of Parliament. Along with East Fife, it was formed by dividing the old Fife constituency.

Boundaries

From 1885 the constituency consisted of the parishes of Abbotshall, Aberdour, Auchterderran, Auchtertool, Ballingry, Beath, Burntisland, Dalgetty, Dunfermline, Dysart, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn, Kinglassie, Kirkcaldy, Leslie, Markinch, Saline, Torryburn and Wemyss.[2]

The constituency contained:

From 1918 it consisted of "The Dunfermline County District, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except insofar as included in the Dunfermline District of Burghs, together with so much of the Kirkcaldy County District, inclusive of all burghs situated therein, as is included neither in the Eastern Division nor in the Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy Districts of Burghs."

For later changes see:

  • the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats)(Scotland)(West Fife and Kirkcaldy Burghs) Order 1953; and
  • the Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (West Fife and Dunfermline Burghs) Order, 1960

Members of Parliament

Election Member[3] Party
1885 Robert Preston Bruce Liberal
1889 Augustine Birrell Liberal
1900 John Deans Hope Liberal
1910 William Adamson Labour
1931 Charles Black Milne Unionist
1935 Willie Gallacher Communist
1950 Willie Hamilton Labour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: West Fife [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Preston Bruce unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal win (new seat)
General Election 1886: West Fife [6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Preston Bruce unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
Birrell
Fife West by-election, 1889
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 3,551 56.3 n/a
Liberal Unionist Randolph Gordon Erskine-Wemyss 2,758 43.7 n/a
Majority 793 12.6 n/a
Turnout 71.6 n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: West Fife [8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 5,215 76.2 +19.9
Liberal Unionist Robert Yellowlees 1,633 23.8 -19.9
Majority 3,582 52.4 +39.8
Turnout 69.9 -1.7
Liberal hold Swing +19.9
General Election 1895: West Fife [10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 4,719 61.4 -14.8
Liberal Unionist Randolph Gordon Erskine-Wemyss 2,965 38.6 +14.8
Majority 1,754 22.8 -29.6
Turnout 72.2 +2.3
Liberal hold Swing -14.8

Elections in the 1900s

Hope
General Election 1900: West Fife [13][14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 4,352 64.7 +3.3
Liberal Unionist Gavin William Ralston 2,374 35.3 -3.3
Majority 1,978 29.4 +6.6
Turnout 60.0 -12.2
Liberal hold Swing +3.3
General Election 1906: West Fife [16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 6,692 79.0 +14.3
Conservative Nelson B Constable 1,776 21.0 -14.3
Majority 4,916 58.0 +28.6
Turnout 55.4 -4.6
Liberal hold Swing +14.3

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: West Fife [18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 6,159 47.8 -31.2
Labour William Adamson 4,736 37.7 n/a
Liberal Unionist Gavin William Ralston 1,994 15.5 -5.5
Majority 1,423 10.1 -47.9
Turnout 73.1 +17.7
Liberal hold Swing n/a
William Adamson
General Election December 1910: West Fife [20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 6,128 53.0 +15.3
Liberal John Deans Hope 5,425 47.0 -0.8
Majority 703 6.0 16.1
Turnout 61.4 -11.7
Labour gain from Liberal Swing

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1918: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 10,664 72.6
Unionist
  • Joseph Hume Menzies
 4,020 27.4
Majority 6,644 45.2
Turnout 48.2 -13.2
Labour hold Swing
  • endorsed by the Coalition Government

Elections in the 1920s

General election of 1922

In the 1922 general election, Rt Hon. William Adamson was elected unopposed.

General Election 1923: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. William Adamson 12,204 65.4 n/a
Independent Labour Philip Hodge 6,459 34.6 n/a
Majority 5,745 30.8 n/a
Turnout 18,663 57.4 n/a
Labour hold Swing n/a
General Election 1924: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. William Adamson 14,685 70.9
Unionist J MacRobert 6,015 29.1
Majority 8,670 41.8
Turnout 20,700 63.0 +5.6
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1929: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. William Adamson 17,668 60.0 -10.9
Communist William Gallacher 6,040 20.5 n/a
Unionist A.B. Brown 5,727 19.5 -9.6
Majority 11,628 39.5 -2.3
Turnout 29,435 69.7 +6.7
Labour hold Swing n/a

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Fife West[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Black Milne 12,997 42.1
Labour Rt Hon. William Adamson 11,063 35.8
Communist William Gallacher 6,829 22.1
Majority 1,914 6.3
Turnout 71.4
Unionist gain from Labour Swing
General Election 1935: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Communist William Gallacher 13,462 37.4
Labour Rt Hon. William Adamson 12,869 35.7
Unionist Charles Black Milne 9,667 26.9
Majority 593 1.7
Turnout 77.8
Communist gain from Unionist Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Communist William Gallacher 17,636 42.1
Labour William Winter Hamilton 15,580 37.3
Liberal National R. S. Stevenson 8,597 20.6
Majority 2,056 4.8
Turnout 75.4
Communist hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 23,576 54.8
National Liberal Patrick William Neill Fraser 10,131 23.6
Communist William Gallacher 9,301 21.6
Majority 13,445 31.2
Turnout 84.9
Labour gain from Communist Swing
General Election 1951: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 29,195 64.9
National Liberal John Patterson Fyfe 11,038 24.6
Communist William Lauchlan 4,728 10.5
Majority 18,157 40.4
Turnout 85.6
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1955: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 26,849 62.6
Unionist Norman Russell Wylie 10,638 24.8
Communist William Lauchlan 5,389 12.6
Majority 16,211 37.8
Turnout 80.3
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1959: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 25,554 56.1
Unionist Alick Laidlaw Buchanan-Smith 11,257 24.7
Fife Socialist League Lawrence Daly 4,886 10.7 N/A
Communist William Lauchlan 3,828 8.4
Majority 14,297 31.4
Turnout 81.3
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 28,806 65.5
Unionist John B. M. Gall 11,880 27.0
Communist William Lauchlan 3,273 7.5
Majority 16,926 38.5
Turnout 78.6
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1966: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 27,123 63.1
Conservative John B. M. Gall 8,300 19.3
SNP Robert R. Patrick 6,046 14.1 N/A
Communist Archibald D. MacMillan 1,542 3.6
Majority 18,823 43.8
Turnout 76.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1970: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Winter Hamilton 29,929 61.1
Conservative Gary McLaughlan 12,837 26.2
SNP James Halliday 5,386 11.0
Communist Archibald D. MacMillan 855 1.7
Majority 17,092 34.9
Turnout 74.2
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. ↑ Statutory Instrument 1970 No. 1680 (section Part II) The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970
  2. ↑ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
  3. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F" [self-published source][better source needed]
  4. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  5. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  6. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  7. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  8. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  9. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  10. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  11. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  12. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  13. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  14. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  15. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  16. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  17. ↑ The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  18. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  19. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  20. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  21. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  22. ↑ Daily Record 22 May 1914
  23. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934

Sources

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