Barkston Ash by-election, 1905
Encyclopedia
The Barkston Ash by-election, 1905 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons constituency of Barkston Ash
, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire
, on 13 October 1905.
MP Sir Robert Gunter
. Gunter had been seriously ill with neuritis and phlebitis
since June 1905 and had been unconscious for several days before his death.
and Oxford educated barrister
and a member of the West Riding Country Council to be their candidate.
seat. It had never been represented by a Liberal
or Radical
. Gunter had been unopposed at the 1900 general election
and also in 1895
but the political tide seemed to be flowing against the government of Arthur Balfour
. In 1903 they had lost five seats in by-elections, in 1904 another seven and six seats had been gained by the Liberals in by-elections so far in 1905. Against this encouraging background the Liberals had already selected Joseph Ormond Andrews
a barrister from Leeds
to fight the next election and they adopted Andrews as their by-election candidate.
and who had earlier in 1905 announced an intention to contest the next election, stand as a candidate on the platform of tariff reform
. However it was soon reported that no Tariff Reform League
or other candidate would be standing on that issue.
rs was now seen as a prime election battleground. The Free Trade Union, founded in 1903 to safeguard the free import of food and raw materials and oppose the policy of protection as a barrier to good relations within the British Empire
had acquired a reputation for intelligent and effective electioneering on behalf of Liberal candidates and had moved some key organisers into the Barkston Ash constituency to offer support to Andrews and to campaign and produce literature and posters for him. The Liberals played the Free Trade card for all it was worth.
and hoped for Catholic voters to be sympathetic to Irish Home Rule in support of their co-religionists in Ireland although as the campaign wore on they became vulnerable to attack on the administration of the Education Act by the Liberal controlled West Riding County Council. The Tories looked to the well-established local Catholic community to remain true to their family traditions and support the Conservative establishment.
. The only area left to exploit was the introduction of Chinese labour into South Africa
gold mining
operations and the allegation that so-called coolie
s were being forced to work under conditions no better than those of slaves.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the British House of Commons constituency of Barkston Ash
Barkston Ash (UK Parliament constituency)
Barkston Ash was a parliamentary constituency centred on the village of Barkston Ash in the West Riding of Yorkshire . It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1983...
, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, on 13 October 1905.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death, on 18 September 1905, of the sitting ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Sir Robert Gunter
Robert Gunter
Sir Robert Gunter, 1st Baronet was a British army officer, property developer and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1905....
. Gunter had been seriously ill with neuritis and phlebitis
Phlebitis
Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs.When phlebitis is associated with the formation of blood clots , usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis...
since June 1905 and had been unconscious for several days before his death.
Conservatives
Because of ill health Gunter had told his local party in 1903 that he would be standing down as MP. They had then selected George Lane-Fox, an EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Oxford educated barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and a member of the West Riding Country Council to be their candidate.
Liberals
Barkston Ash was a safe ToryTory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
seat. It had never been represented by a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
or Radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
. Gunter had been unopposed at the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
and also in 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
but the political tide seemed to be flowing against the government of Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
. In 1903 they had lost five seats in by-elections, in 1904 another seven and six seats had been gained by the Liberals in by-elections so far in 1905. Against this encouraging background the Liberals had already selected Joseph Ormond Andrews
Joseph Andrews (politician)
Joseph Ormond Andrews was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.Andrews was educated at the Ripon Cathedral Choir School....
a barrister from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
to fight the next election and they adopted Andrews as their by-election candidate.
Other
There was speculation that an Independent candidate, Henry Liversidge, who might be best described as a Lib-LabLiberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
and who had earlier in 1905 announced an intention to contest the next election, stand as a candidate on the platform of tariff reform
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
. However it was soon reported that no Tariff Reform League
Tariff Reform League
The Tariff Reform League was a pressure group formed in 1903 to protest against 'unfair' foreign imports and to advocate Imperial Preference to protect British industry from foreign competition. It was well funded and included politicians, intellectuals and businessmen, and was popular with the...
or other candidate would be standing on that issue.
Tariff Reform
Although no tariff candidate entered the field, the issue of protectionism was one of the great issues of the day. Whereas the question of Irish Home Rule had dominated political debate in earlier elections, the ‘dumping’ of foreign goods on British markets and the struggle between tariff reformers and free tradeFree trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
rs was now seen as a prime election battleground. The Free Trade Union, founded in 1903 to safeguard the free import of food and raw materials and oppose the policy of protection as a barrier to good relations within the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
had acquired a reputation for intelligent and effective electioneering on behalf of Liberal candidates and had moved some key organisers into the Barkston Ash constituency to offer support to Andrews and to campaign and produce literature and posters for him. The Liberals played the Free Trade card for all it was worth.
Agricultural labour
There was a strong mining community in the south of the constituency which traditionally supported the Liberals and a substantial suburban house-holder vote spreading out from Leeds, which together with the farmers and landowners could usually be relied upon to vote Conservative. This meant the agricultural labourers held the key to the result. Both candidates courted the votes of the rural worker, Andrews emphasising the value of Free Trade in keeping food prices cheap whereas Lane-Fox appealed to the traditional conservatism of rural people.Religion
Both candidates also, despite denials were keen to attract votes from the sizeable Roman Catholic minority in the area. The Liberals denounced the Education Act 1902Education Act 1902
The Education Act 1902 , also known as Balfour's Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting education in England and Wales. At the time of passage of the Act, the Conservative Party was in power...
and hoped for Catholic voters to be sympathetic to Irish Home Rule in support of their co-religionists in Ireland although as the campaign wore on they became vulnerable to attack on the administration of the Education Act by the Liberal controlled West Riding County Council. The Tories looked to the well-established local Catholic community to remain true to their family traditions and support the Conservative establishment.
Foreign affairs
Government policy abroad gave the Liberals little to campaign on. There was a distinct strain of English patriotism in the Yorkshire character and the area had provided strong support over the fighting of the Boer WarBoer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
. The only area left to exploit was the introduction of Chinese labour into South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
operations and the allegation that so-called coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
s were being forced to work under conditions no better than those of slaves.
The result
The Liberals gained Barkston Ash from the Unionists by a majority of 228 votes. It was another indication of how the electorate across the country, even in such a traditional constituency, had grown tired of the Conservative government which had been in office for ten years. It was this swing of the pendulum, rather than the specific policy issues or personalities of the candidates, which was responsible for the Liberal victory – although the question of tariff reform was clearly an influential element in the result and the campaigning efforts of the Free Trade Union played their part in stimulating the electorate and getting them to the polls in greater numbers than their opponents.Epilogue
Despite the 1906 Liberal landslide Lane-Fox was returned to parliament three months later and the constituency remained in Tory hands thereafter. As the Commons were not sitting at the time of the by-election Andrews was one of the few people in history to be elected to parliament but never to take their seat.Votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...