Bromley (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Bromley is a former borough constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
. It elected one Member of Parliament
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan
(Prime Minister
1957-1963).
. It is part of the northern section of the historic county of Kent
, which was included in Greater London
after 1965.
The constituency, created in 1918, included the Municipal Borough
of Bromley and the Urban District
s of Beckenham
and Penge
. There were some boundary changes in Kent in 1945, when an interim redistribution took place to divide constituencies with over 100,000 voters. This area was altered to include parts of the Municipal Boroughs of Beckenham and Bromley and the whole Penge Urban District.
From 1950 the constituency comprised the whole of the Municipal Borough of Bromley. The constituency was abolished in the redistribution which took effect in 1974. The London Borough of Bromley (a larger area than the previous Municipal Borough) was split into four seats.
Before 1918 this area was mostly the northern part of the Sevenoaks
constituency. The first MP for this seat was Henry William Forster
, the former member for Sevenoaks. In 1919 he was created the 1st Baron Forster and became Governor-General of Australia
in 1920.
The next three MPs were first elected at by-elections (in 1919, 1930
and 1945 respectively). In 1945 the sitting member died between the day of the election and the declaration of the result, so the opportunity arose for one of the former Conservative ministers defeated in the general election to return to the House of Commons representing an extremely safe seat.
Future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
was the lucky beneficiary of the vacancy. He was the most famous MP for Bromley, serving from the 1945 by-election until his retirement in 1964, when he was succeeded by John Hunt. Hunt, on the left of the Conservative party, held the seat (renamed Ravensbourne in 1974) until 1997.
Mr Harold McMillan, Conservative, 26,367
Mr A Bain, Labour, 20,810
Major J Sayer, Liberal, 5,990
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. It elected one Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) by the first past the post system of election. Its best-known MP was Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
(Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
1957-1963).
Boundaries
This constituency covered the area based on the town of BromleyBromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
. It is part of the northern section of the historic county of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, which was included in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
after 1965.
The constituency, created in 1918, included the Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Bromley and the Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s of Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
and Penge
Penge
Penge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...
. There were some boundary changes in Kent in 1945, when an interim redistribution took place to divide constituencies with over 100,000 voters. This area was altered to include parts of the Municipal Boroughs of Beckenham and Bromley and the whole Penge Urban District.
From 1950 the constituency comprised the whole of the Municipal Borough of Bromley. The constituency was abolished in the redistribution which took effect in 1974. The London Borough of Bromley (a larger area than the previous Municipal Borough) was split into four seats.
History
This constituency consists largely of prosperous leafy suburbia and is one of the Conservative's strongest seats. The character of the area was one of prosperous small businesses, rather than commuting professionals.Before 1918 this area was mostly the northern part of the Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)
Sevenoaks is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
constituency. The first MP for this seat was Henry William Forster
Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster
Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, GCMG, PC, DL , was a British Conservative Party politician who became the seventh Governor-General of Australia-Background and education:...
, the former member for Sevenoaks. In 1919 he was created the 1st Baron Forster and became Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
in 1920.
The next three MPs were first elected at by-elections (in 1919, 1930
Bromley by-election, 1930
The Bromley by-election, 1930 was a parliamentary by-election held on 2 September 1930 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bromley in north-west Kent....
and 1945 respectively). In 1945 the sitting member died between the day of the election and the declaration of the result, so the opportunity arose for one of the former Conservative ministers defeated in the general election to return to the House of Commons representing an extremely safe seat.
Future Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
was the lucky beneficiary of the vacancy. He was the most famous MP for Bromley, serving from the 1945 by-election until his retirement in 1964, when he was succeeded by John Hunt. Hunt, on the left of the Conservative party, held the seat (renamed Ravensbourne in 1974) until 1997.
Members of Parliament
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
Henry Forster Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster Henry William Forster, 1st Baron Forster, GCMG, PC, DL , was a British Conservative Party politician who became the seventh Governor-General of Australia-Background and education:... |
Coalition Conservative | |
| 1919 by-election | Cuthbert James Cuthbert James Cuthbert James , was a British Conservative politician.James was the second son of Walter James, 2nd Baron Northbourne, and his wife Edith Emeline Mary . He was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army and also represented Bromley in the House of Commons from 1919 to 1930. James married Florence Marion,... |
Coalition Conservative | |
| 1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John... |
Conservative Conservative 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... |
||
| 1930 by-election Bromley by-election, 1930 The Bromley by-election, 1930 was a parliamentary by-election held on 2 September 1930 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bromley in north-west Kent.... |
Sir Edward Campbell | Conservative Conservative 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... |
|
| 1945 by-election | Rt Hon Harold Macmillan Harold Macmillan Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963.... |
Conservative Conservative 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... |
|
| 1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
John Hunt John Hunt (British politician) Sir John Leonard Hunt is a retired British Conservative Party politician.Hunt was educated at Dulwich College and became a stockbroker. He served as a councillor on Bromley Borough Council 1953-61, then became an alderman in 1961, joining the new London Borough of Bromley in 1964... |
Conservative Conservative 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... |
|
| Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... |
constituency abolished: see Ravensbourne Ravensbourne (UK Parliament constituency) Ravensbourne was a borough constituency in south London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first-past-the-post system... |
||
Election results
Bromley by-election, 14 November 1945Mr Harold McMillan, Conservative, 26,367
Mr A Bain, Labour, 20,810
Major J Sayer, Liberal, 5,990