Carmarthen by-election, 1928
Encyclopedia
The Carmarthen by-election, 1928 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Carmarthen
in West Wales
on 28 June 1928.
Alfred Mond
had been elevated to the peerage as Baron Melchett
.
Mond had held the seat since his election as a Liberal
at the by-election in August 1924
, and had been re-elected at the general election in October 1924
with a hefty majority over his only opponent, the Labour Party
candidate Rev E.T. Owen. He defected to the Conservative Party
in 1926 over the issue of land policy and David Lloyd George
's proposal in the October 1925 publication Land and the Nation (also known as the Green Book) that some agricultural land be nationalised.
After Mond's defection, the local Liberals had held an election to choose a successor to him to stand at the next election. This was initially contested by six candidates but four withdrew and the choice was between the businessman and soldier William Nathaniel Jones
and Richard Thomas Evans
of Cardiff. Jones won in a close contest by 149 votes to 147, having made clear he was an opponent of the Green Book land policy whereas Evans, who had worked closely with Lloyd George on other Liberal policies, was in favour.
The Conservatives had not fielded a candidate in 1924, and Mond had won easily in a straight fight with Labour
. However this time, they put up the barrister, Sir Courtenay Mansel
, another escapee from the Liberal Party in 1926 who had been MP for Penryn and Falmouth
from 1922-23 but who had local connections in Carmarthenshire and was also a Justice of the Peace
there.
The Labour Party nominated Major Daniel Hopkin
MC, a barrister who had been born in South Wales but educated locally at Carmarthen College.
There was briefly the prospect of a four-cornered contest when the National Party of Wales
announced their intention to stand a candidate but in the end they decided not to fight.
for the relief of rates on agricultural land.
, Hopkin won the seat with a majority of 653 in another 3-way fight, and Jones never returned to the House of Commons.
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
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Carmarthen
Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
in West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
on 28 June 1928.
Vacancy
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Member of ParliamentMember 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,...
Alfred Mond
Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett
Alfred Moritz Mond, 1st Baron Melchett PC, FRS , known as Sir Alfred Mond, Bt, between 1910 and 1928, was a British industrialist, financier and politician...
had been elevated to the peerage as Baron Melchett
Baron Melchett
Baron Melchett, of Landford in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 5 June 1928 for Sir Alfred Mond, 1st Baronet, Chairman of Imperial Chemical Industries and a former First Commissioner of Works and Minister of Health...
.
Mond had held the seat since his election as 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...
at the by-election in August 1924
Carmarthen by-election, 1924
The Carmarthen by-election, 1924 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Carmarthen in West Wales held on 14 August 1924.-Vacancy:...
, and had been re-elected at the general election in October 1924
United Kingdom general election, 1924
- Seats summary :- References :* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* - External links :* * *...
with a hefty majority over his only opponent, the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate Rev E.T. Owen. He defected to the Conservative Party
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...
in 1926 over the issue of land policy and David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
's proposal in the October 1925 publication Land and the Nation (also known as the Green Book) that some agricultural land be nationalised.
Candidates
Three candidates contested the by-election.After Mond's defection, the local Liberals had held an election to choose a successor to him to stand at the next election. This was initially contested by six candidates but four withdrew and the choice was between the businessman and soldier William Nathaniel Jones
William Nathaniel Jones
William Nathaniel Jones was a Welsh Liberal politician, businessman and soldier.Jones who served as a Justice of the Peace in Carmarthenshire married Margaret Francis of Llandilo. In 1923 he was nominated as one of the Sheriffs of Carmarthenshire...
and Richard Thomas Evans
Richard Thomas Evans
Richard Thomas Evans was a British Liberal Party politician.-Before Parliament:Evans was educated at the University of Wales. During the Great War he served in Europe and attained the rank of Captain. In 1918 he married Edith Rhys Williams. In 1923 he published the book Aspects of the Study of...
of Cardiff. Jones won in a close contest by 149 votes to 147, having made clear he was an opponent of the Green Book land policy whereas Evans, who had worked closely with Lloyd George on other Liberal policies, was in favour.
The Conservatives had not fielded a candidate in 1924, and Mond had won easily in a straight fight with Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. However this time, they put up the barrister, Sir Courtenay Mansel
Courtenay Mansel
Sir Courtenay Cecil Mansel, 13th Baronet was a Welsh landowner and farmer, barrister and Liberal Party politician who later joined the Conservatives.-Family :...
, another escapee from the Liberal Party in 1926 who had been MP for Penryn and Falmouth
Penryn and Falmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn and Falmouth was the name of a constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1950. From 1832 to 1885 it was a parliamentary borough returning two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system...
from 1922-23 but who had local connections in Carmarthenshire and was also a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
there.
The Labour Party nominated Major Daniel Hopkin
Daniel Hopkin
Major Daniel Hopkin MC was a British soldier, barrister and Labour Party politician.-Early life:Hopkin was born in Llantwit Major in South Wales, the son of a farm labourer who died in 1893 when Daniel was seven...
MC, a barrister who had been born in South Wales but educated locally at Carmarthen College.
There was briefly the prospect of a four-cornered contest when the National Party of Wales
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
announced their intention to stand a candidate but in the end they decided not to fight.
Result
The by-election took place on 28 June 1928 and Jones emerged as the narrow winner, with a majority of only 47 votes over Hopkin. Jones had made his opposition to the land policy a feature of the campaign in an attempt to retain the support of the division’s farmers, many of whom shared Mond’s concern about the nationalisation proposals. In any event the Green Book had by this time been withdrawn as a full statement of Liberal land policy. Instead, Jones promoted as the main object of Liberal land policy the desire to give security of tenure to tenant farmers. Many of those reliant on the land for their livelihood seemed to prefer the less radical solution of the government of Stanley BaldwinStanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
for the relief of rates on agricultural land.
Aftermath
Jones held the seat for less than a year. At the general election in May 1929United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, Hopkin won the seat with a majority of 653 in another 3-way fight, and Jones never returned to the House of Commons.
Votes
See also
- Carmarthen by-election, 1882Carmarthen by-election, 1882The Carmarthen by-election, 1882 was a parliamentary by-election held for the House of Commons constituency of Carmarthen Boroughs in West Wales on 4 January 1882. -Vacancy:...
- Carmarthen by-election, 1924Carmarthen by-election, 1924The Carmarthen by-election, 1924 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Carmarthen in West Wales held on 14 August 1924.-Vacancy:...
- Carmarthen by-election, 1941Carmarthen by-election, 1941A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Carmarthen on 26 March 1941. The seat had become vacant on the resignation of the Labour Member of Parliament Major Daniel Hopkin MC, who had held the seat since the 1935 general election....
- Carmarthen by-election, 1957Carmarthen by-election, 1957The Carmarthen by-election of 1957 in Carmarthenshire, Wales, was notable for resulting in the nadir of the British Liberal Party and for being the first election in the United Kingdom in which two women competed for the same seat....
- Carmarthen by-election, 1966Carmarthen by-election, 1966The Carmarthen by-election, was held in Carmarthen, Wales on 14 July 1966. The contest was significant in that it resulted in the election of Gwynfor Evans, the first ever Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament...
- Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
- List of United Kingdom by-elections