South Dorset by-election, 1962
Encyclopedia
The South Dorset by-election, 1962 occurred following the death of George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich
on 15 June 1962. His son Viscount Hinchingbrooke
, the incumbent MP for the constituency of South Dorset
, was subsequently elevated to the peerage becoming the 10th Earl of Sandwich. Following the 1963 Peerage Act
the 10th Earl disclaimed his peerages in 1964, becoming Victor Montagu, but never sat in the House of Commons again.
The campaign coincided with a period when the United Kingdom was negotiating to join the Common Market
. The application was later vetoed by Charles de Gaulle
in 1963. Viscount Hinchingbrooke was staunchly against joining the Common Market while the Conservative candidate, Angus Maude
, had to back the official party pro-Common Market policy. The issue resulted in a local Conservative, Sir Piers Debenham
, standing as an anti-Common Market candidate with the support of Viscount Hinchingbrooke.
The election took place on 22 November 1962 and resulted in a gain for the Labour Party
from the Conservatives
. Guy Barnett
was elected with a majority of 704, overturning a 6,693 Conservative majority at the 1959 General Election
, and with one of the lowest winning shares of a by-election vote at 33.5%. The 5,000 votes for Piers Debenham proved decisive, although the increase in the Liberal Party vote was also important. Debenham lost his deposit
gaining 12.3% of the votes against the 12.5% required.
With a total of seven candidates, the by-election matched the then record which had been set at the Stockport by-election, 1920
and was not beaten until the Walsall North by-election, 1976
.
Angus Maude was subsequently elected to parliament in the Stratford by-election
in 1963 after the resignation of John Profumo
following the Profumo Affair
. At the 1964 General Election
Guy Barnett was defeated by the Conservative candidate Evelyn King by 935 votes. He later returned to parliament in 1971 following another by-election
. Piers Debenham died in 1964 just before the 1964 General Election.
George Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich
George Charles Montagu, 9th Earl of Sandwich , known as George Montagu until 1916, was a British Conservative politician....
on 15 June 1962. His son Viscount Hinchingbrooke
Victor Montagu
Alexander Victor Edward Paulet Montagu, 10th Earl of Sandwich , known as Viscount Hinchingbrooke from 1916 to 1962, as the Earl of Sandwich from 1962 to 1964 and as Victor Montagu from 1964 to 1995, was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and right-wing politician.Montagu was the eldest...
, the incumbent MP for the constituency of South Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, was subsequently elevated to the peerage becoming the 10th Earl of Sandwich. Following the 1963 Peerage Act
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
the 10th Earl disclaimed his peerages in 1964, becoming Victor Montagu, but never sat in the House of Commons again.
The campaign coincided with a period when the United Kingdom was negotiating to join the Common Market
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
. The application was later vetoed by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in 1963. Viscount Hinchingbrooke was staunchly against joining the Common Market while the Conservative candidate, Angus Maude
Angus Maude
Angus Edmund Upton Maude, Baron Maude of Stratford-upon-Avon PC , was a Conservative Party politician and British cabinet member from 1979 until 1981. He was the father of Conservative MP Francis Maude....
, had to back the official party pro-Common Market policy. The issue resulted in a local Conservative, Sir Piers Debenham
Debenham Baronets
The Debenham Baronetcy, of Bladen in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 January 1931 for Ernest Debenham, Chairman of Debenhams Ltd.-Debenham Baronets, of Bladen :...
, standing as an anti-Common Market candidate with the support of Viscount Hinchingbrooke.
The election took place on 22 November 1962 and resulted in a gain for 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...
from the Conservatives
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...
. Guy Barnett
Guy Barnett (UK politician)
Nicolas Guy Barnett was a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament.-Education and teaching and development work:...
was elected with a majority of 704, overturning a 6,693 Conservative majority at the 1959 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, and with one of the lowest winning shares of a by-election vote at 33.5%. The 5,000 votes for Piers Debenham proved decisive, although the increase in the Liberal Party vote was also important. Debenham lost his deposit
Deposit (politics)
A deposit is a sum of money that a candidate must pay in return for the right to stand for election to certain political offices, particularly seats in legislatures.-United Kingdom:...
gaining 12.3% of the votes against the 12.5% required.
With a total of seven candidates, the by-election matched the then record which had been set at the Stockport by-election, 1920
Stockport by-election, 1920
The Stockport by-election, 1920 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 March 1920 for the constituency of Stockport, in Cheshire.It followed the death of Spencer Leigh Hughes and resignation of George Wardle, the two Members of Parliament for Stockport. With the departure of both MPs, a...
and was not beaten until the Walsall North by-election, 1976
Walsall North by-election, 1976
The Walsall North by-election on 4 November 1976 was held after the resignation of sitting Member of Parliament John Stonehouse. Elected as a Labour candidate, Stonehouse was a member of the English National Party when he resigned, after an interlude in which he faked his own death...
.
Angus Maude was subsequently elected to parliament in the Stratford by-election
Stratford by-election, 1963
The Stratford by-election, 1963 was a by-election held on 15 August 1963 for the British House of Commons constituency of Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire....
in 1963 after the resignation of John Profumo
John Profumo
Brigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
following the Profumo Affair
Profumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
. At the 1964 General Election
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...
Guy Barnett was defeated by the Conservative candidate Evelyn King by 935 votes. He later returned to parliament in 1971 following another by-election
Greenwich by-election, 1971
The Greenwich by-election of 8 July 1971 was held after Labour Member of Parliament Richard Marsh resigned from the House of Commons to take up the post of Chairman of British Rail. The seat was retained by Labour.-Results:...
. Piers Debenham died in 1964 just before the 1964 General Election.