Caernarvonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
| Caernarvonshire | |
|---|---|
|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
| 1918–1950 | |
| Replaced by | Caernarvon and Conway |
| Created from | Arfon and Eifion |
| 1542–1885 | |
| Replaced by | Arfon and Eifion |
Caernarvonshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885 and from 1918 until 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system.
Members of Parliament
- Constituency created (1542)
MPs 1542–1604
| Parliament | Member |
|---|---|
| 1542 | ?John "Wynn" ap Maredudd [1] |
| 1545 | John Puleston[1] |
| 1547 | Sir John Puleston, died 1552 and replaced by John "Wynn" ap Maredudd} [1] |
| 1553 (Mar) | John Wynn ap Hugh [1] |
| 1553 (Oct) | Morris Wynn [1] |
| 1554 (Apr) | Morris Wynn [1] |
| 1554 (Nov) | David Lloyd ap Thomas [1] |
| 1555 | Sir Rhys Gruffydd [1] |
| 1558 | William Wynn Williams [1] |
| 1558–1559 | Robert Pugh [2] |
| 1563 (Jan) | Morris Wynn[2] |
| 1571 | John Wynn ap Hugh [2] |
| 1572 (Apr) | John Gwynne, died 1574 and replaced by William Thomas[2] |
| 1584 | William Thomas [2] |
| 1586 | John Wynn [2] |
| 1588 (Oct) | Hugh Gwyn Bodvel [2] |
| 1593 | William Maurice [2] |
| 1597 (Oct) | William Griffith [2] |
| 1601 (Sep) | William Jones [2] |
MPs 1604–1950
| Year | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1604 | Sir William Maurice | ||
| 1614 | Richard Wynn | ||
| 1621 | John Griffith | ||
| 1624 | Thomas Glynn | ||
| 1625 | Thomas Glynn | ||
| 1626 | John Griffith | ||
| 1628 | John Griffith | ||
| 1640 April | Thomas Glynn | ||
| 1640 November | John Griffith junior | disabled 1642 | |
| 1647 | Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet | ||
| 1653 | Not represented in Barebones Parliament | ||
| Year | First Member | Second Member |
|---|---|---|
| Two members in first and second protectorate parliaments | ||
| 1654 | Sir John Glynne | Thomas Madryn |
| 1656 | Sir John Glynne Henry Lawrence |
Robert Williams |
Uncontested elections 1832 - 1865
Thomas Assheton Smith (Conservative) was elected unopposed in 1832 and 1835.
John Ralph Ormsby-Gore Conservative) was elected unopposed in 1837.
Edward Henry Douglas Pennant (Conservative) was elected unopposed in 1841, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1859 and 1865. Henry Douglas Pennant became a member of the House of Lords on the death of his father in 1866
Edward's son George Douglas Pennant (Conservative) was elected unopposed in 1865, he lost his seat to Love Jones Parry in a contested election in 1868.
Elections 1918-1945
Elections in the 1910s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 10,488 | 44.5 | n/a | ||
| Independent Labour | Robert Thomas Jones | 8,145 | 34.6 | n/a | |
| Independent Liberal | Ellis William Davies | 4,937 | 20.99 | n/a | |
| Majority | 2,343 | 9.9 | n/a | ||
| Turnout | 64.6 | n/a | |||
| Liberal win | |||||
- endorsed by Coalition Government
Elections in the 1920s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Robert Thomas Jones | 14,016 | 53.0 | +18.4 | |
| National Liberal | Charles Edward Breese | 12,407 | 47.0 | +2.5 | |
| Majority | 1,609 | 6.0 | -3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 26,423 | 70.6 | +6.0 | ||
| Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Goronwy Owen | 15,043 | 52.7 | +5.7 | |
| Labour | Robert Thomas Jones | 13,521 | 47.3 | -5.7 | |
| Majority | 1,522 | 5.4 | 11.4 | ||
| Turnout | 74.9 | +4.3 | |||
| Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +5.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Goronwy Owen | 15,033 | 50.8 | -1.9 | |
| Labour | Robert Thomas Jones | 14,564 | 49.2 | +1.9 | |
| Majority | 469 | 1.6 | -3.8 | ||
| Turnout | 29,597 | 76.6 | +1.7 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -1.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Goronwy Owen | 18,507 | 47.8 | -2.9 | |
| Labour | Robert Thomas Jones | 14,867 | 38.5 | -10.7 | |
| Unionist | D. Fowden Jones | 4,669 | 12.1 | n/a | |
| Plaid Cymru | Lewis Edward Valentine | 609 | 1.6 | n/a | |
| Majority | 3,640 | 9.3 | +7.8 | ||
| Turnout | 38,652 | 81.4 | +4.8 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
Elections in the 1930s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Goronwy Owen | 14,993 | 39.0 | ||
| Labour | William Elwyn Edwards Jones | 14,299 | 37.2 | ||
| National | W P O Evans | 7,990 | 20.8 | ||
| Plaid Cymru | Prof. John Edward Daniel | 1,136 | 3.0 | ||
| Majority | 694 | 1.8 | |||
| Turnout | 38,418 | 80.0 | |||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
- Owen opposed the National Government
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Goronwy Owen | 17,947 | 48.6 | ||
| Labour | William Elwyn Edwards Jones | 16,450 | 44.5 | ||
| Plaid Cymru | John Edward Daniel | 2,534 | 6.9 | ||
| Majority | 1,497 | 4.1 | |||
| Turnout | 36,931 | 74.9 | |||
| Liberal hold | Swing | ||||
General Election 1939/40:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
- Liberal: Goronwy Owen
- Labour: Elwyn Jones
Elections in the 1940s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Goronwy Owen Roberts | 22,043 | 55.3 | +10.8 | |
| Liberal | Sir Goronwy Owen | 15,637 | 39.3 | -9.3 | |
| Plaid Cymru | William Ambrose Bebb | 2,152 | 5.4 | -1.5 | |
| Majority | 6,406 | 16.1 | 20.1 | ||
| Turnout | 77.7 | +2.8 | |||
| Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.0 | |||