Dover (UK Parliament constituency)

Dover
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Dover in Kent.
Location of Kent within England.
County	Kent
Electorate	71,993 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements	Dover and Deal
Current constituency
Created	1369
Member of parliament	Charlie Elphicke (Conservative)
Number of members	1660 - 1885: Two 1885 - present: One
Overlaps
European Parliament constituency	South East England

Dover is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Boundaries

1918-1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Deal and Dover, the Urban District of Walmer, and the Rural Districts of Dover and Eastry.

1950-1983: The Municipal Boroughs of Deal, Dover, and Sandwich, the Rural District of Dover, and part of the Rural District of Eastry.

1983-2010: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Barton, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Cornilo, Eastry, Eythorne, Lower Walmer, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton and Elms Vale, Middle Deal, Mill Hill, Mongeham, Noninstone, North Deal, Pineham, Priory, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Shepherdswell with Coldred, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, and Upper Walmer.

2010-present: The District of Dover wards of Aylesham, Buckland, Capel-le-Ferne, Castle, Eastry, Eythorne and Shepherdswell, Lydden and Temple Ewell, Maxton, Elms Vale and Priory, Middle Deal and Sholden, Mill Hill, North Deal, Ringwould, River, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, St Radigund's, Tower Hamlets, Town and Pier, Walmer, and Whitfield.

Dover constituency consists of the greater part of Dover District comprising the towns of Deal, Dover and Walmer together with surrounding villages. It excludes the northern area around the ancient Cinque Port of Sandwich, which together with surrounding villages is part of the South Thanet constituency but was in this constituency between the redistributions for the 1950 and 1983 general elections. It has been a traditional Tory-Labour marginal, with Conservative-voting rural areas competing against mainly Labour-voting Dover itself, plus some former mining villages in the former Kent coalfield, such as Aylesham. Labour held on very solidly here in 2005, with virtually no swing from the previous general election, but the seat went Conservative in the 2010 election on a swing of 10.4% compared to a 4.9% swing nationally.

Members of Parliament

Cinque Port/Parliamentary Borough 1368–1918

MPs 1368–1660

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	John Gyles	John Halle I[2]
1388 (Feb)	John Gyles	John Halle I[2]
1388 (Sep)	John Gyles	John Monyn[2]
1390 (Jan)	John Gyles	John Monyn[2]
1390 (Nov)
1391	John Gyles	John Strete[2]
1393	John Gyles	John Strete[2]
1394
1395	John Gyles	John Strete[2]
1397 (Jan)	Nicholas Spicer	John Monyn[2]
1397 (Sep)	John Monyn I[2]
1399	John Gyles	John Enebrook[2]
1401
1402	Thomas Gyles	John Strete[2]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	Thomas Gyles	Henry Merley[2]
1407	John Alkham	Henry Merley[2]
1410	Nicholas Spicer	Peter Rede[2]
1411	Thomas Monyn[2]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	Thomas Monyn	John Garton[2]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	Walter Stratton	John Garton[2]
1415
1416 (Mar)
1416 (Oct)	John Braban[2]
1417	John Braban	Thomas atte Crowche[2]
1419	John Braban	Walter Stratton[2]
1420	Thomas Arnold	Thomas atte Crowche[2]
1421 (May)	Thomas Arnold	John Braban[2]
1421 (Dec)	John Braban	Walter Stratton[2]
1439–1444	Sir Thomas Browne
1510	John Warren	not known[3]
1512	Nicholas Templeman	John Warren[3]
1515	Nicholas Templeman	John Warren[3]
1523	Thomas Vaughan	Robert Nethersole[3]
1529	Robert Nethersole	John Warren[3]
1536	Robert Nethersole	John Warren[3]
1539	Thomas Vaughan	John Payntor[3]
1542	John Warren	William Granger[3]
1545	Edmund Mody	John Warren[3]
1547	Joseph Beverley	Thomas Warren[3]
1553 (Mar)	Henry Crispe	Thomas Portway[3]
1553 (Oct)	Joseph Beverley	John Webbe[3]
1554 (Apr)	John Webbe	Thomas Colly[3]
1554 (Nov)	William Hannington	John Webbe[3]
1555	Thomas Warren	Sir Edmund Rous[3]
1558	Joseph Beverley	John Cheyne[3]
1559	Thomas Warren	John Robins[4]
1562/3	John Robins	Thomas Warren[4]
1571	Thomas Andrews II	John Pinchon[4]
1572	Thomas Andrews II	Thomas Warren[4]
1584	Richard Barrey	John Moore[4]
1586	Richard Barrey	John Moore[4]
1588	Thomas Fane	Edward Stephens[4]
1593	Thomas Fane	Thomas Elwood[4]
1597	Thomas Fane	William Leonard[4]
1601	George Fane	George Newman[4]
1604	Sir Thomas Waller	George Bing
1614	Sir George Fane	Sir Robert Brett
1621	Sir Henry Mainwaring	Sir Richard Young
1624	Sir Edward Cecil [5]	Sir Richard Young
1625	Sir John Hippisley	William Beecher
1626	Sir John Hippisley	John Pringle
1628	Sir John Hippisley	Edward Nicholas

No parliament called between 1629 and 1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1640 (Apr)	Sir Edward Boys	Sir Peter Heyman
1640 (Nov)	Sir Edward Boys	Benjamin Weston
1645	John Dixwell	Benjamin Weston
1648	John Dixwell	Benjamin Weston
1653	Dover not represented in Barebones Parliament
1654	William Cullen	one seat only
1656	Thomas Kelsey	one seat only
1658	John Dixwell	Thomas Kelsey
1659	John Dixwell	Benjamin Weston

MPs 1660–1885

Year		First member[6]	First party		Second member[6]	Second party
April 1660		Edward Montagu			Arnold Braemes
August 1660		George Montagu
1661					Sir Francis Vincent, Bt
1670					Lord Hinchingbrooke
1673					Admiral Sir Edward Spragge[7]
1674					Thomas Papillon
1679		William Stokes
1685		Arthur Herbert			William Chapman
1689		Sir Basil Dixwell, Bt			Thomas Papillon
1690		James Chadwick
1695					Sir Basill Dixwell, Bt
1697		Admiral Matthew Aylmer
January 1701					Sir Charles Hedges
November 1701					Philip Papillon
1710		Sir William Hardres, Bt
1715		Admiral Matthew Aylmer[8]
1720		George Berkeley			Henry Furnese
1734		David Papillon			Thomas Revell
1741		Lord George Sackville
1752					William Cayley
1755					Peter Burrell
1756					Hugh Valence Jones
1759					(Sir) Edward Simpson[9]
1761		Hon. Sir Joseph Yorke
1765					Marquess of Lorne
1766					John Bindley
1768					Viscount Villiers
1770					Sir Thomas Pym Hales, Bt
1773					Thomas Barret
1774		John Henniker			John Trevanion
1784		Robert Preston			Captain the Hon. James Luttrell
1789					John Trevanion
1790		Charles Small Pybus
1802		John Spencer Smith
1806		John Jackson			Charles Jenkinson
1818					Edward Bootle-Wilbraham
1820		Joseph Butterworth
1826		Charles Poulett Thomson[10]	Whig
1828					William Henry Trant
1830					Sir John Rae Reid, Bt	Tory
1831					Robert Henry Stanhope
1832					Sir John Rae Reid, Bt	Conservative
1833		John Halcomb	Conservative
1835		John Minet Fector	Conservative
1837		Edward Royd Rice	Whig
1847					Sir George Clerk, Bt	Conservative
1852					Viscount Chelsea	Conservative
1857		Ralph Bernal Osborne	Whig		Sir William Russell, Bt	Whig
1859		Sir Henry Leeke	Conservative		William Nicol	Conservative
1865		Alexander George Dickson	Conservative		Charles Kaye Freshfield	Conservative
1868					George Jessel	Liberal
1873					Edward William Barnett	Conservative
1874					Charles Kaye Freshfield	Conservative
1885	Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1885–1918

Year		Member[6]	Party
1885		Alexander George Dickson	Conservative
1889		George Wyndham	Conservative
1913		Viscount Duncannon	Conservative
1918	Constituency abolished – name transferred to county constituency

County constituency 1918–present

Year		Member[6]	Party
Dover division of Kent
1918		Viscount Duncannon	Coalition Conservative
1921		Sir Thomas Polson	Independent Parliamentary Group
1922		John Jacob Astor	Conservative
1945		John Thomas	Labour
1950		John Arbuthnot	Conservative
1964		David Ennals	Labour
1970		Peter Rees	Conservative
Dover and Deal County Constituency
1974		Peter Rees	Conservative
Dover County Constituency
1983		Peter Rees	Conservative
1987		David Shaw	Conservative
1997		Gwyn Prosser	Labour
2010		Charlie Elphicke	Conservative

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General Election 2015: Dover^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charlie Elphicke	21,737	43.3	-0.7
	Labour	Clair Hawkins	15,443	30.7	-2.8
	UKIP	David Little	10,177	20.3	+16.8
	Liberal Democrat	Sarah Smith	1,572	3.1	-12.7
	Green	Jolyon Trimingham[12]	1,295	2.6	N/A
Majority			6,294	12.5	+2.0
Turnout			50,224	68.9	-1.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.8

General Election 2010: Dover^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charlie Elphicke	22,174	44.0	+9.1
	Labour	Gwyn Prosser	16,900	33.5	-11.8
	Liberal Democrat	John Brigden	7,962	15.8	+0.0
	UKIP	Victor Matcham	1,747	3.5	+0.8
	BNP	Dennis Whiting	1,104	2.2	N/A
	English Democrat	Mike Walters	216	0.4	N/A
	Christian Peoples	David Clark	200	0.4	N/A
	Independent	George Lee-Delisle	82	0.2	N/A
Majority			5,274	10.5
Turnout			50,385	70.1	+2.8
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+10.4

Elections in the 2000s

General Election 2005: Dover^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Gwyn Prosser	21,680	45.3	-3.5
	Conservative	Paul Watkins	16,739	35.0	-2.2
	Liberal Democrat	Antony Hook	7,607	15.9	+4.5
	UKIP	Mike Wiltshire	1,252	2.6	+0.1
	Independent	Victor Matcham	606	1.3	+1.3
Majority			4,941	10.3
Turnout			47,884	67.6	2.5
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.6

General Election 2001: Dover^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Gwyn Prosser	21,943	48.8	-5.7
	Conservative	Paul Watkins	16,744	37.2	+4.4
	Liberal Democrat	Antony Hook	5,131	11.4	+3.5
	UKIP	Lee Speakman	1,142	2.5	+1.7
Majority			5,199	11.6
Turnout			44,960	65.1	-13.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General Election 1997: Dover^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Gwyn Prosser	29,535	54.5
	Conservative	David Shaw	17,796	32.8
	Liberal Democrat	Mark B. Corney	4,302	7.9
	Referendum	Mrs. Susan L. Anderson	2,124	3.9
	UKIP	C Hyde	443	0.8
Majority			11,739	21.7
Turnout			54,200	78.9
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

General Election 1992: Dover^[17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	David Shaw	25,395	44.1	−1.9
	Labour	Gwyn Prosser	24,562	42.6	+8.5
	Liberal Democrat	MJ Sole	6,212	10.8	−9.1
	Green	ACW Sullivan	637	1.1	N/A
	Independent Conservative	PW Sherred	407	0.7	N/A
	Independent Conservative	BJ Philp	250	0.4	N/A
	Natural Law	CF Percy	127	0.2	N/A
Majority			833	1.4	−10.4
Turnout			57,590	83.5	+3.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	−5.2

Elections in the 1980s

General Election 1987: Dover^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	David Shaw	25,343	46.01
	Labour	Stephen S.E.W. Love	18,802	34.13
	Social Democratic	Geoffrey Nice	10,942	19.86
Majority			6,541	11.87
Turnout				79.84
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1983: Dover^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Peter Wynford Innes Rees	25,454	48.31
	Labour	Stephen S.E.W. Love	16,234	30.81
	Social Democratic	Geoffrey Nice	10,601	20.12
	Ecology	M Potter	404	0.77
Majority			9,220	17.50
Turnout				77.58
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General Election 1979: Dover and Deal

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Peter Wynford Innes Rees	30,606	50.01
	Labour	Mrs. JL Chapman	22,664	37.04
	Liberal	J Cohen	6,906	11.29
	Silly Party	J Fox	642	1.05
	National Front	P Johnson	378	0.62
Majority			7,942	12.98
Turnout				80.65
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election October 1974: Dover and Deal

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Peter Wynford Innes Rees	25,647	43.63
	Labour	LJA Bishop	23,353	39.74
	Liberal	RS Young	9,767	16.63
Majority			2,294	3.90
Turnout				78.67
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election February 1974: Dover and Deal

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Peter Wynford Innes Rees	27,033	43.11
	Labour	LJA Bishop	22,183	35.37
	Liberal	RS Young	12,832	20.46
	Independent Social Democrat	W Stone	661	1.05
Majority			4,850	7.73
Turnout				84.69
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1970: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Peter Wynford Innes Rees	30,103	51.41
	Labour	David Hedley Ennals	28,454	48.59
Majority			1,649	2.82
Turnout				80.58
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1966: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	David Hedley Ennals	27,256	49.31
	Conservative	Thomas C G Stacey	24,040	43.49
	Liberal	Bernard Wilfred Budd	3,981	7.20
Majority			3,216	5.82
Turnout				84.18
	Labour hold		Swing

General Election 1964: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	David Hedley Ennals	24,115	44.94
	Conservative	Sir John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	23,697	44.17
	Liberal	Bernard Wilfred Budd	5,843	10.89
Majority			418	0.78
Turnout				82.70
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	27,939	53.08
	Labour	Horace W. Lee	24,698	46.92
Majority			3,241	6.16
Turnout				82.88
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1955: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	27,316	52.92
	Labour	Horace W. Lee	24,298	47.08
Majority			3,018	5.85
Turnout				81.84
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1951: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	28,511	53.29
	Labour	William James Owen	24,995	46.71
Majority			3,516	6.57
Turnout				85.74
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1950: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	25,640	49.01
	Labour	William James Owen	23,331	44.59
	Liberal	Basil E Goldstone	2,873	5.49
	Communist	R Morrison	474	0.91
Majority			2,309	4.41
Turnout				85.77
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Election in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	John Richard Thomas	17,373	52.54
	Conservative	John Sinclair Wemyss Arbuthnot	15,691	47.46
Majority			1,682	5.09
Turnout				73.29
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1935: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Jacob Astor	25,884	63.96
	Labour	WH Bennett	14,588	36.04
Majority			11,296	27.91
Turnout				69.56
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1931: Dover

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Jacob Astor	29,743	75.25
	Labour	W Moore	9,781	24.75
	Liberal	Herbert James Baxter	withdrew	n/a	n/a
Majority			19,962	50.51
Turnout				73.05
	Conservative hold		Swing

• withdrew on 16th October

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1929: Dover ^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	Hon. John Jacob Astor	17,745	54.7
	Labour	Ernest Lionel McKeag	7,646	23.6
	Liberal	Herbert James Baxter	7,056	21.7	n/a
Majority			10,099	31.1
Turnout
	Unionist hold		Swing

General Election 1923: Dover ^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	Hon. John Jacob Astor	unopposed	n/a	n/a
	Unionist hold		Swing	n/a

See also

• List of Parliamentary constituencies in Kent

Notes and references

1. "Electorate Figures - Boundary Commission for England". 2011 Electorate Figures. Boundary Commission for England. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
2. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
3. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
4. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
5. Dictionary of National Biography, later editions, and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)
7. On petition Spragge's election was declared void
8. Created Baron Aylmer (in the Peerage of Ireland), 1718
9. Knighted 1761
10. Thomson was re-elected in 1832 but had also been elected for Manchester, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Dover
11. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
12. "Jolyon Trimingham for Dover and Deal". Kent Green Party. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
13. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
14. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
15. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
16. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
17. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
18. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
19. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
20. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
21. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
22. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig

Sources

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
• The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 (Glasgow: Political Reference Publications, 1969)