Southwark ( )"Southwark", in The Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World (1952), New York: Columbia University Press. was a constituency centred on the Southwark district of South London. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament from 1295 to 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the UK Parliament until its first abolition for the 1885 general election. A seat of the same name, covering a smaller area than the last form of the earlier seat in the west of the original and beyond its boundaries to the southwest, was created in 1950 and abolished in 1974.
In its last creation the seat's broad electorate heavily supported the three successive Labour candidates, who won Southwark with a majority of greater than 36% of the votes cast at its eight elections – an extremely safe seat.
Creation, boundaries, abolition First creation – or Southwark dual-member constituency The constituency was created in 1295 as a parliamentary borough (also known as burgh) when its electorate was restricted to the owners of certain properties in its main streets of its burgage, returning two 'burgesses' as they were sometimes called. Its electorate was expanded to a more standard franchise in 1832. In 1833 the electorate was 4,775 adult males and this had risen to 23,472 by 1880.F.W.S. Craig (ed.), British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (London: The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1977)
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 replaced the two-member constituency with the seats West Southwark, Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.
Second creation – or Southwark seat A seat taking the old constituency name was established for the 1950 general election. Its boundaries were unaltered in the 1955 corrective review and it was abolished for the February 1974 general election.
Members of Parliament MPs 1295–1640 ParliamentFirst memberSecond member1386Henry ThymelbyWilliam Beeche1388 (Feb)John NorthamptonWilliam Porter1388 (Sep)Roger ChandlerRichard atte Vine1390 (Jan)William WintringhamJohn Mucking1390 (Nov)1391William SpaldingWalter Segrave1393John SolasThomas Solas13941395John SolasJohn Mucking1397 (Jan)Thomas atte Gill1397 (Sep)William Derby1399Ralph SpaldingJohn Parker14011402John GofaireJohn Mucking1404 (Jan)1404 (Oct)1406John BakerThomas Spencer1407Thomas ColmanJohn Deken141014111413 (Feb)1413 (May)William HortonThomas Spencer1414 (Apr)John WilliamJohn Welles1414 (Nov)John SolasWilliam Kirton1415William RedstoneThomas Spencer1416 (Mar)John SolasJohn Mucking1416 (Oct) 1417William KirtonJohn Deken1419Robert WilliamJohn Welles1420William KirtonJohn Deken1421 (May)William Redstone1421 (Dec)Thomas DewyThomas Lucas1510–1523No names known1529 Sir John Shilston, died 1530Robert Acton1536 Thomas Bulla ?1539 Sir Richard LongRobert Acton1542 Robert ActonThomas Bulla1545 ?William Gyllam1547 Sir John Gates, repl. by Jan 1552 by John SayerRichard Fulmerston1553 (Mar) John EstonJohn Sayer1553 (Oct) Humphrey Colet1554 (Apr)John Eston1554 (Nov) 1555 Humphrey Colet1558 Robert Freeman1559 1562–3 Thomas CureOliffe Burr1571 William Wilson1572 Oliffe BurrThomas Way1584 Thomas WayRichard Hutton1586 Thomas Cure1588–9 Richard HuttonWilliam Pratt1593 Hugh BrowkerRichard Hutton1597 Edmund Bowyer1601 Mathew DaleZachariah Locke1604–1611 Sir George RiversWilliam Counden1614Edward CoxeRichard Yarward1621Richard YarwardRobert Bromfield16241625William Coxe162616281629–1640 No Parliaments summoned
MPs 1640–1885 ElectionFirst MemberFirst PartySecond MemberSecond Party April 1640 Robert HolborneRichard Tuffnell November 1640 Edward Bagshawe Royalist John WhiteDied January 1645; the writ to fill both vacancies was issued in August 1645 ParliamentarianJanuary 1644Bagshawe disabled from sitting – seat vacant1645George ThomsonGeorge Snelling1653Southwark was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament1654 Samuel Highland Robert Warcup 1656Peter De La Noy January 1659George ThomsonAndrew BrewerApril 1660 John Langham Sir Thomas Bludworth 1661 George Moore 1666 Sir Thomas Clarges 1679 Sir Richard How Peter Rich 1685 Sir Peter Daniel Anthony Bowyer 1689 John Arnold Sir Peter Rich 1690 Anthony Bowyer 1695 Sir Charles Cox Whig 1698 John Cholmley WhigJanuary 1712 Edmund HalseyOn petition, Halsey was found not to have been duly elected, and a new election was held February 1712 Sir George Matthews 1713 John LadeTory Fisher TenchCreated a baronet, August 1715 Whig1722 George Meggott Edmund Halsey Whig 1724 by-electionThe by-election in January 1724 was caused by death of George Meggott John Lade Tory1727 Sir Joseph Eyles Whig 1730 by-electionThe by-election in January 1730 was caused by death of Edmund Halsey Thomas Inwen 1734 George Heathcote Tory1741 Ralph Thrale 1743 by-electionThe by-election in June 1743 was caused by death of Thomas Inwen Alexander Hume 1747 William Belchier 1754 William Hammond 1761 Joseph MawbeyMawbey was created a baronet in July 1765 Alexander Hume 1765 by-electionThe by-election in December 1765 was caused by death of William Hammond Henry Thrale Pro-Government Chathamite/Northite1774 Nathaniel Polhill Radical1780 Sir Richard Hotham 1782 by-electionThe by-election in December 1782 was caused by death of Nathaniel Polhill Henry Thornton ToryApril 1784 Sir Barnard Turner IndependentJune 1784 by-electionThe by-election in June 1784 was caused by death of Sir Barnard Turner Paul Le Mesurier ToryMay 1796 George Woodford ThellussonThellusson's election in May 1796 was declared void in November 1796; a by-election was held at which he was re-elected but he was found to be ineligible to sit and Tierney was declared elected in his placeDecember 1796 by-election George Tierney Whig 1806 Sir Thomas Turton, Bt Tory 1812 Charles Calvert Whig1815 by-electionThe by-election in February 1815 was caused by death of Henry Thornton Charles Barclay 1818 Sir Robert Wilson Radical Aug 1830 John Rawlinson HarrisNov 1830 by-electionThe by-election in November 1830 was caused by death of John Rawlinson Harris Charles Calvert 1831 William Brougham Whig 1832 John Humphery Whig 1835 Daniel Whittle Harvey Radical 1840 by-electionThe by-election in January 1840 was caused by the resignation of Daniel Whittle Harvey Benjamin Wood Whig 1845 by-electionThe by-election in September 1845 was caused by the death of Benjamin Wood Sir William Molesworth Radical 1852 Apsley Pellatt Radical 1855 by-election Sir Charles Napier Radical 1857 John Locke Radical 1859 Liberal Liberal 1860 by-electionThe by-election in December 1860 was caused by the death of Sir Charles Napier Austen Henry Layard 1870 by-electionThe by-election in February 1870 was caused by the resignation of Austen Henry Layard Marcus Beresford Conservative 1880 by-electionThe by-election in December 1880 was caused by the death of John Locke Edward Clarke Conservative 1880 Arthur Cohen Liberal Thorold Rogers Liberal1885 constituency abolished: creating all of Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Southwark West
MPs 1950–1974 ElectionMemberParty 1950 George Isaacs Labour 1959 Ray Gunter 1972 by-election Harry LambornFeb 1974 constituency abolished
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Harris' death caused a by-election.
Harvey was appointed a registrar of Metropolitan Public Carriages, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s Harvey resigned after being appointed a Commissioner of Police for the City of London, causing a by-election.
Wood's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Molesworth was appointed First Commissioner of Works, requiring a by-election.
Molesworth was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, requiring a by-election.
Molesworth's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s Napier's death caused a by-election.
Locke was appointed Recorder of Brighton, requiring a by-election.
Layard was appointed First Commissioner of Works, requiring a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s Layard resigned after being appointed British ambassador to Spain.
Elections in the 1880s Locke's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
References
Sources Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807 D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954) Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) Digital Bodleian F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)