Flintshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Flintshire
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Preserved county	Flintshire
1542–1950
Seats	One
Replaced by	East Flintshire and West Flintshire

Flintshire was a parliamentary constituency in North-East Wales which generally returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons, latterly that of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election.

Boundaries

From its creation in 1542 until 1918, the constituency consisted of the historic county of Flintshire in north-east Wales. The seat should not be confused with the borough constituency of Flint or that of Flint Boroughs, which together existed from the 16th century until 1918.

In 1889 an administrative county of Flintshire was created. This formed the basis of the constituency which existed from 1918 until 1950, when the county was split between East and West divisions.

Members of Parliament

Before 1604

Parliament	Member
1545	Peter Mostyn[1]
1547	George Wood[1]
1553 (Mar)	Sir Thomas Hanmer[1]
1553 (Oct)	Robert Massey[1]
1554 (Apr)	William Mostyn[1]
1554 (Nov)	William Mostyn[1]
1555	Robert Massey[1]
1558	John Conway[1]
1559	John Griffith[2]
1562–3	George Ravenscroft[2]
1571	John Griffith [2]
1572	William Mostyn, died and replaced Feb 1577 by Thomas Mostyn [2]
1584	John Hope[2]
1586	William Ravenscroft[2]
1588	Roger Puleston[2]
1593	Thomas Hanmer[2]
1597	William Ravenscroft[2]
1601	William Ravenscroft[2]

1604–1950

Year	Member
1604	Roger Puleston
1614	Robert Ravenscroft
1621	Sir Roger Mostyn
1624	Sir John Hanmer, 1st Baronet died and replaced 1624 by Sir John Trevor
1625	Sir John Trevor
1626	John Salusbury
1628	Robert Jones
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
1640	John Mostyn
1640	John Mostyn, disabled^[clarification needed] 1643
1646	John Trevor
1653	Flintshire not represented in Barebones Parliament

Year	First Member	Second Member
Two members in first and second Protectorate Parliaments
1654	John Trevor	Andrew Ellice
1656	John Trevor	Sir John Glynne

Year		Name	Party
	1659	John Trevor
	1660	Kenrick Eyton
	1661	Sir Henry Conway
	1669	Sir Thomas Hanmer
	1678	Mutton Davies
	1681	Sir John Hanmer, 3rd Baronet
	1685	Sir John Conway
	1689	Sir Roger Puleston	Whig
	1695	Sir John Conway	Tory
	1701	Sir Roger Mostyn	Tory
	1702	Sir Thomas Hanmer	Tory
	1705	Sir John Conway	Tory
	1708	Sir Roger Mostyn	Tory
	1713	Sir John Conway	Tory
	1715	Sir Roger Mostyn
	1734	Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet
	1741	Sir John Glynne
	1747	Sir Thomas Mostyn, 4th Baronet
	1758	Sir Roger Mostyn
	1796	Sir Thomas Mostyn	Whig[3]
	1797	John Lloyd	Tory[3]
	1799	Sir Thomas Mostyn	Whig[3]
	1831	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Whig[3][4][5][6]
	1837	Sir Stephen Glynne	Conservative[3]
	1841	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Whig[3][4][5][6]
	1842	Sir Stephen Glynne	Conservative[3]
	1847	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Whig[3][4][5][6]
	1854	Thomas Lloyd-Mostyn	Whig[7]
	1859		Liberal
	1861	Lord Richard Grosvenor	Liberal
	1886	Samuel Smith	Liberal
	1906	Herbert Lewis	Liberal
	1918	Tom Parry	Liberal
	1924	Ernest Roberts	Conservative
	1929	Frederick Llewellyn-Jones	Liberal
	1931		Liberal National
	1932		Liberal
	1935	Gwilym Rowlands	Conservative
	1945	Nigel Birch	Conservative
Constituency divided into East and West Flintshire in 1950

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Flintshire^[3]^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Thomas Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 1,200
	Whig hold

General election 1831: Flintshire^[3]^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 1,200
	Whig hold

General election 1832: Flintshire^[3]^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,271
	Whig hold

General election 1835: Flintshire^[3]^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,344
	Whig hold

General election 1837: Flintshire^[9]^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Stephen Glynne	945	51.1
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	905	48.9
Majority			40	2.2
Turnout			1,850	84.5
Registered electors			2,189
	Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	1,234	50.9	+2.0
	Conservative	Stephen Glynne	1,192	49.1	−2.0
Majority			42	1.8	N/A
Turnout			2,426	81.9	−2.6
Registered electors			2,963
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.0

Following the election, Lloyd-Mostyn's election was declared void and Glynne was elected after scrutiny on 23 May 1842.

General election 1847: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			3,141
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Lloyd-Mostyn	1,276	58.4	N/A
	Conservative	Edmund Peel[10]	910	41.6	New
Majority			366	16.8	N/A
Turnout			2,186	75.1	N/A
Registered electors			2,912
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Lloyd-Mostyn succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Baron Mostyn and causing a by-election.

By-election, 8 May 1854: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Lloyd-Mostyn	1,171	57.2	−1.2
	Conservative	Stephen Glynne	876	42.8	+1.2
Majority			295	14.4	−2.4
Turnout			2,047	72.1	−3.0
Registered electors			2,840
	Whig hold		Swing	−1.2

General election 1859: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Lloyd-Mostyn	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,896
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Mostyn's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 May 1861: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	1,168	57.4	N/A
	Conservative	Hugh Robert Hughes[11]	868	42.6	New
Majority			300	14.8	N/A
Turnout			2,036	70.5	N/A
Registered electors			2,887
	Liberal hold

General election 1865: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,998
	Liberal hold

General election 1868: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	Unopposed
Registered electors			4,150
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

Grosvenor was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 2 Mar 1872: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1874: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	Unopposed
Registered electors			3,907
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Flintshire^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	Unopposed
Registered electors			4,794
	Liberal hold

General election 1885: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Grosvenor	4,758	60.3	N/A
	Conservative	Henry Richard Howel Lloyd-Mostyn	3,132	39.7	New
Majority			1,626	20.6	N/A
Turnout			7,890	78.3	N/A
Registered electors			10,081
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Grosvenor's resignation caused a by-election.

Samuel Smith

By-election, 2 Mar 1886: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Smith	4,248	60.8	+0.5
	Conservative	Philip Pennant Pennant[13]	2,738	39.2	−0.5
Majority			1,510	21.6	+1.0
Turnout			6,986	69.3	−9.0
Registered electors			10,081
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.5

General election 1886: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Smith	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s

Robert Cunliffe

General election 1892: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Smith	4,597	59.4	N/A
	Liberal Unionist	Robert Cunliffe	3,145	40.6	New
Majority			1,452	18.8	N/A
Turnout			7,742	76.8	N/A
Registered electors			10,075
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1895: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Smith	4,376	52.7	−6.7
	Conservative	Henry Richard Lloyd Howard	3,925	47.3	+6.7
Majority			451	5.4	−13.4
Turnout			8,301	78.4	+1.6
Registered electors			10,592
	Liberal hold		Swing	-6.7

Elections in the 1900s

Smith

General election 1900: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Smith	4,528	53.6	+0.9
	Conservative	Henry Howard	3,922	46.4	−0.9
Majority			606	7.2	+1.8
Turnout			8,450	78.4	0.0
Registered electors			10,774
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.9

Herbert Lewis

General election 1906: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Herbert Lewis	6,294	63.8	+10.2
	Conservative	Harold Edwards	3,572	36.2	−10.2
Majority			2,722	27.6	+20.4
Turnout			9,866	83.0	+4.6
Registered electors			11,892
	Liberal hold		Swing	+10.2

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Herbert Lewis	6,610	59.7	−4.1
	Conservative	Henry Howard	4,454	40.3	+4.1
Majority			2,156	19.4	−8.2
Turnout			11,064	86.6	+3.6
Registered electors			12,774
	Liberal hold		Swing	-4.1

General election December 1910: Flintshire^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Herbert Lewis	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General Election 1914–15: Another General Election was due to take place before the end of 1915. From 1914, the parties had been making preparations for an election, and by the end of that year, the following candidates had been selected:

• Liberal: Herbert Lewis
• Unionist: D. F. Pennant^[14]

The constituency was then merged with Flint Boroughs.

Thomas Parry

General election 1918: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Liberal	Tom Parry	Unopposed
	Liberal hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Flintshire ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	Tom Parry	16,854	44.2	N/A
	Unionist	Austin Lloyd Jones	15,080	39.6	New
	Labour	David Gwynfryn Jones	6,163	16.2	New
Majority			1,774	4.6	N/A
Turnout			38,097	79.4	N/A
	National Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1923: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Tom Parry	19,609	56.8	+12.6
	Unionist	Ernest Roberts	14,926	43.2	+3.6
Majority			4,683	13.6	+9.0
Turnout			34,535	69.4	−10.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.5

General election 1924: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Ernest Roberts	19,054	46.4	+3.2
	Liberal	Tom Parry	14,169	34.5	−22.3
	Labour	David Gwynfryn Jones	7,821	19.1	New
Majority			4,885	11.9	N/A
Turnout			41,044	80.2	+10.8
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+12.7

General election 1929: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Frederick Llewellyn-Jones	24,012	43.0	+8.5
	Unionist	Ernest Roberts	19,536	35.0	−11.4
	Labour	Cyril O Jones	12,310	22.0	+2.9
Majority			4,476	8.0	N/A
Turnout			55,858	81.3	+1.1
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+10.0

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	Frederick Llewellyn-Jones	40,405	71.4	+36.4
	Labour	Frances Edwards	16,158	28.6	+6.6
Majority			24,247	42.8	+34.8
Turnout			56,563	77.9	−3.4
	National Liberal hold		Swing

General election 1935: Flintshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gwilym Rowlands	26,644	44.9	−26.5
	Liberal	John Emlyn-Jones	16,536	27.9	New
	Labour	Cyril O Jones	16,131	27.2	−1.6
Majority			10,108	17.0	N/A
Turnout			59,311	76.3	−1.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was due to take place before the end of 1940. From 1939 the parties had been preparing for an election, and by the end of that year, the following candidates had been selected:

• Conservative: Gwilym Rowlands
• Liberal: Mostyn Lewis^[16]
• Labour: WJ Rees

General election 1945: Flintshire ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Nigel Birch	27,800	38.8	−6.1
	Labour	Eirene Jones	26,761	37.4	+10.2
	Liberal	John Williams Hughes	17,007	23.8	−4.1
Majority			1,039	1.5	−15.5
Turnout			71,568	76.7	+0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

Notes

1. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
2. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
3. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 189–190. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via Google Books.
4. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Vol. 2 (107th edition, 3 volumes ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books). p. 2797.
5. Cragoe, Matthew (2004). Culture, Politics, and National Identity in Wales, 1932-1886. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 214. ISBN 0-19-820754-9. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via Google Books.
6. "Success of Mr. Mostyn". The Evening Chronicle. 12 July 1841. p. 2. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Flint County Election". Bucks Herald. 13 May 1854. p. 4. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. Escott, Margaret. "Flintshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
9. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (1st, e-book ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
10. "Flintshire". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 3 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. "The Flintshire Election". North Wales Chronicle. 1 June 1861. p. 11. Retrieved 11 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
13. "The General Election". The Morning Post. 25 November 1885. p. 2. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. Cheshire Observer 1 Aug 1914
15. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
16. The Liberal Magazine, 1939
17. [1] Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine Political resources.net

References

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 555. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
• W R Williams The Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales

Further reading

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
• Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 525. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
• Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 476. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.