Penistone (UK Parliament constituency)

Penistone
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyWest Riding of Yorkshire
1918–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromHallamshire and Holmfirth
Replaced byBarnsley West & Penistone and Sheffield Hillsborough

Penistone was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Penistone in Yorkshire and surrounding countryside. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

History

The constituency was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1983 general election.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Clayton West, Denby and Cumberworth, Gunthwaite and Ingbirchworth, Hoyland Swaine, Kirkburton, Penistone, Shelley, Shepley, Skelmanthorpe, Stocksbridge, and Thurlstone, and the Rural Districts of Penistone and Wortley.

1950–1955: The Urban Districts of Denby Dale, Dodworth, Hoyland Nether, Kirkburton, Penistone, and Stocksbridge, and the Rural Districts of Penistone and Wortley.

1955–1983: The Urban Districts of Dodworth, Hoyland Nether, Penistone, and Stocksbridge, and the Rural Districts of Penistone and Wortley.

The area formerly covered by this constituency was then placed mostly in the Barnsley West and Penistone constituency and partly in the Sheffield Hillsborough constituency.

Following a later boundary review, the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency which came into force at the 2010 general election roughly covered a similar area to the old Penistone constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1918 Sydney Arnold Liberal
1921 by-election William Gillis Labour
1922 William Pringle Liberal
1924 Rennie Smith Labour
1931 Clifford Glossop Conservative
1935 Henry McGhee Labour
1959 by-election John Mendelson Labour
1978 by-election Allen McKay Labour
1983 constituency abolished: see Barnsley West and Penistone

Election results

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allen McKay 28,010 49.1 −5.1
Conservative Ian James Dobkin 18,309 32.1 +8.1
Liberal David Chadwick 10,772 18.9 −2.9
Majority 9,701 17.0 −13.2
Turnout 57,091 78.9 +4.2
Labour hold Swing
1978 Penistone by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Allen McKay 19,424 45.5 −8.7
Conservative Ian James Dobkin 14,053 32.9 +8.9
Liberal David Chadwick 9,241 21.6 −0.2
Majority 5,371 12.6 −17.6
Turnout 42,718
Labour hold Swing
General election October 1974: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 27,146 54.2 +4.5
Conservative G. C. W. Harris 12,011 24.0 −1.2
Liberal David Chadwick 10,900 21.8 −1.7
Majority 15,135 30.2 +5.7
Turnout 50,057 74.7 −9.4
Labour hold Swing
General election February 1974: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 27,797 49.7 −9.0
Conservative A. D. Wilkinson 14,084 25.2 −2.5
Liberal David Chadwick 13,140 23.5 +9.9
Campaign for Social Democracy M. Eaden 867 1.6 New
Majority 13,713 24.5 −6.5
Turnout 55,888 84.1 +10.2
Labour hold Swing
General election 1970: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 31,615 58.7 −3.6
Conservative Alan Pickup 14,897 27.7 +4.3
Liberal Derick Mirfin 7,347 13.6 −0.7
Majority 16,718 31.0 −7.9
Turnout 53,859 73.9 −5.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 31,419 62.3 +4.2
Conservative Bryan Askew 11,817 23.4 −2.2
Liberal Ronald Swinden 7,191 14.3 −2.0
Majority 19,602 38.9 +6.4
Turnout 50,427 78.9 −2.2
Labour hold Swing
General election 1964: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 29,784 58.1 −3.0
Conservative Bryan Askew 13,095 25.6 −13.3
Liberal Ronald Swinden 8,372 16.3 New
Majority 16,689 32.5 +10.3
Turnout 51,251 81.1 −1.9
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 31,117 61.1 −1.2
Conservative John Bedford Deby 19,809 38.9 +1.2
Majority 11,308 22.2 −2.4
Turnout 50,926 83.0 +3.0
Labour hold Swing
1959 Penistone by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mendelson 25,315 64.1 +1.8
Conservative John Bedford Deby 14,196 35.9 −1.8
Majority 11,119 28.2 +3.6
Turnout 39,511
Labour hold Swing +1.8
General election 1955: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry McGhee 29,432 62.3 −1.9
Conservative Laurence B. Fulton 17,796 37.7 +1.9
Majority 11,636 24.6 −3.8
Turnout 47,228 80.0 −5.1
Labour hold Swing
General election 1951: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry McGhee 36,169 64.2 +2.2
Conservative Denton Hinchcliffe 20,145 35.8 +7.2
Majority 16,024 28.4 −5.0
Turnout 56,314 85.1 −2.6
Labour hold Swing
General election 1950: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry McGhee 34,979 62.0 −3.8
Conservative Denton Hinchcliffe 16,128 28.6 −5.6
Liberal Anthony F Smith 5,316 9.4 New
Majority 18,851 33.4 +1.8
Turnout 56,423 87.7 +12.6
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry McGhee 40,180 65.8 +12.3
Conservative R. G. Davies 20,869 34.2 −12.3
Majority 19,311 31.6 +24.6
Turnout 61,049 75.1 +1.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Henry McGhee 23,869 53.5 +17.9
Conservative Clifford Glossop 20,783 46.5 −1.2
Majority 3,086 7.0 N/A
Turnout 44,652 73.3 −8.6
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
General election 1931: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Clifford Glossop 19,556 47.7 +19.8
Labour Rennie Smith 14,584 35.6 −9.6
Liberal Thomas Neville 6,821 16.7 −10.2
Majority 4,972 12.1 N/A
Turnout 40,961 81.9 +0.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rennie Smith 17,286 45.2 +6.7
Unionist Francis George Bibbings 10,640 27.9 −6.2
Liberal Ashley Mitchell 10,277 26.9 −0.5
Majority 6,646 17.3 +12.9
Turnout 38,203 81.6 +1.0
Registered electors 46,810
Labour hold Swing +6.5
General election 1924: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rennie Smith 10,997 38.5 +5.0
Unionist Charles Hodgkinson (soldier) 9,718 33.1 +4.5
Liberal William Pringle 7,799 27.4 −9.5
Majority 1,279 4.4 N/A
Turnout 28,514 80.6 +8.8
Registered electors 35,358
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +7.3
General election 1923: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Pringle 9,164 36.9 +1.1
Labour Rennie Smith 8,329 33.5 −0.2
Unionist Charles Hodgkinson (soldier) 7,369 29.6 −0.9
Majority 835 3.4 +1.3
Turnout 24,862 71.8 −1.3
Registered electors 34,612
Liberal hold Swing +0.7
William Pringle
General election 1922: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Pringle 8,924 35.8 −3.6
Labour William Gillis 8,382 33.7 N/A
Unionist Charles Hodgkinson (soldier) 7,600 30.5 −5.7
Majority 542 2.1 −1.1
Turnout 24,906 73.1 +14.7
Registered electors 34,071
Liberal hold Swing +1.1
1921 Penistone by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Gillis 8,560 36.2 New
Liberal William Pringle 7,984 33.7 −5.7
National Liberal James Peace Hinchcliffe 7,123 30.1 −6.1
Majority 576 2.5 N/A
Turnout 23,667 71.7 +13.3
Registered electors 32,988
Labour gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1910s

Sydney Arnold
General election 1918: Penistone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sydney Arnold 7,338 39.4
C Unionist Phillip Gatty Smith 6,744 36.2
Independent Labour Frederick William Southern 4,556 24.4
Majority 594 3.2
Turnout 18,638 58.4
Registered electors 31,928
Liberal win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Sources