1889 North Riding County Council election

1889 English local government election thumb|North Riding (red) within Yorkshire (green) and England thumb|Inaugural chairman, J. C. Dundas The inaugural elections to the North Riding County Council were held on 24 January 1889. The North Riding was one of three divisions of the historic county of Yorkshire in England; it consisted of the ancient wapentakes (or hundreds) of Gilling West, Hang West, Gilling East, Hang East, Allertonshire, Halikeld, Langbaurgh West, Birdforth, Bulmer, Ryedale, Langbaurgh East, Whitby Strand and Pickering Lythe. The new council consisted of 60 members (one for each of 60 divisions), with 20 more voting aldermen to be elected by the new council. 30 of the seats were contested while 30 were uncontested. The election saw control of the council being taken by Conservative candidates, although these candidates were largely Independent conservatives as opposed to being party activists. Following the election, the first Chairman of the Council was John Dundas, who remained in office until 1892. A new authority The Local Government Act 1888 created county councils throughout England and Wales, to take over various administrative functions until then carried out by the unelected Quarter Sessions. They gained some of their powers under the Act on 1 April 1889, and their full powers on 22 September 1889. These included repairing county roads and bridges; maintaining court houses, police stations, and county halls; providing an asylum for pauper lunatics and reformatory and industrial schools; and being responsible for weights and measures and the control of contagious diseases in animals.John Edwards, 'County' in Chambers's Encyclopaedia (London: George Newnes, 1955), pp. 189–191 The areas they covered were called administrative counties and were not in all cases identical to the traditional counties, but in the North Riding the whole county came under the authority of the new county council, as there were no towns or cities large enough to be treated as county boroughs (although there were in the West and East Ridings). Results North Riding County Council election, 1889 Conservative Party (UK) 14 23.3 23.0 3,906 Liberal Party (UK) 8 13.3 20.8 3,528 Independent politician 2 3.4 9.4 1,597 Liberal Unionist Party 0 0 1.0 168 Unknown party 36 60.0 45.9 7,802 Composition The traditions of county government by Quarter Sessions were so long, often being passed on from one generation to another in the same families, that it is not surprising to find that the nature of the membership of the new authority was keenly debated: many, particularly Conservatives, saw the Local Government Act as the end of the role of the magistrate in county government; while on the other hand, many Liberals were worried that little or no change in membership would result.Ashcroft Michael Yeomans A History of the North Riding of Yorkshire County Council, 1889–1974 1974 9780950343006 https://archiveshop.northyorks.gov.uk/books/NYCROP69.html When the North Riding election returns were in, it was clear that the Liberal prediction was the more accurate. Although a considerable portion of the Council was new blood (21 out of 60 members), the justices had a clear majority. 16 of the members returned unopposed were justices: in many cases they were the established local gentry, men like Sir Henry Beresford-Peirse at Bedale, the Earl of Feversham at Helmsley, Sir William Worsley at Hovingham and the Earl of Zetland at Marske. It was rare for a justice to be defeated, although this happened where more than one contested the same seat. Although Conservatives repeatedly asserted prior to the elections that they should be conducted on a non-political basis, the composition of the council suggests that party affiliation remained influential. In its final form, the county council included a substantial Conservative majority, with significantly fewer Liberal members.https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003074/18890216/080/0004 Local and District Notes Northern Weekly Gazette 16 February 1889 4 29 April 2026 British Newspaper Archive subscription At the time, the provisional chairman expressed the view that the selection of aldermen ought not to be shaped by political considerations. However, the voting pattern indicated a high degree of consistency among Conservative councillors, who largely supported the same group of candidates. As a result, most of the aldermen appointed were not existing members of the council, which limited the direct influence of the electorate in their selection. The majority of aldermen appointed were Conservatives, many of whom were drawn from landed backgrounds. Results by division Aysgarth Aysgarthhttp://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005407/18890126/031/0003 North Riding County Council Elections Scarborough Evening News 26 January 1889 3 29 April 2026 British Newspaper Archive subscription James Winn Uncontested Bedale Bedale Henry Monson De La Poer Beresford-Peirse Uncontested Brompton Brompton Benjamin Wilford 374 58.8 W W Romanby 262 41.2 251 39.4 636 Brotton Brotton Conservative Party (UK) Thomas Hugh Bell 422 56.3 Mr Stevens 327 43.7 95 12.7 749 Catterick Catterick William Charge Booth Uncontested Clifton Clifton James Melrose Uncontested Croft Croft Conservative Party (UK) William Wilson-Todd Uncontested Easingwold Easingwold Henry Hawking Uncontested Eskdaleside Eskdaleside Thomas Bagnall Uncontested Eston North Eston North William Seymour Uncontested Eston South Eston Southhttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000087/18890125/010/0003 North Riding County Council Elections: Yesterday's Polls The Northern Echo 25 January 1889 3 29 April 2026 British Newspaper Archive subscription Liberal Party (UK) Elisha Beacham 243 50.5 Liberal Unionist Party Carl Bolckow 168 34.9 Conservative Party (UK) Nicholas Robert Fleming 70 14.6 75 15.6 481 Flaxton Flaxton William Abel Wood 267 51.1 William Benson Richardson 255 48.9 12 2.3 522 Gilling Gilling Samuel Rowlandson Uncontested Great Ayton Great Ayton William Winn Uncontested Guisborough Guisborough Liberal Party (UK) Alfred Edward Pease 421 61.5 J E Whittaker 263 38.5 158 23.1 684 Helmsley Helmsley Conservative Party (UK) William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham Uncontested Hinderwell Hinderwell Liberal Party (UK) Charles Palmer 333 53.5 Liberal Party (UK) John Valentine Laverick 290 56.5 43 6.9 623 Hovingham Hovingham Conservative Party (UK) William Cayley Worsley Uncontested Kirbymoorside Kirbymoorside Cecil Duncombe 470 56.8 Richard Foxton 358 43.2 112 13.5 828 Kirkleatham Kirkleatham William Eden Walker 303 56.2 James Rutherford 236 43.8 67 12.4 539 Leyburn Leyburn Conservative Party (UK) William Orde-Powlett, 5th Baron Bolton 398 60.5 James J Maclaren 260 39.5 138 21.0 658 Loftus Loftushttp://link.gale.com/apps/doc/R3211441016/BNCN?u=caldlib&sid=bookmark-BNCN&pg=3&xid=81c186c8 The County Council Elections Daily Gazette For Middlesbrough 24 January 1889 13 May 2026 George Henry Anderson Uncontested Lythe Lythe George Pyman Uncontested Malton Malton Liberal Party (UK) Joshua Hartley 521 76.3 George Foster 157 23.0 364 53.3 5 0.7 683 73.8 925 Marske Marske Conservative Party (UK) Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland Unopposed Masham Masham Independent politician Charles Dodsworth 372 55.9 Independent politician James Gothorp 293 44.1 79 11.9 665 75.9 876 Middleham Middleham Simon Thomas Scrope Uncontested Normanby Normanby James Glen Northallerton Northallerton Conservative Party (UK) John Hutton 314 53.6 Conservative Party (UK) C Palliser 272 46.4 42 7.2 586 Norton Norton Digby Cayley Uncontested Ormesby Ormesby Liberal Party (UK) Isaac Wilson Uncontested Osmotherley Osmotherley John James Emerson 328 50.3 John Yeoman 324 49.7 4 652 0.6 Pickering Pickering Conservative Party (UK) James Mitchelson Mitchelson 345 50.7 Liberal Party (UK) Robert Frank 336 49.3 9 1.3 681 Redcar and Saltburn Redcar and Saltburn Liberal Party (UK) John Dundas 330 50.4 Joseph Walton 325 49.6 5 0.8 655 Reeth Reeth Edmund Alderson Knowles 401 71.5 Francis Garth 160 28.5 241 43.0 561 Richmond Richmond Conservative Party (UK) Gerald Walker 300 53.5 Conservative Party (UK) George Roper 261 46.5 39 7.0 561 Ruswarp Ruswarp John Stevenson Uncontested Scalby Scalby Francis Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone Uncontested Scarborough Central Scarborough Central John Woodall Woodall Uncontested Scarborough East Scarborough East Charles William Woodall Uncontested Scarborough North Scarborough North Robert Forster Uncontested Scarborough North West Scarborough North West John Greaves Smirthwaite Uncontested Scarborough South Scarborough South John Dale Uncontested Scarborough West Scarborough West Liberal Party (UK) Robert Peel Clarkson 409 67.9 Conservative Party (UK) E Keighley 193 32.1 216 35.9 602 Sheriff Hutton Sheriff Hutton Thomas John Kinnear 205 36.7 John Coates 196 35.1 Arthur Everett 157 28.1 9 1.6 558 Skelton Skelton Conservative Party (UK) William Henry Anthony Wharton 381 67.8 John M Gowland 181 32.2 200 35.6 562 Snainton Snainton Thomas Byron Uncontested South Otterington South Otterington William Newsome Baxter 271 46.4 Conservative Party (UK) Edmund Turton 199 34.0 Mr Kirby 114 19.5 72 12.3 584 Startforth Startforth Robert Barker 442 52.3 Mr Dent 403 47.7 39 4.6 845 Stillington Stillington Conservative Party (UK) John Newton 272 40.5 Liberal Party (UK) Robert Souter 215 32.0 Mr Graves 185 27.5 57 8.5 672 Stokesley Stokesleyhttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000499/18890126/024/0006 The County Council: Declarations of Polls York Herald 26 January 1889 6 13 May 2026 British Newspaper Archive subscription Edward Wynne-Finch Uncontested Thirsk Thirsk Conservative Party (UK) Reginald Bell Uncontested Thornaby North Thornaby North William Whitwell Thornaby South Thornaby South Charles Arthur Head Uncontested Thornton Thornton Conservative Party (UK) William Scoby Uncontested Topcliffe Topcliffe John I'Anson 329 59.2 Mr Smith 227 40.8 102 18.3 556 Wath Wath Independent politician Jacob Smith 517 55.5 Independent politician Thomas Highmoor 415 44.5 102 11.0 932 Whitby East Whitby East Liberal Party (UK) James Menzies Clayhills 430 62.8 Conservative Party (UK) Harrison Weighill 255 37.2 175 25.5 685 Whitby West Whitby West Robert Elliott Pannett Uncontested Yarm Yarm Conservative Party (UK) William Hedley 224 52.0 C Middleton 207 48.0 17 3.9 431 57.5 750 References Category:North Riding County Council elections North Riding Category:19th century in Yorkshire