1908 Ashburton by-election

UK parliamentary by-election April 2022 1908 Ashburton by-election presidential United Kingdom Ashburton (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1900s 1906 Ashburton (UK Parliament constituency)#Elections in the 1910s Jan. 1910 17 January 1908 Bell 85px Liberal Unionist Party 5,191 52.8% Buxton 85px Liberal Party (UK) 4,632 47.2% 250px MP Subsequent MP Harry Trelawney Eve Liberal Party (UK) Charles Buxton Liberal Party (UK) The 1908 Ashburton by-election was a by-election held in England on 17 January 1908 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for the British House of Commons constituency of Ashburton in Devon. Vacancy The by-election was triggered by the appointment of the sitting Liberal MP Harry Trelawney Eve as a judge. History thumb|120px|Eve General election 1906: AshburtonLiberal Year Book, 1907 Liberal Party (UK) Harry Eve 5,079 57.3 +2.6 Liberal Unionist Party Ernest Morrison-Bell 3,790 42.7 −2.6 1,289 14.6 +5.2 8,869 85.0 +1.1 10,429 Liberal Party (UK) +2.6 Candidates The Liberal Unionist candidate Ernest Morrison-Bell, had lost the constituency by 1,283 votes in the previous general election. Campaign The Liberal government had introduced the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1907 (7 Edw. 7. c. 54) which sought to limit the degree to which fixtures and improvements remained the property of landlords, and to increase the number of small farmers. This new measure was expected to have a strong appeal to voters in rural constituencies like Ashburton.By-Elections in British Politics, 1832-1914 Craig F. W. S. British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918 1974 Macmillan Press London 9781349022984 Result The result was a victory for the Liberal Unionist candidate Ernest Morrison-Bell. Ashburton by-election, 1908 Liberal Unionist Party Ernest Morrison-Bell 5,191 52.8 +10.1 Liberal Party (UK) Charles Buxton 4,632 47.2 −10.1 559 5.6 N/A 9,823 89.5 +4.5 10,976 Liberal Unionist Party Liberal Party (UK) +10.1 The loss of the seat came as a surprise to the Liberals, who had expected to retain it. The unsuccessful Liberal Candidate, Charles Roden Buxton, complained that the Liberal government had wrongly been blamed for the increased price of food; Morrison-Bell assured his followers that it had been a great victory for the cause of tariff reform. A crowd of over 10,000 people gathered in the town centre to hear the result, and after it was announced, several fights broke out, with Liberal supporters accusing their opponents of having won through 'beer' and 'bribery'. Morrison-Bell had to be escorted to the Conservative Club by the police, and Emmeline Pankhurst and another supporter of the women's suffrage movement were knocked down and injured in a shop in which they had taken refuge. A crowd later invaded the Conservative Club, causing considerable damage, and the police had to charge with truncheons, leaving several people in need of medical treatment. A number of policemen were injured by stones and one was hospitalised.The Times, 20 January 1908 Aftermath thumb|120px|Buxton General election January 1910: AshburtonDebrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916 Liberal Party (UK) Charles Buxton 5,668 51.1 +3.9 Liberal Unionist Party Ernest Morrison-Bell 5,421 48.9 -3.9 247 2.2 N/A 11,089 92.6 +3.1 Liberal Party (UK) Liberal Unionist Party (UK) +3.9 References See also List of United Kingdom by-elections Ashburton constituency 1904 Ashburton by-election Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Devon constituencies Category:1908 in England Category:1908 elections in the United Kingdom Category:Teignbridge Category:January 1908 in the United Kingdom Category:1910s in Devon