1912 Holmfirth by-election

UK parliamentary by-election November 2019 The 1912 Holmfirth by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 20 June 1912.Craig F.W.S. 1987 Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987 Chichester Parliamentary Research Services 107 The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. Vacancy and electoral history The local Liberal MP Henry Wilson resigned from parliament at the age of 79. He had been MP here since the seat was created in 1885. At the last general election, he was returned unopposed. The last contested election was the previous election; General election January 1910British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 Electorate 12,788 Liberal Party (UK) Henry Wilson 6,339 57.5 -14.4 Liberal Unionist Party (UK) Geoffrey Ellis 3,043 27.6 -0.5 Labour Party (UK) William Pickles 1,643 14.9 New 3,296 29.9 -13.9 11,025 86.2 +8.2 Liberal Party (UK) -7.0 Candidates The Liberal candidate selected was 34-year-old Sydney Arnold. He had contested neighbouring Holderness for the Liberals at the last election. He had been educated at Manchester Grammar School and had been a Member of Manchester Stock Exchange since 1904. The Unionists re-selected 38-year-old Geoffrey Ellis from Shipley, West Yorkshire. Ellis was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge. Since 1910 he worked for Beckett & Co., Bankers, of Leeds. Although he did not contest the December 1910 general election, he contested the previous general election in January 1910. The Labour Party selected 40-year-old William Lunn. He was educated at Rothwell Board School. He was a check-weighman who had started work in the pit at 12 years of age.Who's Who Campaign Polling Day was set for 20 June 1912, just 15 days after the resignation of the previous MP. The constituency contained a mixture of mining, agriculture and textile industries. Arnold was a committed supporter of a Land value tax which he featured in his campaign. David Lloyd George the Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer sent Arnold a public message in which he said Britain needed to "recast our present absurd land system." Lunn was importantly backed by the Yorkshire Miners' Association which not only assured him of organised support but went some way to ensuring that much of the third of the electorate involved in mining, would support him at the ballot box.By-Elections in British Politics, 1832-1914 Result The Liberal Party held the seat. thumb|right|170px|Sydney Arnold Holmfirth by-election, 1912 Electorate 13,035 Liberal Party (UK) Sydney Arnold 4,749 42.0 -15.5 Unionist Party (UK) Geoffrey Ellis 3,379 29.8 +2.2 Labour Party (UK) William Lunn 3,195 28.2 +13.3 1,370 12.2 -17.7 11,323 86.9 +0.7 Liberal Party (UK) -8.8 The percentage change in vote share is calculated from the last contested election in January 1910. Aftermath A general election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. General Election 1914/15: Holmfirth Electorate 13,467 Liberal Party (UK) Sydney Arnold Labour Party (UK) William Lunn Arnold was elected for the re-drawn seat of Penistone in 1918. Ellis was elected for the seat of Wakefield in 1922. Lunn went on to be elected for Rothwell in 1918. General election 14 December 1918: Penistone Electorate 31,298 Liberal Party (UK) Sydney Arnold 7,338 39.4 Unionist Party (UK) *Phillip Gatty Smith 6,744 36.2 Independent Labour Frederick William Southern 4,556 24.4 594 3.2 18,638 58.4 Liberal Party (UK) Smith was the endorsed candidate of the Coalition Government. References Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan. Debrett's House of Commons 1916 External links Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com Otte T. Otte T.G. Readman P. By-Elections in British Politics, 1832-1914 Boydell Press 2013 978-1-84383-780-0 https://books.google.com/books?id=fASYFMKoTRIC&pg=PA8 8 Category:By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in West Yorkshire constituencies Category:1912 in England Category:1912 elections in the United Kingdom Category:Elections in Kirklees Category:Holmfirth Category:1910s in Yorkshire Category:June 2012 in the United Kingdom