The constituency was created as Devonport in 1832, and elected two members until 1918, when the number was reduced to one. Following the amalgamation of Devonport into Plymouth, the constituency was renamed as Plymouth, Devonport.
Devonport has had a number of prominent MPs, including Leslie Hore-Belisha, Michael Foot (who began his Commons career in the seat), and the former SDP leader David Owen. One of its longest serving MPs was the National Liberal, later Conservative Dame Joan Vickers, who held the seat from 1955 until her defeat at the General Election of February 1974.
Abolition
Following the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies by the Boundary Commission for England, constituencies in Plymouth were reorganised, with both Plymouth Sutton and Plymouth Devonport being replaced by new constituencies of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport and Plymouth Moor View from 2010.[1] The vast majority (nearly 90%) of the Plymouth Devonport constituency became part of the new Plymouth Moor View constituency; the exception was Devonport ward which became part of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport.[2]
Boundaries
1918–1950: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Ford, Keyham, Molesworth, Nelson, St Aubyn, and St Budeaux.
1950–1951: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Ford, Keyham, Molesworth, Mount Edgecumbe, Nelson, Pennycross, St Aubyn, St Budeaux, St Peter, and Stoke; and the parish of Tamerton Foliot in the Rural District of Plympton St Mary.
1951–1955: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Ernesettle, Ford, Molesworth, Nelson, Peverell, St Aubyn, St Budeaux, St Peter, Stoke, Tamerton, and Trelawney.[3]
1955–1974: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Drake, Ernesettle, Ford, Molesworth, Nelson, St Andrew, St Aubyn, St Budeaux, St Peter, and Stoke.
1974–1983: The County Borough of Plymouth wards of Ernesettle, Ford, St Andrew, St Aubyn, St Budeaux, St Peter, and Stoke.
1983–1997: The City of Plymouth wards of Budshead, Estover, Ham, Honicknowle, Keyham, St Budeaux, and Southway.
1997–2010: The City of Plymouth wards of Budshead, Eggbuckland, Estover, Ham, Honicknowle, Keyham, St Budeaux, and Southway.
From 1950 to 1983, the constituency included Plymouth city centre.
Perry resigned after being appointed a member of the Council of India, causing a by-election.
Wilson resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Seymour resigned, causing a by-election.
Buller resigned in order to contest the 1865 Liskeard by-election.
The election was declared void on petition, on account of bribery and corrupt practices,[28] causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Elections in the 1910s
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1979 and 1983 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful.
Elections in the 1990s
This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.
^"Final recommendations for Parliamentary constituencies in the counties of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay". Boundary Commission for England. 24 November 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
^Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (2007). The Almanac of British Politics (8th ed.). UK: Routledge. p. 750. ISBN 978-0-415-37823-9.
^"The House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) (No. 10) Order 1951. SI 1951/432". Statutory Instruments 1951. Vol. II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1952. pp. 431–434.
^ a b cLeigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
^ a b c d e f g h iStooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 68–69. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
^One of No Party (1836). Random Recollections of the House of Commons from the Year 1830 to the Close of 1835, Including Personal Sketches of the Leading Members of All Parties. Philadelphia: E. L. Carey & A. Hart. pp. 158–159.
^Crosby's Parliamentary Record of Elections in Great Britain and Ireland. Leeds: George Crosby. 1847. p. 122.
^"The Age". Melbourne, Victoria. 13 September 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
^"The Excluded Whigs". Leeds Intelligencer. 22 January 1853. p. 3. Retrieved 28 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Postscript". The Spectator. 9 November 1839. p. 9. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^The Spectator, Volume 14. F.C. Westley. 1841. p. 653. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^ a bGash, Norman (2013). Politics in the Age of Peel: A Study in the Technique of Parliamentary Representation, 1830–1850. Faber & Faber. pp. 355, 440. ISBN 9780571302901. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"Political". Durham Chronicle. 13 March 1846. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Bridport Election". Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties. 13 March 1846. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Atkinson, Diane (2012). The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton. London: Arrow Books. p. 390. ISBN 9780099556480. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^Stubbings, Matthew (October 2016). "British Conservatism and the Indian Revolt: The Annexation of Awadh and the Consequences of Liberal Empire, 1856–1858". Journal of British Studies. 55 (4): 728–749. doi:10.1017/jbr.2016.73. S2CID 152098641.
^"The General Election". Morning Post. 24 July 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^Rosser, Alexander S. (2009). "Businessmen in the House of Commons: A Comparative Study of the 1852–1857 and the 1895–1900 Parliaments". KU Scholar Works. University of Kansas. p. 65. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^Roberts, F. David (2002). The Social Conscience of the Early Victorians. Stanford: Stanford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 9780804780933. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x yCraig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
^"Cumberland Pacquet, and Ware's Whitehaven Advertiser". 28 January 1840. p. 3. Retrieved 2 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"The Elections". London Daily News. 31 July 1847. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 2 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Devonport". Bristol Times and Mirror. 10 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Election Intelligence". London Evening Standard. 20 April 1859. p. 6. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Declaration of the Poll". Western Times. 14 February 1863. p. 2. Retrieved 7 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Devonport". Shipping and Mercantile Gazette. 19 June 1865. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 7 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Election Petitions". Leicester Mail. 17 March 1866. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 7 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Mr Raikes Beaten at Devonport". Cheshire Observer. 26 May 1866. p. 8. Retrieved 7 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Election News". Preston Herald. 3 October 1868. p. 6. Retrieved 7 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^"Devonport". Western Daily Mercury. 2 February 1874. p. 5. Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ a b c d e f g hThe Liberal Year Book, 1907
^ a b c d e f g hBritish Parliamentary Election Results, 1885-1918 FWS Craig
^"District News". Sheffield Independent. 22 December 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ a bDebrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
^ a bBritish parliamentary election results 1885–1918 by Craig
^ a bDebrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
^'LITHGOW, Samuel', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 18 Sept 2017[permanent dead link]
^ a b cElection results, 1974 – 1979
^"Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^ a b cElection results, 1983 – 1992
^"Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
^"Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^ a bElection results, 1997 – 2001
^"Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^"Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^Election result, 2005
Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
External links
Plymouth, Devonport UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK