The

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 23 March 1900. The constituency returned one

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) to the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

, elected by the

first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

voting system. The seat had become vacant following the death of the incumbent

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP, Sir Charles Hall on 9 March. Hall had been

for the constituency since an 1892 by-election.

Candidates

The Conservative candidate was

James Remnant James Farquharson Remnant, 1st Baron Remnant, (13 February 1862 – 30 January 1933), known as Sir James Remnant, 1st Baronet, from 1917 to 1928, was a British Conservative politician. Biography Remnant was the son of Frederick William Remnant ...

. He was unanimously selected at a meeting of the Holborn

Conservative Association A Conservative Association (CA) is a local organisation composed of Conservative Party members in the United Kingdom. Every association varies in membership size but all correspond to a parliamentary constituency in England, Wales, Scotland and No ...

on Thursday 15 March. Remnant had been the

Moderate Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

member for

since

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

, and was chairman of the Theatres Committee of the council. It was speculated that Sir Edward Clarke might be the Conservative candidate. Clarke had been Member of Parliament for

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

from

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

until 10 February 1900, when he resigned by being appointed

Steward of the Manor of Northstead The office of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead functions as a procedural device to allow a member of Parliament (MP) to resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. As members of the House of Commons are forbidden ...

. Following the outbreak of war in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in late 1899, Clarke had found himself in total disagreement with his party over the government's South African policy. In early February 1900 his constituency party at Plymouth formally called upon him to resign his seat, and he resigned the following day. Clarke was President of the Holborn Conservative Association. It was also speculated that Sir

Forrest Fulton Sir (James) Forrest Fulton (12 July 1846 – 25 June 1926) was a British judge and Conservative politician. Early life Born in Ostend, Belgium, he was the youngest son of Lieutenant-Colonel James Forrest Fulton and his wife, Fanny née Jessopp. ...

, the

Common Serjeant of London The Common Serjeant of London (full title The Serjeant-at-Law in the Common Hall) is an ancient British legal office, first recorded in 1291, and is the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of Lon ...

, might be the Conservative candidate. The Holborn Liberal and Radical Association unanimously decided on Friday 16 March not to contest the seat.

Result

References

Holborn by-election Holborn,1900 1900 in England 1900 in London Holborn, 1900 Unopposed by-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in English constituencies {{England-UK-Parl-by-election-stub