The

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 26 October 1905. The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (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 voting system.

Vacancy

Thomas Milvain Sir Thomas Milvain (4 May 1844 – 13 September 1916) was an English lawyer and Conservative Party politician. Background and Career Milvain was the son of Henry Milvain of North Elswick Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne and his wife Jane Davidson, a ...

had been Conservative MP for the seat of

since the

1902 Hampstead by-election The Hampstead by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 24 January 1902. The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post In a first-past-the- ...

. Milvain resigned the seat when he was appointed Judge Advocate General.

Electoral history

The seat had been Conservative since it was created in 1885. They easily held the seat at the last election;

Candidates

The local Conservative Association selected 63-year-old John Fletcher as their candidate to defend the seat. Fletcher had good local connections. He was a member of the Hampstead Board of Guardians from 1876 to 1898. He was an elected member of the London County Council representing Hampstead for the Conservative backed Municipal Reform Party from 1889 to 1904. He served as one of the Council's deputy chairmen from 1900 to 1904. The local Liberal Association selected George Frederic Rowe as their candidate to gain the seat. Rowe had been the Liberal candidate in the 1902 by-election.

Campaign

Rowe launched his campaign on 11 October with a public meeting at Hampstead Town Hall, sharing a platform with the London Liberal MP,

Thomas Macnamara Thomas James Macnamara PC (23 August 1861 – 3 December 1931) was a British teacher, educationalist and radical Liberal politician. Biography Macnamara was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of a soldier originally from County Clar ...

. On 13 October he held his second public meeting at Brondesbury Hall. Fletcher's campaign, slower off the mark, sought to build upon his strong local links. He supported the Unionist government in its policy positions. He advocated the reduction in Irish representation in the UK parliament. The Hampstead Temperance Council had invited both candidates to address their meeting, but Fletcher chose not to attend. The HTC gave its support to Rowe and Fletcher responded by seeking the support of local licensed victuallers. Rowe's third public meeting at West Hampstead Town Hall featured Leo Chiozza Money the Liberal candidate for neighbouring Paddington. Fletcher's first public meeting in Haverstock Hill, had him sharing a platform with Nottingham MP,

Edward Bond Edward Bond (born 18 July 1934) is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them '' Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of the ...

and Keighley candidate

William Mitchell Acworth Sir William Mitchell Acworth KCSI (22 November 1850 – 2 April 1925) was a British railway economist, barrister and politician. Early life and background The third son of the Reverend William Acworth of the Hall, South Stoke, near Bath, Somer ...

. Polling Day was fixed for the 26 October 1905. As Fletcher was a supporter of protectionism, Rowe received the endorsement of the Hampstead Free Trade League. On 23 October

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

who had left the Conservatives and joined the Liberals primarily because of the free trade v protectionism issue, addressed a public meeting organised by the Hampstead Free Trade League."Speech By Mr. Churchill." ''Times'' ondon24 Oct. 1905: 10. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

Result

The Liberals massively reduced the majority of the Conservatives, thanks to a swing of 11.9%: The result should have been a good indicator to Unionist Prime Minister Arthur Balfour that the mood in the country was swinging behind the Liberals. He soon chose to resign as Prime Minister.

Aftermath

At the following General Election the result was similar:

References

{{By-elections to the 27th UK Parliament Hampstead by-election Hampstead by-election Hampstead,1905 Hampstead,1905