Glamorganshire was a

parliamentary constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, returning two

Members 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 ...

(MPs) to the British House of Commons. The

Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equal ...

divided it into five new constituencies: East Glamorganshire, South Glamorganshire, Mid Glamorganshire,

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

and

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fa ...

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of

Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

History

For most of its history, the county constituency was represented by landowners from a small number of aristocratic families and this pattern continued until the nineteenth century. Following the Great Reform Act of 1832 a second county seat was created. By the 1850s it had become virtually impossible for a Tory candidate to be elected as a county member since the industrial and urban vote could be rallied against him. This was proved in 1857 when Nash Vaughan Edwards-Vaughan failed in his attempt to dislodge one of the sitting members. Thereafter, until redistribution in 1885 led to the abolition of the constituency, the representation was shared by C.R.M. Talbot and Hussey Vivian. In line with Liberal party policy in two-member constituencies to run candidates from both wings of the party, the Whig aristocrat Talbot collaborated well with the more Radical Vivian.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1541–1832

MPs 1832–1885

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s

Wyndham-Quin was appointed Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

References

Sources

Books and Journals

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Other

*
map
of Glamorganshire in 1885, showing its new divisions. *{{Rayment-hc, g, 1, date=March 2012

Politics of Glamorgan Historic parliamentary constituencies in South Wales Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1536 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885