Lambeth was a
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 ...
1832—1885 loosely equivalent in area to the later administrative units: the
London Borough of Lambeth
Lambeth () is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier S ...
and the south-west and centre of the
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...
. It returned two members of parliament (MPs) to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
of the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
by the
bloc vote version of the first-past-the-post system.
History
The constituency was among many created under the
Great Reform Act
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electo ...
(for the
1832 general election) and abolished by 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 ...
for the
1885 general election when it was divided into eight single-member seats:
Camberwell North,
Camberwell Peckham,
Lambeth Brixton,
Lambeth Kennington,
Lambeth North,
Lambeth Norwood,
Newington Walworth and
Newington West.
[
]
Boundaries
Under original proposals it would have been greater, taking all of Dulwich and Brixton and possibly two parishes to the east. The commissioners appointed to fix parliamentary boundaries attempted to equalise the seven new "metropolitan" constituencies of London in number of voters and in population. For this reason Bermondsey and Rotherhithe were assigned to Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
. It was also decided not to include the entirety of the parishes of Camberwell and Lambeth: both were very large parishes running five or six miles south from the Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
. The portions closest to the river were heavily built up, but the southern sections were mainly rural. Dulwich and part of Brixton were therefore excluded, instead forming part of East Surrey
East Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Claire Coutinho, a Conservative. The seat covers an affluent area in the English county of Surrey.
Since its creation in 1918, East Surrey h ...
.
The boundaries were detailed in the schedules of the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832
The Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which defined the parliamentary divisions (constituencies) in England and Wales required by the Reform Act 1832. The boundaries were largely those recommen ...
, and consisted of:
*The entire parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of St Mary Newington
Newington is a district of South London, just south of the River Thames, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey. It was the location of the Count ...
*The parish of St Giles Camberwell
Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross.
Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This ...
(except for the Manor and Hamlet of Dulwich)
*The part of the parish of Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area e ...
north of a line defined in the act.["From the Point at which the Road from London to Dulwich by Red Post Hill leaves the Road from London over Herne Hill in a straight Line to Saint Matthews Church at Brixton; thence in a straight Line to a Point in the Boundary between the respective Parishes of Lambeth and Clapham One hundred and fifty Yards South of the Middle of the Carriageway along Acre Lane." ]
The area was unchanged when parliamentary seats were next redistributed under the Reform Act 1867
The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 (known as the Reform Act 1867 or the Second Reform Act) was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first ...
.
Members of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Pearson resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Roupell resigned, causing a by-election.
Williams' death caused a by-election.
Election in the 1870s
Election in the 1880s
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{Historic constituencies in London
, 1832 = y
, 1868 = y
, 1885 = n
, 1918 = n
, 1950 = n
, 1955 = n
, 1974 = n
, 1983 = n
, 1997 = n
Parliamentary constituencies in London (historic)
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1832
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885
Politics of the London Borough of Lambeth
History of the London Borough of Lambeth
1832 establishments in England