- Source: Totnes (UK Parliament constituency)
Totnes was a parliamentary constituency in Devon represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the constituency name was abolished. With to minor boundary changes, it was renamed South Devon at the 2024 general election.
History
An original parliamentary borough of Totnes or Totness was created in 1295. It returned two MPs to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 until it was abolished under the Representation of the People Act 1867 with effect from the 1868 election. The constituency was reformed in 1885, in a much narrower form than previously.
It was abolished again at the 1983, largely replaced by the South Hams constituency. In 1997, South Hams was abolished and largely replaced by the reformed Totnes. At the 2024 general election, the name Totnes disappeared once again, as the constituency was renamed South Devon constituency with minor boundary changes.
= Political history
=The constituency was a generally safe seat for the Conservative Party since the 1920s; it returned a Conservative MP at every general election for which it existed since 1924 (as did South Hams, the constituency that replaced it between 1983 and 1997), though it came close to falling to the Liberal Democrats in 1997, 2001 and 2005.
Its Conservative MP from 2010, Dr Sarah Wollaston, defected to the Liberal Democrats in 2019, after a brief spell as an independent, and prior to that as a member of Change UK, a new party formed from MPs formerly Conservative or Labour, after she became disillusioned with the Conservative Party's position on Brexit. She came second to a new Conservative candidate in 2019.
During the 2016 EU Referendum, Totnes is estimated to have narrowly voted to Leave, by 53.9% vs. 46.1% Remain. Although the town of Totnes itself is a Remain stronghold, the larger town of Brixham and the rural areas of the constituency voted in favour of Brexit.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Totnes, and the Sessional Divisions of Ermington and Plympton, and Stanborough and Coleridge.
1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Totnes, the Urban Districts of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, Salcombe, and Teignmouth, the Rural District of Kingsbridge, and parts of the Rural Districts of Newton Abbot and Totnes.
1950–1974: The Municipal Boroughs of Clifton, Dartmouth, Hardness, and Totnes, the Urban Districts of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, and Salcombe, the Rural Districts of Kingsbridge and Newton Abbot, and part of the Rural District of Totnes.
1974–1983: The Municipal Boroughs of Clifton, Dartmouth, Hardness, and Totnes, the Urban Districts of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, and Salcombe, and the Rural Districts of Kingsbridge, Newton Abbot, and Totnes.
1997–2010: The District of South Hams wards of Avon and Harbourne, Avonleigh, Dartington, Dartmouth Clifton, Dartmouth Hardness, Dart Valley, Eastmoor, Garabrook, Kingsbridge, Kingswear, Malborough, Marldon, Salcombe, Saltstone, Skerries, South Brent, Stoke Gabriel, Stokenham, Thurlestone, Totnes, Totnes Bridgetown, and West Dart, the Borough of Torbay wards of Blatchcombe, Furzeham with Churston, and St Peter's with St Mary's, and the District of Teignbridge wards of Ambrook, Ashburton, and Buckfastleigh.
2010–2024: The District of South Hams wards of Allington and Loddiswell, Avon and Harbourne, Dartington, Dartmouth and Kingswear, Dartmouth Townstal, East Dart, Eastmoor, Kingsbridge East, Kingsbridge North, Marldon, Salcombe and Malborough, Saltstone, Skerries, South Brent, Stokenham, Thurlestone, Totnes Bridgetown, Totnes Town, West Dart, and Westville and Alvington, and the Borough of Torbay wards of Berry Head with Furzeham, Blatchcombe, Churston with Galmpton, and St Mary's with Summercombe.
The Totnes constituency covered the eastern part of the South Hams district of Devon, including the towns of Totnes, Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Salcombe, as well as parts of the unitary authority of Torbay, including the town of Brixham.
Constituency profile
Post-1997 recreation, the seat was divided between the South Hams and Torbay council areas, with around 60% of the electorate residing in the former and 40% in the latter in its final form after the 2010 boundary changes.
Despite the name of the constituency, the largest town in it was not Totnes but Brixham, a fishing port in the Torbay portion of the seat of around 17,000 people. Totnes itself, a market town in South Hams of around 9,000 renowned for its alternative and "New Age" community, accounted for only around 10% of the voters in the constituency bearing its name.
The seat also included the South Hams towns of Kingsbridge, Salcombe and Dartmouth, as well as the western suburbs of the Torbay town of Paignton, most of which belonged to the Torbay constituency.
Much of the constituency was rural, taking in numerous villages in the picturesque South Hams district as well as the Torbay village of Churston.
Workless claimants, registered jobseekers, ere in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.4% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.
Members of Parliament
= MPs 1295–1660
=Constituency created 1295
= MPs 1660–1868
=Two members
= MPs 1885–1983
=One member
= MPs 1997–2024
=Between 1983 and 1997 the constituency was replaced by the South Hams constituency. Anthony Steen was returned at every election.
Elections
= Elections in the 2010s
== Elections in the 2000s
== Elections in the 1990s
== Elections in the 1970s
== Elections in the 1960s
== Elections in the 1950s
== Elections in the 1940s
== Elections in the 1930s
=General Election 1939–40:
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 and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
Conservative: Ralph Rayner
Liberal: F Vernon Baxter
= Elections in the 1920s
=Election results 1885-1918
= 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;
Unionist: Francis Mildmay
Liberal: Robert Dunstan
= Elections in the 1880s
== Elections in the 1900s
== Elections in the 1890s
=Election results 1832-1868
= Elections in the 1860s
=On petition, Pender was unseated on 22 March 1866. No writ was issued to replace him and, in 1868, the seat was disenfranchised and absorbed into South Devon.
By-election caused by the death of George Hay.
By-election caused by the death of Thomas Mills.
= Elections in the 1850s
=By-election caused by Edward Seymour becoming 12th Duke of Somerset.
Seymour was appointed Commissioner of Woods, Forests, Land Revenues, Works, and Buildings, requiring a by-election.
= Elections in the 1840s
=587
The previous by-election was declared void on petition, causing a by-election.
= Elections in the 1830s
=Caused by Parrott's resignation. This by-election was later declared void.
Caused by Seymour's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Caused by Cornish's resignation
See also
List of parliamentary constituencies in Devon
Notes
References
External links
Totnes UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
Totnes UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Daftar daerah pemilihan Parlemen Britania Raya
- Totnes (UK Parliament constituency)
- South Devon (UK Parliament constituency)
- Teignbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
- Totnes (disambiguation)
- Totnes
- Central Devon (UK Parliament constituency)
- List of MPs elected in the 2024 United Kingdom general election
- Anthony Mangnall
- Caroline Voaden
- Benjamin Hall (industrialist)
