Greenwich 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 ...

in south-east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, which returned at first two, then (from 1885) one member ( MP) 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 ...

. It existed from 1832 to 1997. Elections used 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 thei ...

system; when this elects more than one member, it is sometimes called plurality-at-large voting.

History

From 1832 until 1885 it was a two-member constituency. Under 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 ...

associated with the

Reform Act 1884 In the United Kingdom under the premiership of William Gladstone, the Representation of the People Act 1884 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 3, also known informally as the Third Reform Act) and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which ...

, its area was reduced overall (although it gained Kidbrooke) and it was reduced to one seat. For the 1997 general election, it was merged with part of the former Woolwich constituency to form the

Greenwich and Woolwich Greenwich and Woolwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Matthew Pennycook of the Labour Party. Constituency profile The seat is dominated in the south by expansive and panoramic Greenw ...

seat.

Its history is dominated by the area's strong maritime tradition. Its most prominent claim to fame was as the seat of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

between 1868 and 1880, and it also achieved prominence in the 1987 Greenwich by-election, when the SDP won a surprise victory.

Boundaries

1832–1885 the parishes of Greenwich; St Nicholas and St Paul Deptford; and the most populous parts of Charlton and Woolwich. detailed as: "From the Point at which the Royal Arsenal Canal at Woolwich joins the Thames, along the said Canal to the southern extremity thereof; thence in a straight Line to the south-western corner of the Ordnance Storekeeper's House; thence in a straight Line, in the Direction of a Stile in the footpath from Woolwich to Plumstead Common, over Sand Hill, to the Boundary of the Parish of Woolwich; thence, southward, along the boundary of the parish of Woolwich to the point at which the same meets the Boundary of the parish of Charlton; thence westward along the Boundary of the parish of Charlton to the point at which the same turns southward near the Dovor Road; thence along the Dovor Road to the nearest point of the boundary of the parish of Greenwich; thence Westward, along the boundary of the parish of Greenwich to the point at which the same turns abruptly to the south, close by the Dovor Road, thence in a straight line, in a westerly direction, to the nearest point of the boundary of the parish of Greenwich, thence westward along the boundary of the parish of Greenwich to the point at which the same meets the boundary of the parish of Saint Paul Deptford; thence southward along the boundary of the parish of Saint Paul Deptford to the point at which the same meets the Thames; thence along the Thames to the point first described." The boundaries were thus in the schedules of the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832. 1885–1918: The parishes of Greenwich, St Nicholas Deptford, Charlton, and Kidbrooke. 1918–1974: The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich. 1974–1983: The London Borough of Greenwich wards of Blackheath, Charlton, Eastcombe, Hornfair, Kidbrooke, Marsh, Park, Trafalgar, Vanbrugh, and West. 1983–1997: The London Borough of Greenwich wards of Blackheath, Charlton, Ferrier, Hornfair, Kidbrooke, Rectory Field, St Alfege, Trafalgar, Vanbrugh, and West. Between 1983 and 1997, the constituency formed the western part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

MPs since 1885

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Dundas was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Barnard's death caused a by-election. Dundas resigned after being appointed Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, causing a by-election. Rolt resigned, causing a by-election. Townsend resigned after becoming a bankrupt, also leading to his suspension from the House of Commons.

Elections in the 1860s

Gladstone's appointment as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

and

First Lord of the Treasury The first lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is by convention also the prime minister. This office is not equivalent to the ...

caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

Salomons' death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

*Cecil was a free-trader and Benn was a supporter of tariff reform

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1980s

*swings relative to 1983 election, not 1987 by-election

Elections in the 1990s

*The swing for Rosie Barnes is relative to her performance in the 1987 general election.

References

Bibliography

* * ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
Debrett’s Illustrated Heraldic and Biographical House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1886

Debrett’s House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1901

Debrett’s House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1918
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenwich (Uk Parliament Constituency) Parliamentary constituencies in London (historic) Politics of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1832 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1997 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom represented by a sitting Prime Minister