Hampstead was a borough constituency, centered on the Hampstead area of North London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, who was elected using the first-past-the-post voting system.
It was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1983 general election, when it was partly replaced by the new Hampstead and Highgate constituency.
Boundaries
1885–1918: The parish of St John, Hampstead.
1918–1974: The Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead
1974–1983: London Borough of Camden wards of Adelaide, Belsize, Hampstead Town, Kilburn, Priory, Swiss Cottage and West End.
The parliamentary borough of Hampstead was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and consisted of the civil parish of St John, Hampstead, Middlesex.Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. Fourth Schedule: New Boroughs The parish had previously formed part of the Parliamentary County of Middlesex. Hampstead lay within the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works, and in 1889 this became the County of London. In 1900 the county was divided into twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs, with the civil parish becoming the Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead.
Parliamentary constituencies were redrawn under the Representation of the People Act 1918, with boundaries in London realigned to those of the metropolitan boroughs. Accordingly, the Hampstead constituency was defined by the legislation as being identical in area to the metropolitan borough of the same name.Representation of the People Act 1918. Ninth Schedule: Redistribution of Seats When the next redistribution was carried out under the Representation of the People Act 1948, the term "parliamentary borough" was replaced with "borough constituency". The renamed Hampstead Borough Constituency continued with the same boundaries, with the changes coming into effect for the 1950 general election.Representation of the People Act 1948, First Schedule: Parliamentary Constituencies
In 1965 both the County of London and the metropolitan boroughs were abolished. Hampstead became part of the larger London Borough of Camden. The changes were not reflected in parliamentary boundaries until 1970. The constituency was officially renamed "Camden, Hampstead Borough Constituency" and was defined as comprising seven wards of the London Borough, namely Adelaide, Belsize, Hampstead Town, Kilburn, Priory, Swiss Cottage and West End. The wards of the borough were altered in 1973, with Swiss Cottage ward replacing Hampstead Central in the constituency's definition. These boundaries were used until 1983, when the seat was abolished.
Members of Parliament Election Member Party 1885 Sir Henry Holland Conservative 1888 by-election Edward Hoare Conservative 1902 by-election Thomas Milvain Conservative 1905 by-election John Fletcher Conservative 1918 George Balfour Coalition Conservative 1922 Conservative 1941 by-election Charles Challen Conservative 1950 Henry Brooke Conservative 1966 Ben Whitaker Labour 1970 Geoffrey Finsberg Conservative 1983 constituency abolished: see Hampstead & Highgate
Election results Elections in the 1880s
Holland was appointed Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education, requiring a by-election.
Holland was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Knutsford, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
Election 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
References
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