Lambeth was a constituency 1832–1885 loosely equivalent in area to the later administrative units: the London Borough of Lambeth and the south-west and centre of the London Borough of Southwark. It returned two members of parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by the bloc vote version of the first-past-the-post system.
History
The constituency was among many created under the Great Reform Act (for the 1832 general election) and abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 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. 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 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.
The boundaries were detailed in the schedules of the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832, and consisted of: The entire parish of St Mary Newington The parish of St Giles Camberwell (except for the Manor and Hamlet of Dulwich) The part of the parish of Lambeth 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 Matthew's 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.
Members of Parliament Election1st member1st party2nd member2nd party 1832 Charles Tennyson-d'Eyncourt Whig Benjamin Hawes Whig 1847 Charles Pearson Radical 1850 by-election William Williams Radical 1852 William Arthur Wilkinson Radical 1857 William RoupellResigned 4 February 1862 (Harris (2001) p.119) Radical 1859 Liberal Liberal 1862 by-election Frederick DoultonElected byelection 5 May 1862 (Harris (2001) p.119) Liberal 1865 by-election James Lawrence Liberal 1865 Thomas Hughes Liberal 1868 Sir James Lawrence Liberal Sir William McArthur Liberal1885 constituency abolished: see Brixton, Camberwell North, Dulwich, Kennington, Lambeth North, Newington West, Norwood and Peckham, Newington Walworth
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