Glasgow Bridgeton was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Glasgow. From 1885 to 1974, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

For many years it was represented by James Maxton, the leader of the Independent Labour Party whose policies were to the left of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of the first and fourth Municipal Wards.^[2]

The constituency was described in the Glasgow Parliamentary Divisions Act 1896 as being:

The area within a line beginning at a point in the centre of Albert Bridge, where the same intersects the centre line of the River Clyde, and thence proceeding eastwards along the centre of that river till it meets the parliamentary boundary of the city at Harvie's Dyke; thence northwards along the said parliamentary boundary to the centre of London Road; thence westwards along the centres of London Road and Canning Street to a point opposite the centre of Clyde Street; thence northwards along the centres of Clyde Street and Abercromby Street to the centre of Gallowgate; thence westwards along the centre of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre of Saltmarket; thence southwards along the centre of Saltmarket to the centre of the River Clyde at the point first described.

In the Representation of the People Act 1918 it was described as:

That portion of the city which is bounded by a line commencing at a point on the centre line of London Road, where the road is crossed by the Caledonian Railway (Glasgow Lines), thence south-westward and southward along the centre line of the said railway to where it joins the Caledonian Railway Branch Line from Dalmarnock to Rutherglen, thence southward along the centre line of the said last-mentioned railway to a point on the municipal boundary at the centre line of the River Clyde, thence south-westward and north-westward along the municipal boundary of the city to a point on the centre line of the River Clyde about 77 yards south-eastward from the centre of Rutherglen Bridge, thence westward, northward and westward along the centre line of the River Clyde to the centre of Albert Bridge thence northward along the centre line of Saltmarket to the centre line of Gallowgate, thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to the centre line of Abercromby Street, thence southwestward along the centre line of Abercromby Street to the centre line of Canning Street, thence eastward along the centre line of Canning Street and London Road to the point of commencement.

The Representation of the People Act 1948 provided that the constituency was to consist of the Calton and Dalmarnock wards of the City of Glasgow. The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Glasgow Bridgeton, Glasgow Provan and Glasgow Shettleston) Order, 1955^[3] added to this the portion of the Mile-End ward that had previously been part of the Glasgow Camlachie constituency.

The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970^[4] provided that the constituency was to consist of:

The following wards of the county of the city of Glasgow, namely, Calton and Dalmarnock and that part of Mile-End ward which lies to the west of a line commencing at a point on the northern boundary of the ward immediately opposite the centre line of Millerston Street; thence southward to and along the centre line of Millerston Street to the centre line of Gallowgate; thence eastward along the centre line of Gallowgate to a point opposite the centre line of Fielden Street; thence southward along the centre line of Fielden Street to the termination of the line on the southern boundary of the Mile-End ward opposite the centre of Fielden Street.

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

Russell

General election 1885: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[6][7][8][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Russell	3,601	44.7
	Conservative	Elphinstone Vans Agnew Maitland	3,478	43.2
	Scottish Land Restoration	William Forsyth	978	12.1
Majority			123	1.5
Turnout			8,057	80.1
Registered electors			10,058
	Liberal win (new seat)

General election 1886: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[6][7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Russell	4,364	55.0	+10.3
	Conservative	Colin Mackenzie	3,567	45.0	+1.8
Majority			797	10.0	+8.5
Turnout			7,931	78.9	-1.2
Registered electors			10,058
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.2

Russell resigned, causing a by-election.

Trevelyan

By-election, 2 Aug 1887: Glasgow Bridgeton^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Trevelyan	4,654	58.9	+3.9
	Liberal Unionist	Evelyn Ashley	3,253	41.1	-3.9
Majority			1,401	17.8	+7.8
Turnout			7,907	78.3	-0.6
Registered electors			10,095
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[7][8][11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Dickson	5,032	55.5	+13.6
	Liberal	Alexander Murison	4,041	44.5	−4.2
Majority			991	11.0	N/A
Turnout			4,041	77.5	+15.6
Registered electors			11,706
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.9

Cleland

General election 1906: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[12][7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James William Cleland	5,585	58.2	+13.7
	Conservative	Charles Dickson	4,019	41.8	−13.7
Majority			1,566	16.4	N/A
Turnout			9,604	84.1	+6.6
Registered electors			11,421
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+13.7

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[7][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James William Cleland	5,336	60.1	+1.9
	Conservative	Patrick Keith Lang	3,539	39.9	-1.9
Majority			1,797	20.2	+3.8
Turnout			8,875	87.5	+3.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.9

General election December 1910: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[7][13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	MacCallum Scott	4,759	55.5	-4.6
	Conservative	William Hutchison	3,816	44.5	+4.6
Majority			943	11.0	-9.2
Turnout			8,575	85.6	-1.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	-4.6

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;

• Liberal: MacCallum Scott
• Unionist: William Hutchison

James Maxton

General election 1918: Glasgow Bridgeton ^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Liberal	MacCallum Scott	10,887	55.2	−0.3
	Labour	James Maxton	7,860	39.8	New
	Independent	Eunice Murray	991	5.0	New
Majority			3,207	15.4	+4.4
Turnout			19,738	52.0	−33.6
Registered electors			37,980
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

• Unionist candidate William Hutchison withdrew when Coalition Government endorsed the Liberal candidate

Notes

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 5)