It previously existed between 1542 and
1997 under the English version of the name, Carmarthen. It was named Carmarthen Boroughs from 1832 to 1918; a county-wide constituency of
Carmarthenshire also existed.
Because the seat contained mining areas in the valley of the
River Gwendraeth (until the 1980s), much countryside and a high proportion of
Welsh speakers, it was fertile territory for the
Labour Party, the
Conservatives and
Plaid Cymru alike. Although the Conservatives never won the seat, they came within 1200 votes of doing so in
1983.
Carmarthen is notable as the first constituency to elect a Plaid Cymru MP,
Gwynfor Evans, at a
1966 by-election. Evans was later involved in one of the closest General Election results ever in
February 1974, when he lost to the Labour candidate by only three votes.[1][2] The constituency also shot to fame in the following election in October 1974 as the only seat in the country to see its turnout rise on that of February 1974.
Between 1832 and 1918 Carmarthen was a district of boroughs constituency, consisting of Carmarthen itself and
Llanelli, and was sometimes called "The Carmarthen Boroughs". A county-wide constituency also existed, called
Carmarthenshire, until 1885.
In 1918, the borough was abolished, but the name was transferred to one of the divisions of the county of
Carmarthenshire.
The constituency was made up of the whole of the county of
Carmarthenshire except for the urban area around
Llanelli. Notable towns were
Carmarthen itself,
Ammanford and
Llandeilo.
At the
1830 general election, rioting broke out during polling, at which point
John Jones and his Whig rival, John George Philipps, had secured three votes apiece. The vote was abandoned and a by-election was called four months later in December.
^The BBC article quoted above says that it was the second closest General Election result since the Second World War. But the
Winchester general election result of 1997 was closer.
^C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.12 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
^C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies, p.202 (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
^
abcdCraig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
^
abcdefghijkCraig, F. W. S. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (1 ed.). Glasgow: Political Reference Publications.
ISBN0-900178-019. Page 551
^
abcdefghiCraig, F. W. S. (1971). British parliamentary election results 1950-1970 (1 ed.). Chichester: Political Reference Publications.
ISBN9780900178023. Page 570