Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801–1997
Caerfyrddin is a proposed
parliamentary constituency in
Wales to return one
Member of Parliament (MP) to the
House of Commons of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom , from the
next general election . It previously existed between 1542 and
1997 under the English version of the name, Carmarthen . It was named Carmarthen Boroughs from 1832 to 1918; between 1997 and 2024 it was divided between
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency and
Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire .
History
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.
Boundaries
Carmathenshire boundaries 1885–1918
Map of boundaries from 2024
Until 1832, it was a
borough constituency consisting of the town of
Carmarthen .
Between 1832 and 1918 it was a district of boroughs constituency, consisting of Carmarthen itself and
Llanelli , and was sometimes called "The Carmarthen Boroughs".
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 .
In 1997, the
Boundary Commission for Wales recommended an extra seat for
Dyfed .
[3] This led to the seat being split two to one between
Carmarthen East & Dinefwr and
Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire .
[4]
The constituency is be re-established as Caerfyrddin as part of the
2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the
June 2023 final proposals of the
Boundary Commission for Wales for the
next United Kingdom general election .
[5]
Members of Parliament
MPs 1542–1640
1640–1832
1832–1918: Carmarthen Boroughs
1918–1997: county constituency
Elections
Carmarthen – Carmarthen East and Dinefwr election results
Elections in the 1830s
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.
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Morris' death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Nevill resigned, causing a by-election.
Cowell-Stepney resigned, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Williams resigned after being appointed a County Court judge, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1890s
Elections in the 1900s
W.L. Williams
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Hinds
Sir Alfred Mond
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s
1941 Carmarthen by-election
Labour:
Moelwyn Hughes elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 2020s
[41]
Notes and references
^
"BBC NEWS | VOTE 2001 | RESULTS & CONSTITUENCIES | Carmarthen East & Dinefwr" . BBC News .
^ 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)
^
2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies - The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales (PDF) .
Boundary Commission for Wales . 28 June 2023.
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
"History of Parliament" . History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 26 November 2011 .
^ Watkin, Thomas Glyn (January 2008).
"Aubrey, William (c.1529–1595)" .
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online edition, subscription required) .
Oxford University Press . Retrieved 24 February 2008 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
"History of Parliament" . History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 26 November 2011 .
^
a
b
c
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 2)
^ On petition, Magens was found not to have been duly elected, and his opponent Phillips was seated in his place
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k Stooks Smith, Henry (1845).
The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive . London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 184.
^
Churton, Edward (1836).
The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836 . p. 163.
^
"Carmarthen" . Dublin Evening Post . 29 June 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 21 August 2018 – via
British Newspaper Archive .
^ Created a baronet, 1871
^ Succeeded to baronetcy, 1877
^
a
b Escott, Margaret.
"Carmarthen" . The History of Parliament . Retrieved 4 May 2020 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
Craig, F. W. S. , ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press.
ISBN
978-1-349-02349-3 .
^
"The Battle of the Boroughs" .
Carmarthen Weekly Reporter . 28 November 1868. p. 4. Retrieved 3 February 2018 – via
British Newspaper Archive .
^
"The nomination for Carmarthen Boroughs" .
The Illustrated London News . 7 January 1882. p. 15. Retrieved 24 November 2017 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f British parliamentary election results, 1885–1918 (Craig)
^ 'MORRIS, Sir Lewis', Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014
accessed 23 April 2015
^
a
b
c
d
e Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
^ Etholiadau'r ganrif 18885-1997, Beti Jones
^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949 ; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949, p551
^
"UK General Election results: July 1945 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: February 1950 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: October 1951 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: May 1955 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: October 1959 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: October 1964 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: March 1966 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results 1970 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: February 1974 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: October 1974 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: May 1979 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"UK General Election results: June 1983 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"Election Data 1987" .
Electoral Calculus . Archived from
the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017 .
^
"UK General Election results: June 1987 [Archive]" . www.politicsresources.net . Archived from
the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2010 .
^
"Election Data 1992" .
Electoral Calculus . Archived from
the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017 .
^
"Politics Resources" . Election 1992 . Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from
the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010 .
^
"Jonathan Edwards: Wife assault caution MP may run as independent" . BBC News . 18 January 2023.
Sources
Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807)
[1]
D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)
[2]
The Constitutional Year Book for 1913 (London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1913)
F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 – England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)