North Durham
County
Parliamentuk
Caption 2Boundary of North Durham in the North East England
Year1983
Elects howmanyOne
PreviousChester-le-Street
Consett
Electorate73,226 (2024)
Year 21832
Abolished 21885
Type 2County
Previous 2Durham
Next 2Jarrow
Houghton-le-Spring
Chester-le-Street
Mid Durham
North West Durham
Elects howmany 2Two
RegionEngland
CountyCounty Durham
Towns
MpLuke Akehurst
PartyLabour

North Durham is a constituency[n 1] represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Luke Akehurst of the Labour Party.[n 2]

History

A constituency formally named the Northern Division of Durham was created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, when the former Durham constituency was split into the northern and southern divisions, each electing two members using the bloc vote system.[1]

This seat was abolished by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 when the two divisions were replaced by eight single-member divisions.[2] These were Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Chester-le-Street, Houghton-le-Spring, Jarrow, Mid Durham, North West Durham and South East Durham.[3] In addition, there were seven County Durham borough constituencies.

The seat was re-created as a single-seat constituency for the 1983 general election as a result of the redistribution following the changes to local authority boundaries under the Local Government Act 1972. The new constituency comprised those parts of the abolished Chester-le-Street constituency retained within the reconstituted county of Durham, together with those parts of the abolished Consett constituency which had comprised the urban district of Stanley.

Boundaries

1832–1885

  • The Wards of Chester and Easington, with a place of election at Durham.[1]

See map on Vision of Britain website.[4]

Included non-resident 40 shilling freeholders in the parliamentary boroughs of Durham, Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland.

1983–1997

  • The District of Chester-le-Street; and
  • the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Burnopfield, Catchgate, Craghead, Dipton, Havannah, South Moor, South Stanley, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.[5]

1997–2010

  • The District of Chester-le-Street; and
  • the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Catchgate, Craghead, Havannah, South Moor, South Stanley, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.[6]

Burnopfield and Dipton wards were transferred to the redrawn North West Durham.

2010–2024

  • The District of Chester-le-Street; and
  • the District of Derwentside wards of Annfield Plain, Catchgate, Craghead and South Stanley, Havannah, South Moor, Stanley Hall, and Tanfield.[7]

The 1997 boundaries were retained despite the official description of the constituency changing slightly in terms of the names of the local authority wards.

2024–present

Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of the County of Durham (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

  • Annfield Plain; Chester-le-Street East; Chester-le-Street North; Chester-le-Street South; Chester-le-Street West Central; Craghead and South Moor; Lanchester; Lumley; North Lodge; Pelton; Sacriston; Stanley; Tanfield.[8]

The constituency was expanded to bring the electorate within the permitted range, by adding the Lanchester ward from the abolished constituency of North West Durham.

The constituency spans the north of County Durham in North East England. It includes the whole of the former Chester-le-Street district and the eastern part of the former Derwentside district. The main population centres (large settlements) are Chester-le-Street, Stanley and Sacriston. The constituency includes the North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish.[9]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1885

ElectionFirst member[10]First partySecond member[10]Second party
1832Hedworth LambtonWhig[11][12]Sir Hedworth Williamson, BtWhig[11][13][14][15][16]
1837Hon. Henry LiddellConservative[11]
1847Robert Duncombe ShaftoWhig[17][18]George Vane-TempestConservative
1854 by-electionLord Adolphus Vane-TempestConservative
1859Liberal
1864 by-electionSir Hedworth Williamson, BtLiberal
1868George ElliotConservative
1874Sir Lowthian BellLiberalCharles PalmerLiberal
1874 by-electionSir George Elliot, BtConservative
1880John JoiceyLiberal
1881 by-electionSir George Elliot, BtConservative
1885Redistribution of Seats Act: constituency abolished

MPs since 1983

ElectionMember[10]Party
1983Giles RadiceLabour
2001Kevan JonesLabour
2024Luke AkehurstLabour

Elections

Elections in the 1870s

  • Caused by the 1874 election being declared void on petition.

Elections in the 1860s

  • Caused by Vane-Tempest's death.

Elections in the 1850s

  • Caused by Vane-Tempest's succession to the peerage, becoming Earl Vane

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
  2. ^ As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

  1. ^ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament.". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. p. 304. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  2. ^ "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports. pp. 156–157.
  3. ^ "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports. pp. 156–157.
  4. ^ "HMSO Boundary Commission Report 1832 Durham County"
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1983". p. 23.
  6. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". In the County of Durham.
  7. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". In Durham and Darlington.
  8. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 4 North East region.
  9. ^ "OpenStreetMap". OpenStreetMap
  10. ^
  11. ^ Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973 [1844-1850]). The Parliaments of England. 2nd ed. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 97. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  12. ^ Richardson, M. A. (1844). The Local Historian's Table Book, of Remarkable Occurrences, Historical Facts, Traditions, Legendary and Descriptive Ballads &c, &c, Connected With the Counties of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, and Durham. London: J. R. Smith. p. 373. Retrieved 9 April 2019. – via Google Books
  13. ^ Escott, Margaret (2009). "WILLIAMSON, Sir Hedworth, 7th bt. (1797–1861), of Whitburn Hall, nr. Sunderland, co. Dur.". The History of Parliament. Fisher, D. R. (ed.). Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  14. ^ Turner, Michael J. (2004). Independent Radicalism in Early Victorian Britain. Westport: Praeger. p. 237. ISBN 0-275-97386-7. LCCN 2004044233. Retrieved 14 July 2018. – via Google Books
  15. ^ "Sunderland Election". Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties. 24 December 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 14 July 2018. – via British Newspaper Archive
  16. ^ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 185. Retrieved 9 April 2019. – via Google Books
  17. ^ "Newcastle Journal". 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 3 August 2018. – via British Newspaper Archive
  18. ^ "Election Movements". Shipping and Mercantile Gazette. 3 August 1847. p. 5. Retrieved 3 August 2018. – via British Newspaper Archive