Edmonton

[finsobruce]

Taking the week off for electioneering I decided to have a busman's holiday today and go to Enfield archives..... I have now transcribed the election results for Edmonton UDC from 1898 to 1963. Luckily some kind soul had put them onto file cards at some point in the distant past. No such luck with Enfield or Southgate UDCs. Those will have to come from newspapers. So my question is would people like me to post them in this thread, a different thread or make them available in some other format? I'm hoping that I haven't misunderstood the previous discussions about UDCs and they aren't easily available already!

oh, and I saw a few posters for the Independent in Southbury ward Garry Kousoulou but they were all in business premises.

[finsobruce]

one to be getting on with.....

1898:
Bury Street Ward
Oliver (Trades and Labour council) 234
Kenyon (no description) 182
Church Street Ward
Kilsby (nd) 410
W Ellis (nd) 88
Fore Street Ward
Mitchell (nd) 287
Rowe (nd) 200
Silver Street ward
Thurgood (nd) 199
Jeffrey (nd) 171

unfortunately none of the candidates with no description feature later on with a description...

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC

1899
Bury St Ward
J Wells (Progressive) 252
R. Horlock (Independent) 226
H.Manning (Socialist) 105

Church St Ward
H.Le Mare (Independent) 391
A. A Purcell (Socialist) 125

Fore St Ward
H E Brown (M) 211
T Jewry (Progressive) 128
H Wood (Trades and Labour council) 40

Silver St ward
W.D Cornish (Independent) 346
E.Lambert (Socialist) 117

I thought A A Purcell sounded familiar and there was of course, a Labour MP for Coventry and later the Forest of Dean by that name. His wikipedia entry records that he was a councillor in Salford but I can't find any reference linking him with Edmonton - would seem highly coincidental that there had been two though. I'll have to read Kevin Morgan's book about him to be sure. 

H E Brown's description isn't listed on the key in the archive records but I'm guessing that he was  a Moderate or Municipal Reformer.

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC

1900
Note in archives "Composition of District council unaltered - all returned". Whether this means the existing councillors were all victorious or all elected unopposed I don't know.

1901
Bury St Ward
J. Oliver (Trades and Labour council) 275
R.Horlock (Independent) 169

Church St Ward
J.Kilsby (nd) 329
J.J. Hunt (nd) 168

Fore St Ward
J.Snelling (nd) 262
Rev T.C . Collings (nd)215

Silver St ward
F. Jones (nd) 268
G. Rowe (nd) 266


Collings doesn't have a description here but later on appears as an ILP candidate. He seems to have been an interesting and well known man, variously known down the years as "The Dosser's parson" (for when he was in charge at Christchurch, spitalfields and organised various services for the poor including regular dispensing of food and tea), " the smoking parson" (he advocated smoking at church services!) and "the sporting parson" (he wrote books on cricket and covered matches for the papers).

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC

1902
Church St ward
Le Mare (Ratepayers and Owners Association) 406
Mercer (Progressive Labour and Temperance council) 154

Fore St ward
Brown (Ratepayers and Owners Association) 158
Barnes (Progressive Labour and Temperance council) 158

Other two wards not listed. Note that "Returning Officer gave casting vote in favour of Brown" in Fore St ward.

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC
1903

Angel Road ward
W J G Mercer (Socialist) 288
S Lawrence (nd) 168
W. Cushing (nd) 137


Bury St ward
H.Barrass (Progressive) 491
C.Wyman (Ratepayers) 189
Rev E A Sanders (Ind) 178
E.Riquish (nd) 14

Church St Ward
J Williams (Ratepayers and Traders Defence Association) 529
C G Jones (Socialist) 280

Fore Street Ward
H Barnes (Socialist) 291
F. Cullingord (nd) 211
R Horlock (Ind) 61

Silver St Ward
H.Wilmott  (nd)262
C Sorrell  (nd)217
T J Harrington (Socialist) 164



Angel Road doesn't appear again as a ward until the 1930s. Silver Street disappears at this point too.  I'm also presuming earlier missing results as Sorrell is described by the "Weekly Guardian" as the "first ever councillor in Edmonton". It also notes that "Messers Wyman and Riquish stand no chance at all". I'm guessing that victorious Mercer here was the 1902 candidate in Church Street.

[neilm]

There seems to be a lot of churn with candidates, assumed many of these chaps would fight the same ward each year.

[finsobruce]

It gets more coherent, (if that's the right word) from hereon in and especially after the First World War. I imagine that it has something to do with the fact that councillors weren't paid and all meetings were during the day at this time, making it pretty difficult for most people to contemplate standing. And also the fact that the political parties weren't very organised at a local level. I suspect that there are results missing early on - the best hope for clarity is with the increasing digitisation of local newspapers.

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC 1904

Bury St ward
Burton, C. G. (Progressive) 530
Barrass, H (Progressive)527
Wyman, C.F. (Ratepayers) 518
Monk, A.J. (Ratepayers) 481
Wyman, G (Ratepayers) 469
Austin, E.J. (Independent) 461
Rowe, G (Progressive) 458
Oliver, J.E. (Trades and Labour council) 419
Wells, J (Progressive) 378

Note that all these candidates were elected and three more Ratepayers, three more Progressives,3 Mores Trades and Labour and two Socialists were not elected (no names given). 

Church St Ward
Benjafield, Dr W.B (Ratepayers) 596
Le Mare, H.P. (Progressives) 522
Williams, J (Ratepayers) 521
Brown, H.E. (Ratepayers) 492
Sanders, Rev E.A.B (Ratepayers) 491
Snelling, J (Ratepayers) 452
Hunter, Rev G (Progressive) 419
Cullingford, F (Ratepayers) 416
Hill, J.E. (Progressives) 407

Again, note says that these were elected and two Ratepayers, 3 Socialists, 1 Trades and Labour, 5 progressives and 1 Independent were not elected. Sanders was the vicar of Edmonton having previously been the vicar of St Marks, Dalston and before that the vicar of Whitechapel. There's a reasonable chance from the references I've found to him that he was vicar of Whitechapel at the time of the Jack The Ripper murders - further research needed. 

Fore St Ward
Wrampling, A.J. (Trades and labour) 664
Cornish, W.D. (Ratepayers) 579
Green, R (Progressives) 559
Lacey, F.G. (Ratepayers) 500
Sorrell, C (Ratepayers) 484
Burberry, G.J. (Ratepayers) 473
Wade, F.P. (Progressives) 435
Ferguson, T (Progressives) 412
Willmott, H (Progressives) 401

Four Ratepayers, 1Socialist and Trades & Labour, 3 Progressives, 1Trades and Labour, 2 Socialists and 1 Independent not elected. What the difference was between the defeated candidate who stood as Socialist and TU rather than Socialist or TU is anyone's guess. Or it may be a mistake of course.

I presume that the UDC had been re-warded and these were all out elections as the following years show three per ward elected. Balance of council appears to be:

Ratepayers: 13
Progressives: 11
Trades and Labour: 2
Independent: 1

[David Ashforth]

May 19, 2014 17:05:48 GMT finsobruce said:

So my question is would people like me to post them in this thread, a different thread or make them available in some other format?

I've put Sheffield local elections results in a Google spreadsheet which, being a spreadsheet, means calculating majorities, percentages etc is straight forward.  Well, straight forward as long as you can decide whether you want to use the highest vote or average vote methods. Which I've not been entirely consistent about...

[J.G.Harston]

Jun 3, 2014 21:54:06 GMT David Ashforth said:

I've put Sheffield local elections results in a Google spreadsheet which, being a spreadsheet, means calculating majorities, percentages etc is straight forward.  Well, straight forward as long as you can decide whether you want to use the highest vote or average vote methods. Which I've not been entirely consistent about...

1998, Owlerton won by Wayne Morton for the LibDems? No, Wayne was the candidate in 1999, 1998 was Trefor Morgan, latterly defecting to the Liberals.

Glad there's more than just me archiving election results, it means that errors like this can be cross checked.

[neilm]

Jun 3, 2014 21:16:46 GMT finsobruce said:

Edmonton UDC 1904

Bury St ward
Burton, C. G. (Progressive) 530
Barrass, H (Progressive)527
Wyman, C.F. (Ratepayers) 518
Monk, A.J. (Ratepayers) 481
Wyman, G (Ratepayers) 469
Austin, E.J. (Independent) 461
Rowe, G (Progressive) 458
Oliver, J.E. (Trades and Labour council) 419
Wells, J (Progressive) 378

Note that all these candidates were elected and three more Ratepayers, three more Progressives,3 Mores Trades and Labour and two Socialists were not elected (no names given). 

Church St Ward
Benjafield, Dr W.B (Ratepayers) 596
Le Mare, H.P. (Progressives) 522
Williams, J (Ratepayers) 521
Brown, H.E. (Ratepayers) 492
Sanders, Rev E.A.B (Ratepayers) 491
Snelling, J (Ratepayers) 452
Hunter, Rev G (Progressive) 419
Cullingford, F (Ratepayers) 416
Hill, J.E. (Progressives) 407

Again, note says that these were elected and two Ratepayers, 3 Socialists, 1 Trades and Labour, 5 progressives and 1 Independent were not elected. Sanders was the vicar of Edmonton having previously been the vicar of St Marks, Dalston and before that the vicar of Whitechapel. There's a reasonable chance from the references I've found to him that he was vicar of Whitechapel at the time of the Jack The Ripper murders - further research needed. 

Fore St Ward
Wrampling, A.J. (Trades and labour) 664
Cornish, W.D. (Ratepayers) 579
Green, R (Progressives) 559
Lacey, F.G. (Ratepayers) 500
Sorrell, C (Ratepayers) 484
Burberry, G.J. (Ratepayers) 473
Wade, F.P. (Progressives) 435
Ferguson, T (Progressives) 412
Willmott, H (Progressives) 401

Four Ratepayers, 1Socialist and Trades & Labour, 3 Progressives, 1Trades and Labour, 2 Socialists and 1 Independent not elected. What the difference was between the defeated candidate who stood as Socialist and TU rather than Socialist or TU is anyone's guess. Or it may be a mistake of course.

I presume that the UDC had been re-warded and these were all out elections as the following years show three per ward elected. Balance of council appears to be:

Ratepayers: 13
Progressives: 11
Trades and Labour: 2
Independent: 1

How many wards? Three?

[finsobruce]

Apparently so Neil, until 1933 when it goes back up to five. I can only imagine that this might have had something to do with the 1929 Local Government act which (among other things) reduced the number of UDCs and RDCs considerably through mergers and may have had some effect in re-warding in those districts that didn't change their geographical areas.But I don't know that for sure.  It seems like a big gap but those that were up for change could submit local schemes some of which weren't implemented fully until close to the outbreak of war.

[David Ashforth]

Jun 3, 2014 22:43:10 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Jun 3, 2014 21:54:06 GMT David Ashforth said:

I've put Sheffield local elections results in a Google spreadsheet which, being a spreadsheet, means calculating majorities, percentages etc is straight forward.  Well, straight forward as long as you can decide whether you want to use the highest vote or average vote methods. Which I've not been entirely consistent about...

1998, Owlerton won by Wayne Morton for the LibDems? No, Wayne was the candidate in 1999, 1998 was Trefor Morgan, latterly defecting to the Liberals.

Glad there's more than just me archiving election results, it means that errors like this can be cross checked.

If that's the only error in 82 years of election results I'll be very happy (and very surprised  )

Thanks for letting me know. You may have already seen it but I've posted a link in the 'What Are You Reading?' thread to a PhD Thesis that contains election results (just the winning party) and a ward map from the 1920s.

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC 1905

Bury St Ward
Oliver (Trades & Labour) 459
Wilkinson (Socialist) 330
Joy (Socialist) 306

All elected - three Ratepayers, two Progressives, 1 Trades and Labour not elected

Church St Ward
Barnes (Socialist) 395
Cullingford (Ratepayers) 371
Cull (Ratepayers) 367
Mason (Ratepayers) 344)

All elected - three Socialists, two IP (Independent progressives??), two Progressives not elected.

Fore St Ward
Mercer (Socialist) 427
Rowe (Progressive) 331
Middleton (Ratepayers) 298

All elected - two Socialists, two Ratepayers, two Progressives not elected.

If these are correct there was some interesting/odd vote splitting going on and interesting Trades and Labour/Socialist contests which might prefigure the Labour/Communist split after the war

[Sibboleth]

Socialist would presumably be SDF?

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Paul Thompson's "Socialists, Liberals and Labour" (1967) notes the following in Edmonton:

Edmonton UDC was under Moderate (ie Conservative) control throughout 1900-14.
On Edmonton district council in 1894, four out of five Progressive (ie Liberal) councillors were working class. In 1897 it was five out of six.
There were two or three working class councillors out of the seven to ten Progressive group after 1900.
An SDF branch was operating from 1890 to 1914.
"Two Labour candidates elected to School Board 1892, defeated 1895; first Labour candidates for Local Board 1892; 1894-7 successful Labour-Progressive co-operation in District Council elections, but by 1899 Socialist and Labour combined against Progressives, and 1898 two Socialist School Board members elected."
"Socialists first elected with Progressive support, then from 1902 rapid rise of the independent socialist party (S.D.F.) with Trades Council support, 7 councillors 1906; but fail to work with I.L.P., no councillors remain by 1913."

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC 1906

Bury St ward
Wyman, G (Ratepayers) 558 *
Monk,A (Ratepayers) 550*
Chinn, L (ILP) 449*
Jones, C.G. (Socialist) 453 - as transcribed/ presumably 443/433 or lower
Pigeon, J.B. (Socialist) 401
Oliver, Mrs (nd) 131

Church St Ward
Russell, E.D. (Ratepayers) 564*
Sanders, Rev E.A.B (Independent) 560*
Edmunds, W.H. (Ratepayers) 504
Winser, A (ILP) 314
Watts, W (Socialist) 268
Awcock (Socialist) 260

Fore St Ward

Lacey, F.G. (Ratepayers) 533*
Sorrell, C (Ratepayers) 507*
Collings, Rev, T.C. (ILP) 462*
Randnall, R (Ratepayers)
Platten, S.H (Ratepayers)390
Williams, W (Socialist) 285
Pearson, D (Socialist) 262
Hines, G (Trades and Labour?) 255

* indicates elected. Randnall also had an asterix indicating election, but presume this is wrong as should only be three a ward. But why were ratepayers standing four candidates for three vacancies ? Key lists both Ratepayers and Owners Association and Ratepayers and Traders Defence Association without differentiating them in the results. Whether they were separate or even rival groups or different names for the same thing I don't know. Presume Mrs Oliver was either previous TU candidate or spouse/relative of candidate? Hines had no description in the results for this year but was T&L four years later. 

[finsobruce]

Jun 8, 2014 19:10:00 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Paul Thompson's "Socialists, Liberals and Labour" (1967) notes the following in Edmonton:

Edmonton UDC was under Moderate (ie Conservative) control throughout 1900-14.
On Edmonton district council in 1894, four out of five Progressive (ie Liberal) councillors were working class. In 1897 it was five out of six.
There were two or three working class councillors out of the seven to ten Progressive group after 1900.
An SDF branch was operating from 1890 to 1914.
"Two Labour candidates elected to School Board 1892, defeated 1895; first Labour candidates for Local Board 1892; 1894-7 successful Labour-Progressive co-operation in District Council elections, but by 1899 Socialist and Labour combined against Progressives, and 1898 two Socialist School Board members elected."
"Socialists first elected with Progressive support, then from 1902 rapid rise of the independent socialist party (S.D.F.) with Trades Council support, 7 councillors 1906; but fail to work with I.L.P., no councillors remain by 1913."

David, thanks. Will try and get hold of a copy. Was offered election results for Sanitary board when I went, but decided against. May have included school board and helped clarify matters... The notes say results were taken from the Tottenham Herald, so that might offer further help. 

[finsobruce]

Edmonton UDC 1907

Bury St Ward
Wyman, C.F. (Ratepayers) 642*
Henry, C.J. (Ratepayers) 655*
Barrass, H (ILP)526*
Platten, S.H. (Ratepayers) 502
Whitehead, J (Trades & Labour) 450
Pidgeon, I.B. (Socialist) 382
Bowman, S (Socialist) 272

Church St Ward
Le Mare, H (Ratepayers) 727*
Benjafield, Dr (Ratepayers) 684*
Snelling, H (Ratepayers) 655*
Mason, F.W (Independent) 523
Hines, G (Socialist) 305
Watts, W (Socialist) 271
Barrass (ILP) 254

Fore St ward
Green, R (Progressive) 697*
Cornish, W.D. (Ratepayers)668*
Randall, R (Ratepayers)494*
Pearson, D (Socialist) 237
Williams, W (Socialist) 232