Forest of Dean (constituency)
Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Forest of Dean is a constituency[n 1] in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Matt Bishop, of the Labour Party.[n 2]
| Forest of Dean | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Interactive map of boundaries from 1997 | |
Boundary within South West England | |
| County | Gloucestershire |
| Electorate | 71,510 (2023)[1] |
| Major settlements | Coleford, Cinderford, Lydney |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1997 |
| Member of Parliament | Matt Bishop (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | West Gloucestershire |
| 1885–1950 | |
| Seats | One |
| Replaced by | West Gloucestershire |
Boundaries
1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Coleford, Lydney, Newent, and Newnham.
1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Awre, Coleford, Newnham, and Westbury-on-Severn, the Rural Districts of East Dean and United Parishes, Lydney, Newent, and West Dean, and part of the Rural District of Gloucester.
1997–2010: The District of Forest of Dean, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Haw Bridge and Highnam.
2010–present: The District of Forest of Dean, and the Borough of Tewkesbury ward of Highnam with Haw Bridge. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged by the Fifth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies.
The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies also left the boundaries unchanged.[2]
History
This seat was created for the 1885 general election (replacing the two-seat constituency of West Gloucestershire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885), was redrawn for the 1918 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election. It was re-created, with different boundaries, for the 1997 general election, and has thus far not undergone any boundary changes.
Constituency profile
The Forest of Dean constituency covers Gloucestershire west of the river Severn, and lies in the south west of England, near the Welsh border.
The core of the constituency consists of the Royal Forest of Dean itself, which was established by William the Conqueror nearly a thousand years ago and is one of the last surviving Royal Forests in England.[3] The seat has a rich industrial and mining history, evidenced by the market towns of Coleford and Cinderford, and the old port of Lydney from where coal mined in the Forest of Dean Coalfield would start its journey to all parts of the world.[4]
The Wye Valley forms the western border of the Forest and is an area of outstanding natural beauty, whilst the Leadon Valley forms the northern portion of the constituency. The Vale consists of countryside and farmland centred on the Tudor town of Newent, and also produces English wine.
The constituency also includes parishes from Tewkesbury district, including Forthampton, Chaceley Hole, Hasfield, Ashleworth and Highnam.
Members of Parliament
MPs 1885–1950
| Election | Member[5] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Thomas Blake | Liberal | |
| 1887 | Godfrey Samuelson | Liberal | |
| 1892 | Sir Charles Dilke | Liberal | |
| 1911 | Sir Henry Webb | Liberal | |
| 1918 | James Wignall | Labour | |
| 1925 | A. A. Purcell | Labour | |
| 1929 | David Vaughan | Labour | |
| 1931 | John Worthington | National Labour | |
| 1935 | M. Philips Price | Labour | |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | ||
MPs since 1997
| Election | Member[5] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Diana Organ | Labour | |
| 2005 | Mark Harper | Conservative | |
| 2024 | Matt Bishop | Labour | |
Elections
Elections in the 2020s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Matt Bishop | 16,373 | 34.0 | +5.2 | |
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 16,095 | 33.5 | −26.1 | |
| Reform | Stanley Goodin | 8,194 | 17.0 | N/A | |
| Green | Chris McFarling | 4,735 | 9.8 | +0.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | James Joyce | 2,604 | 5.4 | N/A | |
| Socialist Labour | Saiham Sikder | 90 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 278 | 0.5 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 48,091 | 66.0 | −6.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,052 | ||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +15.7 | |||
Elections in the 2010s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 30,680 | 59.6 | +5.3 | |
| Labour Co-op | Di Martin | 14,811 | 28.8 | −7.1 | |
| Green | Chris McFarling | 4,681 | 9.1 | +6.7 | |
| Independent | Julian Burrett | 1,303 | 2.5 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 15,869 | 30.8 | +12.4 | ||
| Turnout | 51,475 | 72.4 | −0.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 71,438 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +6.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 28,096 | 54.3 | +7.5 | |
| Labour | Shaun Stammers | 18,594 | 35.9 | +11.3 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Janet Ellard | 2,029 | 3.9 | −1.4 | |
| Green | James Greenwood | 1,241 | 2.4 | −3.1 | |
| UKIP | Ernie Warrender | 1,237 | 2.4 | −15.4 | |
| Independent | Julian Burrett | 570 | 1.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 9,502 | 18.4 | −3.8 | ||
| Turnout | 51,767 | 73.0 | +2.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 70,898 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −1.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Harper[10] | 23,191 | 46.8 | −0.1 | |
| Labour | Steve Parry-Hearn[10] | 12,204 | 24.6 | +0.5 | |
| UKIP | Steve Stanbury | 8,792 | 17.8 | +12.6 | |
| Green | James Greenwood | 2,703 | 5.5 | +3.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Coleman | 2,630 | 5.3 | −16.6 | |
| Majority | 10,987 | 22.2 | −0.5 | ||
| Turnout | 49,520 | 70.9 | −0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 69,865 | +2.1 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 22,853 | 46.9 | +6.0 | |
| Labour | Bruce Hogan | 11,789 | 24.2 | −12.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Coleman | 10,676 | 21.9 | +4.7 | |
| UKIP | Tim Congdon | 2,522 | 5.2 | +2.8 | |
| Green | James Greenwood | 923 | 1.9 | −0.2 | |
| Majority | 11,064 | 22.7 | +18.4 | ||
| Turnout | 48,763 | 71.3 | +0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 68,419 | +1.7 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +9.2 | |||
Elections in the 2000s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 19,474 | 40.9 | +2.1 | |
| Labour | Isabel Owen | 17,425 | 36.6 | −6.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Christopher Coleman | 8,185 | 17.2 | +4.3 | |
| UKIP | Patricia Hill | 1,140 | 2.4 | +0.9 | |
| Green | Stephen Tweedie | 991 | 2.1 | −0.7 | |
| Independent | Anthony Reeve | 300 | 0.6 | N/A | |
| English Democrat | Gerald Morgan | 125 | 0.3 | −0.4 | |
| Majority | 2,049 | 4.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 47,640 | 70.8 | +3.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 67,241 | +1.5 | |||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +4.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Diana Organ | 19,350 | 43.4 | −4.8 | |
| Conservative | Mark Harper | 17,301 | 38.8 | +3.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | David Gayler | 5,762 | 12.9 | +0.6 | |
| Green | Simon Pickering | 1,254 | 2.8 | N/A | |
| UKIP | Allen Prout | 661 | 1.5 | N/A | |
| Independent | Gerald Morgan | 279 | 0.6 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 2,049 | 4.6 | −8.0 | ||
| Turnout | 44,607 | 67.3 | −11.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 66,240 | +4.2 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | −4.0 | |||
Election in the 1990s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Diana Organ | 24,203 | 48.2 | +5.8 | |
| Conservative | Paul Marland | 17,860 | 35.6 | −5.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Anthony Lynch | 6,165 | 12.3 | −3.8 | |
| Referendum | Dominic Hopkins | 1,624 | 3.2 | N/A | |
| Independent | Gerald Morgan | 218 | 0.4 | N/A | |
| Independent | Colin Palmer | 80 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Independent | Stephen Porter | 34 | 0.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 6,343 | 12.6 | +11.2 | ||
| Turnout | 50,184 | 79.1 | −4.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 63,465 | +0.9 | |||
| Labour hold | Swing | +5.6 | |||
| 1992 notional result[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Vote | % | |
| Labour | 22,176 | 42.4 | |
| Conservative | 21,444 | 41.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 8,422 | 16.1 | |
| Others | 204 | 0.4 | |
| Turnout | 52,246 | 83.1 | |
| Electorate | 62,882 | ||
Election in the 1940s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | M. Philips Price | 19,721 | 65.2 | +7.6 | |
| National | John Brown[a] | 10,529 | 34.8 | N/A | |
| Majority | 9,192 | 30.4 | +15.2 | ||
| Turnout | 30,250 | 70.9 | −6.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 42,667 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1930s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | M. Philips Price | 16,768 | 57.6 | +10.3 | |
| National Labour | John Worthington | 12,337 | 42.4 | −10.3 | |
| Majority | 4,431 | 15.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 29,105 | 77.3 | +0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 37,643 | ||||
| Labour gain from National Labour | Swing | +10.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Labour | John Worthington | 14,815 | 52.7 | N/A | |
| Labour | David Vaughan | 13,291 | 47.3 | −4.8 | |
| Majority | 1,524 | 5.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 28,106 | 76.9 | +3.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 36,547 | ||||
| National Labour gain from Labour | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1920s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | David Vaughan | 13,976 | 52.1 | +3.7 | |
| Unionist | William Mitchell-Cotts | 7,092 | 26.5 | −9.4 | |
| Liberal | Joseph W Westwood | 5,738 | 21.4 | +5.7 | |
| Majority | 6,884 | 25.7 | +13.1 | ||
| Turnout | 26,806 | 73.3 | −7.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 36,563 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +6.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | A. A. Purcell | 11,629 | 48.4 | −4.7 | |
| Unionist | Michael Beaumont | 8,607 | 35.8 | −11.0 | |
| Liberal | W.H. West | 3,774 | 15.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,022 | 12.6 | +6.3 | ||
| Turnout | 24,010 | 80.9 | +10.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 29,696 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +3.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | James Wignall | 11,048 | 53.1 | −7.7 | |
| Unionist | Michael Beaumont | 9,739 | 46.9 | +7.7 | |
| Majority | 1,309 | 6.2 | −15.4 | ||
| Turnout | 20,787 | 70.0 | +5.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 29,696 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −7.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | James Wignall | 11,486 | 60.9 | +8.5 | |
| Unionist | Augustus Dinnick | 7,383 | 39.1 | +10.2 | |
| Majority | 4,103 | 21.7 | −1.8 | ||
| Turnout | 18,869 | 64.7 | −7.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 29,174 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | −0.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | James Wignall | 10,820 | 52.4 | −10.4 | |
| Ind. Conservative | Augustus Dinnick | 5,976 | 28.9 | N/A | |
| National Liberal | Winifred Coombe Tennant | 3,861 | 18.7 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,854 | 23.5 | −2.1 | ||
| Turnout | 20,647 | 72.0 | +15.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 28,686 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Election results 1885–1918
Elections in the 1910s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | James Wignall | 9,731 | 62.8 | N/A | |
| C | Liberal | Henry Webb | 5,765 | 37.2 | N/A |
| Majority | 3,966 | 25.6 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 15,496 | 56.1 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 27,624 | ||||
| Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. | |||||
General Election 1914–15
A general election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been selected to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place;
- Liberal Party: Henry Webb
- Labour Party: James Wignall
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Henry Webb | Unopposed | |||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Henry Webb | 6,174 | 66.5 | +0.2 | |
| Conservative | David Hope Kyd | 3,106 | 33.5 | −0.2 | |
| Majority | 3,068 | 33.1 | +0.5 | ||
| Turnout | 9,280 | 82.8 | +5.9 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,214 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | 5,544 | 66.3 | +1.1 | |
| Conservative | David Hope Kyd | 2,820 | 33.7 | −1.1 | |
| Majority | 2,724 | 32.6 | +2.2 | ||
| Turnout | 8,364 | 76.9 | −9.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,881 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +1.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | 6,141 | 65.2 | N/A | |
| Conservative | John Henry Renton | 3,279 | 34.8 | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,862 | 30.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,420 | 86.6 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 10,881 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1900s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | Unopposed | |||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | 4,972 | 66.4 | N/A | |
| Conservative | H Terrell | 2,520 | 33.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,452 | 32.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,492 | 75.0 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 9,993 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1890s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | Unopposed | |||
| Liberal hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Charles Dilke | 5,360 | 64.6 | +3.5 | |
| Conservative | Maynard Wemyss[23] | 2,942 | 35.4 | −3.5 | |
| Majority | 2,418 | 29.2 | +7.1 | ||
| Turnout | 8,302 | 77.0 | +7.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,782 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +3.5 | |||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Godfrey Samuelson | 4,286 | 61.0 | −7.0 | |
| Conservative | Edward Wyndham | 2,736 | 39.0 | +7.0 | |
| Majority | 1,550 | 22.1 | −14.0 | ||
| Turnout | 7,022 | 70.0 | −10.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,032 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −7.0 | |||
- Caused by Blake's resignation.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Thomas Blake | 3,822 | 61.3 | −6.7 | |
| Liberal Unionist | Frederick Louis Lucas[25] | 2,415 | 38.7 | +6.7 | |
| Majority | 1,407 | 22.6 | −13.4 | ||
| Turnout | 6,237 | 65.9 | −14.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,458 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +6.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Thomas Blake | 5,143 | 68.0 | ||
| Conservative | John Plunkett | 2,421 | 32.0 | ||
| Majority | 2,722 | 36.0 | |||
| Turnout | 7,564 | 80.0 | |||
| Registered electors | 9,458 | ||||
| Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
See also
Notes
- Regarded as a National Independent.
- A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
- 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.