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1913 Kendal by-election

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The 1913 Kendal by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 18 March 1913.[1] The constituency returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system.

Vacancy

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Josceline Bagot was twice returned as Conservative MP for Kendal (1892–1906 and 1910–1913),[2] He died on 1 March 1913.

Previous result

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General election December 1910 Electorate 6,546
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Josceline Bagot 3,041 52.7 −1.5
Liberal William Somervell 2,733 47.3 +1.5
Majority 308 5.4 −3.0
Turnout 5,774 88.2 −2.8
Conservative hold Swing -1.5

Candidates

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Somervell

John Weston was selected by the Unionists to defend the seat. The Liberals chose local man William Somervell who had stood here last time.

Campaign

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Result

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Kendal by-election, 1913 Electorate
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ind. Unionist John Weston 3,261 54.9 +2.2
Liberal William Somervell 2,680 45.1 −2.2
Majority 581 9.8 +4.4
Turnout 5,941 90.4 +2.2
Ind. Unionist gain from Unionist Swing +2.2

Somervell explained his defeat, and the doubling of the Unionist majority, by claiming that Weston (who stood as an Independent Unionist) had been elected because he was a ‘semi-Liberal’ and a popular local man.[3]

Aftermath

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Somervell was to enter parliament at a by-election in May 1918, holding a Liberal seat. Following boundary changes, Kendal was merged into the new Westmorland seat for the 1918 elections.

General election 14 December 1918: Westmorland Electorate 30,516
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist *John Weston Unopposed N/A N/A
Unionist win (new seat)
  • Weston was endorsed by the Coalition Government.

References

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  1. ^ Craig, F.W.S. (1987). Chronology of British Parliamentary By-elections 1833–1987. Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 108.
  2. ^ "Mr Josceline Bagot (Hansard)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  3. ^ The Times, 20 March 1913 p6
  • Craig, F. W. S. (1974). British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 (1 ed.). London: Macmillan.
  • Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com
  • Debrett's House of Commons 1916