1901 Monmouth Boroughs by-election

1901 Monmouth Boroughs

7 May 1901

Candidate Lawrence Spicer Party Conservative Liberal Popular vote 4,604 4,261 Percentage 51.9% 48.1%

MP before election Frederick Harris Conservative Subsequent MP Lewis Haslam Liberal

The 1901 Monmouth Boroughs by-election was a by-election held on 7 May 1901 for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth Boroughs.

The by-election was triggered by the unseating of the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) Frederick Rutherfoord Harris, as a result of an election petition alleging irregularities in election spending. The Liberal candidate was Albert Spicer, who had previously been the sitting MP but had lost in the previous general election. The result was a victory for the Conservative candidate Sheriff Joseph Lawrence, who held the seat, although the party's majority was halved.

Result

1901 Monmouth Boroughs by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Joseph Lawrence	4,604	51.9	−2.3
	Liberal	Albert Spicer	4,261	48.1	+2.3
Majority			343	1.8	−4.6
Turnout			8,865	90.4	+3.2
Registered electors			9,803
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.3

Aftermath

Despite the intervention of a Labour Representation Committee candidate, the Liberal Party gained the seat;

General election 1906 Monmouth Boroughs

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Lewis Haslam	4,531	44.7	−3.4
	Conservative	E E Micholls	3,939	38.8	−13.1
	Labour Repr. Cmte.	James Whinstone	1,678	16.5	N/A
Majority			592	5.9	N/A
Turnout			10,148	90.6	+3.4
Registered electors			11,207
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+4.8

See also

• Lists of United Kingdom by-elections
• Monmouth Boroughs constituency

Further reading

• The Times, 8 May 1901
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs