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Ashley (New Zealand electorate)

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Ashley was a New Zealand electorate situated north of Christchurch. It was in use from 1866 to 1902, and was replaced with the Hurunui electorate.

Population centres

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In the 1865 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives focussed its review of electorates to South Island electorates only, as the Otago gold rush had caused significant population growth, and a redistribution of the existing population. Fifteen additional South Island electorates were created, including Ashley, and the number of Members of Parliament was increased by 13 to 70.[1]

The Ashley electorate was formed from a corner of Cheviot electorate, and included the towns of Ashley, Amberley, and Oxford. The electorate's boundaries remained roughly the same until the 1881 election, when it expanded slightly into Kaiapoi electorate and Amberley was returned to Cheviot. In the 1887 election, the electorate expanded westwards into Cheviot's southern tip. In the 1890 election, Cheviot itself was abolished, and the majority of its territory was absorbed into Ashley — to compensate, territory was taken from Ashley in the south and given to Kaiapoi. In the 1893 election, Ashley expanded further north, taking the town of Kaikōura from Wairau electorate, but ceded Oxford to Kaiapoi in the south. In the 1902 election, Ashley was dissolved, being replaced with an electorate called Hurunui, covering much the same area.

History

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The first representative was Lancelot Walker, who won the 1866 election unopposed.[2] Walker resigned in the following year[3] and was succeeded by Henry Tancred in the 1867 by-election; Tancred was also unopposed.[4][5] Tancred retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1870[4] and was succeeded by John Evans Brown, who won the election against two others.[6][7] At the 1876 election, Brown was challenged by William Miles Maskell, who had been one of his opponents in 1871, but Brown retained his seat.[8]

For the 1879 election, three candidates contested the election, with William Sefton Moorhouse gaining an absolute majority.[9] The 1881 election was contested by five candidates, with William Fisher Pearson the winner.[10] In the 1884 election, Pearson had a dominant win over one challenger.[11]

In the 1890 election, the electorate was contested by Richard Meredith, James Dupré Lance and John George Knight,[12] who received 648, 611 and 137 votes, respectively. Meredith was thus declared elected.[13]

Members of Parliament

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Key

  Independent   Liberal

Election Winner
1866 election Lancelot Walker
1867 by-election Henry Tancred[4]
1871 election[14] John Brown
1876 election[15]
1879 election[16] William Moorhouse
1881 election William Pearson
1884 election
1887 election
1888 by-election John Verrall
1890 election Richard Meredith
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
(Electorate abolished in 1902; see Hurunui)

Election results

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1899 election

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1899 general election: Ashley[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Meredith 1,943 61.98 +11.34
Conservative Thomas Caverhill 1,192 38.02
Majority 751 23.96 +12.87
Turnout 3,135 70.15 −12.51
Registered electors 4,469

1896 election

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1896 general election: Ashley[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Meredith 1,700 50.64 −8.20
Conservative Henry Fear Reece 1,328 39.56
Liberal George Renner 329 9.80
Majority 372 11.08
Turnout 3,357 82.66 +12.25
Registered electors 4,061

1893 election

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1893 general election: Ashley[19][20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Meredith 1,668 58.84 +12.61
Conservative David Duncan Macfarlane 1,078 38.02
Liberal David Dick 89 3.14
Majority 590 20.81 +18.51
Turnout 2,835 70.42

1890 election

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1890 general election: Ashley[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Meredith 643 46.22
Independent James Dupré Lance 611 43.92
Liberal John George Knight 137 9.84
Majority 38 2.73
Turnout 1,391 55.90
Registered electors 2,488

1888 by-election

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1888 Ashley by-election[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Verrall 234 33.86 +21.67
Independent Alfred Saunders 232 33.57
Independent Marmaduke Dixon[24][25] 225 32.56
Majority 2 0.29 −27.21
Turnout 691

1887 election

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1887 general election: Ashley[26][27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William Fisher Pearson 501 57.65 −25.28
Independent Robert Luke Higgins 262 30.15
Independent John Verrall 106 12.20
Majority 239 27.50 −38.36
Turnout 869 58.96 25.03
Registered electors 1,474

1884 election

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1884 general election: Ashley[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William Fisher Pearson 413 82.93 +38.01
Independent Peter Duncan 85 17.07
Majority 328 65.86 +44.51
Turnout 498 33.92 −25.18
Registered electors 1,468

1881 election

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1881 general election: Ashley[10][28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William Fisher Pearson 385 44.92
Independent James Guild 202 23.57
Independent Marmaduke Dixon 158 18.44
Independent James Alexander Cunningham 104 12.14 +3.44
Independent William Patterson 8 0.93
Majority 183 21.35 11.61
Turnout 857 59.10
Registered electors 1,450

1879 election

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1879 general election: Ashley[9][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent William Sefton Moorhouse 337 50.52
Independent Walpole Cheshire Fendall 272 40.78
Independent James Alexander Cunningham 58 8.70
Majority 65 9.75 −5.72
Informal votes
Turnout 686
Registered electors

1875–1876 election

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1875–1876 general election: Ashley[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Evans Brown 265 57.73 +4.30
Independent William Miles Maskell 194 42.27 +21.33
Majority 71 15.47 −12.34
Turnout 459
Registered electors

1871 election

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1871 general election: Ashley[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent John Evans Brown 171 53.44
Independent Albert Charles Gray 82 25.63
Independent William Miles Maskell 67 20.94
Majority 89 27.81
Turnout 320
Registered electors

Notes

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  1. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 36.
  2. ^ "Ashley election". The Press. Vol. IX, no. 1035. 3 March 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. ^ Wilson 1985.
  4. ^ a b c Parton, H. N. "Tancred, Henry John". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Ashley Election". Lyttelton Times. Vol. XXVIII, no. 2070. 9 August 1867. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020 – via Papers Past.
  6. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 186.
  7. ^ a b "The general elections". The Star. No. 852. 20 February 1871. p. 3. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  8. ^ a b "The elections". The Press. Vol. XXV, no. 3235. 13 January 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  9. ^ a b "The elections". Globe. Vol. XXI, no. 1739. 16 September 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  10. ^ a b Cooper, G. S. (1882). Votes Recorded for Each Candidate. Government Printer. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b Cooper, G. S. (1884). The General Election, 1884. National Library. p. 2. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  12. ^ "Ashley Electoral District". The Press. Vol. XLVIL, no. 7721. 28 November 1890. p. 8. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  13. ^ a b "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  14. ^ "The General Elections". The Star. No. 852. 20 February 1871. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  15. ^ "Ashley Polling". The Star. No. 2435. 12 January 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  16. ^ "The General Assembly Elections". Vol. XXIII, no. 3454. Grey River Argus. 13 September 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
  17. ^ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  18. ^ "Ashley". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9592. 5 December 1896. p. 8. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  19. ^ "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Election Notices". The Press. Vol. L, no. 8656. 4 December 1893. p. 1. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  21. ^ "Ashley". The Star. No. 4813. 29 November 1893. p. 1. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  22. ^ "Page 1 Advertisements Column 5". The Press. Vol. XLV, no. 7124. 21 July 1888. p. 1. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  23. ^ "Ashley Election". The Press. Vol. XLV, no. 7132. 31 July 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  24. ^ Scholefield 1940, pp. 209f.
  25. ^ "Marmaduke Dixon – 1828–1895". Waimakariri Libraries. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  26. ^ "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  27. ^ "Ashley". The Press. Vol. XLIV, no. 6861. 20 September 1887. p. 6. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  28. ^ "Ashley". Globe. Vol. XXIII, no. 2393. 3 December 1881. p. 3. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  29. ^ McRobie 1989, p. 44.

References

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