Coventry North (UK Parliament constituency)

Coventry North was a parliamentary constituency in the city of Coventry in the West Midlands. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

Coventry North
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
County	Warwickshire (West Midlands from 1974)
1950–1974 (1974)
Seats	One
Created from	Coventry East Coventry West
Replaced by	Coventry North West Coventry North East

History

The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, and abolished for the February 1974 general election.

Throughout its history this constituency provided a reasonably safe seat for Labour backbencher, Maurice Edelman. His majority ranged between 1,241 (2.8%) in the 1959 election to 11,117 (22.2%) in 1950.

Boundaries

The County Borough of Coventry wards of Bablake, Foleshill, Holbrook, Radford, and Sherbourne.

The constituency was one of three divisions of Coventry, a parliamentary borough in the historic county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England.

When Coventry was first divided for parliamentary purposes, in the 1945-50 Parliament, the area that later became this constituency was split between the then two seats of Coventry East and Coventry West.

In 1974 Coventry was split into four new constituencies, and this seat disappeared. Foleshill ward became part of Coventry North East, while the remaining four wards from this seat formed the whole of Coventry North West.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1950	Maurice Edelman	Labour
	Feb 1974	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	28,924	57.93
	Conservative	John Dalley	17,807	35.67
	Liberal	John Burns	3,195	6.40
Majority			11,117	22.26
Turnout			49,926	87.78
	Labour win (new seat)

General election 1951: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	29,826	59.58
	Conservative	Harold Sydney Clippingdale	20,238	40.42
Majority			9,588	19.16
Turnout			50,064	86.38
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1955: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	24,565	53.45
	Conservative	John Poole	21,608	43.81
Majority			3,173	9.64
Turnout			46,173	82.29
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1959: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	23,035	51.38
	Conservative	Francis Charles Maynard	21,794	48.62
Majority			1,241	2.76
Turnout			44,829	83.64
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	23,355	52.73
	Conservative	Michael Heseltine	19,825	44.76
	Independent	Ronald Robinson	1,112	2.51	New
Majority			3,530	7.97
Turnout			44,292	81.42
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1966: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	25,170	59.32
	Conservative	David Henry J Martin-Jones	17,263	40.68
Majority			7,907	18.64
Turnout			42,433	78.66
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Coventry North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maurice Edelman	24,004	56.68
	Conservative	Frederick Tuckman	18,344	43.32
Majority			5,660	13.36
Turnout			42,348	74.57
	Labour hold		Swing

References

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services 1983)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 6)