Ross (UK Parliament constituency)
# Ross (UK Parliament constituency)

Ross, or the Southern division of Herefordshire was a county constituency centred on the town of Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire. 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 voting system.

The constituency was created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 for the 1885 general election, when the three-seat Herefordshire constituency was replaced by two single-member county divisions: the Leominster (or Northern) division, and the Ross (or Southern) division.

Ross was abolished for the 1918 general election.

## Boundaries

The Sessional Divisions of Dore, Harewood's Ends, Hereford, Ledbury and Ross and the Municipal Borough of Hereford.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| - | - | - |
| 1885 | Michael Biddulph | Liberal |
| 1886 | Michael Biddulph | Liberal Unionist |
| 1900 | Percy Clive | Liberal Unionist |
| 1906 | Alan Coulston Gardner | Liberal |
| 1908 by-election | Percy Clive | Liberal Unionist |
| 1912 | Percy Clive | Unionist |
| May 1918 by-election | Charles Pulley | Unionist |
| Dec. 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Michael Biddulph | 4,415 | 54.8 | |
| | Conservative | Joseph Bailey | 3,643 | 45.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 772 | 9.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,058 | 79.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,179 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

General election 1886: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 3,968 | 70.4 | +25.2 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Duckham | 1,670 | 29.6 | -25.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,298 | 40.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,638 | 55.4 | -23.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,179 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.2 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 4,326 | 52.8 | -17.6 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Pulley | 3,869 | 47.2 | +17.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 457 | 5.6 | -35.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,195 | 74.7 | +19.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,968 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +17.6 | |

General election 1895: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Michael Biddulph | 4,573 | 61.8 | +9.0 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Withy | 2,828 | 38.2 | -9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,745 | 23.6 | +18.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,401 | 65.8 | -8.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,249 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +9.0 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |

General election 1906: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Alan Coulston Gardner | 4,497 | 51.8 | New |
| | Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,185 | 48.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 312 | 3.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,682 | 83.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,394 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | N/A | |

1908 Ross by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,947 | 55.7 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | Frederick Whitley-Thomson | 3,928 | 44.3 | -7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,019 | 11.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,875 | 84.6 | +1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,486 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.5 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 5,073 | 52.0 | +3.8 |
| | Liberal | Henry Webb | 4,678 | 48.0 | -3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 395 | 4.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,751 | 89.1 | +5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,946 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | -3.7 | |

General election December 1910: Ross :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Percy Clive | 4,748 | 50.6 | -1.4 |
| | Liberal | Henry Webb | 4,627 | 49.4 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 121 | 1.2 | -2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,375 | 85.6 | -3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,946 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -1.4 | |

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

* Unionist: Percy Clive
* Liberal: Clement Woodbine Parish

1918 Ross by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | Charles Pulley | 3,260 | 64.6 | +14.0 |
| | NFU | T. Percy Preece | 1,784 | 35.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,476 | 29.2 | +28.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,044 | 44.2 | -41.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
