Birmingham Central (UK Parliament constituency)
# Birmingham Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Birmingham Central is a former parliamentary constituency in the city of Birmingham, England. 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 upon the abolition of the Birmingham constituency in 1885, and was itself abolished for the 1918 general election.

## Boundaries

Before 1885 the city of Birmingham, in the county of Warwickshire, had been a three-member constituency (see Birmingham (UK Parliament constituency) for further details). Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the parliamentary borough of Birmingham was split into seven single-member divisions, one of which was Birmingham Central. It consisted of the wards of Market Hall, Ladywood, and St Thomas's.

The division was bounded to the west and south-west by Birmingham Edgbaston, to the north by Birmingham North, to the north-east by Birmingham East and to the south and south-east by Birmingham South.

In the 1918 redistribution of parliamentary seats, the Representation of the People Act 1918 provided for twelve new Birmingham divisions. The Central division was abolished.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | Member | Party |
| - | - | - |
| 1885 | John Bright | Liberal |
| 1886 | John Bright | Liberal Unionist |
| 1889 | John Albert Bright | Liberal Unionist |
| 1895 | Ebenezer Parkes | Liberal Unionist |
| 1912 | Ebenezer Parkes | Unionist |
| 1918 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | John Bright | 4,989 | 54.2 | |
| | Conservative | Randolph Churchill | 4,216 | 45.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 773 | 8.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,205 | 84.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,923 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

General election 1886: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Bright | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal |

Bright's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 15 Apr 1889 :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Albert Bright | 5,621 | 68.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Beale | 2,561 | 31.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,060 | 37.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,182 | 69.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,851 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Albert Bright | 5,525 | 78.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Jesse Herbert | 1,522 | 21.6 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,003 | 56.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,047 | 59.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,904 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

General election 1895: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ebenezer Parkes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ebenezer Parkes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold |

General election 1906: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ebenezer Parkes | 5,684 | 73.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Thomas Grosvenor Lee | 2,075 | 26.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,609 | 46.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,759 | 72.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,670 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ebenezer Parkes | 6,015 | 77.9 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Brampton | 1,711 | 22.1 | -4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,304 | 55.8 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,726 | 78.0 | +5.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +4.6 | |

General election December 1910: Birmingham Central :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ebenezer Parkes | 4,640 | 76.6 | -1.3 |
| | Liberal | Henry John Manton | 1,417 | 23.4 | +1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,223 | 53.2 | -2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,057 | 61.1 | -16.9 |
| | Liberal Unionist hold | Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -1.3 | |

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: Ebenezer Parkes
* Liberal: Arthur Brampton
