The1911 Middleton by-election was a parliamentaryby-election held on 2 August 1911 for theMiddleton division of Lancashire, aconstituency of theBritish House of Commons.
Ryland Adkins had been Liberal MP forMiddleton since 1906 when he gained the seat from the Conservatives. Upon his appointment asRecorder ofNottingham on 17 July 1911,[1] Adkins was obliged by the electoral law of the day to resign his seat and re-contest it at a by-election.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Ryland Adkins | 7,071 | 52.9 | −2.1 | |
| Liberal Unionist | William Hewins | 6,284 | 47.1 | +2.1 | |
| Majority | 787 | 5.8 | −4.2 | ||
| Turnout | 13,355 | 86.8 | −3.7 | ||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -2.1 | |||
Adkins's Unionist opponent wasWilliam Hewins who was his opponent at the December 1910 general election.
The by-election was fought mainly on the issue of National Insurance which Hewins took up vigorously, if by some accounts rather cynically. In the course of the campaign Lloyd George had to send Adkins a letter for public consumption refuting in detail Hewins’ claims.
Adkins held on, although Hewins reduced his majority again, this time to 411 votes.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Ryland Adkins | 6,863 | 51.5 | −1.4 | |
| Liberal Unionist | William Hewins | 6,452 | 48.5 | +1.4 | |
| Majority | 411 | 3.0 | −2.8 | ||
| Turnout | 13,315 | 86.2 | −0.6 | ||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -1.4 | |||
Hewins was elected in a by-election at Hereford in 1912.A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Ryland Adkins | ||||
| Unionist | |||||
Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. In 1918, following boundary changes, the Middleton constituency was combined with Prestwich.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Ryland Adkins | 14,831 | 69.5 | +18.0 | |
| Labour | John B Battle | 6,501 | 30.5 | New | |
| Majority | 8,330 | 39.0 | +36.0 | ||
| Turnout | 21,332 | ||||
| Liberalwin (new seat) | |||||