Forest of Dean (UK Parliament constituency)

Forest of Dean is a constituency^{[n 1]} in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 UK General Election by Matt Bishop, a Labour MP. Previously represented from 2005 by Mark Harper, a Conservative who served as Secretary of State for Transport between 2022 and 2024.^{[n 2]}

Forest of Dean
County constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 1997
Boundary within South West England
County	Gloucestershire
Electorate	71,510 (2023)[1]
Major settlements	Coleford, Cinderford, Lydney
Current constituency
Created	1997
Member of Parliament	Matt Bishop (Labour)
Seats	One
Created from	West Gloucestershire
1885–1950
Seats	One
Replaced by	West Gloucestershire

Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Coleford, Lydney, Newent, and Newnham.

1918–1950: The Urban Districts of Awre, Coleford, Newnham, and Westbury-on-Severn, the Rural Districts of East Dean and United Parishes, Lydney, Newent, and West Dean, and part of the Rural District of Gloucester.

1997–2010: The District of Forest of Dean, and the Borough of Tewkesbury wards of Haw Bridge and Highnam.

2010–present: The District of Forest of Dean, and the Borough of Tewkesbury ward of Highnam with Haw Bridge. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.

History

This seat was created for the 1885 general election (replacing the two-seat constituency of West Gloucestershire under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885), was redrawn for the 1918 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election. It was re-created, with different boundaries, for the 1997 general election, and has thus far not undergone any boundary changes.

Constituency profile

The Forest of Dean constituency covers Gloucestershire west of the river Severn, and lies in the south west of England, near the Welsh border.

The core of the constituency consists of the Royal Forest of Dean itself, which was established by William the Conqueror nearly a thousand years ago and is one of the last surviving Royal Forests in England.^[2] The seat has a rich industrial and mining history, evidenced by the market towns of Coleford and Cinderford, and the old port of Lydney from where coal mined in the Forest of Dean Coalfield would start its journey to all parts of the world.^[3]

The Wye Valley forms the western border of the Forest and is an area of outstanding natural beauty, whilst the Leadon Valley forms the northern portion of the constituency. The Vale consists of countryside and farmland centred on the Tudor town of Newent, and also produces English wine.

The constituency also includes parishes from Tewkesbury district, including Forthampton, Chaceley Hole, Hasfield, Ashleworth and Highnam.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1885–1950

Election		Member[4]	Party
	1885	Thomas Blake	Liberal
	1887	Godfrey Samuelson	Liberal
	1892	Sir Charles Dilke	Liberal
	1911	Sir Henry Webb	Liberal
	1918	James Wignall	Labour
	1925	A. A. Purcell	Labour
	1929	David Vaughan	Labour
	1931	John Worthington	National Labour
	1935	M. Philips Price	Labour
	1950	constituency abolished

MPs since 1997

Election		Member[4]	Party
	1997	Diana Organ	Labour
	2005	Mark Harper	Conservative
	2024	Matt Bishop	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Forest of Dean^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Matt Bishop	16,373	34.0	+5.2
	Conservative	Mark Harper	16,095	33.5	−26.1
	Reform UK	Stanley Goodin	8,194	17.0	N/A
	Green	Chris McFarling	4,735	9.8	+0.7
	Liberal Democrats	James Joyce	2,604	5.4	N/A
	Socialist Labour	Saiham Sikder	90	0.2	N/A
Majority			278	0.5	N/A
Turnout			48,091	66.0	−6.4
Registered electors			72,052		+0.9
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	15.7

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Forest of Dean^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Harper	30,680	59.6	+5.3
	Labour Co-op	Di Martin	14,811	28.8	−7.1
	Green	Chris McFarling	4,681	9.1	+6.7
	Independent	Julian Burrett	1,303	2.5	+1.4
Majority			15,869	30.8	+12.4
Turnout			51,475	72.4	−0.6
Registered electors			71,438		+0.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.2

General election 2017: Forest of Dean^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Harper	28,096	54.3	+7.5
	Labour	Shaun Stammers	18,594	35.9	+11.3
	Liberal Democrats	Janet Ellard	2,029	3.9	−1.4
	Green	James Greenwood	1,241	2.4	−3.1
	UKIP	Ernie Warrender	1,237	2.4	−15.4
	Independent	Julian Burrett	570	1.1	N/A
Majority			9,502	18.4	−3.8
Turnout			51,767	73.0	+2.1
Registered electors			70,898		+3.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.9

General election 2015: Forest of Dean^[7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Harper[9]	23,191	46.8	0.0
	Labour	Steve Parry-Hearn[9]	12,204	24.6	+0.5
	UKIP	Steve Stanbury	8,792	17.8	+12.6
	Green	James Greenwood	2,703	5.5	+3.6
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Coleman	2,630	5.3	−16.6
Majority			10,987	22.2	−0.5
Turnout			49,520	70.9	−0.4
Registered electors			69,865		+2.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.3

General election 2010: Forest of Dean^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Harper	22,853	46.9	+6.0
	Labour	Bruce Hogan	11,789	24.2	−12.4
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Coleman	10,676	21.9	+4.7
	UKIP	Tim Congdon	2,522	5.2	+2.8
	Green	James Greenwood	923	1.9	−0.2
Majority			11,064	22.7	+18.4
Turnout			48,763	71.3	+0.4
Registered electors			68,419		+1.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+9.2

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Forest of Dean^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Harper	19,474	40.9	+2.1
	Labour	Isabel Owen	17,425	36.6	−6.8
	Liberal Democrats	Christopher Coleman	8,185	17.2	+4.3
	UKIP	Patricia Hill	1,140	2.4	+0.9
	Green	Stephen Tweedie	991	2.1	−0.7
	Independent	Anthony Reeve	300	0.6	–
	English Democrat	Gerald Morgan	125	0.3	−0.4
Majority			2,049	4.3	−0.3
Turnout			47,640	70.8	+3.5
Registered electors			67,241		+1.5
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+4.4

General election 2001: Forest of Dean^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Diana Organ	19,350	43.4	−4.8
	Conservative	Mark Harper	17,301	38.8	+3.2
	Liberal Democrats	David Gayler	5,762	12.9	+0.6
	Green	Simon Pickering	1,254	2.8	–
	UKIP	Allen Prout	661	1.5	–
	Independent	Gerald Morgan	279	0.6	+0.2
Majority			2,049	4.6	−8.0
Turnout			44,607	67.3	−11.7
Registered electors			66,240		+4.4
	Labour hold		Swing	−4.0

Election in the 1990s

General election 1997: Forest of Dean^[13][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Diana Organ	24,203	48.2	+5.8
	Conservative	Paul Marland	17,860	35.6	−5.5
	Liberal Democrats	Anthony Lynch	6,165	12.3	−3.8
	Referendum	Dominic Hopkins	1,624	3.2	–
	Independent	Gerald Morgan	218	0.4	–
	Independent	Colin Palmer	80	0.2	–
	Independent	Stephen Porter	34	0.1	–
Majority			6,343	12.6	+11.2
Turnout			50,184	79.1	−4.0
Registered electors			63,465		+0.9
	Labour win (new seat)

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Forest of Dean

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Philips Price	19,721	65.2	+7.6
	Independent	John Brown	10,529	34.8	–
Majority			9,192	30.4	+15.2
Turnout			30,250	70.9	−6.4
Registered electors			42,667		13.3
	Labour hold

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Forest of Dean

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Philips Price	16,768	57.6	+10.3
	National Labour	John Worthington	12,337	42.4	−10.3
Majority			4,431	15.2	+9.8
Turnout			29,105	77.3	+0.4
Registered electors			37,643		+3.0
	Labour gain from National Labour		Swing	+10.3

General election 1931: Forest of Dean

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Labour	John Worthington	14,815	52.7	–
	Labour	David Vaughan	13,291	47.3	−4.8
Majority			1,524	5.4	−20.3
Turnout			28,106	76.9	+3.6
Registered electors			36,547		0.0
	National Labour gain from Labour

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Forest of Dean ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Vaughan	13,976	52.1	+3.7
	Unionist	William Mitchell-Cotts	7,092	26.5	−9.4
	Liberal	Joseph W Westwood	5,738	21.4	+5.7
Majority			6,884	25.7	+13.1
Turnout			26,806	73.3	−7.5
Registered electors			36,563		+23.1
	Labour hold		Swing	+6.5

Purcell

1925 Forest of Dean by-election^[16][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. A. Purcell	11,629	48.4	−4.7
	Unionist	Michael Beaumont	8,607	35.8	−11.0
	Liberal	W.H. West	3,774	15.7	−
Majority			3,022	12.6	+6.3
Turnout			24,010	80.9	+10.9
Registered electors			29,696		0.0
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.1

1924 general election: Forest of Dean^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Wignall	11,048	53.1	−7.7
	Unionist	Michael Beaumont	9,739	46.9	+7.7
Majority			1,309	6.2	−15.4
Turnout			20,787	70.0	+5.3
Registered electors			29,696		+1.8
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.7

1923 general election: Forest of Dean^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Wignall	11,486	60.9	+8.5
	Unionist	Augustus Dinnick	7,383	39.1	+10.2
Majority			4,103	21.7	−1.8
Turnout			18,869	64.7	−7.3
Registered electors			29,174		+1.7
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.9

Tennant

1922 general election: Forest of Dean^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Wignall	10,820	52.4	−10.4
	Ind. Conservative	Augustus Dinnick	5,976	28.9	–
	National Liberal	Winifred Coombe Tennant	3,861	18.7	–
Majority			4,854	23.5	−2.1
Turnout			20,647	72.0	+15.9
Registered electors			28,686		+3.8
	Labour hold

Election results 1885–1918

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Forest of Dean ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Wignall	9,731	62.8	N/A
C	Liberal	Henry Webb	5,765	37.2	N/A
Majority			3,966	25.6	N/A
Turnout			15,496	56.1	N/A
Registered electors			27,624		N/A
	Labour gain from Liberal
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General Election 1914–15

A general election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been selected to contest that election. Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place;

• Liberal Party: Henry Webb
• Labour Party: James Wignall

1912 Forest of Dean by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry Webb	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Webb

1911 Forest of Dean by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry Webb	6,174	66.5	+0.2
	Conservative	David Hope Kyd	3,106	33.5	−0.2
Majority			3,068	33.1	+0.5
Turnout			9,280	82.8	+5.9
Registered electors			11,214
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.2

General election December 1910: Forest of Dean ^[17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	5,544	66.3	+1.1
	Conservative	David Hope Kyd	2,820	33.7	−1.1
Majority			2,724	32.6	+2.2
Turnout			8,364	76.9	−9.7
Registered electors			10,881		0.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.1

General election January 1910: Forest of Dean ^[17][18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	6,141	65.2	N/A
	Conservative	John Henry Renton	3,279	34.8	N/A
Majority			2,862	30.4	N/A
Turnout			9,420	86.6	N/A
Registered electors			10,881		+8.9
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Forest of Dean ^[17][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1900: Forest of Dean ^[17][19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	4,972	66.4	n/a
	Conservative	H Terrell	2,520	33.6	n/a
Majority			2,452	32.7	n/a
Turnout			7,492	75.0	n/a
Registered electors			9,993		n/a
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Forest of Dean ^[17][19][20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	unopposed	n/a	n/a
	Liberal hold

Dilke

General election 1892: Forest of Dean ^[17][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Dilke	5,360	64.6	+3.5
	Conservative	Maynard Wemyss[21]	2,942	35.4	−3.5
Majority			2,418	29.2	+7.1
Turnout			8,302	77.0	+7.0
Registered electors			10,782		+7.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.5

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 29 Jul 1887: Forest of Dean ^[17][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Godfrey Samuelson	4,286	61.0	−7.0
	Conservative	Edward Wyndham	2,736	39.0	+7.0
Majority			1,550	22.1	−14.0
Turnout			7,022	70.0	−10.0
Registered electors			10,032
	Liberal hold		Swing	−7.0

• Caused by Blake's resignation.

General election 1886: Forest of Dean ^[17][19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Blake	3,822	61.3	−6.7
	Liberal Unionist	Frederick Louis Lucas[23]	2,415	38.7	+6.7
Majority			1,407	22.6	−13.4
Turnout			6,237	65.9	−14.1
Registered electors			9,458
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.7

General election 1885: Forest of Dean ^[17][19][24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Blake	5,143	68.0	N/A
	Conservative	John Plunkett	2,421	32.0	N/A
Majority			2,722	36.0	N/A
Turnout			7,564	80.0	N/A
Registered electors			9,458
	Liberal win (new seat)

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.

References

1. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
2. "Forest of Dean". Gloucestershire Live. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
3. A Glance Back at Lydney Docks, Neil Parkhouse ISBN 9781903599006
4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
5. "General election results 2024". BBC News. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
6. "Forest of Dean parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
7. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
8. "Forest of Dean District Council – Page unavailable". www.fdean.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
9. "FOREST OF DEAN 2015". electionresults.blogspot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
10. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
11. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
12. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
13. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
14. Percentage change and swing for 1997 is calculated relative to the Rallings and Thrasher 1992 notional constituency result, not actual 1992 result. See C. Rallings & M. Thrasher, The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre, 1995)
15. FWS Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
16. "Forest of Dean Election". North Devon Journal. 16 July 1925. Retrieved 13 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
17. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
18. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
19. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
20. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
21. ‘COLCHESTER WEMYSS, Maynard Willoughby’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2015; online edn, Feb 2015 accessed 19 Oct 2017 Archived 21 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine
22. The Constitutional Year Book, 1904, published by Conservative Central Office, page 144 (168 in web page), Gloucestershire
23. "The Contest in Dean Forest". Western Daily Press. 3 July 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 26 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
24. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886

External links

• Forest of Dean UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Forest of Dean UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Forest of Dean UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK