Pontypridd (UK Parliament Constituency)
The constituency is to retain its name, but with its boundaries altered, as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
Boundaries
Pontypridd constituency can be split into two parts, a northern part containing the town itself, and a southern part focussed on Llantrisant. In Pontypridd township itself the wards are: Town, Treforest, Rhondda (consisting of Hopkinstown, Maesycoed, Pantygraigwen, Trehafod, & Pwllgwaun), Graig, Trallwng, Rhydyfelin Central & Ilan, & Hawthorn. The Western half consists of the following wards: Taffs Well, Beddau, Church Village, Tonteg, Llantwit Fardre, Llantrisant, Pontyclun, Talbot Green, Tonyrefail East and Tonyrefail West.
Alternatively, one can think of the constituency as being divided between a 'suburban' district in the south and communities that grew in the industrial revolution to the north; the Southern area, particularly between Church Village and Llantrisant, contains much new residential and light industrial development, and benefits from good transport links due to its proximity to the M4. This section has a growing population and is an important 'dormitory' for Cardiff. The Northern parts, particularly Tonyrefail and the northern end of Pontypridd town consists of large sections of 19th century housing and suffered high unemployment in the 1980s as the old industries closed. However, in recent years, economic recovery has been firm, especially considered with neighbouring constituencies to the north.
The Pontypridd constituency was created in its original form from parts of the old South Glamorganshire & East Glamorganshire constituencies as part of the Representation of the People Act 1918 (sometimes referred to as 'The Fourth Reform Act') which granted virtually all men over 21 the right to vote, extended voting rights to women over 30 years of age, & increased the number of the now abolished University constituencies. Part of this Act also effected a 'General Redistribution of Seats' on an 'equitable basis'. It originally included the old Borough of Cowbridge, the Cowbridge Rural District (which included Ystradowen, St Athan, Llantwit Major & Llandow) & the Urban District of Pontypridd plus the Rural District of Llantrisant & Llantwit Fardre. The constituency remained unchanged from this form until the Third Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review's proposals were implemented in 1983. This removed Cowbridge Borough and the southern part of the former Cowbridge Rural District, placing them in the Vale of Glamorgan constituency, and additionally moving the communities of Llanharry, Llanharan, and Brynna (i.e. the northern part of the former Cowbridge RDC) into the Ogmore constituency. However, the communities of Creigiau and Pentyrch were added to the seat at this time.
Prior to 2010 the Pontypridd Constituency also included the Cilfynydd, Glyncoch, Creigiau and Pentyrch Wards. The Fifth Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review for Wales placed the Cilfynydd and Glyncoch wards in the Cynon Valley (UK Parliament constituency) and the Creigiau and Pentyrch wards in the Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency). These changes were put in place for the 2010 United Kingdom general election.
Members of Parliament
Like many seats in South Wales, Pontypridd has been held by the Labour party for over 100 years. In all the years since the Labour Party first took the seat in the 1922 by-election, its smallest majority has been the 2,785 (7.6%) by which it held the seat over the Liberal Democrats in 2010. Generally its majorities have been considerably higher.
Elections
Elections in the 1910s
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/71/Thomas_Arthur_Lewis.jpg/120px-Thomas_Arthur_Lewis.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Liberal | Thomas Arthur Lewis | 13,327 | 56.1 | N/A |
Labour | David Lewis Davies | 10,152 | 42.8 | N/A | |
Conservative | Arthur Seaton | 260 | 1.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,175 | 13.3 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 23,739 | 68.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 34,778 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 16,630 | 57.0 | +14.2 | |
C | Liberal | Thomas Arthur Lewis | 12,550 | 43.0 | -13.1 |
Majority | 4,080 | 14.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,180 | 72.8 | +4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 40,071 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 14,884 | 47.2 | +4.4 | |
National Liberal | Rhys Rhys-Williams | 8,667 | 27.5 | -28.6 | |
Unionist | J Griffith Jones | 7,994 | 25.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 6,217 | 19.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 31,545 | 76.8 | +8.5 | ||
Registered electors | 41,087 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 16,837 | 54.9 | +7.7 | |
Liberal | Jon David Rees | 13,839 | 45.1 | +17.6 | |
Majority | 2,998 | 9.8 | -9.9 | ||
Turnout | 30,676 | 76.0 | -0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 40,379 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -6.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 18,301 | 55.9 | +1.0 | |
Conservative | David J. Evans | 14,425 | 44.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 3,876 | 11.9 | +2.1 | ||
Turnout | 32,726 | 79.6 | +3.6 | ||
Registered electors | 41,099 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 20,835 | 53.1 | -2.8 | |
Liberal | John Victor Evans | 14,421 | 36.8 | N/A | |
Conservative | May Gordon Williams | 3,967 | 10.1 | -34.0 | |
Majority | 6,414 | 16.3 | +4.4 | ||
Turnout | 39,223 | 82.0 | +2.4 | ||
Registered electors | 47,860 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 |
Elections in the 1930s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Lewis Davies | 20,687 | 59.9 | +6.8 | |
Liberal | Geoffrey Crawshay | 8,368 | 24.3 | -12.5 | |
Conservative | David J Evans | 5,489 | 15.9 | +5.8 | |
Majority | 12,319 | 35.6 | +19.3 | ||
Turnout | 34,544 | 73.0 | -9.0 | ||
Registered electors | 34,733 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +9.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Lewis Davies | 21,751 | 58.4 | +5.3 | |
Liberal | Bernard Acworth | 13,937 | 37.4 | +0.6 | |
Independent Labour | Thomas Mardy-Jones | 1,110 | 3.0 | N/A | |
New Party | William Lowell | 466 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 7,814 | 21.0 | +4.7 | ||
Turnout | 37,264 | 78.7 | -3.3 | ||
Registered electors | 47,346 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +2.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | David Lewis Davies | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 48,469 | ||||
Labour hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 22,159 | 59.9 | N/A | |
National Liberal | Juliet Rhys-Williams | 14,810 | 40.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 7,349 | 19.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 36,969 | 69.3 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 36,846 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 27,823 | 68.6 | N/A | |
Conservative | Cennydd Traherne | 7,260 | 17.9 | -22.2 | |
Liberal | John Ellis Williams | 5,464 | 13.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 20,563 | 50.7 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 40,547 | 76.0 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 53,346 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +15.4 |
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 30,945 | 68.9 | +0.3 | |
Conservative | Thomas Esmôr Rhys Rhys-Roberts | 9,049 | 20.2 | +2.3 | |
Liberal | David Irwin Charles Lewis | 4,895 | 10.9 | -2.6 | |
Majority | 21,896 | 48.7 | -2.0 | ||
Turnout | 44,889 | 84.3 | +8.3 | ||
Registered electors | 53,275 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 32,586 | 72.3 | +3.4 | |
Conservative | James Lionel Manning | 12,511 | 27.7 | +7.5 | |
Majority | 20,075 | 44.6 | -4.1 | ||
Turnout | 45,097 | 83.3 | -1.0 | ||
Registered electors | 54,126 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 28,881 | 71.1 | -1.2 | |
Conservative | Thomas Tyrrell | 11,718 | 28.9 | +1.2 | |
Majority | 17,163 | 42.2 | -2.4 | ||
Turnout | 40,599 | 74.9 | -8.4 | ||
Registered electors | 54,214 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 29,853 | 68.2 | -2.9 | |
Conservative | Brandon Rhys-Williams | 13,896 | 31.8 | +2.9 | |
Majority | 15,957 | 36.4 | -5.8 | ||
Turnout | 43,749 | 81.2 | +6.3 | ||
Registered electors | 53,903 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.9 |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 29,533 | 71.4 | +3.2 | |
Conservative | John Warrender | 11,859 | 28.6 | -3.2 | |
Majority | 17,674 | 42.8 | +6.4 | ||
Turnout | 41,392 | 76.9 | -4.3 | ||
Registered electors | 53,859 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +3.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Arthur Pearson | 30,840 | 74.9 | +3.5 | |
Conservative | Kenneth Green-Wanstall | 10,325 | 25.1 | -3.5 | |
Majority | 20,515 | 49.8 | +7.0 | ||
Turnout | 41,365 | 74.7 | -2.2 | ||
Registered electors | 55,088 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +3.6 |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 28,414 | 58.5 | -16.4 | |
Conservative | Michael Withers | 8,205 | 16.9 | -8.2 | |
Liberal | Mary Murphy | 6,871 | 14.2 | N/A | |
Plaid Cymru | Errol Jones | 5,059 | 10.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 20,209 | 41.6 | -8.2 | ||
Turnout | 48,549 | 74.4 | -0.3 | ||
Registered electors | 65,265 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -4.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 28,028 | 52.0 | -6.5 | |
Conservative | Alun Jones | 11,406 | 21.1 | +4.2 | |
Liberal | Mary Murphy | 9,889 | 18.3 | +4.1 | |
Plaid Cymru | Richard Kemp | 4,612 | 8.6 | -1.8 | |
Majority | 16,622 | 30.9 | -10.7 | ||
Turnout | 53,935 | 77.4 | +3.0 | ||
Registered electors | 69,685 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 29,302 | 56.6 | +4.6 | |
Conservative | Alun Jones | 10,528 | 20.3 | -0.8 | |
Liberal | Mary Murphy | 8,050 | 15.5 | -2.8 | |
Plaid Cymru | Richard Kemp | 3,917 | 7.6 | -1.0 | |
Majority | 18,774 | 36.3 | +5.5 | ||
Turnout | 51,797 | 73.8 | -3.6 | ||
Registered electors | 70,200 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 32,801 | 56.0 | -0.6 | |
Conservative | Michael Clay | 17,114 | 29.2 | +8.9 | |
Liberal | Hugh Penri-Williams | 6,228 | 10.6 | -4.9 | |
Plaid Cymru | Alun Roberts | 2,200 | 3.8 | -3.8 | |
National Front | R G Davies | 263 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 15,687 | 26.8 | -9.5 | ||
Turnout | 58,606 | 78.1 | +4.3 | ||
Registered electors | 75,050 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -4.7 |
Elections in the 1980s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 20,188 | 45.6 | −10.4 | |
SDP | Richard Langridge | 11,444 | 25.9 | +15.3 | |
Conservative | Richard Evans | 10,139 | 22.9 | −6.3 | |
Plaid Cymru | Janet Davies | 2,065 | 4.7 | +0.9 | |
Green | Alwyn K. Jones | 449 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 8,744 | 19.7 | −7.1 | ||
Turnout | 44,285 | 72.7 | −5.4 | ||
Registered electors | 60,883 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −5.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Brynmor John | 26,422 | 56.3 | +10.7 | |
Conservative | Desmond Swayne | 9,145 | 19.5 | −3.4 | |
SDP | Peter Sain-Ley-Berry | 8,865 | 18.9 | −7.0 | |
Plaid Cymru | Delme Bowen | 2,498 | 5.3 | +0.6 | |
Majority | 17,277 | 36.8 | +17.1 | ||
Turnout | 46,930 | 76.6 | +3.9 | ||
Registered electors | 61,255 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +7.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Howells | 20,549 | 53.4 | −2.9 | |
Plaid Cymru | Syd Morgan | 9,775 | 25.3 | +20.0 | |
Conservative | Nigel Evans | 5,212 | 13.5 | −6.0 | |
SLD | Tom Ellis | 1,500 | 3.9 | −15.0 | |
SDP | Terry Thomas | 1,199 | 3.1 | N/A | |
Communist | David Richards | 239 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Independent | David Black | 57 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 10,794 | 28.1 | −8.7 | ||
Turnout | 38,511 | 62.0 | −14.6 | ||
Registered electors | 61,193 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −11.5 |
Elections in the 1990s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Howells | 29,722 | 60.8 | +4.5 | |
Conservative | Peter D. Donnelly | 9,925 | 20.3 | +0.8 | |
Plaid Cymru | Delme Bowen | 4,448 | 9.1 | +3.8 | |
Liberal Democrats | Steve Belzak | 4,180 | 8.5 | −10.4 | |
Green | Emma J. Jackson | 615 | 1.3 | N/A | |
Majority | 19,797 | 40.5 | +3.7 | ||
Turnout | 48,890 | 79.3 | +2.7 | ||
Registered electors | 61,685 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +1.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Howells | 29,290 | 63.9 | +3.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Nigel Howells | 6,161 | 13.4 | +4.9 | |
Conservative | Jonathan M. Cowen | 5,910 | 12.9 | −7.4 | |
Plaid Cymru | Owain Llewelyn | 2,977 | 6.5 | −2.6 | |
Referendum | John Wood | 874 | 1.9 | N/A | |
Socialist Labour | Peter Skelly | 380 | 0.8 | N/A | |
Communist | Robert Griffiths | 178 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Natural Law | Anthony G. Moore | 85 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 23,129 | 50.4 | +9.9 | ||
Turnout | 45,855 | 71.4 | -7.9 | ||
Registered electors | 64,185 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −0.9 |
Elections in the 2000s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Howells | 22,963 | 59.9 | −4.0 | |
Plaid Cymru | Bleddyn Hancock | 5,279 | 13.8 | +7.3 | |
Conservative | Prudence Dailey | 5,096 | 13.3 | +0.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Eric Brooke | 4,152 | 10.8 | −2.6 | |
UKIP | Susan Warry | 603 | 1.6 | N/A | |
ProLife Alliance | Joseph Biddulph | 216 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 17,684 | 46.1 | −4.3 | ||
Turnout | 38,309 | 58.0 | -13.4 | ||
Registered electors | 71,768 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −5.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Kim Howells | 20,919 | 52.8 | −7.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mike Powell | 7,728 | 19.5 | +8.7 | |
Conservative | Quentin Edwards | 5,321 | 13.4 | +0.1 | |
Plaid Cymru | Julie Richards | 4,420 | 11.2 | −2.6 | |
UKIP | David Bevan | 1,013 | 2.6 | +1.0 | |
Communist | Robert Griffiths | 233 | 0.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 13,191 | 33.3 | −12.8 | ||
Turnout | 39,634 | 60.9 | +2.9 | ||
Registered electors | 64,310 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −7.9 |
Elections in the 2010s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Owen Smith | 14,220 | 38.8 | −15.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mike Powell | 11,435 | 31.2 | +11.2 | |
Conservative | Lee Gonzalez | 5,932 | 16.2 | +4.6 | |
Plaid Cymru | Ioan Bellin | 2,673 | 7.3 | −3.7 | |
UKIP | David Bevan | 1,229 | 3.4 | +0.8 | |
Socialist Labour | Simon Parsons | 456 | 1.2 | N/A | |
Christian | Donald Watson | 365 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Green | John Matthews | 361 | 1.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,785 | 7.6 | −25.7 | ||
Turnout | 36,671 | 63.0 | −0.2 | ||
Registered electors | 58,205 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −13.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Owen Smith | 15,554 | 41.1 | +2.3 | |
Conservative | Ann-Marie Mason | 6,569 | 17.3 | +1.1 | |
UKIP | Andrew Tomkinson | 5,085 | 13.4 | +10.0 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mike Powell | 4,904 | 12.9 | −18.3 | |
Plaid Cymru | Osian Lewis | 4,348 | 11.5 | +4.2 | |
Green | Katy Clay | 992 | 2.6 | +1.6 | |
Socialist Labour | Damien Biggs | 332 | 0.9 | −0.3 | |
TUSC | Esther Pearson | 98 | 0.3 | N/A | |
Rejected ballots | 96 | ||||
Majority | 8,985 | 23.8 | +16.2 | ||
Turnout | 37,882 | 64.3 | +1.3 | ||
Registered electors | 58,940 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | −0.1 |
Of the 96 rejected ballots:
- 70 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
- 26 voted for more than one candidate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Owen Smith | 22,103 | 55.4 | +14.3 | |
Conservative | Juliette Ash | 10,655 | 26.7 | +9.4 | |
Plaid Cymru | Fflur Elin | 4,102 | 10.3 | –1.2 | |
Liberal Democrats | Mike Powell | 1,963 | 4.9 | –8.0 | |
UKIP | Robin Hunter-Clarke | 1,071 | 2.7 | –10.7 | |
Majority | 11,448 | 28.7 | +4.9 | ||
Turnout | 39,894 | 65.9 | +1.6 | ||
Registered electors | 60,564 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +2.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alex Davies-Jones | 17,381 | 44.5 | –10.9 | |
Conservative | Sam Trask | 11,494 | 29.4 | +2.7 | |
Plaid Cymru | Fflur Elin | 4,990 | 12.8 | +2.5 | |
Brexit Party | Steve Bayliss | 2,917 | 7.5 | N/A | |
Independent | Mike Powell | 1,792 | 4.6 | N/A | |
Independent | Sue Prior | 337 | 0.9 | N/A | |
Independent | Jonathan Bishop | 149 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 5,890 | 15.1 | –13.6 | ||
Turnout | 39,060 | 64.7 | –1.2 | ||
Registered electors | 60,327 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | –6.8 |
Elections in the 2020s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reform UK | Steven Wayne Bayliss | ||||
Independent | Joe Biddulph | ||||
Independent | Jonathan Bishop | ||||
Labour | Alex Davies-Jones | ||||
Green | Angela Karadog | ||||
Liberal Democrats | David Mathias | ||||
Independent | Wayne Owen | ||||
Plaid Cymru | William Jac Rees | ||||
Conservative | Jack Robson | ||||
Majority | |||||
Turnout | |||||
Registered electors | |||||
Swing |
See also
- Pontypridd (Senedd constituency)
- List of parliamentary constituencies in Mid Glamorgan
- List of parliamentary constituencies in Wales
- The National Library of Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones)
- The National Library for Wales: Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Arthur Pearson)
- The National Library for Wales: Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Brynmor John)
- Ordnance Survey Election Maps Site
- Boundary Commission Map report from 1917 showing original detailed map used for Pontypridd Constituency
- Boundary Commission Ordnance Survey Map original used at 1955 review for the entire UK showing all constituencies highly detailed
Footnotes
- In 1983 the Third Periodical Boundary Review report made major changes to the constituency, removing the areas of the former Cowbridge Borough and the former Cowbridge Rural District from the seat & placing them in the new Vale of Glamorgan seat with the exception of the Llanharry, Llanharan and Brynna communities which were transferred to the Ogmore seat. However, the Pentyrch & Creigiau communities were added to the new seat from the old Barry seat, to give a new seat with nearly 15,000 fewer electors.
- This was and still is the largest number of electors for the Pontypridd constituency in any of its forms.
- Arthur Pearson's initial selection following a closely contested process at a selection conference at Pontyclun occurred only after several rounds of voting, and he was finally chosen against the prominent local miners' agent W. H. May on 15 January 1938.
- Enacted in the Representation of the People Act 1918 & created from the old East Glamorganshire (which included Pontypridd & the Tonteg/Church Village/Llantwit Fardre areas) & South Glamorganshire (which included the Llantrisant, Tonyrefail, Pontyclun, Llanharry & Cowbridge areas) parliamentary constituencies, the Pontypridd constituency from 1918 to the 1983 UK General Election remained unchanged & consisted of the Pontypridd urban district council area, the Llantrisant and Llantwit Fardre Rural District Council area, the Cowbridge municipal borough, and the Cowbridge Rural District Council area (which included the Llantwit Major, St Athan, Ystradowen, Llandow, Llanharry, Llanharan and Brynna communities).