1898 Carmarthenshire County Council election

The fourth election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1898.^[1] It was preceded by the 1895 election and followed by the 1901 election.

Overview of the result

The Liberal Party once again retained a strong majority.

Candidates

42 candidates were returned unopposed, with only nine seats being contested, and several of these were between rival Liberal candidates. This was the highest number of uncontested seats since the council was created. Fourteen of those elected at the first election, and who had served continuously since then, sought re-election

Of the retiring aldermen, only Gwilym Evans, former chairman of the council, sought election. He had been defeated for a Llanelli ward in 1892 but was now returned unopposed for a different ward.

Outcome

Although the number of contested elections was small, a number of wards were keenly contested.

There were notable Liberal victories at Caio, where Sir James Hills-Johnes was defeated, and at Pembrey, where W.J. Buckley lost to the Liberal candidate David Evans. Buckley had been a member since 1889 and was parliamentary candidate for West Carmarthenshire.

The Conservatives, in turn, gained ground by winning a number of seats including St Clears and Llanboidy. In Llanelli, John Allen Williams, editor of the Llanelly Guardian, was returned unopposed as a Liberal Unionist.

Seven of the aldermanic seats were occupied by Liberals with the newly elected aldermen including Sir James Hills-Johnes and John Williams, both of whom had been defeated at the polls. Two Conservatives were elected as aldermen, a net gan of one on the aldermanic bench.

Ward results

Abergwili

Abergwili 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Lloyd*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Bettws

Bettws 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Nathaniel Jones*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Caio

Caio 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	T. Francis Jones	217
	Conservative	Sir James Hills-Johnes*	201
Majority			16		N/A
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division)

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division) 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T.E. Brigstocke	Unopposed
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Upper Division)

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Upper Division) 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Thomas*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Carmarthen Western Ward (Lower Division)

Carmarthen Western Ward (Lower Division) 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James John	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Carmarthen Western Ward (Upper Division)

Carmarthen Eastern Ward (Lower Division) 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Professor D.E. Jones*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Cenarth

Cenarth 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Davies	258
	Liberal	D.D. Walters	163
Majority			95
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Cilycwm

Cilycwm 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal		unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Conwil

Conwil 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Jones	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Kidwelly

Kidwelly 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alfred Stephens	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Laugharne

Laugharne 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John D. Morse*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanarthney

Llanarthney 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry Jones-Davies*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanboidy

Llanboidy 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Thomas	298
	Liberal	Thomas Evans*	248
Majority			50
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Llandebie

Llandebie 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandilo Rural

Llandilo Rural 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William Jones*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandilo Urban

Llandilo Urban 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J.W. Gwynne Hughes*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandovery

Llandovery 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Powell Jeffreys*	Unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanedy

Llanedy 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Ll. Thomas*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanegwad

Llanegwad 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal		unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division.1

Llanelly Division.1 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	J. Allen Williams	unopposed
	Liberal Unionist gain from Conservative		Swing

Llanelly Division 2

Llanelly Division 2 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Mayberry*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 3

Llanelly Division.3 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William David	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Llanelly Division 4

Llanelly Division 4 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev Thomas Johns*	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold

Llanelly Division 5

Llanelly Division 5 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D.C. Parry*	222
	Liberal	D. Rees Edmunds	114
Majority			108
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 6

Llanelly Division 6 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Phillips*	147
	Liberal	T. Williams	135
	Liberal	J. Auckland	102
Majority			12
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 7

Llanelly Division 7 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Jones	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Division 8

Llanelly Division 8 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Joseph Williams*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Berwick

Llanelly Rural, Berwick 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Owen Bonville*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Hengoed

Llanelly Rural, Hengoed 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David John*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanelly Rural, Westfa and Glyn

Llanelly Rural, Westfa and Glyn 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Gwilym Evans**	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanfihangel Aberbythick

Llanfihangel Aberbythick 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Viscount Emlyn*	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Rees Jones	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llangadock

Llangadock 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Davies	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangeler

Llangeler 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Colonel W.P. Lewes	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llangendeirne

Llangendeirne 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Jenkins	159
	Liberal	John Jenkins	126
Majority			33
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangennech

Llangennech 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Thomas	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangunnor

Llangunnor 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	C.E. Morris*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanon

Llanon 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Morgan Jones	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llansawel

Llansawel 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir J.H.W. Drummond, Bart.*	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold

Llanstephan

Llanstephan 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Johns	177
	Liberal	D.W. Lewis	114
		William Williams	80
Majority			63
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanybyther

Llanybyther 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal		unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Mothvey

Mothvey 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal		unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Pembrey North

Pembrey North 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Evans	336
	Liberal Unionist	W.J. Buckley*	213
Majority			123
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing

Pembrey South

Pembrey South 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W.S. Marsh*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Quarter Bach

Quarter Bach 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dr Howell Rees*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Rhydcymmerai

Rhydcymmerai 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal		unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

St Clears

St Clears 1895

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dr R.L. Thomas	253
	Liberal	John Williams*	246
Majority			7
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

St Ishmael

St Ishmael 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Lloyd Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Trelech

Trelech 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Phillips*	Unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Whitland

Whitland 1898

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev William Thomas*	unopposed
	Liberal win (new seat)

Election of Aldermen

In addition to the 51 councillors the council consisted of 17 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the elections, the following aldermen were appointed by the newly elected council.^[2]

The following retiring aldermen were re-elected:

• J.S. Tregoning, Iscoed, Conservative (retiring alderman) 43
• John Lewis, Meirios Hall, Liberal (retiring alderman) 42
• D.L. Jones, Derlwyn, Liberal (retiring alderman) 42
• R.W. Stephens, Coedybrain, Liberal (retiring alderman) 41
• David Evans, Llangennech, Liberal (retiring alderman)38

In addition, the following four new aldermen were elected:

• Rev. William Davies, Llandilo, Liberal 38
• James Hill-Johnes, Dolaucothy, Conservative (defeated candidate at Caio) 35
• Rev. W. Thomas, Whitland, Liberal (elected member for Whitland) 38
• John Williams, Llanginning, Liberal 35 (defeated candidate at St Clears)

One retiring alderman was elected as councillor but not re-elected as alderman:

• Gwilym Evans, Liberal

Two aldermen were not re-elected

• J. Bagnall Evans, Liberal
• Robert Scourfield, Llansteffan, Liberal

References