Creation The constituency was created for the
1885 general election by the
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of eight new single-member divisions of the county of Durham, replacing the two 2-member seats of
North Durham and
South Durham. The seat covered a large area of north Durham, including areas which are now part of the
Borough of Gateshead (
Ryton,
Blaydon and
Whickham) and the
City of Sunderland (
Washington) in the metropolitan county of
Tyne and Wear.
Boundaries 1885–1918 • The Sessional Divisions of Chester-le-Street and Gateshead (part); and • The Municipal Borough of Gateshead
1918–1950 • The Urban District of Chester-le-Street; and • the Rural District of Chester-le-Street.
The constituency was divided in two, with the areas comprising the urban districts of Ryton, Blaydon and Whickham forming the bulk of the new constituency of Blaydon. Gained Witton Gilbert from the abolished constituency of Mid Durham. 1950–1983 • The Urban Districts of Chester-le-Street and Washington; and • the Rural District of Chester-le-Street. Minor changes to reflect changes in local authority boundaries; the urban district of Washington had been created in 1922 from the
rural district of Chester-le-Street.
Abolition The seat was abolished for the
1983 general election as a result of the periodic review of parliamentary constituencies following the re-organisation of local government under the
Local Government Act 1972. On abolition, the area which had comprised the new town of Washington was included in the new constituency of
Houghton and Washington; the parishes of
Birtley and
Lamesley were transferred to
Blaydon; and the remainder, comprising about half the electorate, becoming part of the re-established seat of
North Durham.
Political history Chester-le-Street and its successor constituency (
North Durham) have over 100 years of continuous Labour representation. == Members of Parliament ==