This area had previously been represented as part of the
South East Lancashire multi-seat division. The
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the former constituency into eight new single-member seats, one of which was designated
South-East Lancashire, Heywood Division. The constituency comprised the
Municipal Borough of Heywood, the cotton town of
Ramsbottom, and a number of surrounding
townships, namely:
Ainsworth, Ashworth,
Pilkington, Tottington Higher End and the rural part of the parish of
Spotland. The constituency was mostly industrial but it included some agriculture. The town of Heywood was the most Liberal part of the constituency, having an engineering-based economy; Ramsbottom was more marginal politically. The countryside element of the constituency was Conservative inclined. Overall the division was Liberal 1885–1895, Liberal Unionist 1895–1904 and after a change of allegiance by the sitting MP was Liberal again from 1904 until the constituency was abolished in 1918. The constituency adjoined
Westhoughton to the west,
Rossendale to the north,
Middleton and
Rochdale to the east as well as
Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth,
Bury, and another part of the Middleton constituency to the south. The
Representation of the People Act 1918 abolished this constituency. The successor seat was
Heywood and Radcliffe. == Members of Parliament ==