1946 Cardiganshire County Council election

The seventeenth election to Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1946. It was preceded by the 1937 election with the scheduled 1940 and 1943 being postponed due to the Second World War, and followed by the 1949 election.

27 candidates were returned unopposed, all but three of whom were retiring members. This resulted in 23 contests, the largest number since 1922. The contested wards included five of the six wards at Aberystwyth, where very few contests had taken place in the inter-war period. While the overwhelming majority of candidates stood as Independents, there were four Labour candidates.^[1]

Eight aldermen retired, of whom four sought election.

The new council was composed entirely of Independents, apart from a sole Labour councillor who won a seat at Aberystwyth. However, there were a number of long-serving councillors who lost their seats, including three at Aberystwyth.^[2]

At Felinfach, Simon Davies, a retiring alderman, defeated Gwladys Davies of Llanllyr who had represented the ward since 1928.

Aberaeron 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mary Nesta Poulgrain*	385
	Independent	Evan John Thomas	358
Majority			27
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberbanc 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Benjamin John Davies	536
	Independent	Ieuan John Luke*	465
Majority			61
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

Aberporth 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev Evan Melinfab Lewis*	620
	Independent	John N. Thomas	214
Majority			406
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 1 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John John	464
	Independent	Miss L. Winstanley	228
Majority			236
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 2 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Gwendoline Calan Evans	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 3 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mrs C.M. Lewis Evans*	386
	Independent	J. Barclay Jenkins+	117
Majority			269
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 4 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Richard Ellis	488
	Labour	Daniel Davies	344
	Independent	T.C. Jenkins*	72
Majority			144
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 5 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Emlyn Abraham-Williams*	399
	Independent	Gwendolen Eluned Jones	194
Majority			205
	Independent hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 6 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	J. Eric Edwards	241
	Independent	Llewellyn Samuel*	202
	Labour	E. Treharne	122
Majority			39
	Independent hold		Swing

Aeron 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	E. Glyn Davies*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Borth 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev J. Bowden Thomas	288
	Independent	Jesse Matthews	286
	Independent	Stanley Owen Williams	202
Majority			2
	Independent hold		Swing

Bow Street 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	D. Rees Morgan+	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Cardigan North 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Jenkins Richards	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Cardigan South 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	R.L. Phillips	407
	Independent	Arthur Thomas*	339
Majority			68
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

Cilcennin 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Evan Evans*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Cwmrheidol 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Morgan+	179
	Independent	Isaac Richard Howells	120
Majority			59
	Independent hold		Swing

Devil's Bridge 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev David Lewis Evans	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Felinfach 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Simon Davies+	339
	Independent	Dan Lloyd	262
	Independent	Gladys Mary Douglas*	131
Majority			77
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

Goginan 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Williams*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Lampeter Borough 1946

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

Llanarth 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev J.M. Lloyd Thomas*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanbadarn Fawr 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Emile Thomas Evans*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanddewi Brefi 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William Morgan Davies*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandygwydd 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David James*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandysul North 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Josiah Richard Jones*	308
	Independent	Griffith Davies	303
Majority			5
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandysul South 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Edward Lewis*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandysiliogogo 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rees Williams*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanfair Clydogau 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Joseph Gwyn Evans*	297
	Independent	D.O. Morgan	274
Majority			23
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanfarian 1946

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

Llanfihangel y Creuddyn 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Daniel Evans*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llangoedmor 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Evan Davies*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llangeitho 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Daniel Lodwick Herbert*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llangrannog 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Evan Richard Jones*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanilar 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Price Thomas	335
	Independent	D.C. Morgan	219
Majority			116
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanrhystyd 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	D. Alban Davies*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanllwchaiarn 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Owen Williams*	286
	Independent	J. Davies	103
Majority			183
	Independent hold		Swing

Llansantffraed 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Capt. David Morgan*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llanwnen 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William Grey Hughes	247
	Independent	John Evans*	151
Majority			97
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

Llanwenog 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Lloyd James*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Lledrod 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Owen James Owen*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Nantcwnlle 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Edwardes Rogers Lewis*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

New Quay 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Oswald Davies	318
	Independent	Jack Evans	287
Majority			31
	Independent hold		Swing

Penbryn 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	David Lloyd Thomas*
	Independent	Morgan Lloyd Jenkins
Majority
	Independent hold		Swing

Strata Florida 1946

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

Taliesin 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Mrs A.D.L. Evans*	226
	Independent	John Oliver	214
Majority			12
	Independent hold		Swing

Talybont 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev Fred Jones*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Trefeurig 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Richard Rowland Davies*	147
	Independent	William James	107
Majority			40
	Independent hold		Swing

Tregaron 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Rev David Thomas Jones	437
	Independent	D.J. Edwards*	278
Majority			159
	Independent gain from Independent		Swing

Troedyraur 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	B.J. Davies*	347
	Independent	T.L. Morris	335
Majority			12
	Independent hold		Swing

Ysbyty Ystwyth 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Evan Richard Edwards*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

In addition to the 50 councillors the council consisted of 16 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the 1946 election, there were eight aldermanic vacancies which were filled at the annual meeting.^[3] Those elected included only one retiring alderman and the first woman ever appointed in the county.

The following retiring aldermen was re-elected:

• D.R. Morgan, Bow Street

In addition, the following seven new aldermen were elected:

• Mrs C.M. Evans, Aberystwyth
• John Williams, Goginan
• Morgan Jones, Strat Florida
• Josiah R. Jones, Llandysul
• Rees Williams, Llwyndafydd
• Capt D. Morgan, Llannon
• David James, Llwyndyrus

The following retiring aldermen had been re-elected as members of the council but were not re-elected as aldermen:

• Simon Davies, Felinfach

Of the newly elected aldermen, Josiah Jones had previously served as alderman from 1922 until 1934.

Six contested by-elections were held following the election of aldermen.^[4]

Aberystwyth Division 3 by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Enoch James Morgan	306
	Labour	Daniel Davies	173
Majority			133
	Independent hold		Swing

Goginan by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Isaac Richard Lewis	309
	Independent	W.G. Davies	188
Majority			121
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandygwydd by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Edward Lloyd Davies	395
	Independent	David Jones	160
Majority			235
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandysiliogogo by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ben Thomas	300
	Independent	Evan Davies	212
Majority			88
	Independent hold		Swing

Llansantffraed by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	John Dewi Morgan	263
	Independent	John James Jones	235
Majority			28
	Independent hold		Swing

Strata Florida by-election 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Emrys S. Lloyd	299
	Independent	Joseph Morgan Hughes	208
Majority			91
	Independent hold		Swing