1901 Cardiganshire County Council election

The fifth election for Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1901.^[1] They were preceded by the 1898 election and followed by the 1904 election

The Liberals once again won by a large majority but there were signs that elections were becoming less political, with candidates of similar political persuasions opposing each other and some candidates not openly declaring any political affiliation. Neither the Cambrian News or the Aberystwyth Observer indicated party affiliation although the Brython Cymreig did so in relation to the contested elections only.^[2] The Welsh Gazette commented that while the contests at Aberystwyth were on political lines, many of those in the rural areas were between candidates whose political views were often indistinguishable.^[3] In many ways this reflected the changes in the politics of the county, now represented at Westminster by the former Conservative, Matthew Vaughan Davies.

The vast majority of councillors were elected unopposed.^[4] Only ten of the 48 wards were contested at the election.

Eight aldermen retired, all of whom were Liberals. Of these only Morgan Evans in Llanarth and James Stephens in Cardigan South sought election.^[4] Neither was re-elected an alderman. Of those who stood down, J.H. Davies, Enoch Davies and Daniel Jones retired from county politics but C.M. Williams, T.H.R. Hughes and J.T. Morgan were later re-elected aldermen (the latter for the second time) without facing the electorate. This was the first occasion upon which those aldermen later re-elected had not faced the electorate.

Cardiganshire County Council 1901 : elected members

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal	38	3	3	0
	Conservative	6	0	3	-3
	Liberal Unionist	3	3	0	+3
	Ind. Conservative	1	0	0	0

Cardiganshire County Council 1901 : elected members and sitting aldermen

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal
	Conservative
	Liberal Unionist
	Independent

Cardiganshire County Council 1901 : following election of new aldermen and by-elections

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Liberal
	Conservative
	Liberal Unionist
	Independent

Aberaeron 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	E. Lima Jones	145
	Liberal	Rev Gwilym Evans	109
Majority			36
	Liberal hold		Swing

Aberbanc 1901

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

Aberporth 1901

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

Aberystwyth Division 1 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	R.J. Jones	182
	Liberal	Robert Doughton*	108
Majority			74
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 2 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D.C. Roberts*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 3 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert Ellis	172
	Conservative	T.E. Salmon	150
Majority			22
	Liberal hold		Swing

Aberystwyth Division 4 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	E.H. James	164
	Conservative	John Morgan	127
Majority			37
	Liberal hold		Swing

Aeron 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Thomas Jenkins	128
	Liberal	John Jones	117
Majority			11
	Unionist win (new seat)

Borth 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J.M. Williams	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Bow Street 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ind. Conservative	Henry Bonsall	unopposed
	Ind. Conservative hold		Swing

Cardigan North 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	O. Beynon Evans*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Cardigan South 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Stephens	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Jenkin Lewis was described as a Liberal candidate in one newspaper but this may not have been correct.^[2]

Cilcennin

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dr Jenkin Lewis	145
	Unionist	Jenkin Morgan Jones	78
Majority			67
	Liberal hold		Swing

Cwmrheidol 1901

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

Devil's Bridge 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev Gwmryn Jones*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanfihangel Ystrad 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dr Evan Evans
	Liberal hold		Swing

Goginan 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J.R. James*	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Lampeter Borough 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Charles Harford*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanarth 1901

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

Llanbadarn Fawr

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J.J. Bonsall	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanddewi Brefi 1901

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

Llandygwydd 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Col. J.R. Howell*	unopposed
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llandysul North 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Evans*	147
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llandysul South 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev T. Pennant Phillips	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llansysiliogogo 1901

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

Llanfair Clydogau 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	William Rees	134
	Liberal	J.J. Davies*	117
Majority			17
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

Llanfarian 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Vaughan Davies	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold

Llanfihangel y Creuddyn 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Morgans	151
	Conservative	David Morgans	69
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangoedmor 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D. Samuel Jones	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llangeitho 1901

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

Llangrannog 1901

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

Llanilar 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Benjamin Jones*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llanrhystyd 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Morgan	156
	Liberal	John Ellis	73
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanllwchaiarn 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Rev William Griffiths*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Llansantffraed 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Evan Morgan	137
	Liberal	L. Davies	53
Majority			18
	Conservative hold		Swing

Llanwnen 1901

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

Llanwenog 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Jones	unopposed
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Lledrod 1901

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

Nantcwnlle

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Daniel Jenkins	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

New Quay 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Evan James Davies	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Penbryn 1901

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

Strata Florida 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Evans	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Taliesin 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Williams	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Talybont 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Jones*	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Trefeurig

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	J. Hugh Edwards	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold

Tregaron 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	D.J. Williams	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Troedyraur 1901

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

Ysbyty Ystwyth

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

Once again a number of aldermen who had not faced the electorate were elected.^[5] C.M. Williams and J.T. Morgan were elected aldermen for a third term (although the latter had not faced the electorate since 1889) and T.H.R. Hughes and James James for a second term. James James had been elected, from outside the Council, to an aldermanic vacancy in 1895 and so had never faced an election. David Lloyd, previously an alderman from 1889 until 1892 was elected for a second term. The other four aldermen were new appointments, including one Conservative, Colonel J.R. Howell.

• C. M. Williams, Liberal (retiring alderman, from outside Council - did not seek election)
• T. H. R. Hughes, Liberal (retiring alderman, from outside Council - did not seek election)
• D.J. Wiliams, Liberal (elected councillor at Tregaron)
• Col. J.R. Howell, Conservative (elected councillor at Llandygwydd)
• Dr David Lloyd, Liberal (elected councillor at Aberbanc)
• Rev William Griffiths, Liberal (elected councillor at Llanllwchaiarn)
• James James, Liberal (retiring alderman, from outside Council - did not seek election)
• J.T. Morgan, Liberal (retiring alderman, from outside Council - did not seek election)

Three of the subsequent by-elections were contested.^[6]

Evan Davies, who had previously represented the ward from 1889 until 1895, was elected unopposed following David Lloyd's election as alderman.

Aberbanc by-election 1901

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

Llandygwydd by-election 1904

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Augustus Brigstocke	150
	Conservative	Capt. Webley Parry Pryse	149
Majority			1
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

Llanllwchaiarn by-election 1904

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Morgan	89
	Liberal	Joshua Lewis	75
Majority			14
	Liberal hold		Swing

Tregaron by-election 1901

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dr Evan Lloyd	210
	Conservative	R.S. Rowland	104
Majority			106
	Liberal hold		Swing