Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)

During the early part of the period James Rowlands, a working man and secularist, was the Liberal Party's standard bearer in the seat.

He lost to Conservative businessman James Bigwood in 1885 by 20 votes (when the Liberals secured a national majority of seats).

Pelling suggests that a section of the local Liberals may have abstained in the first election, owing to the candidate's views and background, but were motivated to vote in 1886 by the importance of the Home Rule issue.

Henry Richards QC is described in the Who's Who of British Members of Parliament as "A Democratic Tory" in favour of "social reforms, the union of Church and State, denominational schools, old age pensions, redistribution of seats and better housing of the working classes".

Allen Baker, a Quaker by religion and an engineer by profession, was the Liberal candidate who lost in 1900 but secured a majority of 768 in the 1905 by-election.

Baker's Who's Who of British Members of Parliament article suggests he was "largely interested in Temperance and Religious Work", although he is also described as an "advanced Liberal".

The constituency was created, in 1885, as a division of the parliamentary borough of Finsbury, in the historic county of Middlesex to the north of the City of London.

The local government changes did not affect the parliamentary boundaries until the redistribution of 1918, when the East division ceased to be a separate constituency.