 The constituency was created for the 1885 general election.Before this, since 1832 a parliamentary borough of Stoke-upon-Trent had existed, covering almost the whole of what is now the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation and electing 2 MPs.In 1885 this was split into two constituencies electing a single member each, Stoke-upon-Trent in the south and Hanley in the north.