 During the constituency's existence it was the most south-westerly seat in Hampshire (although the county boundary between Dorset and Hampshire was redrawn in 1974 so the town was transferred to Dorset).Before 1918 the County Borough of Bournemouth formed part of the then parliamentary borough of Christchurch.Under the Representation of the People Act 1918 Bournemouth gained its own constituency, with the same boundaries as the then county borough.