Editing Henry Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare (section)

==1868 general election==
At the 1868 general election, Merthyr Tydfil became a two-member constituency with a much-increased electorate as a result of the [[Reform Act 1867]]. Since the formation of the constituency, Merthyr Tydfil had dominated representation as the vast majority of the electorate lived in the town and its vicinity, whereas there was a much lower number of electors in the neighbouring Aberdare Valley.{{sfn|Jones|1965|p=251}} During the 1850s and 1860s, however, the population of Aberdare grew rapidly, and the franchise changes in 1867 gave the vote to large numbers of miners in that valley. Amongst these new electors, Bruce remained unpopular as a result of his actions during the 1857–58 dispute. Initially, it appeared that the Aberdare iron master, [[Richard Fothergill (politician)|Richard Fothergill]], would be elected to the second seat alongside Bruce. However, the appearance of a third Liberal candidate, [[Henry Richard]], a nonconformist radical popular in both Merthyr and Aberdare, left Bruce on the defensive and he was ultimately defeated, finishing in third place behind both Richard and Fothergill.