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Barnstaple — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Barnstaple was won by Conservative at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 4,070 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in Barnstaple from 1832 to 1945.

This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.

Full Election History, 1832–1945

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 John Palmer Bruce Chichester (Whig); Charles St. John Fancourt (Conservative) 349 42.5% (top seat) Thomas Northmore (Radical) 124 (10.2 pts) 84.9%
1835 John Palmer Bruce Chichester (Whig); Charles St. John Fancourt (Conservative) 528 44.9% (top seat) James Stewart (Whig) 394 (32.6 pts) 76.4%
1837 John Palmer Bruce Chichester (Whig); Frederick Hodgson (Conservative) 356 35.5% (top seat) William Samuel Best (Conservative) 8 (0.7 pts) 68.7%
1841 Frederick Hodgson (Conservative); Montague Gore (Conservative) 349 25.8% (top seat) John William Fortescue (Whig) 3 (0.2 pts) 90.7%
1847 Richard Bremridge (Conservative); John William Fortescue (Whig) 396 38.2% (top seat) Frederick Hodgson (Conservative) 40 (3.3 pts) 77.8%
1852 William Augustus Fraser (Conservative); Richard Bremridge (Conservative) 393 35.9% (top seat) Hugh Fortescue (Whig) 61 (5.4 pts) 73.3%
1857 William Augustus Fraser (Conservative); John Laurie (Conservative) 252 34.7% (top seat) James Taylor (Radical) 72 (7.3 pts) 66.8%
1859 John Davie Ferguson-Davie (Liberal); George Potts (Liberal) 266 34.0% (top seat) George Stucley Stucley (Conservative) 56 (5.5 pts) 73.8%
1865 George Stucley Stucley (Conservative); Thomas Cave (Liberal) 331 28.9% (top seat) Howell Gwyn (Conservative) 29 (2.3 pts) 88.0%
1868 Thomas Cave (Liberal); Charles Henry Williams (Conservative) 788 35.2% (top seat) William Herbert Evans (Liberal) 121 (5.4 pts) 70.4%
1874 Thomas Cave (Liberal); Samuel Danks Waddy (Liberal) 675 28.7% (top seat) John Fleming (Conservative) 53 (2.0 pts) 82.8%
1880 Robert Walter Carden (Conservative); Newton Wallop (Liberal) 811 35.9% (top seat) Henry Riversdale Grenfell (Liberal) 91 (3.8 pts) 72.5%
1885 George Pitt-Lewis (Liberal) 4,577 55.1% Arthur Kekewich (Conservative) 843 (10.1 pts) 81.6%
1886 George Pitt-Lewis (Liberal Unionist) 4,222 58.8% Isaac Saunders Leadam (Liberal) 1,262 (17.6 pts) 70.5%
1892 Alfred Billson (Liberal) 4,383 50.9% W Leedham White (Liberal Unionist) 147 (1.7 pts) 82.5%
1895 William Cameron Gull (Liberal Unionist) 4,825 51.2% Alfred Billson (Liberal) 232 (2.5 pts) 86.5%
1900 Ernest Joseph Soares (Liberal) 5,007 51.8% William Cameron Gull (Liberal Unionist) 347 (3.6 pts) 81.1%
1906 Ernest Joseph Soares (Liberal) 6,510 59.3% William Edgar Horne (Conservative) 2,045 (18.6 pts) 85.0%
Dec 1910 Ernest Joseph Soares (Liberal) 6,047 54.0% Charles Sandbach Parker (Liberal Unionist) 892 (8.0 pts) 85.3%
Jan 1910 Ernest Joseph Soares (Liberal) 6,236 53.8% George Borwick (Liberal Unionist) 882 (7.6 pts) 88.3%
1918 John Thomas Tudor Rees (Liberal) 11,281 51.4% Charles Sandbach Parker (Unionist) 602 (2.7 pts) 69.1%
1922 Basil Edward Peto (Unionist) 13,793 50.3% John Thomas Tudor Rees (Liberal) 174 (0.6 pts) 83.1%
1923 John Thomas Tudor Rees (Liberal) 14,880 50.1% Basil Edward Peto (Unionist) 1,266 (4.3 pts) 87.6%
1924 Basil Edward Peto (Unionist) 15,479 52.0% John Thomas Tudor Rees (Liberal) 1,195 (4.0 pts) 85.9%
1929 Basil Edward Peto (Unionist) 17,382 45.9% David Marshall Mason (Liberal) 789 (2.1 pts) 86.8%
1931 Basil Edward Peto (Conservative) 20,028 52.2% Richard Thomas Dyke Acland (Liberal) 1,710 (4.5 pts) 86.3%
1935 Richard Thomas Dyke Acland (Liberal) 19,432 50.6% Benjamin Garnet Lampard-Vachell (Conservative) 454 (1.2 pts) 83.8%
1945 Christopher Henry Maxwell Peto (Conservative) 17,822 42.6% Mark Raymond Bonham Carter (Liberal) 4,070 (9.7 pts) 75.8%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Palmer Bruce Chichester Whig 51942.5% Yes
Charles St. John Fancourt Conservative 34928.6% Yes
Thomas Northmore Radical 22518.4% No
George Hervey Whig 12910.6% No

1835 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Palmer Bruce Chichester Whig 54244.9% Yes
Charles St. John Fancourt Conservative 52843.7% Yes
James Stewart Whig 13411.1% No
J Woolley Conservative 30.2% No

1837 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Palmer Bruce Chichester Whig 38735.5% Yes
Frederick Hodgson Conservative 35632.6% Yes
William Samuel Best Conservative 34831.9% No

1841 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick Hodgson Conservative 36025.8% Yes
Montague Gore Conservative 34925.0% Yes
John William Fortescue Whig 34624.7% No
John Palmer Bruce Chichester Whig 34324.5% No

1847 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Bremridge Conservative 46438.2% Yes
John William Fortescue Whig 39632.6% Yes
Frederick Hodgson Conservative 35629.3% No

1852 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Augustus Fraser Conservative 40635.9% Yes
Richard Bremridge Conservative 39334.7% Yes
Hugh Fortescue Whig 33229.4% No

1857 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Augustus Fraser Conservative 34434.7% Yes
John Laurie Conservative 25225.4% Yes
James Taylor Radical 18018.2% No
George Potts Peelite 17918.1% No
Henry Thoby Prinsep Conservative 363.6% No

1859 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Davie Ferguson-Davie Liberal 34834.0% Yes
George Potts Liberal 26626.0% Yes
George Stucley Stucley Conservative 21020.5% No
William Fraser Conservative 19919.5% No

1865 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Stucley Stucley Conservative 36428.9% Yes
Thomas Cave Liberal 33126.3% Yes
Howell Gwyn Conservative 30224.0% No
Henry Hawkins Liberal 26220.8% No

1868 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Cave Liberal 79135.2% Yes
Charles Henry Williams Conservative 78835.1% Yes
William Herbert Evans Liberal 66729.7% No

1874 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Cave Liberal 75728.7% Yes
Samuel Danks Waddy Liberal 67525.6% Yes
John Fleming Conservative 62223.6% No
John Holt Conservative 58022.0% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Walter Carden Conservative 85635.9% Yes
Newton Wallop Liberal 81134.0% Yes
Henry Riversdale Grenfell Liberal 72030.2% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Pitt-Lewis Liberal 4,57755.1% Yes
Arthur Kekewich Conservative 3,73444.9% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Pitt-Lewis Liberal Unionist 4,22258.8% Yes
Isaac Saunders Leadam Liberal 2,96041.2% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Billson Liberal 4,38350.9% Yes
W Leedham White Liberal Unionist 4,23649.1% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Cameron Gull Liberal Unionist 4,82551.2% Yes
Alfred Billson Liberal 4,59348.8% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Joseph Soares Liberal 5,00751.8% Yes
William Cameron Gull Liberal Unionist 4,66048.2% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Joseph Soares Liberal 6,51059.3% Yes
William Edgar Horne Conservative 4,46540.7% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Joseph Soares Liberal 6,04754.0% Yes
Charles Sandbach Parker Liberal Unionist 5,15546.0% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Joseph Soares Liberal 6,23653.8% Yes
George Borwick Liberal Unionist 5,35446.2% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Thomas Tudor Rees Liberal 11,28151.4% Yes
Charles Sandbach Parker Unionist 10,67948.6% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Basil Edward Peto Unionist 13,79350.3% Yes
John Thomas Tudor Rees Liberal 13,61949.7% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Thomas Tudor Rees Liberal 14,88050.1% Yes
Basil Edward Peto Unionist 13,61445.8% No
Richard Gifford Labour 1,2254.1% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Basil Edward Peto Unionist 15,47952.0% Yes
John Thomas Tudor Rees Liberal 14,28448.0% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Basil Edward Peto Unionist 17,38245.9% Yes
David Marshall Mason Liberal 16,59343.9% No
David Evan Mullins Labour 3,86410.2% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Basil Edward Peto Conservative 20,02852.2% Yes
Richard Thomas Dyke Acland Liberal 18,31847.8% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Thomas Dyke Acland Liberal 19,43250.6% Yes
Benjamin Garnet Lampard-Vachell Conservative 18,97849.4% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Christopher Henry Maxwell Peto Conservative 17,82242.6% Yes
Mark Raymond Bonham Carter Liberal 13,75232.9% No
Ivor Arthur Williams Labour 10,23724.5% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1832: Whig margin 10.2 pts 1835: Whig margin 32.6 pts 1837: Whig margin 0.7 pts 1841: Conservative margin 0.2 pts 1847: Conservative margin 3.3 pts 1852: Conservative margin 5.4 pts 1857: Conservative margin 7.3 pts 1859: Liberal margin 5.5 pts 1865: Conservative margin 2.3 pts 1868: Liberal margin 5.4 pts 1874: Liberal margin 2.0 pts 1880: Conservative margin 3.8 pts 1885: Liberal margin 10.1 pts 1886: Liberal Unionist margin 17.6 pts 1892: Liberal margin 1.7 pts 1895: Liberal Unionist margin 2.5 pts 1900: Liberal margin 3.6 pts 1906: Liberal margin 18.6 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 8.0 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 7.6 pts 1918: Liberal margin 2.7 pts 1922: Unionist margin 0.6 pts 1923: Liberal margin 4.3 pts 1924: Unionist margin 4.0 pts 1929: Unionist margin 2.1 pts 1931: Conservative margin 4.5 pts 1935: Liberal margin 1.2 pts 1945: Conservative margin 9.7 pts 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Dec 1910 Jan 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945

Trend

Barnstaple has been contested at 28 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Unionist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Barnstaple in the 1945 general election?

Conservative won Barnstaple in 1945 with 17,822 votes (42.6%), a majority of 4,070 votes over Liberal in second place.

Which parties have won Barnstaple since 1832?

Since 1832, Barnstaple has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Barnstaple?

The closest result on record for Barnstaple was 1841, when Conservative beat Whig by just 3 votes (0.2 percentage points).

Did Barnstaple ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Barnstaple elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.

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