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Bury — UK General Election Results

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

Bury was won by Conservative at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 110 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Bury 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 Richard Walker (Whig) 306 66.7% Edmund Grundy (Radical) 153 (33.3 pts) 85.8%
1835 Richard Walker (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1837 Richard Walker (Whig) 251 57.8% James Paul Cobbett (Radical) 155 (35.7 pts) 68.1%
1841 Richard Walker (Whig) 325 53.0% Henry Hardman (Conservative) 37 (6.0 pts) 79.8%
1847 Richard Walker (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1852 Frederick Peel (Peelite) 472 53.5% Adam Haldane-Duncan (Whig) 62 (7.0 pts) 92.0%
1857 Robert Needham Philips (Radical) 565 51.6% Frederick Peel (Peelite) 35 (3.2 pts) 89.9%
1859 Frederick Peel (Liberal) 641 57.3% Thomas Barnes (Liberal) 163 (14.6 pts) 91.9%
1865 Robert Needham Philips (Liberal) 595 51.0% Frederick Peel (Liberal) 23 (2.0 pts) 86.3%
1868 Robert Needham Philips (Liberal) 2,830 55.6% George Henry Cadogan (Conservative) 566 (11.1 pts) 91.2%
1874 Robert Needham Philips (Liberal) 3,016 54.7% Oliver Ormerod Walker (Conservative) 516 (9.3 pts) 88.5%
1880 Robert Needham Philips (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1885 Henry James (Liberal) 3,976 51.2% John Grant Lawson (Conservative) 189 (2.4 pts) 94.5%
1886 Henry James (Liberal Unionist) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1892 Henry James (Liberal Unionist) 4,070 55.7% John Parks (Liberal) 829 (11.3 pts) 93.4%
1895 James Kenyon (Conservative) 3,890 54.8% John Frederick Cheetham (Liberal) 675 (9.5 pts) 89.0%
1900 James Kenyon (Conservative) 4,132 55.7% George Toulmin (Liberal) 849 (11.5 pts) 86.4%
1906 George Toulmin (Liberal) 4,626 56.9% Reginald Jaffray Lucas (Conservative) 1,127 (13.9 pts) 89.6%
Jan 1910 George Toulmin (Liberal) 4,866 53.3% Edwin Leach Hartley (Conservative) 608 (6.7 pts) 94.5%
Dec 1910 George Toulmin (Liberal) 4,509 51.5% Edwin Leach Hartley (Conservative) 255 (2.9 pts) 90.7%
1918 Charles Ainsworth (Unionist) 10,043 45.9% George Toulmin (Liberal) 3,181 (14.5 pts) 67.0%
1922 Charles Ainsworth (Unionist) 10,830 41.2% Harry Wright Wallace (Labour) 1,187 (4.5 pts) 81.3%
1923 Charles Ainsworth (Unionist) 10,680 40.3% Harry Wright Wallace (Labour) 1,112 (4.2 pts) 80.8%
1924 Charles Ainsworth (Unionist) 13,382 46.9% Harry Wright Wallace (Labour) 3,096 (10.9 pts) 86.5%
1929 Charles Ainsworth (Unionist) 14,845 42.2% James Bell (Labour) 1,670 (4.8 pts) 81.4%
1931 Charles Ainsworth (Conservative) 24,975 70.3% James Bell (Labour) 14,443 (40.7 pts) 81.6%
1935 Alan Ernest Leofric Chorlton (Conservative) 18,425 49.4% Edith Clara Summerskill (Labour) 5,580 (14.9 pts) 83.3%
1945 Walter Fletcher (Conservative) 14,012 39.9% Sydney Hand (Labour) 110 (0.3 pts) 78.3%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Walker Whig 30666.7% Yes
Edmund Grundy Radical 15333.3% No

1835

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Walker Whig Unopposed Yes

1837

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Walker Whig 25157.8% Yes
James Paul Cobbett Radical 9622.1% No
Robert Spankie Conservative 8720.0% No

1841

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Walker Whig 32553.0% Yes
Henry Hardman Conservative 28847.0% No

1847

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Walker Whig Unopposed Yes

1852

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick Peel Peelite 47253.5% Yes
Adam Haldane-Duncan Whig 41046.5% No

1857

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Needham Philips Radical 56551.6% Yes
Frederick Peel Peelite 53048.4% No

1859

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick Peel Liberal 64157.3% Yes
Thomas Barnes Liberal 47842.7% No

1865

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Needham Philips Liberal 59551.0% Yes
Frederick Peel Liberal 57249.0% No

1868

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Needham Philips Liberal 2,83055.6% Yes
George Henry Cadogan Conservative 2,26444.4% No

1874

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Needham Philips Liberal 3,01654.7% Yes
Oliver Ormerod Walker Conservative 2,50045.3% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Needham Philips Liberal Unopposed Yes

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry James Liberal 3,97651.2% Yes
John Grant Lawson Conservative 3,78748.8% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry James Liberal Unionist Unopposed Yes

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry James Liberal Unionist 4,07055.7% Yes
John Parks Liberal 3,24144.3% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Kenyon Conservative 3,89054.8% Yes
John Frederick Cheetham Liberal 3,21545.2% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Kenyon Conservative 4,13255.7% Yes
George Toulmin Liberal 3,28344.3% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Toulmin Liberal 4,62656.9% Yes
Reginald Jaffray Lucas Conservative 3,49943.1% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Toulmin Liberal 4,86653.3% Yes
Edwin Leach Hartley Conservative 4,25846.7% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Toulmin Liberal 4,50951.5% Yes
Edwin Leach Hartley Conservative 4,25448.5% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Unionist 10,04345.9% Yes
George Toulmin Liberal 6,86231.4% No
Harry Wright Wallace Labour 4,97322.7% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Unionist 10,83041.2% Yes
Harry Wright Wallace Labour 9,64336.7% No
William Alfred Lewins Liberal 5,79522.1% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Unionist 10,68040.3% Yes
Harry Wright Wallace Labour 9,56836.1% No
James Duckworth Liberal 6,25123.6% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Unionist 13,38246.9% Yes
Harry Wright Wallace Labour 10,28636.1% No
James Duckworth Liberal 4,84717.0% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Unionist 14,84542.2% Yes
James Bell Labour 13,17537.5% No
Clifford Stanley Ickringill Liberal 7,16020.4% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Ainsworth Conservative 24,97570.3% Yes
James Bell Labour 10,53229.7% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alan Ernest Leofric Chorlton Conservative 18,42549.4% Yes
Edith Clara Summerskill Labour 12,84534.4% No
Donald McIntosh Johnson Liberal 6,06516.2% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Fletcher Conservative 14,01239.9% Yes
Sydney Hand Labour 13,90239.6% No
Arthur Walter James Liberal 7,21120.5% No

Margin Over Time

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

1832: Whig margin 33.3 pts 1837: Whig margin 35.7 pts 1841: Whig margin 6.0 pts 1852: Peelite margin 7.0 pts 1857: Radical margin 3.2 pts 1859: Liberal margin 14.6 pts 1865: Liberal margin 2.0 pts 1868: Liberal margin 11.1 pts 1874: Liberal margin 9.3 pts 1885: Liberal margin 2.4 pts 1892: Liberal Unionist margin 11.3 pts 1895: Conservative margin 9.5 pts 1900: Conservative margin 11.5 pts 1906: Liberal margin 13.9 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 6.7 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 2.9 pts 1918: Unionist margin 14.5 pts 1922: Unionist margin 4.5 pts 1923: Unionist margin 4.2 pts 1924: Unionist margin 10.9 pts 1929: Unionist margin 4.8 pts 1931: Conservative margin 40.7 pts 1935: Conservative margin 14.9 pts 1945: Conservative margin 0.3 pts 1832 1837 1841 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1885 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945

Trend

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Bury in the 1945 general election?

Conservative won Bury in 1945 with 14,012 votes (39.9%), a majority of 110 votes over Labour in second place.

Which parties have won Bury since 1832?

Since 1832, Bury has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Peelite, Radical, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Bury?

The closest result on record for Bury was 1945, when Conservative beat Labour by just 110 votes (0.3 percentage points).

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

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Bury 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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