Derby — UK General Election Results
Derby elected 2 MPs at the 1945 general election: Philip John Noel-Baker (Labour) and Clifford Arthur Bowman Wilcock (Labour). This page covers every general election in Derby 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 | Edward Strutt (Whig); Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish (Whig) | 716 | 43.5% (top seat) | Charles Henry Colvile (Conservative) | 286 (14.1 pts) | 73.3% |
| 1835 | Edward Strutt (Whig); John George Brabazon Ponsonby (Whig) | 724 | 42.0% (top seat) | Francis Curzon (Conservative) | 199 (9.2 pts) | 72.8% |
| 1837 | Edward Strutt (Whig); John George Brabazon Ponsonby (Whig) | 791 | 32.1% (top seat) | Francis Curzon (Conservative) | 266 (10.2 pts) | 74.5% |
| 1841 | Edward Strutt (Whig); John George Brabazon Ponsonby (Whig) | 784 | 39.0% (top seat) | Edward Sacheverell Chandos Pole (Conservative) | 197 (8.8 pts) | 58.9% |
| 1847 | Edward Strutt (Whig); Edward Frederick Leveson-Gower (Whig) | 852 | 31.8% (top seat) | Henry Raikes (Conservative) | 32 (1.2 pts) | 63.6% |
| 1852 | Michael Thomas Bass (Radical); Thomas Berry Horsfall (Conservative) | 1,025 | 38.0% (top seat) | Larence Heyworth (Radical) | 7 (0.2 pts) | 67.3% |
| 1857 | Michael Thomas Bass (Radical); Samuel Beale (Radical) | 846 | 40.9% (top seat) | William Forbes Mackenzie (Conservative) | 416 (19.3 pts) | 43.6% |
| 1859 | Michael Thomas Bass (Liberal); Samuel Beale (Liberal) | 902 | 35.5% (top seat) | William Melborne James (Liberal) | 166 (4.7 pts) | 70.6% |
| 1865 | William Thomas Cox (Conservative); Michael Thomas Bass (Liberal) | 1,063 | 31.7% (top seat) | Samuel Plimsoll (Liberal) | 372 (10.8 pts) | 70.6% |
| 1868 | Michael Thomas Bass (Liberal); Samuel Plimsoll (Liberal) | 4,677 | 41.1% (top seat) | William Thomas Cox (Conservative) | 2,185 (18.0 pts) | 62.2% |
| 1874 | Michael Thomas Bass (Liberal); Samuel Plimsoll (Liberal) | 4,938 | 39.4% (top seat) | William Thomas Cox (Conservative) | 1,296 (9.2 pts) | 62.6% |
| 1880 | Michael Thomas Ba (Liberal); Samuel Plimsoll (Liberal) | 7,758 | 45.8% (top seat) | Thomas Collins (Conservative) | 5,028 (26.0 pts) | 74.4% |
| 1885 | Thomas Roe (Liberal); William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) | 7,630 | 36.1% (top seat) | William Brown Hextall (Conservative) | 2,687 (12.4 pts) | 86.2% |
| 1886 | Thomas Roe (Liberal); William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) | 6,431 | 37.9% (top seat) | Thomas William Evans (Liberal Unionist) | 2,085 (12.0 pts) | 72.1% |
| 1892 | William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (Liberal); Thomas Roe (Liberal) | 7,389 | 29.1% (top seat) | William Brown Hextrall (Conservative) | 1,843 (7.1 pts) | 83.6% |
| 1895 | Henry Howe Bemrose (Conservative); Geoffrey Drage (Conservative) | 7,076 | 28.0% (top seat) | William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) | 291 (1.0 pts) | 82.8% |
| 1900 | Thomas Roe (Liberal); Richard Bell (Labour) | 7,640 | 26.6% (top seat) | Henry Howe Bemrose (Conservative) | 243 (0.8 pts) | 84.5% |
| 1906 | Richard Bell (Liberal-Labour); Thomas Roe (Liberal) | 10,239 | 31.0% (top seat) | James Henry Edward Holford (Conservative) | 3,818 (11.4 pts) | 87.6% |
| Jan 1910 | Thomas Roe (Liberal); James Henry Thomas (Labour) | 10,189 | 28.3% (top seat) | Arthur Edward Beck (Conservative) | 2,151 (5.9 pts) | 92.5% |
| Dec 1910 | Thomas Roe (Liberal); James Henry Thomas (Labour) | 9,144 | 35.5% (top seat) | Arthur Edward Beck (Conservative) | 984 (3.7 pts) | 88.0% |
| 1918 | James Henry Thomas (Labour); Albert Green (Unionist) | 14,920 | 37.8% (top seat) | William Blews Rowbotham (Liberal) | 1,512 (2.3 pts) | 54.0% |
| 1922 | James Henry Thomas (Labour); Charles Henry Roberts (Liberal) | 24,068 | 27.1% (top seat) | Albert Green (Unionist) | 1,828 (2.0 pts) | 74.9% |
| 1923 | James Henry Thomas (Labour); William Robert Raynes (Labour) | 20,318 | 29.0% (top seat) | Henry Fitz-Herbert Wright (Unionist) | 248 (0.3 pts) | 67.4% |
| 1924 | James Henry Thomas (Labour); Richard Harman Luce (Unionist) | 25,425 | 25.7% (top seat) | William Robert Raynes (Labour) | 253 (0.2 pts) | 81.5% |
| 1929 | James Henry Thomas (Labour); William Robert Raynes (Labour) | 36,237 | 30.0% (top seat) | Richard Harman Luce (Unionist) | 11,684 (8.8 pts) | 77.6% |
| 1931 | James Henry Thomas (National Labour); William Allan Reid (Conservative) | 47,729 | 35.4% (top seat) | William Robert Raynes (Labour) | 25,888 (18.6 pts) | 81.3% |
| 1935 | William Allan Reid (Conservative); James Henry Thomas (National Labour) | 37,566 | 30.2% (top seat) | Herbert Arthur Hind (Labour) | 12,529 (10.0 pts) | 75.6% |
| 1945 | Philip John Noel-Baker (Labour); Clifford Arthur Bowman Wilcock (Labour) | 40,800 | 33.6% (top seat) | Francis Lochrane (Conservative) | 19,340 (15.4 pts) | 76.3% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Strutt | Whig | 884 | 43.5% | Yes |
| Henry Frederick Compton Cavendish | Whig | 716 | 35.3% | Yes |
| Charles Henry Colvile | Conservative | 430 | 21.2% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Strutt | Whig | 903 | 42.0% | Yes |
| John George Brabazon Ponsonby | Whig | 724 | 33.6% | Yes |
| Francis Curzon | Conservative | 525 | 24.4% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Strutt | Whig | 836 | 32.1% | Yes |
| John George Brabazon Ponsonby | Whig | 791 | 30.3% | Yes |
| Francis Curzon | Conservative | 525 | 20.1% | No |
| Charles Robert Colvile | Conservative | 456 | 17.5% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Strutt | Whig | 875 | 39.0% | Yes |
| John George Brabazon Ponsonby | Whig | 784 | 34.9% | Yes |
| Edward Sacheverell Chandos Pole | Conservative | 587 | 26.1% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Strutt | Whig | 881 | 31.8% | Yes |
| Edward Frederick Leveson-Gower | Whig | 852 | 30.8% | Yes |
| Henry Raikes | Conservative | 820 | 29.6% | No |
| Philip McGrath | Chartist | 216 | 7.8% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Bass | Radical | 1,252 | 38.0% | Yes |
| Thomas Berry Horsfall | Conservative | 1,025 | 31.1% | Yes |
| Larence Heyworth | Radical | 1,018 | 30.9% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Bass | Radical | 884 | 40.9% | Yes |
| Samuel Beale | Radical | 846 | 39.2% | Yes |
| William Forbes Mackenzie | Conservative | 430 | 19.9% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Bass | Liberal | 1,260 | 35.5% | Yes |
| Samuel Beale | Liberal | 902 | 25.4% | Yes |
| William Melborne James | Liberal | 736 | 20.8% | No |
| Henry Cecil Raikes | Conservative | 648 | 18.3% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Thomas Cox | Conservative | 1,096 | 31.7% | Yes |
| Michael Thomas Bass | Liberal | 1,063 | 30.7% | Yes |
| Samuel Plimsoll | Liberal | 691 | 20.0% | No |
| Samuel Beale | Liberal | 608 | 17.6% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Bass | Liberal | 4,995 | 41.1% | Yes |
| Samuel Plimsoll | Liberal | 4,677 | 38.4% | Yes |
| William Thomas Cox | Conservative | 2,492 | 20.5% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Bass | Liberal | 5,579 | 39.4% | Yes |
| Samuel Plimsoll | Liberal | 4,938 | 34.9% | Yes |
| William Thomas Cox | Conservative | 3,642 | 25.7% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Thomas Ba | Liberal | 8,864 | 45.8% | Yes |
| Samuel Plimsoll | Liberal | 7,758 | 40.1% | Yes |
| Thomas Collins | Conservative | 2,730 | 14.1% | No |
1885 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 7,813 | 36.1% | Yes |
| William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt | Liberal | 7,630 | 35.3% | Yes |
| William Brown Hextall | Conservative | 4,943 | 22.8% | No |
| Alfred Stace Dyer | Independent Liberal | 1,251 | 5.8% | No |
1886 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 6,571 | 37.9% | Yes |
| William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt | Liberal | 6,431 | 37.1% | Yes |
| Thomas William Evans | Liberal Unionist | 4,346 | 25.1% | No |
1892 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt | Liberal | 7,507 | 29.1% | Yes |
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 7,389 | 28.6% | Yes |
| William Brown Hextrall | Conservative | 5,546 | 21.5% | No |
| Alfred Seale Haslam | Liberal Unionist | 5,363 | 20.8% | No |
1895 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Howe Bemrose | Conservative | 7,907 | 28.0% | Yes |
| Geoffrey Drage | Conservative | 7,076 | 25.1% | Yes |
| William George Granville Venables Vernon Harcourt | Liberal | 6,785 | 24.0% | No |
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 6,475 | 22.9% | No |
1900 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 7,922 | 26.6% | Yes |
| Richard Bell | Labour | 7,640 | 25.7% | Yes |
| Henry Howe Bemrose | Conservative | 7,397 | 24.9% | No |
| Geoffrey Drage | Conservative | 6,775 | 22.8% | No |
1906 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Bell | Liberal-Labour | 10,361 | 31.0% | Yes |
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 10,239 | 30.6% | Yes |
| James Henry Edward Holford | Conservative | 6,421 | 19.2% | No |
| Edward George Spencer-Churchill | Conservative | 6,409 | 19.2% | No |
Jan 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 10,343 | 28.3% | Yes |
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 10,189 | 27.9% | Yes |
| Arthur Edward Beck | Conservative | 8,038 | 22.0% | No |
| Arthur Page | Conservative | 7,953 | 21.8% | No |
Dec 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Roe | Liberal | 9,515 | 35.5% | Yes |
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 9,144 | 34.1% | Yes |
| Arthur Edward Beck | Conservative | 8,160 | 30.4% | No |
1918 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 25,145 | 37.8% | Yes |
| Albert Green | Unionist | 14,920 | 22.4% | Yes |
| William Blews Rowbotham | Liberal | 13,408 | 20.2% | No |
| Harold Machin Smith | National Democratic and Labour | 13,012 | 19.6% | No |
1922 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 25,215 | 27.1% | Yes |
| Charles Henry Roberts | Liberal | 24,068 | 25.8% | Yes |
| Albert Green | Unionist | 22,240 | 23.9% | No |
| William Robert Raynes | Labour | 21,677 | 23.3% | No |
1923 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 24,887 | 29.0% | Yes |
| William Robert Raynes | Labour | 20,318 | 23.7% | Yes |
| Henry Fitz-Herbert Wright | Unionist | 20,070 | 23.4% | No |
| Charles Henry Roberts | Liberal | 10,669 | 12.4% | No |
| Thomas Clifford Newbold | Independent Unionist | 9,772 | 11.4% | No |
1924 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 27,423 | 25.7% | Yes |
| Richard Harman Luce | Unionist | 25,425 | 23.8% | Yes |
| William Robert Raynes | Labour | 25,172 | 23.6% | No |
| Hilda Hulse | Unionist | 21,700 | 20.3% | No |
| James Henderson-Stewart | Liberal | 7,083 | 6.6% | No |
1929 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | Labour | 39,688 | 30.0% | Yes |
| William Robert Raynes | Labour | 36,237 | 27.4% | Yes |
| Richard Harman Luce | Unionist | 24,553 | 18.6% | No |
| John Arthur Aiton | Unionist | 20,443 | 15.5% | No |
| Lawrence du Garde Peach | Liberal | 11,317 | 8.6% | No |
1931 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Henry Thomas | National Labour | 49,257 | 35.4% | Yes |
| William Allan Reid | Conservative | 47,729 | 34.3% | Yes |
| William Robert Raynes | Labour | 21,841 | 15.7% | No |
| Walter Halls | Labour | 20,241 | 14.6% | No |
1935 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Allan Reid | Conservative | 37,707 | 30.2% | Yes |
| James Henry Thomas | National Labour | 37,566 | 30.1% | Yes |
| Herbert Arthur Hind | Labour | 25,037 | 20.0% | No |
| Leonard John Barnes | Labour | 24,594 | 19.7% | No |
1945 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip John Noel-Baker | Labour | 42,196 | 33.6% | Yes |
| Clifford Arthur Bowman Wilcock | Labour | 40,800 | 32.5% | Yes |
| Francis Lochrane | Conservative | 21,460 | 17.1% | No |
| John Maxwell Bemrose | Conservative | 21,125 | 16.8% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Derby has been contested at 28 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Radical, Conservative, Liberal, Labour, Liberal-Labour, Unionist, National Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Derby in the 1945 general election?
Philip John Noel-Baker (Labour), Clifford Arthur Bowman Wilcock (Labour) won Derby in 1945.
Which parties have won Derby since 1832?
Since 1832, Derby has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal-Labour, National Labour, Radical, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Derby?
The closest result on record for Derby was 1852, when Radical beat Radical by just 7 votes (0.2 percentage points).
Did Derby ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Derby 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.