EveryElectionResult.com

Election results, country by country.

Doncaster — UK General Election Results

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

Doncaster was won by Labour at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 2,976 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Doncaster from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 Walter Shirley Shirley (Liberal) 5,680 54.7% Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy (Conservative) 980 (9.4 pts) 78.9%
1886 Walter Shirley Shirley (Liberal) 5,060 51.4% William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal Unionist) 268 (2.7 pts) 74.9%
1892 Charles James Fleming (Liberal) 5,831 51.2% William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal Unionist) 279 (2.5 pts) 78.4%
1895 Frederick William Fison (Conservative) 6,098 50.6% Joseph Walton (Liberal) 141 (1.2 pts) 84.6%
1900 Frederick William Fison (Conservative) 6,512 51.4% Arthur William Black (Liberal) 365 (2.9 pts) 77.8%
1906 Charles Norris Nicholson (Liberal) 9,315 62.3% Frederick William Fison (Conservative) 3,669 (24.5 pts) 80.1%
Jan 1910 Charles Norris Nicholson (Liberal) 10,654 60.1% Charles Warwick Whitworth (Conservative) 3,569 (20.1 pts) 82.5%
Dec 1910 Charles Norris Nicholson (Liberal) 9,240 58.0% Charles Warwick Whitworth (Conservative) 2,544 (16.0 pts) 74.1%
1918 Reginald Nicholson (Liberal) 15,431 75.0% Robert Morley (Labour) 10,278 (49.9 pts) 58.6%
1922 Wilfred Paling (Labour) 13,437 46.5% Robert Calverley Allington Bewicke-Copley (Unionist) 5,158 (17.9 pts) 77.4%
1923 Wilfred Paling (Labour) 16,198 60.6% William St Andrew Warde-Aldam (Unionist) 5,684 (21.3 pts) 68.4%
1924 Wilfred Paling (Labour) 16,496 52.7% Arthur Silvester Matthews (Unionist) 1,696 (5.4 pts) 77.0%
1929 Wilfred Paling (Labour) 25,245 56.0% Ernest Albert Phillips (Unionist) 14,229 (31.6 pts) 77.5%
1931 Arthur Hugh Elsdale Molson (Conservative) 27,704 55.3% Wilfred Paling (Labour) 5,341 (10.7 pts) 81.5%
1935 Alfred Short (Labour) 29,963 57.6% Arthur Hugh Elsdale Molson (Conservative) 7,952 (15.3 pts) 77.7%
1945 Evelyn Walkden (Labour) 40,050 70.2% Henry Archibald Taylor (Conservative) 23,051 (40.4 pts) 74.5%
1950 Raymond Jones Gunter (Labour) 24,449 50.9% Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber (Conservative) 878 (1.8 pts) 85.6%
1951 Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber (Conservative) 25,005 50.4% Raymond Jones Gunter (Labour) 384 (0.8 pts) 86.2%
1955 Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber (Conservative) 24,598 51.7% Raymond Jones Gunter (Labour) 1,660 (3.5 pts) 81.8%
1959 Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber (Conservative) 26,521 53.6% William Edward Garrett (Labour) 3,586 (7.2 pts) 84.5%
1964 Harold Walker (Labour) 23,845 49.9% Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber (Conservative) 1,113 (2.3 pts) 82.7%
1966 Harold Walker (Labour) 25,777 56.7% Joseph Meredith Whittaker (Conservative) 6,088 (13.4 pts) 81.2%
1970 Harold Walker (Labour) 22,658 50.6% Peter Davies (Conservative) 3,227 (7.2 pts) 74.9%
Feb 1974 Harold Walker (Labour) 23,041 47.8% Kenneth Ian Tunnicliffe (Conservative) 5,476 (11.4 pts) 81.6%
Oct 1974 Harold Walker (Labour) 22,177 51.3% Trevor Sharp Wilkinson (Conservative) 7,430 (17.2 pts) 72.8%
1979 Harold Walker (Labour) 22,184 48.9% Paul Michael Beard (Conservative) 2,976 (6.6 pts) 75.0%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Shirley Shirley Liberal 5,68054.7% Yes
Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy Conservative 4,70045.3% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Shirley Shirley Liberal 5,06051.4% Yes
William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam Liberal Unionist 4,79248.6% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles James Fleming Liberal 5,83151.2% Yes
William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam Liberal Unionist 5,55248.8% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Fison Conservative 6,09850.6% Yes
Joseph Walton Liberal 5,95749.4% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick William Fison Conservative 6,51251.4% Yes
Arthur William Black Liberal 6,14748.6% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Norris Nicholson Liberal 9,31562.3% Yes
Frederick William Fison Conservative 5,64637.7% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Norris Nicholson Liberal 10,65460.1% Yes
Charles Warwick Whitworth Conservative 7,08539.9% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Norris Nicholson Liberal 9,24058.0% Yes
Charles Warwick Whitworth Conservative 6,69642.0% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Reginald Nicholson Liberal 15,43175.0% Yes
Robert Morley Labour 5,15325.0% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Paling Labour 13,43746.5% Yes
Robert Calverley Allington Bewicke-Copley Unionist 8,27928.7% No
Reginald Nicholson National Liberal 7,16124.8% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Paling Labour 16,19860.6% Yes
William St Andrew Warde-Aldam Unionist 10,51439.4% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Paling Labour 16,49652.7% Yes
Arthur Silvester Matthews Unionist 14,80047.3% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Paling Labour 25,24556.0% Yes
Ernest Albert Phillips Unionist 11,01624.4% No
John Thomas Clarke Liberal 8,84219.6% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Hugh Elsdale Molson Conservative 27,70455.3% Yes
Wilfred Paling Labour 22,36344.7% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Short Labour 29,96357.6% Yes
Arthur Hugh Elsdale Molson Conservative 22,01142.4% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Evelyn Walkden Labour 40,05070.2% Yes
Henry Archibald Taylor Conservative 16,99929.8% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Raymond Jones Gunter Labour 24,44950.9% Yes
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber Conservative 23,57149.1% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber Conservative 25,00550.4% Yes
Raymond Jones Gunter Labour 24,62149.6% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber Conservative 24,59851.7% Yes
Raymond Jones Gunter Labour 22,93848.3% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber Conservative 26,52153.6% Yes
William Edward Garrett Labour 22,93546.4% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 23,84549.9% Yes
Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber Conservative 22,73247.6% No
Gerald Broadhead Independent 1,2012.5% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 25,77756.7% Yes
Joseph Meredith Whittaker Conservative 19,68943.3% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 22,65850.6% Yes
Peter Davies Conservative 19,43143.4% No
Tom Blades Liberal 2,6485.9% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 23,04147.8% Yes
Kenneth Ian Tunnicliffe Conservative 17,56536.4% No
Wilfrid John Davidson Liberal 7,49015.5% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 22,17751.3% Yes
Trevor Sharp Wilkinson Conservative 14,74734.1% No
Wilfrid John Davidson Liberal 6,33614.6% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Harold Walker Labour 22,18448.9% Yes
Paul Michael Beard Conservative 19,20842.4% No
Gerald Broadhead Liberal 3,6468.0% No
Michael Day National Front 3000.7% No

Margin Over Time

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

1885: Liberal margin 9.4 pts 1886: Liberal margin 2.7 pts 1892: Liberal margin 2.5 pts 1895: Conservative margin 1.2 pts 1900: Conservative margin 2.9 pts 1906: Liberal margin 24.5 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 20.1 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 16.0 pts 1918: Liberal margin 49.9 pts 1922: Labour margin 17.9 pts 1923: Labour margin 21.3 pts 1924: Labour margin 5.4 pts 1929: Labour margin 31.6 pts 1931: Conservative margin 10.7 pts 1935: Labour margin 15.3 pts 1945: Labour margin 40.4 pts 1950: Labour margin 1.8 pts 1951: Conservative margin 0.8 pts 1955: Conservative margin 3.5 pts 1959: Conservative margin 7.2 pts 1964: Labour margin 2.3 pts 1966: Labour margin 13.4 pts 1970: Labour margin 7.2 pts Feb 1974: Labour margin 11.4 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 17.2 pts 1979: Labour margin 6.6 pts 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Doncaster has been contested at 26 general elections on record since 1885. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Conservative, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Doncaster in the 1979 general election?

Labour won Doncaster in 1979 with 22,184 votes (48.9%), a majority of 2,976 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Doncaster since 1885?

Since 1885, Doncaster has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal.

What was the closest result in Doncaster?

The closest result on record for Doncaster was 1951, when Conservative beat Labour by just 384 votes (0.8 percentage points).

Related Pages