Down — UK General Election Results
Down elected 2 MPs at the 1945 general election: James Little (Independent Unionist) and Walter Dorling Smiles (Ulster Unionist). This page covers every general election in Down 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 | Arthur Moyses William Hill (Liberal); Frederick William Robert Stewart (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1835 | Arthur Moyses William Hill (Liberal); Frederick William Robert Stewart (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill (Conservative); Frederick William Robert Stewart (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1841 | Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill (Conservative); Frederick William Robert Stewart (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | Arthur Edwin Hill (Conservative); Frederick William Robert Stewart (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | Arthur Edwin Hill (Conservative); David Stewart Ker (Conservative) | 4,117 | 39.2% (top seat) | William Sharman Crawford (Radical) | 1,004 (8.5 pts) | 59.3% |
| 1857 | Arthur Edwin Hill (Conservative); William Brownlow Forde (Conservative) | 5,341 | 39.1% (top seat) | David Stewart Ker (Peelite) | 1,606 (10.8 pts) | 69.3% |
| 1859 | Arthur Edwin Hill (Conservative); William Brownlow Forde (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor (Conservative); William Brownlow Forde (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1868 | Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor (Conservative); William Brownlow Forde (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1874 | Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor (Conservative); James Sharman Crawford (Liberal) | 4,814 | 34.6% (top seat) | William Brownlow Forde (Conservative) | 131 (0.9 pts) | 61.6% |
| 1880 | Arthur William Hill (Conservative); Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest (Conservative) | 5,599 | 34.4% (top seat) | John Sharman Crawford (Liberal) | 20 (0.1 pts) | 64.4% |
| 1922 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); John Morrow Simms (Ulster Unionist) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1923 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); John Morrow Simms (Ulster Unionist) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1924 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); John Morrow Simms (Ulster Unionist) | 58,777 | 46.5% (top seat) | Michael Murney (Sinn Féin) | 49,836 (39.4 pts) | 65.8% |
| 1929 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); John Morrow Simms (Ulster Unionist) | 53,943 | 36.3% (top seat) | Robert Pollock (NI Liberal) | 32,944 (22.1 pts) | 58.5% |
| 1931 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart (Ulster Unionist) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1935 | David Douglas Reid (Ulster Unionist); Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart (Ulster Unionist) | 58,777 | 45.6% (top seat) | Patrick O'Hagan (Independent Republican) | 38,541 (26.5 pts) | 54.0% |
| 1945 | James Little (Independent Unionist); Walter Dorling Smiles (Ulster Unionist) | 24,148 | 40.4% (top seat) | John Blakiston Houston (Ulster Unionist) | 1,418 (1.2 pts) | 39.8% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Moyses William Hill | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick William Robert Stewart | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Moyses William Hill | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick William Robert Stewart | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick William Robert Stewart | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Wills Blundell Sandys Trumbull Windsor Hill | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick William Robert Stewart | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick William Robert Stewart | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill | Conservative | 4,654 | 39.2% | Yes |
| David Stewart Ker | Conservative | 4,117 | 34.6% | Yes |
| William Sharman Crawford | Radical | 3,113 | 26.2% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill | Conservative | 5,839 | 39.1% | Yes |
| William Brownlow Forde | Conservative | 5,341 | 35.8% | Yes |
| David Stewart Ker | Peelite | 3,735 | 25.0% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Brownlow Forde | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Brownlow Forde | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Brownlow Forde | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor | Conservative | 5,029 | 34.6% | Yes |
| James Sharman Crawford | Liberal | 4,814 | 33.1% | Yes |
| William Brownlow Forde | Conservative | 4,683 | 32.2% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur William Hill | Conservative | 5,873 | 34.4% | Yes |
| Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest | Conservative | 5,599 | 32.8% | Yes |
| John Sharman Crawford | Liberal | 5,579 | 32.7% | No |
1922 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Morrow Simms | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
1923 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Morrow Simms | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
1924 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | 58,929 | 46.5% | Yes |
| John Morrow Simms | Ulster Unionist | 58,777 | 46.4% | Yes |
| Michael Murney | Sinn Féin | 8,941 | 7.1% | No |
1929 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | 54,073 | 36.3% | Yes |
| John Morrow Simms | Ulster Unionist | 53,943 | 36.2% | Yes |
| Robert Pollock | NI Liberal | 20,999 | 14.1% | No |
| David Johnston | NI Liberal | 20,013 | 13.4% | No |
1931 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart | Ulster Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
1935 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Douglas Reid | Ulster Unionist | 66,324 | 45.6% | Yes |
| Edward Charles Stewart Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart | Ulster Unionist | 58,777 | 40.4% | Yes |
| Patrick O'Hagan | Independent Republican | 20,236 | 13.9% | No |
1945 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Little | Independent Unionist | 46,732 | 40.4% | Yes |
| Walter Dorling Smiles | Ulster Unionist | 24,148 | 20.9% | Yes |
| John Blakiston Houston | Ulster Unionist | 22,730 | 19.6% | No |
| James Brown | Independent Unionist | 22,163 | 19.1% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Down has been contested at 19 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Conservative, Ulster Unionist, Independent Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Down in the 1945 general election?
James Little (Independent Unionist), Walter Dorling Smiles (Ulster Unionist) won Down in 1945.
Which parties have won Down since 1832?
Since 1832, Down has been won by: Conservative, Independent Unionist, Liberal, Ulster Unionist.
What was the closest result in Down?
The closest result on record for Down was 1880, when Conservative beat Liberal by just 20 votes (0.1 percentage points).
Did Down ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Down 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.