East Essex — UK General Election Results
East Essex elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: James Round (Conservative) and Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise (Conservative). This page covers every general election in East Essex from 1868 to 1880.
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, 1868–1880
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 | James Round (Conservative); Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise (Conservative) | 2,816 | 28.5% (top seat) | Thomas Burch Western (Liberal) | 592 (5.9 pts) | 76.4% |
| 1874 | James Round (Conservative); Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1880 | James Round (Conservative); Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise (Conservative) | 2,561 | 35.3% (top seat) | Charles Page Wood (Liberal) | 192 (2.5 pts) | 59.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Round | Conservative | 2,861 | 28.5% | Yes |
| Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise | Conservative | 2,816 | 28.1% | Yes |
| Thomas Burch Western | Liberal | 2,224 | 22.2% | No |
| Thomas Neville Abdy | Liberal | 2,134 | 21.3% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Round | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Round | Conservative | 2,691 | 35.3% | Yes |
| Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise | Conservative | 2,561 | 33.6% | Yes |
| Charles Page Wood | Liberal | 2,369 | 31.1% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
East Essex has been contested at 3 general elections on record since 1868. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won East Essex in the 1880 general election?
James Round (Conservative), Samuel Brise Ruggles-Brise (Conservative) won East Essex in 1880.
Which parties have won East Essex since 1868?
Since 1868, East Essex has been won by: Conservative.
What was the closest result in East Essex?
The closest result on record for East Essex was 1880, when Conservative beat Liberal by just 192 votes (2.5 percentage points).
Did East Essex ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, East Essex 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.