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East Grinstead — UK General Election Results

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

East Grinstead was won by Conservative at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 17,177 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in East Grinstead from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 George Burrow Gregory (Conservative) 3,530 57.8% Charles John Heald (Liberal) 951 (15.6 pts) 79.8%
1886 Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy (Conservative) 3,289 63.7% Charles John Heald (Liberal) 1,412 (27.3 pts) 67.4%
1892 Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy (Conservative) 3,987 62.9% Edward George Jenkinson (Liberal) 1,638 (25.9 pts) 72.4%
1895 George Joachim Goschen (Conservative) 3,731 56.5% Charles Joseph Henry Corbett (Liberal) 857 (13.0 pts) 71.3%
1900 George Joachim Goschen (Conservative) 3,890 56.4% Charles Joseph Henry Corbett (Liberal) 887 (12.9 pts) 71.8%
1906 Charles Joseph Henry Corbett (Liberal) 4,793 51.4% Edgar March Crookshank (Conservative) 262 (2.8 pts) 86.9%
Jan 1910 Henry Strother Cautley (Conservative) 6,563 64.2% Charles Joseph Henry Corbett (Liberal) 2,903 (28.4 pts) 88.4%
Dec 1910 Henry Strother Cautley (Conservative) 5,926 62.7% Henry Norman Spalding (Liberal) 2,395 (25.3 pts) 81.8%
1918 Henry Strother Cautley (Unionist) 12,584 67.0% David Graham Pole (Labour) 6,376 (33.9 pts) 52.3%
1922 Henry Strother Cautley (Unionist) 15,981 71.0% Thomas Crawford (Labour) 9,454 (42.0 pts) 58.2%
1923 Henry Strother Cautley (Unionist) 14,215 68.8% Thomas Crawford (Labour) 7,764 (37.6 pts) 52.4%
1924 Henry Strother Cautley (Unionist) 18,365 64.6% Godfrey Frerichs Mowatt (Liberal) 12,761 (44.9 pts) 70.2%
1929 Henry Strother Cautley (Unionist) 21,940 57.9% Barbara Ellen Mary Stevenson Bliss (Liberal) 12,222 (32.2 pts) 65.7%
1931 Henry Strother Cautley (Conservative) 34,826 87.2% Evan Frank Mottram Durbin (Labour) 29,705 (74.4 pts) 69.2%
1935 Henry Strother Cautley (Conservative) 29,440 78.4% Stanislaus Seuffert (Labour) 21,343 (56.9 pts) 61.2%
1945 Ralph Stephenson Clarke (Conservative) 28,273 57.1% David George Packham (Labour) 15,754 (31.8 pts) 70.9%
1950 Ralph Stephenson Clarke (Conservative) 29,786 55.1% Catherine Ellis Williamson (Labour) 16,803 (31.1 pts) 81.7%
1951 Ralph Stephenson Clarke (Conservative) 32,803 60.2% Herbert Atkinson (Labour) 18,532 (34.0 pts) 80.3%
1955 Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet (Conservative) 28,450 61.5% Martin Mason (Labour) 16,700 (36.1 pts) 75.1%
1959 Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet (Conservative) 31,759 62.3% Robert William G Humphreys (Labour) 21,655 (42.5 pts) 77.9%
1964 Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet (Conservative) 29,094 53.2% Richard Gordon Holme (Liberal) 14,341 (26.2 pts) 78.0%
1966 Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (Conservative) 31,595 55.3% James Downie (Liberal) 17,984 (31.5 pts) 76.8%
1970 Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (Conservative) 38,359 61.2% David Smithers (Liberal) 26,016 (41.5 pts) 72.5%
Feb 1974 Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (Conservative) 23,928 53.3% Peter Billenness (Liberal) 8,577 (19.1 pts) 81.5%
Oct 1974 Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (Conservative) 22,035 53.2% Paul Hayden (Liberal) 9,280 (22.4 pts) 74.5%
1979 Geoffrey Johnson-Smith (Conservative) 28,279 62.0% Jeremy Christopher Savill Nieboer (Liberal) 17,177 (37.7 pts) 77.1%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burrow Gregory Conservative 3,53057.8% Yes
Charles John Heald Liberal 2,57942.2% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy Conservative 3,28963.7% Yes
Charles John Heald Liberal 1,87736.3% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Erskine Gathorne-Hardy Conservative 3,98762.9% Yes
Edward George Jenkinson Liberal 2,34937.1% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Joachim Goschen Conservative 3,73156.5% Yes
Charles Joseph Henry Corbett Liberal 2,87443.5% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Joachim Goschen Conservative 3,89056.4% Yes
Charles Joseph Henry Corbett Liberal 3,00343.6% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Joseph Henry Corbett Liberal 4,79351.4% Yes
Edgar March Crookshank Conservative 4,53148.6% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Conservative 6,56364.2% Yes
Charles Joseph Henry Corbett Liberal 3,66035.8% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Conservative 5,92662.7% Yes
Henry Norman Spalding Liberal 3,53137.3% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Unionist 12,58467.0% Yes
David Graham Pole Labour 6,20833.0% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Unionist 15,98171.0% Yes
Thomas Crawford Labour 6,52729.0% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Unionist 14,21568.8% Yes
Thomas Crawford Labour 6,45131.2% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Unionist 18,36564.6% Yes
Godfrey Frerichs Mowatt Liberal 5,60419.7% No
John Morgan Labour 4,47915.7% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Unionist 21,94057.9% Yes
Barbara Ellen Mary Stevenson Bliss Liberal 9,71825.6% No
Thomas Crawford Labour 6,26516.5% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Conservative 34,82687.2% Yes
Evan Frank Mottram Durbin Labour 5,12112.8% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Strother Cautley Conservative 29,44078.4% Yes
Stanislaus Seuffert Labour 8,09721.6% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ralph Stephenson Clarke Conservative 28,27357.1% Yes
David George Packham Labour 12,51925.3% No
John Charles McLaughlin Liberal 8,71117.6% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ralph Stephenson Clarke Conservative 29,78655.1% Yes
Catherine Ellis Williamson Labour 12,98324.0% No
John Charles McLaughlin Liberal 11,32920.9% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ralph Stephenson Clarke Conservative 32,80360.2% Yes
Herbert Atkinson Labour 14,27126.2% No
John Charles McLaughlin Liberal 7,37513.5% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet Conservative 28,45061.5% Yes
Martin Mason Labour 11,75025.4% No
Judith St John Thornton Liberal 6,03413.1% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet Conservative 31,75962.3% Yes
Robert William G Humphreys Labour 10,10419.8% No
Patrick Arthur Thomas Furnell Liberal 9,10017.9% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Evelyn Violet Elizabeth Emmet Conservative 29,09453.2% Yes
Richard Gordon Holme Liberal 14,75327.0% No
William H Hill Labour 10,85919.8% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative 31,59555.3% Yes
James Downie Liberal 13,61123.8% No
Arthur Roberts Labour 11,93820.9% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative 38,35961.2% Yes
David Smithers Liberal 12,34319.7% No
Anthony Banks Labour 12,01419.2% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative 23,92853.3% Yes
Peter Billenness Liberal 15,35134.2% No
William Short Labour 5,62912.5% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative 22,03553.2% Yes
Paul Hayden Liberal 12,75530.8% No
David Blake Labour 6,64816.0% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Johnson-Smith Conservative 28,27962.0% Yes
Jeremy Christopher Savill Nieboer Liberal 11,10224.4% No
Richard Taylor Labour 6,19613.6% No

Margin Over Time

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

1885: Conservative margin 15.6 pts 1886: Conservative margin 27.3 pts 1892: Conservative margin 25.9 pts 1895: Conservative margin 13.0 pts 1900: Conservative margin 12.9 pts 1906: Liberal margin 2.8 pts Jan 1910: Conservative margin 28.4 pts Dec 1910: Conservative margin 25.3 pts 1918: Unionist margin 33.9 pts 1922: Unionist margin 42.0 pts 1923: Unionist margin 37.6 pts 1924: Unionist margin 44.9 pts 1929: Unionist margin 32.2 pts 1931: Conservative margin 74.4 pts 1935: Conservative margin 56.9 pts 1945: Conservative margin 31.8 pts 1950: Conservative margin 31.1 pts 1951: Conservative margin 34.0 pts 1955: Conservative margin 36.1 pts 1959: Conservative margin 42.5 pts 1964: Conservative margin 26.2 pts 1966: Conservative margin 31.5 pts 1970: Conservative margin 41.5 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 19.1 pts Oct 1974: Conservative margin 22.4 pts 1979: Conservative margin 37.7 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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won East Grinstead in the 1979 general election?

Conservative won East Grinstead in 1979 with 28,279 votes (62.0%), a majority of 17,177 votes over Liberal in second place.

Which parties have won East Grinstead since 1885?

Since 1885, East Grinstead has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Unionist.

What was the closest result in East Grinstead?

The closest result on record for East Grinstead was 1906, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 262 votes (2.8 percentage points).

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