East Norfolk — UK General Election Results
East Norfolk was won by National Liberal at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 4,840 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in East Norfolk 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 | William Howe Windham (Whig); George Thomas Keppel (Whig) | 3,261 | 26.7% (top seat) | Nathaniel William Peach (Conservative) | 301 (2.4 pts) | 87.9% |
| 1835 | Edmond Wodehouse (Conservative); Horatio William Walpole (Conservative) | 3,196 | 27.6% (top seat) | William Howe Windham (Whig) | 120 (0.9 pts) | 86.7% |
| 1837 | Edmond Wodehouse (Conservative); Henry Negus Burroughes (Conservative) | 3,523 | 27.3% (top seat) | William Howe Windham (Whig) | 286 (2.1 pts) | 80.3% |
| 1841 | Edmond Wodehouse (Conservative); Henry Negus Burroughes (Conservative) | 3,434 | 42.1% (top seat) | William John Henry Browne ffolkes (Whig) | 2,056 (24.8 pts) | 48.5% |
| 1847 | Edmond Wodehouse (Conservative); Henry Negus Burroughes (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | Edmond Wodehouse (Conservative); Henry Negus Burroughes (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1857 | Charles Ash Windham (Whig); Edward North Buxton (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | Wenman Clarence Walpole Coke (Liberal); Edward Howes (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Edward Howes (Conservative); Clare Sewell Read (Conservative) | 2,985 | 30.3% (top seat) | Thomas William Brograve Proctor-Beauchamp (Liberal) | 835 (8.2 pts) | 64.4% |
| 1885 | Edward Birkbeck (Conservative) | 4,682 | 51.3% | Philip Falk (Liberal) | 242 (2.6 pts) | 81.7% |
| 1886 | Edward Birkbeck (Conservative) | 4,578 | 53.4% | Henry Lee-Warner (Liberal) | 578 (6.7 pts) | 76.9% |
| 1892 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 4,743 | 52.4% | Edward Birkbeck (Conservative) | 440 (4.9 pts) | 92.2% |
| 1895 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 4,606 | 51.1% | Henry Rider Haggard (Conservative) | 198 (2.2 pts) | 83.2% |
| 1900 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 4,563 | 55.0% | William Louis St John Prioleau (Conservative) | 830 (10.0 pts) | 76.9% |
| 1906 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 5,631 | 62.1% | Raymond Boileau (Conservative) | 2,196 (24.2 pts) | 80.7% |
| Dec 1910 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 5,265 | 57.7% | Frank Cecil Meyer (Conservative) | 1,400 (15.3 pts) | 79.0% |
| Jan 1910 | Robert John Price (Liberal) | 5,592 | 56.3% | Cecil Edwin Fitch (Conservative) | 1,244 (12.5 pts) | 86.0% |
| 1918 | Michael Falcon (Unionist) | 7,030 | 44.9% | Fred Henderson (Liberal) | 339 (2.2 pts) | 49.6% |
| 1922 | Michael Falcon (Unionist) | 9,270 | 41.0% | Hugh Michael Seely (Liberal) | 308 (1.4 pts) | 70.2% |
| 1923 | Hugh Michael Seely (Liberal) | 11,807 | 49.6% | Michael Falcon (Unionist) | 3,335 (14.0 pts) | 72.5% |
| 1924 | Reginald James Neville Neville (Unionist) | 11,283 | 44.6% | Hugh Michael Seely (Liberal) | 2,169 (8.6 pts) | 75.6% |
| 1929 | William Lygon (Liberal) | 13,349 | 39.7% | Reginald James Neville Neville (Unionist) | 915 (2.7 pts) | 77.6% |
| 1931 | William Lygon (National Liberal) | 25,945 | 79.8% | William Holmes (Labour) | 19,383 (59.6 pts) | 71.7% |
| 1935 | William Lygon (National Liberal) | 23,108 | 68.8% | Norman Reeve Tillett (Labour) | 12,647 (37.7 pts) | 66.8% |
| 1945 | Frank Medlicott (National Liberal) | 23,307 | 55.8% | Norman Tillett (Labour) | 4,840 (11.6 pts) | 68.9% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Howe Windham | Whig | 3,304 | 26.7% | Yes |
| George Thomas Keppel | Whig | 3,261 | 26.3% | Yes |
| Nathaniel William Peach | Conservative | 2,960 | 23.9% | No |
| William Henry Hugh Cholmondeley | Conservative | 2,852 | 23.0% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond Wodehouse | Conservative | 3,482 | 27.6% | Yes |
| Horatio William Walpole | Conservative | 3,196 | 25.3% | Yes |
| William Howe Windham | Whig | 3,076 | 24.4% | No |
| Richard Hanbury Gurney | Whig | 2,866 | 22.7% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond Wodehouse | Conservative | 3,654 | 27.3% | Yes |
| Henry Negus Burroughes | Conservative | 3,523 | 26.3% | Yes |
| William Howe Windham | Whig | 3,237 | 24.2% | No |
| Richard Hanbury Gurney | Whig | 2,978 | 22.2% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond Wodehouse | Conservative | 3,495 | 42.1% | Yes |
| Henry Negus Burroughes | Conservative | 3,434 | 41.3% | Yes |
| William John Henry Browne ffolkes | Whig | 1,378 | 16.6% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond Wodehouse | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Henry Negus Burroughes | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmond Wodehouse | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Henry Negus Burroughes | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Ash Windham | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Edward North Buxton | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wenman Clarence Walpole Coke | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Edward Howes | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Howes | Conservative | 3,100 | 30.3% | Yes |
| Clare Sewell Read | Conservative | 2,985 | 29.2% | Yes |
| Thomas William Brograve Proctor-Beauchamp | Liberal | 2,150 | 21.0% | No |
| Wenman Clarence Walpole Coke | Liberal | 1,994 | 19.5% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Birkbeck | Conservative | 4,682 | 51.3% | Yes |
| Philip Falk | Liberal | 4,440 | 48.7% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Birkbeck | Conservative | 4,578 | 53.4% | Yes |
| Henry Lee-Warner | Liberal | 4,000 | 46.6% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 4,743 | 52.4% | Yes |
| Edward Birkbeck | Conservative | 4,303 | 47.6% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 4,606 | 51.1% | Yes |
| Henry Rider Haggard | Conservative | 4,408 | 48.9% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 4,563 | 55.0% | Yes |
| William Louis St John Prioleau | Conservative | 3,733 | 45.0% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 5,631 | 62.1% | Yes |
| Raymond Boileau | Conservative | 3,435 | 37.9% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 5,265 | 57.7% | Yes |
| Frank Cecil Meyer | Conservative | 3,865 | 42.3% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert John Price | Liberal | 5,592 | 56.3% | Yes |
| Cecil Edwin Fitch | Conservative | 4,348 | 43.7% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Falcon | Unionist | 7,030 | 44.9% | Yes |
| Fred Henderson | Liberal | 6,691 | 42.8% | No |
| William Benjamin Taylor | National Farmers Union | 1,926 | 12.3% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Falcon | Unionist | 9,270 | 41.0% | Yes |
| Hugh Michael Seely | Liberal | 8,962 | 39.7% | No |
| George Edward Hewitt | Labour | 4,361 | 19.3% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Michael Seely | Liberal | 11,807 | 49.6% | Yes |
| Michael Falcon | Unionist | 8,472 | 35.6% | No |
| George Edward Hewitt | Labour | 3,530 | 14.8% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reginald James Neville Neville | Unionist | 11,283 | 44.6% | Yes |
| Hugh Michael Seely | Liberal | 9,114 | 36.0% | No |
| Reginald Barrington Bates | Labour | 4,907 | 19.4% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lygon | Liberal | 13,349 | 39.7% | Yes |
| Reginald James Neville Neville | Unionist | 12,434 | 37.0% | No |
| William Holmes | Labour | 7,856 | 23.4% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lygon | National Liberal | 25,945 | 79.8% | Yes |
| William Holmes | Labour | 6,562 | 20.2% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lygon | National Liberal | 23,108 | 68.8% | Yes |
| Norman Reeve Tillett | Labour | 10,461 | 31.2% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Medlicott | National Liberal | 23,307 | 55.8% | Yes |
| Norman Tillett | Labour | 18,467 | 44.2% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
East Norfolk has been contested at 25 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Unionist, National Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won East Norfolk in the 1945 general election?
National Liberal won East Norfolk in 1945 with 23,307 votes (55.8%), a majority of 4,840 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won East Norfolk since 1832?
Since 1832, East Norfolk has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, National Liberal, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in East Norfolk?
The closest result on record for East Norfolk was 1835, when Conservative beat Whig by just 120 votes (0.9 percentage points).
Did East Norfolk ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, East Norfolk 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.