East Somerset — UK General Election Results
East Somerset was won by Liberal Unionist at the Jan 1910 general election, with a majority of 1,027 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in East Somerset from 1832 to Jan 1910.
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–Jan 1910
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | William Gore-Langton (Whig); William Papwell Brigstock (Whig) | 4,003 | 35.8% (top seat) | William Miles (Conservative) | 400 (3.4 pts) | 65.9% |
| 1835 | William Gore-Langton (Whig); William Miles (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | William Gore-Langton (Whig); William Miles (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1841 | William Miles (Conservative); William Gore-Langton (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | William Miles (Conservative); William Pinney (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | William Miles (Conservative); William Francis Knatchbull (Conservative) | 4,309 | 38.9% (top seat) | Arthur Hallam Elton (Whig) | 1,325 (11.1 pts) | 58.9% |
| 1857 | William Francis Knatchbull (Conservative); William Miles (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | William Francis Knatchbull (Conservative); William Miles (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Richard Horner Paget (Conservative); Ralph Neville-Grenville (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1868 | Ralph Shuttleworth Allen (Conservative); Richard Bright (Conservative) | 3,848 | 29.7% (top seat) | Arthur Divett Hayter (Liberal) | 1,144 (8.7 pts) | 74.4% |
| 1874 | Ralph Shuttleworth Allen (Conservative); Richard Bright (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1880 | Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville (Conservative); Philip John William Miles (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1885 | Henry Hobhouse (Liberal) | 4,732 | 59.1% | Henry Ainslie Hoare (Conservative) | 1,452 (18.1 pts) | 85.7% |
| 1886 | Henry Hobhouse (Liberal Unionist) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1892 | Henry Hobhouse (Liberal Unionist) | 4,330 | 54.8% | Charles Morley (Liberal) | 755 (9.6 pts) | 85.8% |
| 1895 | Henry Hobhouse (Liberal Unionist) | 4,408 | 56.9% | John Swinburne-Hanham (Liberal) | 1,074 (13.9 pts) | 83.5% |
| 1900 | Henry Hobhouse (Liberal Unionist) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1906 | John William Howard Thompson (Liberal) | 4,553 | 53.9% | Bertram Godfray Falle (Liberal Unionist) | 663 (7.8 pts) | 86.9% |
| Dec 1910 | Ernest Jardine (Liberal Unionist) | 4,748 | 55.1% | John William Howard Thompson (Liberal) | 873 (10.1 pts) | 88.1% |
| Jan 1910 | Ernest Jardine (Liberal Unionist) | 4,997 | 55.7% | John William Howard Thompson (Liberal) | 1,027 (11.5 pts) | 91.6% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Gore-Langton | Whig | 4,249 | 35.8% | Yes |
| William Papwell Brigstock | Whig | 4,003 | 33.8% | Yes |
| William Miles | Conservative | 3,603 | 30.4% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Gore-Langton | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Gore-Langton | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Gore-Langton | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Pinney | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Miles | Conservative | 4,643 | 38.9% | Yes |
| William Francis Knatchbull | Conservative | 4,309 | 36.1% | Yes |
| Arthur Hallam Elton | Whig | 2,984 | 25.0% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Francis Knatchbull | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Francis Knatchbull | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Horner Paget | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Ralph Neville-Grenville | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Shuttleworth Allen | Conservative | 3,887 | 29.7% | Yes |
| Richard Bright | Conservative | 3,848 | 29.4% | Yes |
| Arthur Divett Hayter | Liberal | 2,704 | 20.6% | No |
| William Pinney | Liberal | 2,656 | 20.3% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Shuttleworth Allen | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Richard Bright | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Philip John William Miles | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Hobhouse | Liberal | 4,732 | 59.1% | Yes |
| Henry Ainslie Hoare | Conservative | 3,280 | 40.9% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Hobhouse | Liberal Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Hobhouse | Liberal Unionist | 4,330 | 54.8% | Yes |
| Charles Morley | Liberal | 3,575 | 45.2% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Hobhouse | Liberal Unionist | 4,408 | 56.9% | Yes |
| John Swinburne-Hanham | Liberal | 3,334 | 43.1% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Hobhouse | Liberal Unionist | Unopposed | Yes | |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John William Howard Thompson | Liberal | 4,553 | 53.9% | Yes |
| Bertram Godfray Falle | Liberal Unionist | 3,890 | 46.1% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Jardine | Liberal Unionist | 4,748 | 55.1% | Yes |
| John William Howard Thompson | Liberal | 3,875 | 44.9% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Jardine | Liberal Unionist | 4,997 | 55.7% | Yes |
| John William Howard Thompson | Liberal | 3,970 | 44.3% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
East Somerset has been contested at 20 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Liberal Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won East Somerset in the Jan 1910 general election?
Liberal Unionist won East Somerset in Jan 1910 with 4,997 votes (55.7%), a majority of 1,027 votes over Liberal in second place.
Which parties have won East Somerset since 1832?
Since 1832, East Somerset has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in East Somerset?
The closest result on record for East Somerset was 1832, when Whig beat Conservative by just 400 votes (3.4 percentage points).
Did East Somerset ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, East Somerset 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.