Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
East Sussex elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: John Pearson (Liberal). This page covers every general election in East Sussex from 1832 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, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Charles Compton Cavendish (Whig); Herbert Barrett Curteis (Whig)
1,941
47.8% (top seat)
George Darby (Conservative)
1,273 (25.5 pts)
72.7%
1835
Charles Compton Cavendish (Whig); Herbert Barrett Curteis (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
George Darby (Conservative); Charles Compton Cavendish (Whig)
1,793
30.4% (top seat)
Augustus Eliott Fuller (Conservative)
44 (0.6 pts)
77.3%
1841
George Darby (Conservative); Augustus Eliott Fuller (Conservative)
2,367
41.6% (top seat)
John Villiers Shelley (Whig)
1,372 (23.8 pts)
54.4%
1847
Charles Hay Frewen (Conservative); Augustus Eliott Fuller (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
Augustus Eliott Fuller (Conservative); Charles Hay Frewen (Conservative)
1,974
37.4% (top seat)
John George Dodson (Whig)
337 (5.8 pts)
54.4%
1857
John George Dodson (Whig); Henry North Holroyd (Conservative)
2,447
26.6% (top seat)
William Henry Frederick Cavendish (Whig)
161 (1.7 pts)
77.5%
1859
John George Dodson (Liberal); Henry North Holroyd (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
John George Dodson (Liberal); Edward Cavendish (Liberal)
2,647
27.5% (top seat)
Walter Wyndham Burrell (Conservative)
184 (1.8 pts)
76.8%
1868
John George Dodson (Liberal); George Burrow Gregory (Conservative)
3,581
25.4% (top seat)
Montagu David Scott (Conservative)
21 (0.1 pts)
75.8%
1880
John Pearson (Liberal)
2,863
19.4% (top seat)
None (None)
None (None pts)
72.3%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Compton Cavendish
Whig
2,388
47.8%
Yes
Herbert Barrett Curteis
Whig
1,941
38.8%
Yes
George Darby
Conservative
668
13.4%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Compton Cavendish
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
Herbert Barrett Curteis
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Darby
Conservative
2,256
30.4%
Yes
Charles Compton Cavendish
Whig
1,793
24.2%
Yes
Augustus Eliott Fuller
Conservative
1,749
23.6%
No
Herbert Barrett Curteis
Whig
1,619
21.8%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Darby
Conservative
2,398
41.6%
Yes
Augustus Eliott Fuller
Conservative
2,367
41.1%
Yes
John Villiers Shelley
Whig
995
17.3%
No
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Hay Frewen
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Augustus Eliott Fuller
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Augustus Eliott Fuller
Conservative
2,155
37.4%
Yes
Charles Hay Frewen
Conservative
1,974
34.2%
Yes
John George Dodson
Whig
1,637
28.4%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John George Dodson
Whig
2,524
26.6%
Yes
Henry North Holroyd
Conservative
2,447
25.8%
Yes
William Henry Frederick Cavendish
Whig
2,286
24.1%
No
Augustus Eliott Fuller
Conservative
2,216
23.4%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John George Dodson
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Henry North Holroyd
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John George Dodson
Liberal
2,821
27.5%
Yes
Edward Cavendish
Liberal
2,647
25.8%
Yes
Walter Wyndham Burrell
Conservative
2,463
24.0%
No
Reginald Charles Edward Abbot
Conservative
2,316
22.6%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John George Dodson
Liberal
3,611
25.4%
Yes
George Burrow Gregory
Conservative
3,581
25.2%
Yes
Montagu David Scott
Conservative
3,560
25.0%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John Pearson
Liberal
2,863
19.4%
Yes
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
East Sussex has been contested at 11 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won East Sussex in the 1880 general election?
John Pearson (Liberal) won East Sussex in 1880.
Which parties have won East Sussex since 1832?
Since 1832, East Sussex has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Whig.
What was the closest result in East Sussex?
The closest result on record for East Sussex was 1868, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 21 votes (0.1 percentage points).
Did East Sussex ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, East Sussex 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.