Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Finsbury was won by Labour at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 5,757 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Finsbury 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
Robert Grant (Whig); Robert Spankie (Whig)
2,842
34.6% (top seat)
Charles Babbage (Whig)
531 (4.3 pts)
60.0%
1835
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical); Thomas Wakley (Radical)
3,359
37.5% (top seat)
Robert Spankie (Conservative)
1,027 (8.6 pts)
58.3%
1837
Thomas Wakley (Radical); Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical)
4,895
40.2% (top seat)
Dudley Montague Perceval (Conservative)
2,425 (19.7 pts)
50.2%
1841
Thomas Wakley (Radical); Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Thomas Wakley (Radical); Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
Thomas Challis (Radical); Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical)
6,678
46.3% (top seat)
James Wyld (Radical)
4,668 (28.8 pts)
40.4%
1857
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Radical); William Cox (Whig)
4,110
39.9% (top seat)
John Humffreys Parry (Radical)
156 (0.9 pts)
42.1%
1859
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe (Liberal); Samuel Morton Peto (Liberal)
8,174
40.1% (top seat)
William Cox (Liberal)
3,618 (17.0 pts)
48.4%
1865
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens (Liberal); Andrew Lusk (Liberal)
7,959
37.3% (top seat)
William Cox (Liberal)
2,859 (12.6 pts)
44.6%
1868
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens (Liberal); Andrew Lusk (Liberal)
12,503
39.8% (top seat)
Peter Frederick O'Malley (Conservative)
6,366 (19.3 pts)
49.2%
1874
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens (Liberal); Andrew Lusk (Liberal)
9,713
32.8% (top seat)
Charles Wilson Randolph (Conservative)
1,976 (6.4 pts)
41.8%
1880
Andrew Lusk (Liberal); William Torrens McCullagh Torrens (Liberal)
15,247
36.5% (top seat)
Francis Duncan (Conservative)
2,447 (5.5 pts)
49.1%
1918
Martin Archer-Shee (Unionist)
8,782
63.8%
Harry Evan Auguste Cotton (Liberal)
3,801 (27.6 pts)
39.5%
1922
Martin Archer-Shee (Unionist)
9,382
44.6%
Edmund Henry Gilpin (Liberal)
2,998 (14.3 pts)
54.3%
1923
George Masterman Gillett (Labour)
8,907
42.4%
Martin Archer-Shee (Unionist)
1,844 (8.8 pts)
53.8%
1924
George Masterman Gillett (Labour)
12,363
47.0%
Ernest Augustus Taylor (Unionist)
720 (2.7 pts)
66.3%
1929
George Masterman Gillett (Labour)
17,970
56.4%
William Ray (Unionist)
8,944 (28.1 pts)
66.0%
1931
George Masterman Gillett (National Labour)
17,292
63.1%
Thomas Edward Williams (Labour)
7,159 (26.1 pts)
58.1%
1935
George Saville Woods (Labour)
13,408
55.8%
George Masterman Gillett (National Labour)
2,808 (11.7 pts)
56.2%
1945
John Faithful Fortescue Platts-Mills (Labour)
9,786
70.8%
Frederick Frank Arthur Burden (Conservative)
5,757 (41.7 pts)
63.9%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Robert Grant
Whig
4,278
34.6%
Yes
Robert Spankie
Whig
2,842
23.0%
Yes
Charles Babbage
Whig
2,311
18.7%
No
Thomas Wakley
Radical
2,151
17.4%
No
Christopher Temple
Radical
787
6.4%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
4,497
37.5%
Yes
Thomas Wakley
Radical
3,359
28.0%
Yes
Robert Spankie
Conservative
2,332
19.4%
No
Henry William Hobhouse
Whig
1,817
15.1%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Wakley
Radical
4,957
40.2%
Yes
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
4,895
39.7%
Yes
Dudley Montague Perceval
Conservative
2,470
20.0%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Wakley
Radical
Unopposed
Yes
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Wakley
Radical
Unopposed
Yes
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Challis
Radical
7,504
46.3%
Yes
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
6,678
41.2%
Yes
James Wyld
Radical
2,010
12.4%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Radical
6,922
39.9%
Yes
William Cox
Whig
4,110
23.7%
Yes
John Humffreys Parry
Radical
3,954
22.8%
No
Joseph Haythorne Reed
Whig
2,378
13.7%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Liberal
8,538
40.1%
Yes
Samuel Morton Peto
Liberal
8,174
38.4%
Yes
William Cox
Liberal
4,556
21.4%
No
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens
Liberal
8,480
37.3%
Yes
Andrew Lusk
Liberal
7,959
35.0%
Yes
William Cox
Liberal
5,100
22.4%
No
William Phillips
Conservative
866
3.8%
No
Philip William Perfitt
Independent Liberal
316
1.4%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens
Liberal
13,159
39.8%
Yes
Andrew Lusk
Liberal
12,503
37.8%
Yes
Peter Frederick O'Malley
Conservative
6,137
18.6%
No
William Cox
Liberal
1,238
3.7%
No
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens
Liberal
10,099
32.8%
Yes
Andrew Lusk
Liberal
9,713
31.6%
Yes
Charles Wilson Randolph
Conservative
7,737
25.2%
No
Benjamin Lucraft
Liberal-Labour
3,205
10.4%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Andrew Lusk
Liberal
16,128
36.5%
Yes
William Torrens McCullagh Torrens
Liberal
15,247
34.5%
Yes
Francis Duncan
Conservative
12,800
29.0%
No
1918
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Martin Archer-Shee
Unionist
8,782
63.8%
Yes
Harry Evan Auguste Cotton
Liberal
4,981
36.2%
No
1922
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Martin Archer-Shee
Unionist
9,382
44.6%
Yes
Edmund Henry Gilpin
Liberal
6,384
30.4%
No
George Masterman Gillett
Labour
4,903
23.3%
No
Christopher Roland Morden
Independent Labour
349
1.7%
No
1923
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Masterman Gillett
Labour
8,907
42.4%
Yes
Martin Archer-Shee
Unionist
7,063
33.6%
No
Alfred Henry Scott
Liberal
5,054
24.0%
No
1924
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Masterman Gillett
Labour
12,363
47.0%
Yes
Ernest Augustus Taylor
Unionist
11,643
44.2%
No
Robert Shaw
Liberal
2,324
8.8%
No
1929
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Masterman Gillett
Labour
17,970
56.4%
Yes
William Ray
Unionist
9,026
28.3%
No
William John Pinard
Liberal
4,855
15.2%
No
1931
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Masterman Gillett
National Labour
17,292
63.1%
Yes
Thomas Edward Williams
Labour
10,133
36.9%
No
1935
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George Saville Woods
Labour
13,408
55.8%
Yes
George Masterman Gillett
National Labour
10,600
44.2%
No
1945
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
John Faithful Fortescue Platts-Mills
Labour
9,786
70.8%
Yes
Frederick Frank Arthur Burden
Conservative
4,029
29.2%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Finsbury has been contested at 20 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Radical, Liberal, Unionist, Labour, National Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Finsbury in the 1945 general election?
Labour won Finsbury in 1945 with 9,786 votes (70.8%), a majority of 5,757 votes over Conservative in second place.
Which parties have won Finsbury since 1832?
Since 1832, Finsbury has been won by: Labour, Liberal, National Labour, Radical, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Finsbury?
The closest result on record for Finsbury was 1857, when Radical beat Radical by just 156 votes (0.9 percentage points).
Did Finsbury ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Finsbury 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.