Grantham — UK General Election Results
Grantham was won by Conservative at the 1992 general election, with a majority of 19,588 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Grantham from 1832 to 1992.
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, 1832–1992
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Algernon Gray Tollemache (Conservative); Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative) | 303 | 41.6% (top seat) | Montague John Cholmeley (Whig) | 62 (6.7 pts) | 66.8% |
| 1835 | Algernon Gray Tollemache (Conservative); Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative) | 351 | 41.2% (top seat) | George Frederick Holt (Whig) | 202 (23.7 pts) | 63.8% |
| 1837 | Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative); Frederick James Tollemache (Conservative) | 308 | 39.9% (top seat) | Robert Turner (Whig) | 17 (1.7 pts) | 74.5% |
| 1841 | Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative); Frederick James Tollemache (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative); Frederick James Tollemache (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | Glynne Earle Welby (Conservative); Montagu William Graham (Conservative) | 375 | 40.7% (top seat) | Frederick James Tollemache (Peelite) | 46 (3.9 pts) | 76.7% |
| 1857 | William Earle Welby (Conservative); Frederick James Tollemache (Peelite) | 393 | 40.2% (top seat) | Montagu William Graham (Conservative) | 85 (7.2 pts) | 79.3% |
| 1859 | William Earle Welby (Conservative); Frederick James Tollemache (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | John Henry Thorold (Conservative); William Earle Welby (Conservative) | 404 | 37.5% (top seat) | Frederick James Tollemache (Liberal) | 89 (7.7 pts) | 76.2% |
| 1868 | Frederick James Tollemache (Liberal); Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1874 | Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley (Liberal); Henry Francis Cockayne-Cust (Conservative) | 965 | 36.1% (top seat) | John William Mellor (Liberal) | 66 (2.3 pts) | 66.4% |
| 1880 | John William Mellor (Liberal); Charles Savile Roundell (Liberal) | 1,304 | 30.3% (top seat) | Henry Francis Cockayne-Cust (Conservative) | 389 (8.9 pts) | 91.7% |
| 1885 | John William Mellor (Liberal) | 1,377 | 54.9% | Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby (Conservative) | 246 (9.8 pts) | 87.0% |
| 1886 | William Malcolm Low (Conservative) | 1,197 | 50.8% | John William Mellor (Liberal) | 36 (1.5 pts) | 81.8% |
| 1892 | Henry Yarde Buller Lopes (Conservative) | 1,296 | 50.6% | Thomas Chatfeild Clarke (Liberal) | 33 (1.3 pts) | 95.0% |
| 1895 | Henry Yarde Buller Lopes (Conservative) | 1,507 | 56.4% | Samuel Danks Waddy (Liberal) | 340 (12.7 pts) | 92.3% |
| 1900 | Arthur Alexander Priestley (Liberal) | 1,347 | 50.7% | Henry Yarde Buller Lopes (Conservative) | 38 (1.4 pts) | 87.2% |
| 1906 | Arthur Alexander Priestley (Liberal) | 1,663 | 51.7% | Henry Leonard Campbell Brassey (Conservative) | 109 (3.4 pts) | 95.1% |
| Jan 1910 | Arthur Alexander Priestley (Liberal) | 1,848 | 52.0% | Geoffrey Henry Julian Skeffington Smyth (Conservative) | 145 (4.1 pts) | 97.4% |
| Dec 1910 | Arthur Alexander Priestley (Liberal) | 1,730 | 50.5% | Herbert Guy Snowden (Conservative) | 33 (1.0 pts) | 94.0% |
| 1918 | Edmund Royds (Unionist) | 9,972 | 48.4% | Robert Pattinson (Liberal) | 1,271 (6.2 pts) | 58.1% |
| 1922 | Robert Pattinson (Liberal) | 11,723 | 41.4% | Edmund Royds (Unionist) | 428 (1.5 pts) | 79.5% |
| 1923 | Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender (Unionist) | 12,552 | 43.6% | Robert Pattinson (Liberal) | 1,733 (6.0 pts) | 79.1% |
| 1924 | Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender (Unionist) | 14,746 | 49.6% | Alexander Lyle-Samuel (Liberal) | 7,016 (23.6 pts) | 80.4% |
| 1929 | Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender (Unionist) | 16,121 | 40.8% | Hamilton Brown (Liberal) | 4,098 (10.4 pts) | 81.9% |
| 1931 | Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender (Conservative) | 27,164 | 69.2% | Montague William Moore (Labour) | 15,049 (38.3 pts) | 79.5% |
| 1935 | Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender (Conservative) | 22,194 | 58.1% | Montague William Moore (Labour) | 6,185 (16.2 pts) | 74.2% |
| 1945 | William Denis Kendall (Independent) | 27,719 | 58.2% | George Arthur Worth (Conservative) | 15,513 (32.6 pts) | 75.9% |
| 1950 | Eric Martin Smith (Conservative) | 19,195 | 41.3% | Albert Edward Millett (Labour) | 4,738 (10.2 pts) | 84.6% |
| 1951 | Joseph Bradshaw Godber (Conservative) | 20,712 | 43.5% | Albert Edward Millett (Labour) | 2,172 (4.6 pts) | 84.1% |
| 1955 | Joseph Bradshaw Godber (Conservative) | 24,188 | 50.8% | Woodrow Lyle Wyatt (Labour) | 2,375 (5.0 pts) | 82.8% |
| 1959 | Joseph Bradshaw Godber (Conservative) | 27,482 | 56.8% | Thomas Cecil Skeffington-Lodge (Labour) | 6,615 (13.7 pts) | 81.9% |
| 1964 | Joseph Bradshaw Godber (Conservative) | 27,634 | 55.9% | Peter Horton (Labour) | 5,864 (11.9 pts) | 78.8% |
| 1966 | Joseph Godber (Conservative) | 24,748 | 47.7% | Mary Large (Labour) | 2,158 (4.2 pts) | 80.6% |
| 1970 | Joseph Godber (Conservative) | 33,070 | 58.7% | W Frank Higgins (Labour) | 9,774 (17.3 pts) | 76.6% |
| Feb 1974 | Joseph Godber (Conservative) | 31,910 | 50.4% | Stella Marie Smedley (Labour) | 11,343 (17.9 pts) | 81.3% |
| Oct 1974 | Joseph Godber (Conservative) | 27,738 | 47.7% | Stella Marie Smedley (Labour) | 8,030 (13.8 pts) | 74.2% |
| 1979 | Douglas Hogg (Conservative) | 36,697 | 55.5% | Vivienne Bell (Labour) | 18,150 (27.5 pts) | 78.2% |
| 1983 | Douglas Hogg (Conservative) | 31,692 | 57.5% | Simon Titley (Liberal) | 18,911 (34.3 pts) | 73.5% |
| 1987 | Douglas Hogg (Conservative) | 33,988 | 57.1% | James Heppell (Liberal) | 21,303 (35.8 pts) | 75.0% |
| 1992 | Douglas Hogg (Conservative) | 37,194 | 56.2% | Steven Taggart (Labour) | 19,588 (29.6 pts) | 79.3% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algernon Gray Tollemache | Conservative | 388 | 41.6% | Yes |
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | 303 | 32.5% | Yes |
| Montague John Cholmeley | Whig | 241 | 25.9% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algernon Gray Tollemache | Conservative | 351 | 41.2% | Yes |
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | 351 | 41.2% | Yes |
| George Frederick Holt | Whig | 149 | 17.5% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | 398 | 39.9% | Yes |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Conservative | 308 | 30.9% | Yes |
| Robert Turner | Whig | 291 | 29.2% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glynne Earle Welby | Conservative | 483 | 40.7% | Yes |
| Montagu William Graham | Conservative | 375 | 31.6% | Yes |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Peelite | 329 | 27.7% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Earle Welby | Conservative | 472 | 40.2% | Yes |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Peelite | 393 | 33.5% | Yes |
| Montagu William Graham | Conservative | 308 | 26.3% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Earle Welby | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Henry Thorold | Conservative | 432 | 37.5% | Yes |
| William Earle Welby | Conservative | 404 | 35.1% | Yes |
| Frederick James Tollemache | Liberal | 315 | 27.4% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick James Tollemache | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley | Liberal | 1,055 | 36.1% | Yes |
| Henry Francis Cockayne-Cust | Conservative | 965 | 33.1% | Yes |
| John William Mellor | Liberal | 899 | 30.8% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John William Mellor | Liberal | 1,329 | 30.3% | Yes |
| Charles Savile Roundell | Liberal | 1,304 | 29.8% | Yes |
| Henry Francis Cockayne-Cust | Conservative | 915 | 20.9% | No |
| Charles Brinsley Marlay | Conservative | 835 | 19.1% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John William Mellor | Liberal | 1,377 | 54.9% | Yes |
| Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby | Conservative | 1,131 | 45.1% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Malcolm Low | Conservative | 1,197 | 50.8% | Yes |
| John William Mellor | Liberal | 1,161 | 49.2% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Yarde Buller Lopes | Conservative | 1,296 | 50.6% | Yes |
| Thomas Chatfeild Clarke | Liberal | 1,263 | 49.4% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Yarde Buller Lopes | Conservative | 1,507 | 56.4% | Yes |
| Samuel Danks Waddy | Liberal | 1,167 | 43.6% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Alexander Priestley | Liberal | 1,347 | 50.7% | Yes |
| Henry Yarde Buller Lopes | Conservative | 1,309 | 49.3% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Alexander Priestley | Liberal | 1,663 | 51.7% | Yes |
| Henry Leonard Campbell Brassey | Conservative | 1,554 | 48.3% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Alexander Priestley | Liberal | 1,848 | 52.0% | Yes |
| Geoffrey Henry Julian Skeffington Smyth | Conservative | 1,703 | 48.0% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Alexander Priestley | Liberal | 1,730 | 50.5% | Yes |
| Herbert Guy Snowden | Conservative | 1,697 | 49.5% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund Royds | Unionist | 9,972 | 48.4% | Yes |
| Robert Pattinson | Liberal | 8,701 | 42.2% | No |
| William Bilton Harris | Independent Labour and Agriculturalist | 1,927 | 9.4% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Pattinson | Liberal | 11,723 | 41.4% | Yes |
| Edmund Royds | Unionist | 11,295 | 39.8% | No |
| John Henry Jones | Labour | 5,332 | 18.8% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender | Unionist | 12,552 | 43.6% | Yes |
| Robert Pattinson | Liberal | 10,819 | 37.6% | No |
| Montague William Moore | Labour | 5,440 | 18.9% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender | Unionist | 14,746 | 49.6% | Yes |
| Alexander Lyle-Samuel | Liberal | 7,730 | 26.0% | No |
| Montague William Moore | Labour | 7,279 | 24.5% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender | Unionist | 16,121 | 40.8% | Yes |
| Hamilton Brown | Liberal | 12,023 | 30.5% | No |
| Montague William Moore | Labour | 11,340 | 28.7% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender | Conservative | 27,164 | 69.2% | Yes |
| Montague William Moore | Labour | 12,115 | 30.8% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Alexander George Anthony Warrender | Conservative | 22,194 | 58.1% | Yes |
| Montague William Moore | Labour | 16,009 | 41.9% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Denis Kendall | Independent | 27,719 | 58.2% | Yes |
| George Arthur Worth | Conservative | 12,206 | 25.6% | No |
| Thomas Sansby Bavin | Labour | 7,728 | 16.2% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Martin Smith | Conservative | 19,195 | 41.3% | Yes |
| Albert Edward Millett | Labour | 14,457 | 31.1% | No |
| William Denis Kendall | Independent | 12,792 | 27.5% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Bradshaw Godber | Conservative | 20,712 | 43.5% | Yes |
| Albert Edward Millett | Labour | 18,540 | 38.9% | No |
| William Denis Kendall | Liberal | 8,396 | 17.6% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Bradshaw Godber | Conservative | 24,188 | 50.8% | Yes |
| Woodrow Lyle Wyatt | Labour | 21,813 | 45.8% | No |
| Reginald Clifford Gaul | Liberal | 1,624 | 3.4% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Bradshaw Godber | Conservative | 27,482 | 56.8% | Yes |
| Thomas Cecil Skeffington-Lodge | Labour | 20,867 | 43.2% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Bradshaw Godber | Conservative | 27,634 | 55.9% | Yes |
| Peter Horton | Labour | 21,770 | 44.1% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Godber | Conservative | 24,748 | 47.7% | Yes |
| Mary Large | Labour | 22,590 | 43.6% | No |
| David Howie | Liberal | 4,503 | 8.7% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Godber | Conservative | 33,070 | 58.7% | Yes |
| W Frank Higgins | Labour | 23,296 | 41.3% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Godber | Conservative | 31,910 | 50.4% | Yes |
| Stella Marie Smedley | Labour | 20,567 | 32.5% | No |
| Winston Thomas Bailey | Liberal | 10,781 | 17.0% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Godber | Conservative | 27,738 | 47.7% | Yes |
| Stella Marie Smedley | Labour | 19,708 | 33.9% | No |
| Winston Thomas Bailey | Liberal | 10,752 | 18.5% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Hogg | Conservative | 36,697 | 55.5% | Yes |
| Vivienne Bell | Labour | 18,547 | 28.1% | No |
| Winston Thomas Bailey | Liberal | 10,852 | 16.4% | No |
1983
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Hogg | Conservative | 31,692 | 57.5% | Yes |
| Simon Titley | Liberal | 12,781 | 23.2% | No |
| Trence Eugene Savage | Labour | 10,677 | 19.4% | No |
1987
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Hogg | Conservative | 33,988 | 57.1% | Yes |
| James Heppell | Liberal | 12,685 | 21.3% | No |
| Maurice Gent | Labour | 12,197 | 20.5% | No |
| Patricia Hewis | Green | 700 | 1.2% | No |
1992
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Hogg | Conservative | 37,194 | 56.2% | Yes |
| Steven Taggart | Labour | 17,606 | 26.6% | No |
| James Heppell | Liberal Democrat | 9,882 | 14.9% | No |
| John Hiley | Liberal | 1,500 | 2.3% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Grantham has been contested at 41 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Peelite, Liberal, Unionist, Independent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Grantham in the 1992 general election?
Conservative won Grantham in 1992 with 37,194 votes (56.2%), a majority of 19,588 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won Grantham since 1832?
Since 1832, Grantham has been won by: Conservative, Independent, Liberal, Peelite, Unionist.
What was the closest result in Grantham?
The closest result on record for Grantham was Dec 1910, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 33 votes (1.0 percentage points).
Did Grantham ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Grantham 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.