Isle of Ely — UK General Election Results
Isle of Ely was won by Liberal at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 3,330 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Isle of Ely from 1918 to 1979.
Full Election History, 1918–1979
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Colin Reith Coote (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1922 | Norman Coates (Unionist) | 13,552 | 50.9% | Colin Reith Coote (National Liberal) | 6,193 (23.3 pts) | 72.0% |
| 1923 | Henry Ludwig Mond (Liberal) | 11,476 | 44.7% | Maximillian Gowran Townley (Unionist) | 467 (1.8 pts) | 68.1% |
| 1924 | Hugh Vere Huntly Duff Munro Lucas-Tooth (Unionist) | 13,344 | 46.1% | Henry Ludwig Mond (Liberal) | 1,963 (6.8 pts) | 75.7% |
| 1929 | James Armand Edmond de Rothschild (Liberal) | 16,111 | 43.9% | Hugh Vere Huntly Duff Lucas-Tooth (Unionist) | 2,483 (6.8 pts) | 75.0% |
| 1931 | James Armand Edmond de Rothschild (Liberal) | 20,842 | 64.9% | John Alexander Whitehead (Agricultural) | 13,849 (43.1 pts) | 63.2% |
| 1935 | James Armand Edmond de Rothschild (Liberal) | 17,671 | 51.0% | William Garthwaite (Conservative) | 699 (2.0 pts) | 66.0% |
| 1945 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 15,592 | 40.6% | Alfred Francis Colenso Gray (Labour) | 2,321 (6.0 pts) | 67.8% |
| 1950 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 21,528 | 45.0% | Alfred Francis Colenso Gray (Labour) | 4,963 (10.4 pts) | 79.6% |
| 1951 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Burke (Conservative) | 26,319 | 56.9% | Alfred Francis Colenso Gray (Labour) | 6,404 (13.9 pts) | 75.9% |
| 1955 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 24,862 | 57.4% | Alfred Francis Colenso Gray (Labour) | 6,446 (14.9 pts) | 70.7% |
| 1959 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 26,173 | 57.0% | John Derek Page (Labour) | 6,468 (14.1 pts) | 74.7% |
| 1964 | Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 25,317 | 56.2% | Cyril Shaw (Labour) | 5,625 (12.5 pts) | 73.8% |
| 1966 | Major Edward Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 21,320 | 46.2% | Graham Nurse (Labour) | 1,754 (3.8 pts) | 75.9% |
| 1970 | Major Edward Legge-Bourke (Conservative) | 28,972 | 59.9% | Rex O'Hare (Labour) | 9,606 (19.9 pts) | 71.9% |
| Oct 1974 | Clement Freud (Liberal) | 22,040 | 41.7% | Dr Irving Stuttaford (Conservative) | 2,685 (5.1 pts) | 77.1% |
| Feb 1974 | Clement Freud (Liberal) | 27,647 | 49.0% | John Stevens (Conservative) | 8,347 (14.8 pts) | 83.1% |
| 1979 | Clement Freud (Liberal) | 26,397 | 46.7% | Dr Irving Stuttaford (Conservative) | 3,330 (5.9 pts) | 80.8% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Reith Coote | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Coates | Unionist | 13,552 | 50.9% | Yes |
| Colin Reith Coote | National Liberal | 7,359 | 27.7% | No |
| William George Hall | Labour | 5,688 | 21.4% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Ludwig Mond | Liberal | 11,476 | 44.7% | Yes |
| Maximillian Gowran Townley | Unionist | 11,009 | 42.9% | No |
| Richard Henry Kennard Hope | Labour | 3,172 | 12.4% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Vere Huntly Duff Munro Lucas-Tooth | Unionist | 13,344 | 46.1% | Yes |
| Henry Ludwig Mond | Liberal | 11,381 | 39.3% | No |
| Dermot Johnston Freyer | Labour | 4,235 | 14.6% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Armand Edmond de Rothschild | Liberal | 16,111 | 43.9% | Yes |
| Hugh Vere Huntly Duff Lucas-Tooth | Unionist | 13,628 | 37.1% | No |
| Dermot Johnston Freyer | Labour | 6,967 | 19.0% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Armand Edmond de Rothschild | Liberal | 20,842 | 64.9% | Yes |
| John Alexander Whitehead | Agricultural | 6,993 | 21.8% | No |
| Francis Joseph Knowles | Labour | 4,302 | 13.4% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Armand Edmond de Rothschild | Liberal | 17,671 | 51.0% | Yes |
| William Garthwaite | Conservative | 16,972 | 49.0% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 15,592 | 40.6% | Yes |
| Alfred Francis Colenso Gray | Labour | 13,271 | 34.5% | No |
| James Armand Edmond de Rothschild | Liberal | 9,564 | 24.9% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 21,528 | 45.0% | Yes |
| Alfred Francis Colenso Gray | Labour | 16,565 | 34.6% | No |
| Thomas Grenville Jones | Liberal | 9,733 | 20.4% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Burke | Conservative | 26,319 | 56.9% | Yes |
| Alfred Francis Colenso Gray | Labour | 19,915 | 43.1% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 24,862 | 57.4% | Yes |
| Alfred Francis Colenso Gray | Labour | 18,416 | 42.6% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 26,173 | 57.0% | Yes |
| John Derek Page | Labour | 19,705 | 43.0% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Alexander Henry Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 25,317 | 56.2% | Yes |
| Cyril Shaw | Labour | 19,692 | 43.8% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Edward Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 21,320 | 46.2% | Yes |
| Graham Nurse | Labour | 19,566 | 42.4% | No |
| Derek Rigby | Liberal | 5,250 | 11.4% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Edward Legge-Bourke | Conservative | 28,972 | 59.9% | Yes |
| Rex O'Hare | Labour | 19,366 | 40.1% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clement Freud | Liberal | 22,040 | 41.7% | Yes |
| Dr Irving Stuttaford | Conservative | 19,355 | 36.6% | No |
| Michael Ferris | Labour | 11,420 | 21.6% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clement Freud | Liberal | 27,647 | 49.0% | Yes |
| John Stevens | Conservative | 19,300 | 34.2% | No |
| Michael Harris | Labour | 9,478 | 16.8% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clement Freud | Liberal | 26,397 | 46.7% | Yes |
| Dr Irving Stuttaford | Conservative | 23,067 | 40.8% | No |
| Colin Saunders | Labour | 7,067 | 12.5% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Isle of Ely has been contested at 18 general elections on record since 1918. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Unionist, Conservative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Isle of Ely in the 1979 general election?
Liberal won Isle of Ely in 1979 with 26,397 votes (46.7%), a majority of 3,330 votes over Conservative in second place.
Which parties have won Isle of Ely since 1918?
Since 1918, Isle of Ely has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Unionist.
What was the closest result in Isle of Ely?
The closest result on record for Isle of Ely was 1923, when Liberal beat Unionist by just 467 votes (1.8 percentage points).