Lancaster — UK General Election Results
Lancaster was won by Conservative at the 1992 general election, with a majority of 2,953 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Lancaster 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 | Thomas Greene (Conservative); Patrick Maxwell Stewart (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1835 | Thomas Greene (Conservative); Patrick Maxwell Stewart (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | Thomas Greene (Conservative); George Marton (Conservative) | 527 | 31.6% (top seat) | Patrick Maxwell Stewart (Whig) | 74 (3.8 pts) | 83.6% |
| 1841 | Thomas Greene (Conservative); George Marton (Conservative) | 594 | 37.5% (top seat) | John Armstrong (Whig) | 22 (1.2 pts) | 72.0% |
| 1847 | Samuel Gregson (Whig); Thomas Greene (Peelite) | 721 | 35.0% (top seat) | Edward Dodson Salisbury (Conservative) | 100 (4.8 pts) | 75.0% |
| 1852 | Samuel Gregson (Whig); Robert Baynes Armstrong (Radical) | 690 | 30.0% (top seat) | Thomas Greene (Peelite) | 181 (7.8 pts) | 83.6% |
| 1857 | Samuel Gregson (Whig); William James Garnett (Conservative) | 773 | 38.7% (top seat) | Robert Gladstone (Conservative) | 236 (11.0 pts) | 80.5% |
| 1859 | William James Garnett (Conservative); Samuel Gregson (Liberal) | 641 | 29.1% (top seat) | William Allen Francis Saunders (Conservative) | 132 (5.8 pts) | 88.1% |
| 1865 | Edward Matthew Fenwick (Liberal); Henry William Schneider (Liberal) | 687 | 34.5% (top seat) | Edward Lawrence (Conservative) | 22 (1.1 pts) | 70.5% |
| 1885 | George Blucher Heneage Marton (Conservative) | 4,387 | 55.4% | James Carlile McCoan (Liberal) | 857 (10.8 pts) | 88.3% |
| 1886 | James Williamson (Liberal) | 3,886 | 51.3% | George Blucher Heneage Marton (Conservative) | 195 (2.6 pts) | 84.6% |
| 1892 | James Williamson (Liberal) | 4,755 | 53.9% | Thomas Storey (Liberal Unionist) | 680 (7.7 pts) | 88.3% |
| 1895 | William Henry Foster (Conservative) | 5,028 | 53.4% | Isaac Saunders Leadam (Liberal) | 634 (6.7 pts) | 87.4% |
| 1900 | Norval Watson Helme (Liberal) | 5,113 | 50.2% | William Henry Foster (Conservative) | 44 (0.4 pts) | 82.6% |
| 1906 | Norval Watson Helme (Liberal) | 6,524 | 53.6% | William Henry Foster (Conservative) | 884 (7.3 pts) | 86.4% |
| Dec 1910 | Norval Watson Helme (Liberal) | 6,168 | 50.5% | Herwald Ramsbotham (Conservative) | 116 (0.9 pts) | 82.6% |
| Jan 1910 | Norval Watson Helme (Liberal) | 7,132 | 54.1% | Edward Russell-Taylor (Conservative) | 1,084 (8.2 pts) | 89.1% |
| 1918 | Archibald Hunter (Unionist) | 14,403 | 59.6% | Norval Watson Helme (Liberal) | 4,625 (19.1 pts) | 65.4% |
| 1922 | John Edward Singleton (Unionist) | 19,571 | 68.4% | Archibald Fenner Brockway (Labour) | 10,528 (36.8 pts) | 79.2% |
| 1923 | John Joseph O'Neill (Liberal) | 17,763 | 59.2% | John Edward Singleton (Unionist) | 5,500 (18.3 pts) | 80.0% |
| 1924 | Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland (Unionist) | 15,243 | 47.8% | John Joseph O'Neill (Liberal) | 4,158 (13.0 pts) | 82.9% |
| 1929 | Herwald Ramsbottom (Unionist) | 17,414 | 39.3% | Robert Parkinson Tomlinson (Liberal) | 437 (1.0 pts) | 83.9% |
| 1931 | Herwald Ramsbotham (Conservative) | 32,185 | 75.7% | Robert Carrington-Willis (Labour) | 21,876 (51.5 pts) | 76.3% |
| 1935 | Herwald Ramsbotham (Conservative) | 26,632 | 53.7% | Robert Parkinson Tomlinson (Liberal) | 13,578 (27.4 pts) | 79.0% |
| 1945 | Fitzroy Hew Royle (Conservative) | 27,090 | 49.4% | Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer (Labour) | 7,723 (14.1 pts) | 74.0% |
| 1950 | Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean (Conservative) | 18,437 | 48.3% | Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer (Labour) | 3,096 (8.1 pts) | 85.1% |
| 1951 | Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean (Conservative) | 20,555 | 53.2% | Dodo Lees (Labour) | 2,456 (6.3 pts) | 86.1% |
| 1955 | Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean (Conservative) | 19,873 | 56.5% | Christopher Sebastian Bravery Attlee (Labour) | 4,549 (12.9 pts) | 80.3% |
| 1959 | Humphry John Berkeley (Conservative) | 20,783 | 57.7% | Ernest Gardner (Labour) | 5,528 (15.3 pts) | 82.4% |
| 1964 | Humphry John Berkeley (Conservative) | 18,811 | 53.5% | Ernest Gardner (Labour) | 2,481 (7.1 pts) | 79.7% |
| 1966 | Stanley Henig (Labour) | 18,168 | 52.6% | Humphry Berkeley (Conservative) | 1,811 (5.2 pts) | 79.2% |
| 1970 | Mary Kellett (Conservative) | 18,584 | 49.1% | Stanley Henig (Labour) | 1,741 (4.6 pts) | 79.6% |
| Feb 1974 | Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 17,666 | 43.5% | David Owen (Labour) | 2,469 (6.1 pts) | 82.4% |
| Oct 1974 | Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 16,540 | 42.6% | David Owen (Labour) | 1,421 (3.7 pts) | 83.2% |
| 1979 | Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 19,400 | 47.6% | Ruth Henig (Labour) | 4,226 (10.4 pts) | 79.4% |
| 1983 | Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 21,050 | 50.3% | Colin Harkins (Labour) | 10,636 (25.4 pts) | 74.7% |
| 1987 | Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 21,142 | 46.7% | Joseph Gallacher (Labour) | 6,453 (14.2 pts) | 79.2% |
| 1992 | Dame Mary Kellett-Bowman (Conservative) | 21,084 | 45.6% | Ruth Henig (Labour) | 2,953 (6.4 pts) | 78.8% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Greene | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Patrick Maxwell Stewart | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Greene | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Patrick Maxwell Stewart | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Greene | Conservative | 614 | 31.6% | Yes |
| George Marton | Conservative | 527 | 27.2% | Yes |
| Patrick Maxwell Stewart | Whig | 453 | 23.3% | No |
| William Rathbone Greg | Whig | 347 | 17.9% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Greene | Conservative | 699 | 37.5% | Yes |
| George Marton | Conservative | 594 | 31.8% | Yes |
| John Armstrong | Whig | 572 | 30.7% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Gregson | Whig | 724 | 35.0% | Yes |
| Thomas Greene | Peelite | 721 | 34.9% | Yes |
| Edward Dodson Salisbury | Conservative | 621 | 30.1% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Gregson | Whig | 699 | 30.0% | Yes |
| Robert Baynes Armstrong | Radical | 690 | 29.6% | Yes |
| Thomas Greene | Peelite | 509 | 21.8% | No |
| John Ellis | Conservative | 432 | 18.5% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Gregson | Whig | 827 | 38.7% | Yes |
| William James Garnett | Conservative | 773 | 36.2% | Yes |
| Robert Gladstone | Conservative | 537 | 25.1% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William James Garnett | Conservative | 660 | 29.1% | Yes |
| Samuel Gregson | Liberal | 641 | 28.3% | Yes |
| William Allen Francis Saunders | Conservative | 509 | 22.4% | No |
| Edward Matthew Fenwick | Liberal | 459 | 20.2% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Matthew Fenwick | Liberal | 713 | 34.5% | Yes |
| Henry William Schneider | Liberal | 687 | 33.3% | Yes |
| Edward Lawrence | Conservative | 665 | 32.2% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Blucher Heneage Marton | Conservative | 4,387 | 55.4% | Yes |
| James Carlile McCoan | Liberal | 3,530 | 44.6% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Williamson | Liberal | 3,886 | 51.3% | Yes |
| George Blucher Heneage Marton | Conservative | 3,691 | 48.7% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Williamson | Liberal | 4,755 | 53.9% | Yes |
| Thomas Storey | Liberal Unionist | 4,075 | 46.1% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Henry Foster | Conservative | 5,028 | 53.4% | Yes |
| Isaac Saunders Leadam | Liberal | 4,394 | 46.6% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norval Watson Helme | Liberal | 5,113 | 50.2% | Yes |
| William Henry Foster | Conservative | 5,069 | 49.8% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norval Watson Helme | Liberal | 6,524 | 53.6% | Yes |
| William Henry Foster | Conservative | 5,640 | 46.4% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norval Watson Helme | Liberal | 6,168 | 50.5% | Yes |
| Herwald Ramsbotham | Conservative | 6,052 | 49.5% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norval Watson Helme | Liberal | 7,132 | 54.1% | Yes |
| Edward Russell-Taylor | Conservative | 6,048 | 45.9% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archibald Hunter | Unionist | 14,403 | 59.6% | Yes |
| Norval Watson Helme | Liberal | 9,778 | 40.4% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Edward Singleton | Unionist | 19,571 | 68.4% | Yes |
| Archibald Fenner Brockway | Labour | 9,043 | 31.6% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Joseph O'Neill | Liberal | 17,763 | 59.2% | Yes |
| John Edward Singleton | Unionist | 12,263 | 40.8% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Paul Joseph Cajetan Carmel Antony Martin Strickland | Unionist | 15,243 | 47.8% | Yes |
| John Joseph O'Neill | Liberal | 11,085 | 34.7% | No |
| Harold Mostyn Watkins | Labour | 5,572 | 17.5% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herwald Ramsbottom | Unionist | 17,414 | 39.3% | Yes |
| Robert Parkinson Tomlinson | Liberal | 16,977 | 38.3% | No |
| Reginald Penrith Burnett | Labour | 9,903 | 22.4% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herwald Ramsbotham | Conservative | 32,185 | 75.7% | Yes |
| Robert Carrington-Willis | Labour | 10,309 | 24.3% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herwald Ramsbotham | Conservative | 26,632 | 53.7% | Yes |
| Robert Parkinson Tomlinson | Liberal | 13,054 | 26.3% | No |
| Charles Royle | Labour | 9,938 | 20.0% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy Hew Royle | Conservative | 27,090 | 49.4% | Yes |
| Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer | Labour | 19,367 | 35.3% | No |
| Eric Seymour Thewlis Johnson | Liberal | 8,357 | 15.2% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean | Conservative | 18,437 | 48.3% | Yes |
| Albert Edward Victor Ainsworth Farrer | Labour | 15,341 | 40.2% | No |
| Harold Rogerson | Liberal | 4,416 | 11.6% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean | Conservative | 20,555 | 53.2% | Yes |
| Dodo Lees | Labour | 18,099 | 46.8% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzroy Hew Royle MacLean | Conservative | 19,873 | 56.5% | Yes |
| Christopher Sebastian Bravery Attlee | Labour | 15,324 | 43.5% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humphry John Berkeley | Conservative | 20,783 | 57.7% | Yes |
| Ernest Gardner | Labour | 15,255 | 42.3% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humphry John Berkeley | Conservative | 18,811 | 53.5% | Yes |
| Ernest Gardner | Labour | 16,330 | 46.5% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Henig | Labour | 18,168 | 52.6% | Yes |
| Humphry Berkeley | Conservative | 16,357 | 47.4% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett | Conservative | 18,584 | 49.1% | Yes |
| Stanley Henig | Labour | 16,843 | 44.5% | No |
| Andrew Paton | Liberal | 2,436 | 6.4% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 17,666 | 43.5% | Yes |
| David Owen | Labour | 15,197 | 37.4% | No |
| Anthony Drury | Liberal | 6,898 | 17.0% | No |
| Philip Wallace | Independent Liberal | 631 | 1.6% | No |
| Geoffrey Darnton | Independent | 245 | 0.6% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 16,540 | 42.6% | Yes |
| David Owen | Labour | 15,119 | 38.9% | No |
| Michael Mumford | Liberal | 7,161 | 18.4% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 19,400 | 47.6% | Yes |
| Ruth Henig | Labour | 15,174 | 37.3% | No |
| Michael Mumford | Liberal | 5,949 | 14.6% | No |
| David White | National Front | 196 | 0.5% | No |
1983
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 21,050 | 50.3% | Yes |
| Colin Harkins | Labour | 10,414 | 24.9% | No |
| William Booth | Liberal | 10,214 | 24.4% | No |
| Stuart Leach | Independent | 179 | 0.4% | No |
1987
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 21,142 | 46.7% | Yes |
| Joseph Gallacher | Labour | 14,689 | 32.4% | No |
| Kathleen Brooks | Liberal | 9,003 | 19.9% | No |
| Peter Jones | Green | 473 | 1.0% | No |
1992
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dame Mary Kellett-Bowman | Conservative | 21,084 | 45.6% | Yes |
| Ruth Henig | Labour | 18,131 | 39.2% | No |
| John Humberstone | Liberal Democrat | 6,524 | 14.1% | No |
| Gina Dowding | Green | 433 | 0.9% | No |
| Robert Barcis | Natural Law | 83 | 0.2% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Lancaster has been contested at 38 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Peelite, Radical, Liberal, Unionist, Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Lancaster in the 1992 general election?
Conservative won Lancaster in 1992 with 21,084 votes (45.6%), a majority of 2,953 votes over Labour in second place.
Which parties have won Lancaster since 1832?
Since 1832, Lancaster has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Peelite, Radical, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Lancaster?
The closest result on record for Lancaster was 1900, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 44 votes (0.4 percentage points).
Did Lancaster ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Lancaster 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.