Leicester — UK General Election Results
Leicester elected 2 MPs at the Jan 1910 general election: Eliot Crawshay-Williams (Liberal) and James Ramsay MacDonald (Labour). This page covers every general election in Leicester from 1832 to Jan 1910.
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–Jan 1910
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | William Evans (Whig); Wynne Ellis (Radical) | 1,527 | 37.3% (top seat) | John Ward-Boughton-Leigh (Conservative) | 261 (5.9 pts) | 72.7% |
| 1835 | Edward Goulburn (Conservative); Thomas Gladstone (Conservative) | 1,475 | 26.4% (top seat) | William Evans (Whig) | 123 (2.2 pts) | 92.2% |
| 1837 | Samuel Duckworth (Radical); John Easthope (Radical) | 1,816 | 27.8% (top seat) | Edward Goulburn (Conservative) | 362 (5.5 pts) | 91.6% |
| 1841 | John Easthope (Radical); Wynne Ellis (Radical) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | Joshua Walmsley (Radical); Richard Gardner (Radical) | 1,621 | 35.5% (top seat) | James Parker (Conservative) | 200 (4.2 pts) | 55.6% |
| 1852 | Joshua Walmsley (Radical); Richard Gardner (Radical) | 1,673 | 30.0% (top seat) | James Plaisted Wilde (Whig) | 557 (10.0 pts) | 72.4% |
| 1857 | John Dove Harris (Whig); John Biggs (Radical) | 1,603 | 34.7% (top seat) | Joshua Walmsley (Radical) | 163 (3.5 pts) | 56.0% |
| 1859 | John Biggs (Liberal); Joseph William Noble (Liberal) | 1,496 | 26.6% (top seat) | William Unwin Heygate (Conservative) | 20 (0.3 pts) | 70.8% |
| 1865 | John Dove Harris (Liberal); Peter Alfred Taylor (Liberal) | 2,199 | 35.6% (top seat) | William Unwin Heygate (Conservative) | 254 (3.9 pts) | 67.6% |
| 1868 | Peter Alfred Taylor (Liberal); John Dove Harris (Liberal) | 6,876 | 43.3% (top seat) | John Baker Greene (Independent Liberal) | 4,382 (26.5 pts) | 54.5% |
| 1874 | Peter Alfred Taylor (Liberal); Alexander McArthur (Liberal) | 7,283 | 36.5% (top seat) | John Henry Boyer Warner (Conservative) | 1,668 (8.2 pts) | 59.5% |
| 1880 | Peter Alfred Taylor (Liberal); Alexander McArthur (Liberal) | 10,438 | 36.7% (top seat) | William Winterton (Conservative) | 6,252 (21.5 pts) | 77.4% |
| 1885 | James Allanson Picton (Liberal); Alexander McArthur (Liberal) | 11,121 | 39.1% (top seat) | William Millican (Conservative) | 4,370 (14.9 pts) | 83.5% |
| 1886 | James Allanson Picton (Liberal); Alexander McArthur (Liberal) | 9,681 | 39.2% (top seat) | Robert Bickersteth (Liberal Unionist) | 3,995 (15.8 pts) | 71.3% |
| 1892 | James Allanson Picton (Liberal); James Whitehead (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1895 | Henry Broadhurst (Liberal-Labour); Walter Hazell (Liberal) | 7,753 | 33.5% (top seat) | John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston (Conservative) | 99 (0.3 pts) | 78.2% |
| 1900 | Henry Broadhurst (Liberal-Labour); John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston (Conservative) | 9,066 | 32.3% (top seat) | Walter Hazell (Liberal) | 538 (1.7 pts) | 83.3% |
| 1906 | Henry Broadhurst (Liberal-Labour); James Ramsay MacDonald (Labour) | 14,685 | 39.9% (top seat) | John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston (Conservative) | 7,181 (19.4 pts) | 88.9% |
| Dec 1910 | Elliot Crawshay-Williams (Liberal); James Ramsay MacDonald (Labour) | 12,998 | 39.2% (top seat) | Alured Myddelton Wilshere (Conservative) | 5,451 (16.1 pts) | 83.5% |
| Jan 1910 | Eliot Crawshay-Williams (Liberal); James Ramsay MacDonald (Labour) | 14,337 | 32.0% (top seat) | J Foster Fraser (Conservative) | 5,789 (12.7 pts) | 91.8% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Evans | Whig | 1,663 | 37.3% | Yes |
| Wynne Ellis | Radical | 1,527 | 34.3% | Yes |
| John Ward-Boughton-Leigh | Conservative | 1,266 | 28.4% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Goulburn | Conservative | 1,484 | 26.4% | Yes |
| Thomas Gladstone | Conservative | 1,475 | 26.2% | Yes |
| William Evans | Whig | 1,352 | 24.0% | No |
| Wynne Ellis | Radical | 1,314 | 23.4% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Duckworth | Radical | 1,816 | 27.8% | Yes |
| John Easthope | Radical | 1,816 | 27.8% | Yes |
| Edward Goulburn | Conservative | 1,454 | 22.2% | No |
| Thomas Gladstone | Conservative | 1,453 | 22.2% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Easthope | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Wynne Ellis | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Walmsley | Radical | 1,671 | 35.5% | Yes |
| Richard Gardner | Radical | 1,621 | 34.4% | Yes |
| James Parker | Conservative | 1,421 | 30.2% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Walmsley | Radical | 1,673 | 30.0% | Yes |
| Richard Gardner | Radical | 1,673 | 30.0% | Yes |
| James Plaisted Wilde | Whig | 1,116 | 20.0% | No |
| Geoffrey Palmer | Whig | 1,114 | 20.0% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Dove Harris | Whig | 1,618 | 34.7% | Yes |
| John Biggs | Radical | 1,603 | 34.4% | Yes |
| Joshua Walmsley | Radical | 1,440 | 30.9% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Biggs | Liberal | 1,584 | 26.6% | Yes |
| Joseph William Noble | Liberal | 1,496 | 25.1% | Yes |
| William Unwin Heygate | Conservative | 1,476 | 24.8% | No |
| John Dove Harris | Liberal | 1,397 | 23.5% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Dove Harris | Liberal | 2,295 | 35.6% | Yes |
| Peter Alfred Taylor | Liberal | 2,199 | 34.2% | Yes |
| William Unwin Heygate | Conservative | 1,945 | 30.2% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Alfred Taylor | Liberal | 7,148 | 43.3% | Yes |
| John Dove Harris | Liberal | 6,876 | 41.6% | Yes |
| John Baker Greene | Independent Liberal | 2,494 | 15.1% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Alfred Taylor | Liberal | 7,408 | 36.5% | Yes |
| Alexander McArthur | Liberal | 7,283 | 35.9% | Yes |
| John Henry Boyer Warner | Conservative | 5,615 | 27.7% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Alfred Taylor | Liberal | 10,675 | 36.7% | Yes |
| Alexander McArthur | Liberal | 10,438 | 35.8% | Yes |
| William Winterton | Conservative | 4,186 | 14.4% | No |
| John Henry Boyer Warner | Conservative | 3,820 | 13.1% | No |
1885 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Allanson Picton | Liberal | 11,480 | 39.1% | Yes |
| Alexander McArthur | Liberal | 11,121 | 37.9% | Yes |
| William Millican | Conservative | 6,751 | 23.0% | No |
1886 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Allanson Picton | Liberal | 9,914 | 39.2% | Yes |
| Alexander McArthur | Liberal | 9,681 | 38.3% | Yes |
| Robert Bickersteth | Liberal Unionist | 5,686 | 22.5% | No |
1892 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Allanson Picton | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| James Whitehead | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1895 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Broadhurst | Liberal-Labour | 9,792 | 33.5% | Yes |
| Walter Hazell | Liberal | 7,753 | 26.5% | Yes |
| John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston | Conservative | 7,654 | 26.2% | No |
| Joseph Burgess | Independent Labour | 4,009 | 13.7% | No |
1900 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Broadhurst | Liberal-Labour | 10,385 | 32.3% | Yes |
| John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston | Conservative | 9,066 | 28.2% | Yes |
| Walter Hazell | Liberal | 8,528 | 26.5% | No |
| James Ramsay MacDonald | Labour | 4,164 | 13.0% | No |
1906 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Broadhurst | Liberal-Labour | 14,745 | 39.9% | Yes |
| James Ramsay MacDonald | Labour | 14,685 | 39.8% | Yes |
| John Fowke Lancelot Rolleston | Conservative | 7,504 | 20.3% | No |
Dec 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Crawshay-Williams | Liberal | 13,238 | 39.2% | Yes |
| James Ramsay MacDonald | Labour | 12,998 | 38.5% | Yes |
| Alured Myddelton Wilshere | Conservative | 7,547 | 22.3% | No |
Jan 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliot Crawshay-Williams | Liberal | 14,643 | 32.0% | Yes |
| James Ramsay MacDonald | Labour | 14,337 | 31.4% | Yes |
| J Foster Fraser | Conservative | 8,548 | 18.7% | No |
| Edward Albert Ashton Bagley | Conservative | 8,192 | 17.9% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Leicester has been contested at 20 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Radical, Conservative, Liberal, Liberal-Labour, Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Leicester in the Jan 1910 general election?
Eliot Crawshay-Williams (Liberal), James Ramsay MacDonald (Labour) won Leicester in Jan 1910.
Which parties have won Leicester since 1832?
Since 1832, Leicester has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal-Labour, Radical, Whig.
What was the closest result in Leicester?
The closest result on record for Leicester was 1859, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 20 votes (0.3 percentage points).
Did Leicester ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Leicester 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.