Leominster — UK General Election Results
Leominster was won by Conservative at the 2005 general election, with a majority of 13,187 votes over Liberal Democrat. This page covers every general election in Leominster from 1832 to 2005.
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, 1832–2005
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Thomas Bish (Whig); Beaumont Hotham (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1835 | Thomas Bish (Whig); Beaumont Hotham (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | Beaumont Hotham (Conservative); Charles Greenaway (Whig) | 364 | 38.5% (top seat) | James Wigram (Conservative) | 98 (9.6 pts) | 76.4% |
| 1841 | James Wigram (Conservative); Charles Greenaway (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | George Arkwright (Conservative); Henry Barkly (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1852 | George Arkwright (Conservative); John George Phillimore (Whig) | 206 | 39.6% (top seat) | John Pollard Willoughby (Conservative) | 16 (2.4 pts) | 59.5% |
| 1857 | Gathorne Hardy (Conservative); John Pollard Willoughby (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | Gathorne Hardy (Conservative); Charles Spencer Bateman-Hanbury (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Arthur Walsh (Conservative); Gathorne Hardy (Conservative) | 208 | 38.3% (top seat) | William Mathewson Hindmarch (Liberal) | 71 (12.7 pts) | 76.2% |
| 1868 | Richard Arkwright (Conservative) | 432 | 71.3% | Thomas Spinks (Liberal) | 258 (42.6 pts) | 68.7% |
| 1874 | Richard Arkwright (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1880 | James Rankin (Conservative) | 457 | 56.3% | Thomas Blake (Liberal) | 102 (12.6 pts) | 90.2% |
| 1885 | Thomas Duckham (Liberal) | 3,871 | 50.8% | James Rankin (Conservative) | 121 (1.6 pts) | 81.8% |
| 1886 | James Rankin (Conservative) | 4,287 | 64.2% | Edward Scudamore Lucas (Liberal) | 1,893 (28.3 pts) | 71.7% |
| 1892 | James Rankin (Conservative) | 4,318 | 59.7% | James Tertius Southall (Liberal) | 1,400 (19.4 pts) | 74.0% |
| 1895 | James Rankin (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1900 | James Rankin (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1906 | Edmund George Lamb (Liberal) | 3,892 | 50.2% | James Rankin (Conservative) | 28 (0.4 pts) | 83.1% |
| Jan 1910 | James Rankin (Conservative) | 4,822 | 54.7% | Edmund George Lamb (Liberal) | 831 (9.4 pts) | 91.0% |
| Dec 1910 | James Rankin (Conservative) | 4,600 | 57.3% | Wyatt Paine (Liberal) | 1,169 (14.6 pts) | 82.9% |
| 1918 | Charles Lionel Atkins Ward-Jackson (Unionist) | 8,308 | 50.4% | Edmund George Lamb (Liberal) | 3,017 (18.3 pts) | 62.9% |
| 1922 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Unionist) | 10,978 | 53.1% | Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander (Liberal) | 1,280 (6.2 pts) | 79.0% |
| 1923 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Unionist) | 11,582 | 57.3% | James Dockett (Liberal) | 2,968 (14.7 pts) | 75.8% |
| 1924 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Unionist) | 12,470 | 64.4% | George Adolphus Edinger (Liberal) | 5,573 (28.8 pts) | 71.6% |
| 1929 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Unionist) | 13,237 | 52.5% | George Adolphus Edinger (Liberal) | 1,247 (4.9 pts) | 76.3% |
| 1931 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Conservative) | 16,916 | 63.3% | George Adolphus Edinger (Liberal) | 7,113 (26.6 pts) | 79.9% |
| 1935 | Ernest Whittome Shepperson (Conservative) | 14,180 | 53.2% | Albert Ernest Farr (Liberal) | 1,715 (6.4 pts) | 78.2% |
| 1945 | Archer Ernest Baldwin (Conservative) | 14,224 | 51.1% | Albert Ernest Farr (Liberal) | 638 (2.3 pts) | 74.4% |
| 1950 | Archer Ernest Baldwin (Conservative) | 18,036 | 55.9% | Edmund Jones (Labour) | 9,634 (29.8 pts) | 80.9% |
| 1951 | Archer Ernest Baldwin (Conservative) | 19,952 | 66.7% | Edmund Jones (Labour) | 10,013 (33.5 pts) | 74.2% |
| 1955 | Archer Ernest Baldwin (Conservative) | 18,487 | 65.5% | Alfred Thomas Evans (Labour) | 8,747 (31.0 pts) | 70.4% |
| 1959 | Clive Bossom (Conservative) | 16,642 | 55.4% | Thomas Grenville Jones (Liberal) | 9,737 (32.4 pts) | 76.4% |
| 1964 | Clive Bossom (Conservative) | 15,238 | 50.9% | Edward Paul Cadbury (Liberal) | 6,297 (21.0 pts) | 77.1% |
| 1966 | Clive Bossom (Conservative) | 15,045 | 51.5% | Dr Edward Cadbury (Liberal) | 7,398 (25.3 pts) | 75.2% |
| 1970 | Clive Bossom (Conservative) | 17,630 | 58.0% | Roger Pincham (Liberal) | 11,168 (36.7 pts) | 72.9% |
| Feb 1974 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 16,221 | 46.4% | Roger Pincham (Liberal) | 1,619 (4.6 pts) | 80.0% |
| Oct 1974 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 15,741 | 46.1% | Roger Pincham (Liberal) | 579 (1.7 pts) | 78.4% |
| 1979 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 21,126 | 53.5% | Roger Pincham (Liberal) | 4,865 (12.3 pts) | 81.9% |
| 1983 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 29,276 | 57.0% | Roger Pincham (Liberal) | 9,786 (19.1 pts) | 77.5% |
| 1987 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 31,396 | 57.9% | Stephen Clive Morris (Liberal) | 14,075 (25.9 pts) | 78.0% |
| 1992 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 32,783 | 56.6% | David Cyril Short (Liberal Democrat) | 16,680 (28.8 pts) | 81.7% |
| 1997 | Peter Temple-Morris (Conservative) | 22,888 | 45.3% | Terry James (Liberal Democrat) | 8,835 (17.5 pts) | 76.7% |
| 2001 | Bill Wiggin (Conservative) | 22,879 | 49.0% | Celia Downie (Liberal Democrat) | 10,367 (22.2 pts) | 68.0% |
| 2005 | Bill Wiggin (Conservative) | 25,407 | 52.1% | Caroline Williams (Liberal Democrat) | 13,187 (27.0 pts) | 67.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bish | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Beaumont Hotham | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Bish | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Beaumont Hotham | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont Hotham | Conservative | 395 | 38.5% | Yes |
| Charles Greenaway | Whig | 364 | 35.5% | Yes |
| James Wigram | Conservative | 266 | 26.0% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Wigram | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Charles Greenaway | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Arkwright | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Henry Barkly | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Arkwright | Conservative | 260 | 39.6% | Yes |
| John George Phillimore | Whig | 206 | 31.4% | Yes |
| John Pollard Willoughby | Conservative | 190 | 29.0% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gathorne Hardy | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Pollard Willoughby | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gathorne Hardy | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Charles Spencer Bateman-Hanbury | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Walsh | Conservative | 214 | 38.3% | Yes |
| Gathorne Hardy | Conservative | 208 | 37.2% | Yes |
| William Mathewson Hindmarch | Liberal | 137 | 24.5% | No |
1868
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Arkwright | Conservative | 432 | 71.3% | Yes |
| Thomas Spinks | Liberal | 174 | 28.7% | No |
1874
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Arkwright | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1880
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | 457 | 56.3% | Yes |
| Thomas Blake | Liberal | 355 | 43.7% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Duckham | Liberal | 3,871 | 50.8% | Yes |
| James Rankin | Conservative | 3,750 | 49.2% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | 4,287 | 64.2% | Yes |
| Edward Scudamore Lucas | Liberal | 2,394 | 35.8% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | 4,318 | 59.7% | Yes |
| James Tertius Southall | Liberal | 2,918 | 40.3% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund George Lamb | Liberal | 3,892 | 50.2% | Yes |
| James Rankin | Conservative | 3,864 | 49.8% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | 4,822 | 54.7% | Yes |
| Edmund George Lamb | Liberal | 3,991 | 45.3% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Rankin | Conservative | 4,600 | 57.3% | Yes |
| Wyatt Paine | Liberal | 3,431 | 42.7% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Lionel Atkins Ward-Jackson | Unionist | 8,308 | 50.4% | Yes |
| Edmund George Lamb | Liberal | 5,291 | 32.1% | No |
| Ernest Wilfred Langford | National Farmers Union | 2,870 | 17.4% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Unionist | 10,978 | 53.1% | Yes |
| Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander | Liberal | 9,698 | 46.9% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Unionist | 11,582 | 57.3% | Yes |
| James Dockett | Liberal | 8,614 | 42.7% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Unionist | 12,470 | 64.4% | Yes |
| George Adolphus Edinger | Liberal | 6,897 | 35.6% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Unionist | 13,237 | 52.5% | Yes |
| George Adolphus Edinger | Liberal | 11,990 | 47.5% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Conservative | 16,916 | 63.3% | Yes |
| George Adolphus Edinger | Liberal | 9,803 | 36.7% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Whittome Shepperson | Conservative | 14,180 | 53.2% | Yes |
| Albert Ernest Farr | Liberal | 12,465 | 46.8% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Ernest Baldwin | Conservative | 14,224 | 51.1% | Yes |
| Albert Ernest Farr | Liberal | 13,586 | 48.9% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Ernest Baldwin | Conservative | 18,036 | 55.9% | Yes |
| Edmund Jones | Labour | 8,402 | 26.0% | No |
| George Morgan-Harris | Liberal | 5,850 | 18.1% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Ernest Baldwin | Conservative | 19,952 | 66.7% | Yes |
| Edmund Jones | Labour | 9,939 | 33.3% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Ernest Baldwin | Conservative | 18,487 | 65.5% | Yes |
| Alfred Thomas Evans | Labour | 9,740 | 34.5% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Bossom | Conservative | 16,642 | 55.4% | Yes |
| Thomas Grenville Jones | Liberal | 6,905 | 23.0% | No |
| Frederick W Bowerman | Labour | 6,475 | 21.6% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Bossom | Conservative | 15,238 | 50.9% | Yes |
| Edward Paul Cadbury | Liberal | 8,941 | 29.9% | No |
| Kenneth A Gulleford | Labour | 5,750 | 19.2% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Bossom | Conservative | 15,045 | 51.5% | Yes |
| Dr Edward Cadbury | Liberal | 7,647 | 26.2% | No |
| Roy Simmons | Labour | 6,536 | 22.4% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Bossom | Conservative | 17,630 | 58.0% | Yes |
| Roger Pincham | Liberal | 6,462 | 21.2% | No |
| Martyn Sloman | Labour | 6,321 | 20.8% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 16,221 | 46.4% | Yes |
| Roger Pincham | Liberal | 14,602 | 41.7% | No |
| Clive Denzil Lindley | Labour | 4,172 | 11.9% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 15,741 | 46.1% | Yes |
| Roger Pincham | Liberal | 15,162 | 44.4% | No |
| Stephen Allen | Labour | 3,264 | 9.6% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 21,126 | 53.5% | Yes |
| Roger Pincham | Liberal | 16,261 | 41.2% | No |
| Patrick Julian Dobbs | Labour | 2,099 | 5.3% | No |
1983
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 29,276 | 57.0% | Yes |
| Roger Pincham | Liberal | 19,490 | 37.9% | No |
| Donald Wilcox | Labour | 1,932 | 3.8% | No |
| Felicity Norman | Green | 668 | 1.3% | No |
1987
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 31,396 | 57.9% | Yes |
| Stephen Clive Morris | Liberal | 17,321 | 31.9% | No |
| Chris Chappell | Labour | 4,444 | 8.2% | No |
| Felicity Norman | Green | 1,102 | 2.0% | No |
1992
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 32,783 | 56.6% | Yes |
| David Cyril Short | Liberal Democrat | 16,103 | 27.8% | No |
| Chris Chappell | Labour | 6,874 | 11.9% | No |
| Felicity Norman | Green | 1,503 | 2.6% | No |
| Edmund Paul Carlisle | Anti-Federalist League | 640 | 1.1% | No |
1997
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Temple-Morris | Conservative | 22,888 | 45.3% | Yes |
| Terry James | Liberal Democrat | 14,053 | 27.8% | No |
| Richard Westwood | Labour | 8,831 | 17.5% | No |
| Anthony Parkin | Referendum Party | 2,815 | 5.6% | No |
| Felicity Norman | Green | 1,086 | 2.1% | No |
| Richard Chamings | UKIP | 588 | 1.2% | No |
| John Haycock | BNP | 292 | 0.6% | No |
2001
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Wiggin | Conservative | 22,879 | 49.0% | Yes |
| Celia Downie | Liberal Democrat | 12,512 | 26.8% | No |
| Dr Stephen Hart | Labour | 7,872 | 16.8% | No |
| Pippa Bennett | Green | 1,690 | 3.6% | No |
| Christopher Kingsley | UKIP | 1,590 | 3.4% | No |
| John Haycock | Independent | 186 | 0.4% | No |
2005
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Wiggin | Conservative | 25,407 | 52.1% | Yes |
| Caroline Williams | Liberal Democrat | 12,220 | 25.0% | No |
| Paul Bell | Labour | 7,424 | 15.2% | No |
| Felicity Norman | Green | 2,191 | 4.5% | No |
| Peter Whyte-Venables | UKIP | 1,551 | 3.2% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Leominster has been contested at 44 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Leominster in the 2005 general election?
Conservative won Leominster in 2005 with 25,407 votes (52.1%), a majority of 13,187 votes over Liberal Democrat in second place.
Which parties have won Leominster since 1832?
Since 1832, Leominster has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Leominster?
The closest result on record for Leominster was 1906, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 28 votes (0.4 percentage points).
Did Leominster ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Leominster 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.