North East Lancashire — UK General Election Results
North East Lancashire elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Spencer Compton Cavendish (Liberal) and Frederick William Grafton (Liberal). This page covers every general election in North East Lancashire from 1868 to 1880.
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, 1868–1880
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 | James Maden Holt (Conservative); John Pierce Chamberlain Starkie (Conservative) | 3,594 | 25.6% (top seat) | Ughtred James Kay-Shuttleworth (Liberal) | 131 (0.9 pts) | 68.8% |
| 1874 | James Maden Holt (Conservative); John Pierce Chamberlain Starkie (Conservative) | 4,488 | 25.8% (top seat) | James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth (Liberal) | 87 (0.5 pts) | 86.7% |
| 1880 | Spencer Compton Cavendish (Liberal); Frederick William Grafton (Liberal) | 6,513 | 28.3% (top seat) | William Farrer Ecroyd (Conservative) | 1,282 (5.4 pts) | 90.9% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Maden Holt | Conservative | 3,612 | 25.6% | Yes |
| John Pierce Chamberlain Starkie | Conservative | 3,594 | 25.5% | Yes |
| Ughtred James Kay-Shuttleworth | Liberal | 3,463 | 24.5% | No |
| William Fenton | Liberal | 3,441 | 24.4% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Maden Holt | Conservative | 4,578 | 25.8% | Yes |
| John Pierce Chamberlain Starkie | Conservative | 4,488 | 25.3% | Yes |
| James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth | Liberal | 4,401 | 24.8% | No |
| Edward Cavendish | Liberal | 4,297 | 24.2% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Compton Cavendish | Liberal | 6,682 | 28.3% | Yes |
| Frederick William Grafton | Liberal | 6,513 | 27.6% | Yes |
| William Farrer Ecroyd | Conservative | 5,231 | 22.2% | No |
| John Pierce Chamberlain Starkie | Conservative | 5,185 | 22.0% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
North East Lancashire has been contested at 3 general elections on record since 1868. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won North East Lancashire in the 1880 general election?
Spencer Compton Cavendish (Liberal), Frederick William Grafton (Liberal) won North East Lancashire in 1880.
Which parties have won North East Lancashire since 1868?
Since 1868, North East Lancashire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal.
What was the closest result in North East Lancashire?
The closest result on record for North East Lancashire was 1874, when Conservative beat Liberal by just 87 votes (0.5 percentage points).
Did North East Lancashire ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, North East Lancashire 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.