North Riding of Yorkshire — UK General Election Results
Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
William Reginald Duncombe (Conservative) and Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal) were elected unopposed for North Riding of Yorkshire at the 1880 general election. This page covers every general election in North Riding of Yorkshire from 1832 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, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
William Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
3,287
41.9% (top seat)
John Charles Ramsden (Whig)
392 (3.4 pts)
61.2%
1835
William Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
4,490
35.9% (top seat)
James Walker (Conservative)
649 (5.0 pts)
68.0%
1837
William Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
William Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Octavius Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
Octavius Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1857
Octavius Duncombe (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Whig)
4,641
37.3% (top seat)
John Charles Dundas (Whig)
456 (3.2 pts)
57.5%
1859
Octavius Duncome (Conservative); Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal); William Ernest Duncombe (Conservative)
6,362
35.0% (top seat)
William John Sawrey Morritt (Conservative)
473 (2.5 pts)
61.0%
1868
Octavius Duncombe (Conservative); Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal)
7,429
45.7% (top seat)
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley (Conservative)
5,708 (33.9 pts)
43.8%
1874
William Reginald Duncombe (Conservative); Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1880
William Reginald Duncombe (Conservative); Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Duncombe
Conservative
4,885
41.9%
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
3,287
28.2%
Yes
John Charles Ramsden
Whig
2,895
24.8%
No
Martin Stapylton
Whig
602
5.2%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Duncombe
Conservative
4,656
35.9%
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
4,490
34.6%
Yes
James Walker
Conservative
3,841
29.6%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Octavius Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Octavius Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Octavius Duncombe
Conservative
5,259
37.3%
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Whig
4,641
32.9%
Yes
John Charles Dundas
Whig
4,185
29.7%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Octavius Duncome
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Frederick Acclom Milbank
Liberal
6,585
35.0%
Yes
William Ernest Duncombe
Conservative
6,362
33.8%
Yes
William John Sawrey Morritt
Conservative
5,889
31.3%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Octavius Duncombe
Conservative
7,689
45.7%
Yes
Frederick Acclom Milbank
Liberal
7,429
44.1%
Yes
Edward Stillingfleet Cayley
Conservative
1,721
10.2%
No
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Reginald Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Frederick Acclom Milbank
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Reginald Duncombe
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Frederick Acclom Milbank
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
North Riding of Yorkshire has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won North Riding of Yorkshire in the 1880 general election?
William Reginald Duncombe (Conservative), Frederick Acclom Milbank (Liberal) were elected unopposed for North Riding of Yorkshire in 1880 -- no other candidate stood.
Which parties have won North Riding of Yorkshire since 1832?
Since 1832, North Riding of Yorkshire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Whig.
What was the closest result in North Riding of Yorkshire?
The closest result on record for North Riding of Yorkshire was 1865, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 473 votes (2.5 percentage points).
Did North Riding of Yorkshire ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, North Riding of Yorkshire 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.