Norwich — UK General Election Results
Norwich elected 2 MPs at the 1945 general election: Lucy Edith Noel-Buxton (Labour) and John Paton (Labour). This page covers every general election in Norwich from 1832 to 1945.
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, 1832–1945
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | William David Murray (Conservative); James Scarlett (Conservative) | 1,962 | 26.7% (top seat) | Richard Hanbury Gurney (Whig) | 153 (2.0 pts) | 89.1% |
| 1835 | William David Murray (Conservative); Robert Campbell Scarlett (Conservative) | 1,878 | 27.2% (top seat) | Edward Vernon Harbord (Whig) | 286 (4.1 pts) | 84.6% |
| 1837 | Robert Campbell Scarlett (Conservative); Arthur Richard Wellesley (Conservative) | 1,863 | 25.2% (top seat) | Benjamin Leigh Smith (Whig) | 20 (0.3 pts) | 84.3% |
| 1841 | Benjamin Leigh Smith (Whig); Arthur Richard Wellesley (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | Samuel Morten Peto (Whig); Arthur Richard Wellesley (Conservative) | 1,727 | 42.6% (top seat) | John Humffreys Parry (Radical) | 155 (2.7 pts) | 57.7% |
| 1852 | Samuel Morton Peto (Whig); Edward Warner (Radical) | 2,145 | 29.6% (top seat) | Arthur Richard Wellesley (Conservative) | 553 (7.5 pts) | 68.6% |
| 1857 | Henry William Schneider (Radical); William Coutts Keppel (Whig) | 2,238 | 36.7% (top seat) | Samuel Bignold (Conservative) | 602 (9.8 pts) | 49.6% |
| 1859 | William Coutts Keppel (Liberal); Henry William Schneider (Liberal) | 2,134 | 26.4% (top seat) | Samuel Bignold (Conservative) | 168 (2.1 pts) | 80.6% |
| 1865 | William Russell (Liberal); Edward Warner (Liberal) | 1,838 | 28.3% (top seat) | Augustus Goldsmid (Conservative) | 372 (5.7 pts) | 67.6% |
| 1868 | Henry Josias Stracey (Conservative); William Russell (Liberal) | 4,509 | 33.8% (top seat) | Jacob Henry Tillett (Liberal) | 145 (1.1 pts) | 50.4% |
| 1874 | Jeremiah James Colman (Liberal); John Walter Huddleston (Conservative) | 5,823 | 26.7% (top seat) | Jacob Henry Tillett (Liberal) | 47 (0.2 pts) | 75.9% |
| 1880 | Jeremiah James Colman (Liberal); Jacob Henry Tillett (Liberal) | 6,512 | 28.1% (top seat) | Henry Harben (Conservative) | 1,270 (5.4 pts) | 76.0% |
| 1885 | Harry Bullard (Conservative); Jeremiah James Colman (Liberal) | 6,666 | 36.0% (top seat) | Robert Samuel Wright (Liberal) | 415 (2.1 pts) | 88.6% |
| 1886 | Jeremiah James Colman (Liberal); Samuel Hoare (Conservative) | 6,156 | 26.1% (top seat) | Jacob Henry Tillett (Liberal) | 37 (0.1 pts) | 80.5% |
| 1892 | Samuel Hoare (Conservative); Jeremiah James Colman (Liberal) | 7,407 | 35.2% (top seat) | John Bedford (Liberal) | 596 (2.7 pts) | 88.0% |
| 1895 | Samuel Hoare (Conservative); Harry Bullard (Conservative) | 8,034 | 26.6% (top seat) | Thomas Terrell (Liberal) | 704 (2.3 pts) | 88.4% |
| 1900 | Samuel Hoare (Conservative); Harry Bullard (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1906 | George Henry Roberts (Labour); Louis John Tillett (Liberal) | 10,972 | 37.5% (top seat) | Ernest Edward Wild (Conservative) | 3,512 (11.9 pts) | 91.6% |
| Jan 1910 | Frederick Low (Liberal); George Henry Roberts (Labour) | 11,119 | 29.0% (top seat) | Samuel Hoare (Conservative) | 2,709 (7.0 pts) | 91.5% |
| Dec 1910 | Frederick Low (Liberal); George Henry Roberts (Labour) | 10,003 | 36.4% (top seat) | Willie Dyson (Conservative) | 2,245 (8.0 pts) | 84.3% |
| 1918 | George Henry Roberts (Labour); Edward Hilton Young (Liberal) | 25,555 | 45.1% (top seat) | Herbert Edward Witard (Independent Labour) | 18,699 (31.7 pts) | 48.9% |
| 1922 | George Henry Roberts (Independent); Edward Hilton Young (National Liberal) | 31,151 | 33.7% (top seat) | Herbert Edward Witard (Labour) | 15,542 (16.8 pts) | 76.8% |
| 1923 | Walter Robert Smith (Labour); Dorothy Jewson (Labour) | 19,304 | 20.9% (top seat) | Edward Hilton Young (Liberal) | 3,082 (3.2 pts) | 78.7% |
| 1924 | Edward Hilton Young (Liberal); James Griffyth Fairfax (Unionist) | 28,529 | 27.7% (top seat) | Walter Robert Smith (Labour) | 4,721 (4.5 pts) | 84.0% |
| 1929 | Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare (Liberal); Walter Robert Smith (Labour) | 33,690 | 26.2% (top seat) | Dorothy Jewson (Labour) | 2,650 (2.1 pts) | 78.8% |
| 1931 | Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare (National Liberal); George Albert Hartland (Conservative) | 38,883 | 30.4% (top seat) | Walter Robert Smith (Labour) | 10,588 (7.9 pts) | 80.4% |
| 1935 | Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare (National Liberal); Henry George Strauss (Conservative) | 34,182 | 29.1% (top seat) | William George Glenvil Hall (Labour) | 9,512 (7.7 pts) | 73.4% |
| 1945 | Lucy Edith Noel-Buxton (Labour); John Paton (Labour) | 31,229 | 27.9% (top seat) | Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare (National Liberal) | 5,284 (4.7 pts) | 70.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William David Murray | Conservative | 2,016 | 26.7% | Yes |
| James Scarlett | Conservative | 1,962 | 26.0% | Yes |
| Richard Hanbury Gurney | Whig | 1,809 | 24.0% | No |
| Charles Henry Bellenden Ker | Whig | 1,765 | 23.4% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William David Murray | Conservative | 1,892 | 27.2% | Yes |
| Robert Campbell Scarlett | Conservative | 1,878 | 27.0% | Yes |
| Edward Vernon Harbord | Whig | 1,592 | 22.9% | No |
| Frank Offley Martin | Whig | 1,582 | 22.8% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Campbell Scarlett | Conservative | 1,865 | 25.2% | Yes |
| Arthur Richard Wellesley | Conservative | 1,863 | 25.2% | Yes |
| Benjamin Leigh Smith | Whig | 1,843 | 24.9% | No |
| Montford Nurse | Whig | 1,831 | 24.7% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Leigh Smith | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Arthur Richard Wellesley | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Morten Peto | Whig | 2,448 | 42.6% | Yes |
| Arthur Richard Wellesley | Conservative | 1,727 | 30.1% | Yes |
| John Humffreys Parry | Radical | 1,572 | 27.4% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Morton Peto | Whig | 2,190 | 29.6% | Yes |
| Edward Warner | Radical | 2,145 | 29.0% | Yes |
| Arthur Richard Wellesley | Conservative | 1,592 | 21.5% | No |
| Lothian Sheffield Dickson | Conservative | 1,465 | 19.8% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry William Schneider | Radical | 2,247 | 36.7% | Yes |
| William Coutts Keppel | Whig | 2,238 | 36.6% | Yes |
| Samuel Bignold | Conservative | 1,636 | 26.7% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Coutts Keppel | Liberal | 2,154 | 26.4% | Yes |
| Henry William Schneider | Liberal | 2,134 | 26.2% | Yes |
| Samuel Bignold | Conservative | 1,966 | 24.1% | No |
| Charles Manners Lushington | Conservative | 1,900 | 23.3% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Russell | Liberal | 1,845 | 28.3% | Yes |
| Edward Warner | Liberal | 1,838 | 28.2% | Yes |
| Augustus Goldsmid | Conservative | 1,466 | 22.5% | No |
| Robert Edmond Chester Waters | Conservative | 1,363 | 20.9% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Josias Stracey | Conservative | 4,521 | 33.8% | Yes |
| William Russell | Liberal | 4,509 | 33.7% | Yes |
| Jacob Henry Tillett | Liberal | 4,364 | 32.6% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah James Colman | Liberal | 6,138 | 26.7% | Yes |
| John Walter Huddleston | Conservative | 5,823 | 25.3% | Yes |
| Jacob Henry Tillett | Liberal | 5,776 | 25.1% | No |
| Henry Josias Stracey | Conservative | 5,290 | 23.0% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah James Colman | Liberal | 6,549 | 28.1% | Yes |
| Jacob Henry Tillett | Liberal | 6,512 | 27.9% | Yes |
| Henry Harben | Conservative | 5,242 | 22.5% | No |
| William Frederick Barton Maey-Mainwaring | Conservative | 5,032 | 21.6% | No |
1885 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Bullard | Conservative | 7,279 | 36.0% | Yes |
| Jeremiah James Colman | Liberal | 6,666 | 33.0% | Yes |
| Robert Samuel Wright | Liberal | 6,251 | 31.0% | No |
1886 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah James Colman | Liberal | 6,295 | 26.1% | Yes |
| Samuel Hoare | Conservative | 6,156 | 25.5% | Yes |
| Jacob Henry Tillett | Liberal | 6,119 | 25.4% | No |
| Clare Sewell Read | Conservative | 5,564 | 23.1% | No |
1892 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Hoare | Conservative | 7,718 | 35.2% | Yes |
| Jeremiah James Colman | Liberal | 7,407 | 33.8% | Yes |
| John Bedford | Liberal | 6,811 | 31.0% | No |
1895 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Hoare | Conservative | 8,166 | 26.6% | Yes |
| Harry Bullard | Conservative | 8,034 | 26.1% | Yes |
| Thomas Terrell | Liberal | 7,330 | 23.8% | No |
| Frederick William Verney | Liberal | 7,210 | 23.5% | No |
1900 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Hoare | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Harry Bullard | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1906 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Henry Roberts | Labour | 11,059 | 37.5% | Yes |
| Louis John Tillett | Liberal | 10,972 | 37.2% | Yes |
| Ernest Edward Wild | Conservative | 7,460 | 25.3% | No |
Jan 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Low | Liberal | 11,257 | 29.0% | Yes |
| George Henry Roberts | Labour | 11,119 | 28.7% | Yes |
| Samuel Hoare | Conservative | 8,410 | 21.7% | No |
| Herbert Guy Snowden | Conservative | 7,981 | 20.6% | No |
Dec 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Low | Liberal | 10,149 | 36.4% | Yes |
| George Henry Roberts | Labour | 10,003 | 35.8% | Yes |
| Willie Dyson | Conservative | 7,758 | 27.8% | No |
1918 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Henry Roberts | Labour | 26,642 | 45.1% | Yes |
| Edward Hilton Young | Liberal | 25,555 | 43.3% | Yes |
| Herbert Edward Witard | Independent Labour | 6,856 | 11.6% | No |
1922 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Henry Roberts | Independent | 31,167 | 33.7% | Yes |
| Edward Hilton Young | National Liberal | 31,151 | 33.7% | Yes |
| Herbert Edward Witard | Labour | 15,609 | 16.9% | No |
| George Francis Johnson | Labour | 14,490 | 15.7% | No |
1923 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Robert Smith | Labour | 20,077 | 20.9% | Yes |
| Dorothy Jewson | Labour | 19,304 | 20.1% | Yes |
| Edward Hilton Young | Liberal | 16,222 | 16.9% | No |
| George Henry Roberts | Unionist | 14,749 | 15.3% | No |
| Henry John Copeman | Liberal | 13,180 | 13.7% | No |
| Henry Dawes Swan | Unionist | 12,713 | 13.2% | No |
1924 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Hilton Young | Liberal | 28,842 | 27.7% | Yes |
| James Griffyth Fairfax | Unionist | 28,529 | 27.4% | Yes |
| Walter Robert Smith | Labour | 23,808 | 22.9% | No |
| Dorothy Jewson | Labour | 22,931 | 22.0% | No |
1929 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare | Liberal | 33,974 | 26.2% | Yes |
| Walter Robert Smith | Labour | 33,690 | 26.0% | Yes |
| Dorothy Jewson | Labour | 31,040 | 24.0% | No |
| James Griffyth Fairfax | Unionist | 30,793 | 23.8% | No |
1931 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare | National Liberal | 40,925 | 30.4% | Yes |
| George Albert Hartland | Conservative | 38,883 | 28.9% | Yes |
| Walter Robert Smith | Labour | 28,295 | 21.0% | No |
| Dorothy Jewson | Independent Labour | 26,537 | 19.7% | No |
1935 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare | National Liberal | 36,039 | 29.1% | Yes |
| Henry George Strauss | Conservative | 34,182 | 27.6% | Yes |
| William George Glenvil Hall | Labour | 24,670 | 19.9% | No |
| Christopher John Kelly | Labour | 22,055 | 17.8% | No |
| Archibald Fenner Brockway | Independent Labour | 6,737 | 5.4% | No |
1945 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy Edith Noel-Buxton | Labour | 31,553 | 27.9% | Yes |
| John Paton | Labour | 31,229 | 27.6% | Yes |
| Geoffrey Hithersay Shakespeare | National Liberal | 25,945 | 23.0% | No |
| Henry George Strauss | Conservative | 24,225 | 21.4% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Norwich has been contested at 28 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Radical, Liberal, Labour, Independent, National Liberal, Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Norwich in the 1945 general election?
Lucy Edith Noel-Buxton (Labour), John Paton (Labour) won Norwich in 1945.
Which parties have won Norwich since 1832?
Since 1832, Norwich has been won by: Conservative, Independent, Labour, Liberal, National Liberal, Radical, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Norwich?
The closest result on record for Norwich was 1886, when Liberal beat Liberal by just 37 votes (0.1 percentage points).
Did Norwich ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Norwich 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.