Oldham — UK General Election Results
Oldham elected 2 MPs at the 1945 general election: Frank Fairhurst (Labour) and Charles Leslie Hale (Labour). This page covers every general election in Oldham 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 | John Fielden (Radical); William Cobbett (Radical) | 645 | 43.0% (top seat) | Benjamin Heywood Bright (Whig) | 495 (31.4 pts) | 69.7% |
| 1835 | John Fielden (Radical); William Cobbett (Radical) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | William Augustus Johnson (Radical); John Fielden (Radical) | 541 | 32.4% (top seat) | Joseph Jones (Conservative) | 226 (13.5 pts) | 61.2% |
| 1841 | John Fielden (Radical); William Augustus Johnson (Radical) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1847 | William Johnson Fox (Radical); John Duncuft (Peelite) | 696 | 27.3% (top seat) | John Morgan Cobbett (Radical) | 72 (2.7 pts) | 78.6% |
| 1852 | John Morgan Cobbett (Radical); John Duncuft (Peelite) | 868 | 36.8% (top seat) | William Johnson Fox (Radical) | 91 (3.5 pts) | 68.8% |
| 1857 | John Morgan Cobbett (Radical); James Platt (Radical) | 934 | 34.1% (top seat) | William Johnson Fox (Radical) | 36 (1.3 pts) | 66.3% |
| 1859 | William Johnson Fox (Liberal); John Morgan Cobbett (Liberal) | 966 | 35.1% (top seat) | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal) | 11 (0.4 pts) | 68.8% |
| 1865 | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal); John Platt (Liberal) | 1,075 | 28.1% (top seat) | John Morgan Cobbett (Liberal) | 176 (4.5 pts) | 85.9% |
| 1868 | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal); John Platt (Liberal) | 6,122 | 25.1% (top seat) | John Morgan Cobbett (Conservative) | 6 (0.0 pts) | 90.9% |
| 1874 | Frederick Lowten Spinks (Conservative); John Morgan Corbett (Conservative) | 8,541 | 25.3% (top seat) | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal) | 144 (0.4 pts) | 91.3% |
| 1880 | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal); Edward Lyulph Stanley (Liberal) | 10,409 | 27.5% (top seat) | Frederick Spinks (Conservative) | 1,427 (3.7 pts) | 91.6% |
| 1885 | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal); James Mackenzie Maclean (Conservative) | 11,992 | 25.8% (top seat) | Edward Lyulph Stanley (Liberal) | 145 (0.3 pts) | 93.8% |
| 1886 | James Mackenzie Maclean (Conservative); Elliot Lees (Conservative) | 11,484 | 25.8% (top seat) | John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal) | 563 (1.2 pts) | 88.3% |
| 1892 | Joshua Milne Cheetham (Liberal); John Tomlinson Hibbert (Liberal) | 12,541 | 25.6% (top seat) | Elliot Lees (Conservative) | 336 (0.7 pts) | 89.0% |
| 1895 | Robert Ascroft (Conservative); James Francis Oswald (Conservative) | 12,465 | 26.2% (top seat) | Adam Lee (Liberal) | 216 (0.4 pts) | 87.5% |
| 1900 | Alfred Emmott (Liberal); Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (Conservative) | 12,931 | 25.3% (top seat) | Walter Runciman (Liberal) | 222 (0.4 pts) | 87.9% |
| 1906 | Alfred Emmott (Liberal); John Albert Bright (Liberal) | 16,672 | 30.3% (top seat) | Charles Crisp (Conservative) | 4,683 (8.2 pts) | 89.3% |
| Jan 1910 | Alfred Emmott (Liberal); Andrew William Barton (Liberal) | 18,840 | 30.0% (top seat) | Joseph Hilton (Conservative) | 5,378 (8.4 pts) | 91.8% |
| Dec 1910 | Alfred Emmott (Liberal); Andrew William Barton (Liberal) | 16,941 | 28.2% (top seat) | Arthur Edward Wrigley (Conservative) | 3,501 (5.8 pts) | 86.8% |
| 1918 | Edmund Robert Bartley-Denniss (Unionist); Andrew William Barton (Liberal) | 26,254 | 34.4% (top seat) | William Cornforth Robinson (Labour) | 11,076 (14.3 pts) | 54.2% |
| 1922 | Edward William Macleay Grigg (National Liberal); William John Tout (Labour) | 24,434 | 28.0% (top seat) | Samuel Smethurst (Unionist) | 1,234 (1.4 pts) | 62.6% |
| 1923 | William John Tout (Labour); Edward William Macleay Grigg (Liberal) | 20,681 | 23.4% (top seat) | William Martin Wiggins (Liberal) | 2,691 (3.0 pts) | 62.9% |
| 1924 | Alfred Duff Cooper (Unionist); Edward William Macleay Grigg (Liberal) | 36,761 | 31.2% (top seat) | William John Tout (Labour) | 13,138 (11.0 pts) | 83.4% |
| 1929 | Gordon Lang (Labour); James Wilson (Labour) | 32,727 | 26.2% (top seat) | Alfred Duff Cooper (Unionist) | 3,303 (2.5 pts) | 68.7% |
| 1931 | Anthony Crommelin Crossley (Conservative); Hamilton William Kerr (Conservative) | 50,395 | 32.4% (top seat) | Gordon Lang (Labour) | 21,766 (13.9 pts) | 81.0% |
| 1935 | Hamilton William Kerr (Conservative); John Samuel Dodd (National Liberal) | 34,755 | 25.5% (top seat) | Gordon Lang (Labour) | 439 (0.3 pts) | 76.3% |
| 1945 | Frank Fairhurst (Labour); Charles Leslie Hale (Labour) | 31,327 | 23.9% (top seat) | Hamilton William Kerr (Conservative) | 4,416 (3.3 pts) | 74.6% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Fielden | Radical | 677 | 43.0% | Yes |
| William Cobbett | Radical | 645 | 40.9% | Yes |
| Benjamin Heywood Bright | Whig | 150 | 9.5% | No |
| William Burge | Conservative | 101 | 6.4% | No |
| George Stephen | Whig | 3 | 0.2% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Fielden | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Cobbett | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Augustus Johnson | Radical | 545 | 32.4% | Yes |
| John Fielden | Radical | 541 | 32.2% | Yes |
| Joseph Jones | Conservative | 315 | 18.8% | No |
| John Frederick Lees | Conservative | 279 | 16.6% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Fielden | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
| William Augustus Johnson | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Johnson Fox | Radical | 726 | 27.3% | Yes |
| John Duncuft | Peelite | 696 | 26.2% | Yes |
| John Morgan Cobbett | Radical | 624 | 23.5% | No |
| John Fielden | Radical | 612 | 23.0% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Morgan Cobbett | Radical | 957 | 36.8% | Yes |
| John Duncuft | Peelite | 868 | 33.4% | Yes |
| William Johnson Fox | Radical | 777 | 29.9% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Morgan Cobbett | Radical | 949 | 34.1% | Yes |
| James Platt | Radical | 934 | 33.6% | Yes |
| William Johnson Fox | Radical | 898 | 32.3% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Johnson Fox | Liberal | 1,039 | 35.1% | Yes |
| John Morgan Cobbett | Liberal | 966 | 32.6% | Yes |
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 955 | 32.3% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 1,104 | 28.1% | Yes |
| John Platt | Liberal | 1,075 | 27.4% | Yes |
| John Morgan Cobbett | Liberal | 899 | 22.9% | No |
| Frederick Lowten Spinks | Conservative | 846 | 21.6% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 6,140 | 25.1% | Yes |
| John Platt | Liberal | 6,122 | 25.0% | Yes |
| John Morgan Cobbett | Conservative | 6,116 | 25.0% | No |
| Frederick Lowten Spinks | Conservative | 6,084 | 24.9% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick Lowten Spinks | Conservative | 8,582 | 25.3% | Yes |
| John Morgan Corbett | Conservative | 8,541 | 25.2% | Yes |
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 8,397 | 24.8% | No |
| Edward Lyulph Stanley | Liberal | 8,360 | 24.7% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 10,630 | 27.5% | Yes |
| Edward Lyulph Stanley | Liberal | 10,409 | 27.0% | Yes |
| Frederick Spinks | Conservative | 8,982 | 23.3% | No |
| Smith Taylor-Whitehead | Conservative | 8,593 | 22.3% | No |
1885 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 12,259 | 25.8% | Yes |
| James Mackenzie Maclean | Conservative | 11,992 | 25.2% | Yes |
| Edward Lyulph Stanley | Liberal | 11,847 | 24.9% | No |
| Smith Taylor-Whitehead | Conservative | 11,491 | 24.1% | No |
1886 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Mackenzie Maclean | Conservative | 11,606 | 25.8% | Yes |
| Elliot Lees | Conservative | 11,484 | 25.6% | Yes |
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 10,921 | 24.3% | No |
| Joshua Milne Cheetham | Liberal | 10,891 | 24.3% | No |
1892 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Milne Cheetham | Liberal | 12,619 | 25.6% | Yes |
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 12,541 | 25.4% | Yes |
| Elliot Lees | Conservative | 12,205 | 24.7% | No |
| James Mackenzie Maclean | Conservative | 11,952 | 24.2% | No |
1895 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Ascroft | Conservative | 13,085 | 26.2% | Yes |
| James Francis Oswald | Conservative | 12,465 | 25.0% | Yes |
| Adam Lee | Liberal | 12,249 | 24.6% | No |
| John Tomlinson Hibbert | Liberal | 12,092 | 24.2% | No |
1900 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Emmott | Liberal | 12,947 | 25.3% | Yes |
| Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill | Conservative | 12,931 | 25.3% | Yes |
| Walter Runciman | Liberal | 12,709 | 24.9% | No |
| Charles Crisp | Conservative | 12,522 | 24.5% | No |
1906 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Emmott | Liberal | 17,397 | 30.3% | Yes |
| John Albert Bright | Liberal | 16,672 | 29.0% | Yes |
| Charles Crisp | Conservative | 11,989 | 20.9% | No |
| Edwin Leach Hartley | Conservative | 11,391 | 19.8% | No |
Jan 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Emmott | Liberal | 19,252 | 30.0% | Yes |
| Andrew William Barton | Liberal | 18,840 | 29.4% | Yes |
| Joseph Hilton | Conservative | 13,462 | 21.0% | No |
| Philip Sidney Stott | Conservative | 12,577 | 19.6% | No |
Dec 1910 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Emmott | Liberal | 17,108 | 28.2% | Yes |
| Andrew William Barton | Liberal | 16,941 | 27.9% | Yes |
| Arthur Edward Wrigley | Conservative | 13,440 | 22.1% | No |
| Edmund Robert Bartley-Denniss | Conservative | 13,281 | 21.9% | No |
1918 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund Robert Bartley-Denniss | Unionist | 26,568 | 34.4% | Yes |
| Andrew William Barton | Liberal | 26,254 | 34.0% | Yes |
| William Cornforth Robinson | Labour | 15,178 | 19.6% | No |
| Walter Russell Rea | Liberal | 9,323 | 12.1% | No |
1922 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward William Macleay Grigg | National Liberal | 24,762 | 28.0% | Yes |
| William John Tout | Labour | 24,434 | 27.6% | Yes |
| Samuel Smethurst | Unionist | 23,200 | 26.2% | No |
| William Tudor Davies | Liberal | 9,812 | 11.1% | No |
| Mary Gertrude Emmott | Liberal | 6,186 | 7.0% | No |
1923 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William John Tout | Labour | 20,939 | 23.4% | Yes |
| Edward William Macleay Grigg | Liberal | 20,681 | 23.2% | Yes |
| William Martin Wiggins | Liberal | 17,990 | 20.1% | No |
| William Edwin Freeman | Unionist | 15,819 | 17.7% | No |
| Samuel Smethurst | Unionist | 13,894 | 15.6% | No |
1924 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Duff Cooper | Unionist | 37,419 | 31.2% | Yes |
| Edward William Macleay Grigg | Liberal | 36,761 | 30.7% | Yes |
| William John Tout | Labour | 23,623 | 19.7% | No |
| James Wilson | Labour | 22,081 | 18.4% | No |
1929 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Lang | Labour | 34,223 | 26.2% | Yes |
| James Wilson | Labour | 32,727 | 25.0% | Yes |
| Alfred Duff Cooper | Unionist | 29,424 | 22.5% | No |
| John Samuel Dodd | Liberal | 20,810 | 15.9% | No |
| George James Jenkins | Liberal | 13,528 | 10.3% | No |
1931 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Crommelin Crossley | Conservative | 50,693 | 32.4% | Yes |
| Hamilton William Kerr | Conservative | 50,395 | 32.2% | Yes |
| Gordon Lang | Labour | 28,629 | 18.3% | No |
| James Wilson | Labour | 26,631 | 17.0% | No |
1935 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton William Kerr | Conservative | 36,738 | 25.5% | Yes |
| John Samuel Dodd | National Liberal | 34,755 | 24.1% | Yes |
| Gordon Lang | Labour | 34,316 | 23.8% | No |
| Matthew Burrow Farr | Labour | 29,647 | 20.6% | No |
| William Gretton Ward | Liberal | 8,534 | 5.9% | No |
1945 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Fairhurst | Labour | 31,704 | 23.9% | Yes |
| Charles Leslie Hale | Labour | 31,327 | 23.6% | Yes |
| Hamilton William Kerr | Conservative | 26,911 | 20.3% | No |
| John Samuel Dodd | National Liberal | 24,199 | 18.2% | No |
| James Taylor Middleton | Liberal | 10,365 | 7.8% | No |
| Thomas Donald Farrell Powell | Liberal | 8,264 | 6.2% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Oldham has been contested at 28 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Radical, Peelite, Liberal, Conservative, Unionist, National Liberal, Labour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Oldham in the 1945 general election?
Frank Fairhurst (Labour), Charles Leslie Hale (Labour) won Oldham in 1945.
Which parties have won Oldham since 1832?
Since 1832, Oldham has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Liberal, Peelite, Radical, Unionist.
What was the closest result in Oldham?
The closest result on record for Oldham was 1868, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 6 votes (0.0 percentage points).
Did Oldham ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Oldham 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.