Penryn and Falmouth — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Penryn and Falmouth was won by Labour at the 1945 general election, with a majority of 2,793 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Penryn and Falmouth 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	Robert Monsey Rolfe (Whig); Charles William Bury (Conservative)	428	36.6% (top seat)	James William Freshfield (Conservative)	90 (6.7 pts)	76.5%
1835	James William Freshfield (Conservative); Robert Monsey Rolfe (Whig)	424	36.1% (top seat)	Charles William Bury (Conservative)	27 (2.1 pts)	79.2%
1837	Robert Monsey Rolfe (Whig); James William Freshfield (Conservative)	434	39.6% (top seat)	James Hanway Plumridge (Whig)	71 (5.4 pts)	74.3%
1841	John Cranch Walker Vivian (Whig); James Hanway Plumridge (Whig)	432	30.5% (top seat)	Howel Gwyn (Conservative)	51 (3.4 pts)	85.7%
1847	Howel Gwyn (Conservative); Francis Mowatt (Radical)	377	54.2% (top seat)	Peter Borthwick (Conservative)	290 (28.7 pts)	57.2%
1852	Howel Gwyn (Conservative); James William Freshfield (Conservative)	435	37.5% (top seat)	Thomas George Baring (Whig)	96 (7.8 pts)	68.3%
1857	Thomas George Baring (Whig); Samuel Gurney (Independent Liberal)	Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record				0.0%
1859	Thomas George Baring (Liberal); Samuel Gurney (Independent Liberal)	373	30.2% (top seat)	Howel Gwyn (Conservative)	49 (3.8 pts)	75.1%
1865	Thomas George Baring (Liberal); Samuel Gurney (Independent Liberal)	Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record				0.0%
1868	Robert Nicholas Fowler (Conservative); Edward Backhouse Eastwick (Conservative)	683	27.9% (top seat)	Jervoise Smith (Liberal)	72 (2.7 pts)	72.5%
1874	David James Jenkins (Liberal); Henry Thomas Cole (Liberal)	784	28.1% (top seat)	Robert Nicholas Fowler (Conservative)	41 (1.4 pts)	81.3%
1880	David James Jenkins (Liberal); Regnald Baliol Brett (Liberal)	1,071	30.2% (top seat)	Julius Vogel (Conservative)	189 (4.9 pts)	88.4%
1885	David James Jenkins (Liberal)	1,170	52.3%	William George Cavendish-Bentinck (Conservative)	101 (4.5 pts)	87.4%
1886	William George Cavendish-Bentinck (Conservative)	1,089	52.2%	David James Jenkins (Liberal)	91 (4.4 pts)	81.5%
1892	William George Cavendish-Bentinck (Conservative)	1,218	58.1%	Arthur Serena (Liberal)	338 (16.1 pts)	81.3%
1895	Frederick John Horniman (Liberal)	1,150	51.1%	William George Cavendish-Bentinck (Conservative)	49 (2.2 pts)	86.0%
1900	Frederick John Horniman (Liberal)	1,184	50.4%	Nathaniel Louis Cohen (Conservative)	20 (0.9 pts)	85.2%
1906	John Barker (Liberal)	1,345	51.9%	Douglas Bernard Hall (Conservative)	97 (3.7 pts)	88.6%
Jan 1910	Charles Sydney Goldman (Conservative)	1,593	53.0%	John Barker (Liberal)	181 (6.0 pts)	93.5%
Dec 1910	Charles Sydney Goldman (Conservative)	1,585	55.1%	Walter Burt (Liberal)	294 (10.2 pts)	89.5%
1918	Edward Nicholl (Unionist)	10,050	50.6%	Arthur Carkeek (Liberal)	235 (1.2 pts)	56.6%
1922	Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright (Unionist)	11,566	42.7%	Courtenay Cecil Mansel (Liberal)	2,687 (9.9 pts)	72.5%
1923	Courtenay Cecil Mansel (Liberal)	17,015	62.0%	Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright (Unionist)	6,586 (24.0 pts)	73.0%
1924	George Pilcher (Unionist)	12,485	43.3%	Courtenay Cecil Mansel (Liberal)	2,572 (8.9 pts)	74.7%
1929	John Tudor Walters (Liberal)	14,274	37.0%	Maurice Petherick (Unionist)	1,138 (2.9 pts)	78.4%
1931	Maurice Petherick (Conservative)	16,388	40.5%	Ernest Emil Darwin Simon (Liberal)	2,382 (5.9 pts)	79.8%
1935	Maurice Petherick (Conservative)	16,136	39.6%	Alfred Leslie Rowse (Labour)	3,031 (7.4 pts)	77.6%
1945	Evelyn Mansfield King (Labour)	17,962	43.8%	Maurice Petherick (Conservative)	2,793 (6.8 pts)	73.0%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Robert Monsey Rolfe	Whig	490	36.6%	Yes
Charles William Bury	Conservative	428	32.0%	Yes
James William Freshfield	Conservative	338	25.2%	No
Charles Stewart	Conservative	83	6.2%	No

1835 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
James William Freshfield	Conservative	464	36.1%	Yes
Robert Monsey Rolfe	Whig	424	33.0%	Yes
Charles William Bury	Conservative	397	30.9%	No

1837 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Robert Monsey Rolfe	Whig	523	39.6%	Yes
James William Freshfield	Conservative	434	32.9%	Yes
James Hanway Plumridge	Whig	363	27.5%	No

1841 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
John Cranch Walker Vivian	Whig	462	30.5%	Yes
James Hanway Plumridge	Whig	432	28.5%	Yes
Howel Gwyn	Conservative	381	25.1%	No
Edward John Sartoris	Conservative	240	15.8%	No

1847 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Howel Gwyn	Conservative	548	54.2%	Yes
Francis Mowatt	Radical	377	37.3%	Yes
Peter Borthwick	Conservative	87	8.6%	No

1852 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Howel Gwyn	Conservative	464	37.5%	Yes
James William Freshfield	Conservative	435	35.1%	Yes
Thomas George Baring	Whig	339	27.4%	No

1857 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Thomas George Baring	Whig	Unopposed		Yes
Samuel Gurney	Independent Liberal	Unopposed		Yes

1859 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Thomas George Baring	Liberal	389	30.2%	Yes
Samuel Gurney	Independent Liberal	373	29.0%	Yes
Howel Gwyn	Conservative	324	25.2%	No
John Fitzgerald Leslie Foster	Conservative	200	15.6%	No

1865 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Thomas George Baring	Liberal	Unopposed		Yes
Samuel Gurney	Independent Liberal	Unopposed		Yes

1868 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Robert Nicholas Fowler	Conservative	732	27.9%	Yes
Edward Backhouse Eastwick	Conservative	683	26.0%	Yes
Jervoise Smith	Liberal	611	23.3%	No
Kirkman Daniel Hodgson	Liberal	597	22.8%	No

1874 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
David James Jenkins	Liberal	851	28.1%	Yes
Henry Thomas Cole	Liberal	784	25.9%	Yes
Robert Nicholas Fowler	Conservative	743	24.6%	No
Edward Backhouse Eastwick	Conservative	646	21.4%	No

1880 (2 seats)

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
David James Jenkins	Liberal	1,176	30.2%	Yes
Regnald Baliol Brett	Liberal	1,071	27.5%	Yes
Julius Vogel	Conservative	882	22.7%	No
John Dawson Mayne	Conservative	765	19.6%	No

1885

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
David James Jenkins	Liberal	1,170	52.3%	Yes
William George Cavendish-Bentinck	Conservative	1,069	47.7%	No

1886

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
William George Cavendish-Bentinck	Conservative	1,089	52.2%	Yes
David James Jenkins	Liberal	998	47.8%	No

1892

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
William George Cavendish-Bentinck	Conservative	1,218	58.1%	Yes
Arthur Serena	Liberal	880	41.9%	No

1895

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Frederick John Horniman	Liberal	1,150	51.1%	Yes
William George Cavendish-Bentinck	Conservative	1,101	48.9%	No

1900

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Frederick John Horniman	Liberal	1,184	50.4%	Yes
Nathaniel Louis Cohen	Conservative	1,164	49.6%	No

1906

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
John Barker	Liberal	1,345	51.9%	Yes
Douglas Bernard Hall	Conservative	1,248	48.1%	No

Jan 1910

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Charles Sydney Goldman	Conservative	1,593	53.0%	Yes
John Barker	Liberal	1,412	47.0%	No

Dec 1910

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Charles Sydney Goldman	Conservative	1,585	55.1%	Yes
Walter Burt	Liberal	1,291	44.9%	No

1918

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Edward Nicholl	Unionist	10,050	50.6%	Yes
Arthur Carkeek	Liberal	9,815	49.4%	No

1922

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright	Unionist	11,566	42.7%	Yes
Courtenay Cecil Mansel	Liberal	8,879	32.8%	No
Joseph Harris	Labour	4,482	16.6%	No
George Hay Morgan	National Liberal	2,129	7.9%	No

1923

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Courtenay Cecil Mansel	Liberal	17,015	62.0%	Yes
Denis Ewart Bernard Kingston Shipwright	Unionist	10,429	38.0%	No

1924

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
George Pilcher	Unionist	12,485	43.3%	Yes
Courtenay Cecil Mansel	Liberal	9,913	34.3%	No
Frederick Jesse Hopkins	Labour	6,462	22.4%	No

1929

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
John Tudor Walters	Liberal	14,274	37.0%	Yes
Maurice Petherick	Unionist	13,136	34.1%	No
Frederick Jesse Hopkins	Labour	11,166	28.9%	No

1931

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Maurice Petherick	Conservative	16,388	40.5%	Yes
Ernest Emil Darwin Simon	Liberal	14,006	34.6%	No
Alfred Leslie Rowse	Labour	10,098	24.9%	No

1935

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Maurice Petherick	Conservative	16,136	39.6%	Yes
Alfred Leslie Rowse	Labour	13,105	32.1%	No
Ronald Wilberforce Allen	Liberal	11,537	28.3%	No

1945

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Elected
Evelyn Mansfield King	Labour	17,962	43.8%	Yes
Maurice Petherick	Conservative	15,169	37.0%	No
Percy Harris	Liberal	7,917	19.3%	No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

Trend

Penryn and Falmouth has been contested at 28 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Radical, Independent Liberal, Liberal, Unionist, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Penryn and Falmouth in the 1945 general election?

Labour won Penryn and Falmouth in 1945 with 17,962 votes (43.8%), a majority of 2,793 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Penryn and Falmouth since 1832?

Since 1832, Penryn and Falmouth has been won by: Conservative, Independent Liberal, Labour, Liberal, Radical, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Penryn and Falmouth?

The closest result on record for Penryn and Falmouth was 1900, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 20 votes (0.9 percentage points).

Did Penryn and Falmouth ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Penryn and Falmouth 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.