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Pontefract — UK General Election Results

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

Pontefract was won by Labour at the 1970 general election, with a majority of 21,087 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Pontefract from 1832 to 1970.

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, 1832–1970

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 Henry Valentine Stafford-Jerningham (Whig); John Gully (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1835 John Gully (Whig); John Charles George Savile (Conservative) 498 34.3% (top seat) Alexander Raphael (Whig) 20 (1.4 pts) 86.1%
1837 Richard Monckton-Milnes (Conservative); William Stanley-Massey-Stanley (Whig) 403 49.1% (top seat) Culling Eardley Smith (Whig) 280 (27.1 pts) 85.4%
1841 John Charles George Savile (Conservative); Richard Monckton Milnes (Conservative) 433 40.3% (top seat) John Gully (Whig) 180 (15.7 pts) 80.8%
1847 Samuel Martin (Whig); Richard Monckton Milnes (Conservative) 365 36.9% (top seat) Thomas Henry Preston (Conservative) 19 (1.7 pts) 82.2%
1852 Richard Monckton Milnes (Conservative); Benjamin Oliveira (Whig) 338 39.9% (top seat) William David Lewis (Conservative) 25 (2.3 pts) 79.2%
1857 Richard Monckton Milnes (Whig); William Wood (Whig) 374 38.8% (top seat) Benjamin Oliveira (Whig) 55 (4.9 pts) 80.3%
1859 Richard Monckton Milnes (Liberal); William Overend (Conservative) 306 45.2% (top seat) Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal) 10 (0.9 pts) 78.4%
1865 Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal); Samuel Waterhouse (Conservative) 330 36.7% (top seat) William McArthur (Liberal) 42 (4.3 pts) 69.9%
1868 Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal); Samuel Waterhouse (Conservative) 900 36.6% (top seat) Charles George Milnes Gaskell (Liberal) 220 (8.8 pts) 65.3%
1874 Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal); Samuel Waterhouse (Conservative) 861 37.3% (top seat) John Horace Savile (Conservative) 152 (6.1 pts) 61.4%
1880 Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal); Sidney Woolf (Liberal) 1,029 31.1% (top seat) Edward Green (Conservative) 125 (3.4 pts) 76.5%
1885 Rowland Winn (Conservative) 1,111 50.8% Hugh Culling Eardley Childers (Liberal) 36 (1.7 pts) 88.7%
1886 Rowland Winn (Conservative) 1,156 55.0% Charles James Fleming (Liberal) 209 (9.9 pts) 85.3%
1892 Rowland Winn (Conservative) 1,132 50.9% Henry Smithson Lee Wilson (Liberal) 40 (1.8 pts) 88.3%
1895 Thomas Willans Nussey (Liberal) 1,245 51.2% James Fitzalan Hope (Conservative) 57 (2.3 pts) 89.4%
1900 Thomas Willans Nussey (Liberal) 1,385 52.2% Frederick Ripley (Conservative) 116 (4.4 pts) 88.3%
1906 Thomas Willans Nussey (Liberal) 1,837 64.1% Charles Edward Yate (Conservative) 807 (28.1 pts) 87.2%
Jan 1910 Thomas Willans Nussey (Liberal) 1,924 55.9% John Reginald Shaw (Conservative) 409 (11.9 pts) 93.9%
Dec 1910 Frederick Handel Booth (Liberal) 1,679 50.8% John Reginald Shaw (Conservative) 52 (1.6 pts) 90.3%
1918 Joseph Compton-Rickett (Liberal) 8,561 62.9% Isaac Burns (Labour) 3,514 (25.8 pts) 45.6%
1922 Tom Smith (Labour) 9,111 38.8% Joshua Scholefield (Unionist) 626 (2.7 pts) 73.9%
1923 Tom Smith (Labour) 11,134 45.3% Albert Newby Braithwaite (Unionist) 2,262 (9.2 pts) 73.5%
1924 Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke (Unionist) 13,745 51.3% Tom Smith (Labour) 701 (2.6 pts) 76.2%
1929 Tom Smith (Labour) 17,335 47.8% Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke (Unionist) 7,295 (20.1 pts) 80.1%
1931 Thomas Edmund Sotheron-Estcourt (Conservative) 20,941 55.4% Tom Smith (Labour) 4,071 (10.8 pts) 80.9%
1935 Adam Hills (Labour) 19,783 53.4% Victor Basil John Seely (National Liberal) 2,526 (6.8 pts) 75.7%
1945 Percy Gott Barstow (Labour) 24,690 60.6% Kenneth Hargreaves (Conservative) 8,642 (21.2 pts) 74.7%
1950 George Oscar Sylvester (Labour) 35,432 75.6% Maurice Grant (Conservative) 24,001 (51.2 pts) 87.3%
1951 George Oscar Sylvester (Labour) 35,280 76.2% Irene Mervyn Parnicott Pike (Conservative) 24,237 (52.3 pts) 86.0%
1955 George Oscar Sylvester (Labour) 32,646 76.2% Alan Geoffrey Blake (Conservative) 22,463 (52.4 pts) 79.5%
1959 George Oscar Sylvester (Labour) 35,194 76.4% Edward Thomas Bowman (Conservative) 24,310 (52.8 pts) 84.3%
1964 Joseph Harper (Labour) 32,357 76.2% John Flett Whitfield (Conservative) 22,229 (52.3 pts) 77.6%
1966 Joseph Harper (Labour) 32,328 78.4% Anthony Wigram (Conservative) 23,401 (56.7 pts) 75.6%
1970 Joseph Harper (Labour) 31,774 74.8% Ian Deslandes (Conservative) 21,087 (49.7 pts) 70.6%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Henry Valentine Stafford-Jerningham Whig Unopposed Yes
John Gully Whig Unopposed Yes

1835 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Gully Whig 50934.3% Yes
John Charles George Savile Conservative 49833.5% Yes
Alexander Raphael Whig 47832.2% No

1837 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Monckton-Milnes Conservative 50749.1% Yes
William Stanley-Massey-Stanley Whig 40339.0% Yes
Culling Eardley Smith Whig 12311.9% No
Henry Gompertz Conservative 00.0% No

1841 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Charles George Savile Conservative 46440.3% Yes
Richard Monckton Milnes Conservative 43337.7% Yes
John Gully Whig 25322.0% No

1847 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Samuel Martin Whig 41536.9% Yes
Richard Monckton Milnes Conservative 36532.4% Yes
Thomas Henry Preston Conservative 34630.7% No

1852 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Monckton Milnes Conservative 43339.9% Yes
Benjamin Oliveira Whig 33831.2% Yes
William David Lewis Conservative 31328.9% No

1857 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Monckton Milnes Whig 43938.8% Yes
William Wood Whig 37433.0% Yes
Benjamin Oliveira Whig 31928.2% No

1859 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Monckton Milnes Liberal 49745.2% Yes
William Overend Conservative 30627.8% Yes
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 29626.9% No

1865 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 35936.7% Yes
Samuel Waterhouse Conservative 33033.8% Yes
William McArthur Liberal 28829.5% No

1868 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 91336.6% Yes
Samuel Waterhouse Conservative 90036.1% Yes
Charles George Milnes Gaskell Liberal 68027.3% No

1874 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 93437.3% Yes
Samuel Waterhouse Conservative 86134.4% Yes
John Horace Savile Conservative 70928.3% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 1,15431.1% Yes
Sidney Woolf Liberal 1,02927.7% Yes
Edward Green Conservative 90424.3% No
John Shaw Conservative 62716.9% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rowland Winn Conservative 1,11150.8% Yes
Hugh Culling Eardley Childers Liberal 1,07549.2% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rowland Winn Conservative 1,15655.0% Yes
Charles James Fleming Liberal 94745.0% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rowland Winn Conservative 1,13250.9% Yes
Henry Smithson Lee Wilson Liberal 1,09249.1% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Willans Nussey Liberal 1,24551.2% Yes
James Fitzalan Hope Conservative 1,18848.8% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Willans Nussey Liberal 1,38552.2% Yes
Frederick Ripley Conservative 1,26947.8% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Willans Nussey Liberal 1,83764.1% Yes
Charles Edward Yate Conservative 1,03035.9% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Willans Nussey Liberal 1,92455.9% Yes
John Reginald Shaw Conservative 1,51544.1% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick Handel Booth Liberal 1,67950.8% Yes
John Reginald Shaw Conservative 1,62749.2% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Compton-Rickett Liberal 8,56162.9% Yes
Isaac Burns Labour 5,04737.1% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Tom Smith Labour 9,11138.8% Yes
Joshua Scholefield Unionist 8,48536.1% No
Walter Forrest National Liberal 5,87925.0% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Tom Smith Labour 11,13445.3% Yes
Albert Newby Braithwaite Unionist 8,87236.1% No
Mary Pollock Grant Liberal 4,56718.6% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke Unionist 13,74551.3% Yes
Tom Smith Labour 13,04448.7% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Tom Smith Labour 17,33547.8% Yes
Christopher Robert Ingham Brooke Unionist 10,04027.7% No
Harold Powis Liberal 8,89224.5% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Edmund Sotheron-Estcourt Conservative 20,94155.4% Yes
Tom Smith Labour 16,87044.6% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Adam Hills Labour 19,78353.4% Yes
Victor Basil John Seely National Liberal 17,25746.6% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Percy Gott Barstow Labour 24,69060.6% Yes
Kenneth Hargreaves Conservative 16,04839.4% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Oscar Sylvester Labour 35,43275.6% Yes
Maurice Grant Conservative 11,43124.4% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Oscar Sylvester Labour 35,28076.2% Yes
Irene Mervyn Parnicott Pike Conservative 11,04323.8% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Oscar Sylvester Labour 32,64676.2% Yes
Alan Geoffrey Blake Conservative 10,18323.8% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Oscar Sylvester Labour 35,19476.4% Yes
Edward Thomas Bowman Conservative 10,88423.6% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Harper Labour 32,35776.2% Yes
John Flett Whitfield Conservative 10,12823.8% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Harper Labour 32,32878.4% Yes
Anthony Wigram Conservative 8,92721.6% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Joseph Harper Labour 31,77474.8% Yes
Ian Deslandes Conservative 10,68725.2% No

Margin Over Time

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

1835: Whig margin 1.4 pts 1837: Conservative margin 27.1 pts 1841: Conservative margin 15.7 pts 1847: Whig margin 1.7 pts 1852: Conservative margin 2.3 pts 1857: Whig margin 4.9 pts 1859: Liberal margin 0.9 pts 1865: Liberal margin 4.3 pts 1868: Liberal margin 8.8 pts 1874: Liberal margin 6.1 pts 1880: Liberal margin 3.4 pts 1885: Conservative margin 1.7 pts 1886: Conservative margin 9.9 pts 1892: Conservative margin 1.8 pts 1895: Liberal margin 2.3 pts 1900: Liberal margin 4.4 pts 1906: Liberal margin 28.1 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 11.9 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 1.6 pts 1918: Liberal margin 25.8 pts 1922: Labour margin 2.7 pts 1923: Labour margin 9.2 pts 1924: Unionist margin 2.6 pts 1929: Labour margin 20.1 pts 1931: Conservative margin 10.8 pts 1935: Labour margin 6.8 pts 1945: Labour margin 21.2 pts 1950: Labour margin 51.2 pts 1951: Labour margin 52.3 pts 1955: Labour margin 52.4 pts 1959: Labour margin 52.8 pts 1964: Labour margin 52.3 pts 1966: Labour margin 56.7 pts 1970: Labour margin 49.7 pts 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970

Trend

Pontefract has been contested at 35 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Labour, Unionist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Pontefract in the 1970 general election?

Labour won Pontefract in 1970 with 31,774 votes (74.8%), a majority of 21,087 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Pontefract since 1832?

Since 1832, Pontefract has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Pontefract?

The closest result on record for Pontefract was 1859, when Liberal beat Liberal by just 10 votes (0.9 percentage points).

Did Pontefract ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Pontefract 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.

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