Rochester — UK General Election Results
Rochester was won by Conservative at the Jan 1910 general election, with a majority of 132 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in Rochester from 1832 to Jan 1910.
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–Jan 1910
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Ralph Bernal (Whig); John Mills (Conservative) | 350 | 35.5% (top seat) | George Lewes Newnham Collingwood (Whig) | 57 (5.7 pts) | 51.2% |
| 1835 | Ralph Bernal (Whig); Thomas Twisden Hodges (Whig) | 443 | 36.2% (top seat) | Charles Wellesley (Conservative) | 1 (0.1 pts) | 71.7% |
| 1837 | Ralph Bernal (Whig); Thomas Benjamin Hobhouse (Radical) | 473 | 26.9% (top seat) | James Douglas Stoddart Douglas (Conservative) | 28 (1.5 pts) | 89.6% |
| 1841 | James Douglas Stoddart Douglas (Conservative); William Henry Bodkin (Conservative) | 499 | 26.7% (top seat) | William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound (Whig) | 2 (0.1 pts) | 88.9% |
| 1847 | Ralph Bernal (Whig); Thomas Twisden Hodges (Whig) | 617 | 29.2% (top seat) | William Henry Bodkin (Conservative) | 153 (7.0 pts) | 75.1% |
| 1852 | Francis John Robert Child Villiers (Conservative); Thmas Hebert Maddock (Conservative) | 581 | 26.7% (top seat) | Ralph Bernal (Whig) | 67 (3.1 pts) | 86.1% |
| 1857 | Philip Wykeham Martin (Radical); John Alexander Kinglake (Radical) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | Philip Wykeham Martin (Liberal); John Alexander Kinglake (Liberal) | 662 | 28.6% (top seat) | George Henry Money (Conservative) | 157 (6.8 pts) | 81.9% |
| 1865 | Philip Wykeham-Martin (Liberal); John Alexander Kinglake (Liberal) | 792 | 41.5% (top seat) | Alfred Smee (Conservative) | 378 (18.3 pts) | 70.7% |
| 1868 | Philip Wykeham Martin (Liberal); John Alexander Kinglake (Liberal) | 1,305 | 42.1% (top seat) | Alfred Smee (Conservative) | 602 (17.4 pts) | 67.5% |
| 1874 | Philip Wykeham Martin (Liberal); Julian Goldsmid (Liberal) | 1,144 | 37.9% (top seat) | Alfred Smee (Conservative) | 309 (9.7 pts) | 59.5% |
| 1880 | Arthur John Otway (Liberal); Roger Leigh (Conservative) | 1,393 | 27.2% (top seat) | Walter Scott Seton-Karr (Conservative) | 81 (1.5 pts) | 90.8% |
| 1885 | Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett (Conservative) | 1,627 | 54.0% | John Passmore Edwards (Liberal) | 241 (8.0 pts) | 91.2% |
| 1886 | Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett (Conservative) | 1,602 | 54.2% | Francis Flint Belsey (Liberal) | 249 (8.4 pts) | 89.4% |
| 1892 | Horatio David Davies (Conservative) | 2,119 | 55.3% | Frederic Brunning Maddison (Liberal) | 407 (10.6 pts) | 91.0% |
| 1895 | James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil (Conservative) | 2,152 | 56.3% | Cecil Alfred Grenfell (Liberal) | 479 (12.5 pts) | 87.4% |
| 1900 | James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1906 | Ernest Henry Lamb (Liberal) | 2,967 | 55.6% | Charles Tuff (Conservative) | 593 (11.1 pts) | 92.7% |
| Dec 1910 | Ernest Henry Lamb (Liberal) | 2,609 | 51.5% | Samuel Forde Ridley (Conservative) | 153 (3.0 pts) | 90.0% |
| Jan 1910 | Samuel Forde Ridley (Conservative) | 2,675 | 51.3% | Ernest Henry Lamb (Liberal) | 132 (2.5 pts) | 92.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Bernal | Whig | 354 | 35.5% | Yes |
| John Mills | Conservative | 350 | 35.1% | Yes |
| George Lewes Newnham Collingwood | Whig | 293 | 29.4% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Bernal | Whig | 502 | 36.2% | Yes |
| Thomas Twisden Hodges | Whig | 443 | 31.9% | Yes |
| Charles Wellesley | Conservative | 442 | 31.9% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Bernal | Whig | 489 | 26.9% | Yes |
| Thomas Benjamin Hobhouse | Radical | 473 | 26.0% | Yes |
| James Douglas Stoddart Douglas | Conservative | 445 | 24.5% | No |
| Thomas Best | Conservative | 412 | 22.6% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Douglas Stoddart Douglas | Conservative | 541 | 26.7% | Yes |
| William Henry Bodkin | Conservative | 499 | 24.6% | Yes |
| William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound | Whig | 497 | 24.5% | No |
| Francis Dashwood | Whig | 489 | 24.1% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Bernal | Whig | 637 | 29.2% | Yes |
| Thomas Twisden Hodges | Whig | 617 | 28.3% | Yes |
| William Henry Bodkin | Conservative | 464 | 21.3% | No |
| James Douglas Stoddart Douglas | Conservative | 462 | 21.2% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis John Robert Child Villiers | Conservative | 584 | 26.7% | Yes |
| Thmas Hebert Maddock | Conservative | 581 | 26.6% | Yes |
| Ralph Bernal | Whig | 514 | 23.5% | No |
| Thomas Twisden Hodges | Whig | 507 | 23.2% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Wykeham Martin | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Alexander Kinglake | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Wykeham Martin | Liberal | 665 | 28.6% | Yes |
| John Alexander Kinglake | Liberal | 662 | 28.5% | Yes |
| George Henry Money | Conservative | 505 | 21.7% | No |
| George Mitchell | Conservative | 493 | 21.2% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Wykeham-Martin | Liberal | 855 | 41.5% | Yes |
| John Alexander Kinglake | Liberal | 792 | 38.4% | Yes |
| Alfred Smee | Conservative | 414 | 20.1% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Wykeham Martin | Liberal | 1,458 | 42.1% | Yes |
| John Alexander Kinglake | Liberal | 1,305 | 37.7% | Yes |
| Alfred Smee | Conservative | 703 | 20.3% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Wykeham Martin | Liberal | 1,206 | 37.9% | Yes |
| Julian Goldsmid | Liberal | 1,144 | 35.9% | Yes |
| Alfred Smee | Conservative | 835 | 26.2% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur John Otway | Liberal | 1,497 | 27.2% | Yes |
| Roger Leigh | Conservative | 1,393 | 25.3% | Yes |
| Walter Scott Seton-Karr | Conservative | 1,312 | 23.9% | No |
| Julian Goldsmid | Liberal | 1,294 | 23.5% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett | Conservative | 1,627 | 54.0% | Yes |
| John Passmore Edwards | Liberal | 1,386 | 46.0% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Charles Hughes-Hallett | Conservative | 1,602 | 54.2% | Yes |
| Francis Flint Belsey | Liberal | 1,353 | 45.8% | No |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horatio David Davies | Conservative | 2,119 | 55.3% | Yes |
| Frederic Brunning Maddison | Liberal | 1,712 | 44.7% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil | Conservative | 2,152 | 56.3% | Yes |
| Cecil Alfred Grenfell | Liberal | 1,673 | 43.7% | No |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Henry Lamb | Liberal | 2,967 | 55.6% | Yes |
| Charles Tuff | Conservative | 2,374 | 44.4% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest Henry Lamb | Liberal | 2,609 | 51.5% | Yes |
| Samuel Forde Ridley | Conservative | 2,456 | 48.5% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Forde Ridley | Conservative | 2,675 | 51.3% | Yes |
| Ernest Henry Lamb | Liberal | 2,543 | 48.7% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Rochester has been contested at 20 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Radical, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Rochester in the Jan 1910 general election?
Conservative won Rochester in Jan 1910 with 2,675 votes (51.3%), a majority of 132 votes over Liberal in second place.
Which parties have won Rochester since 1832?
Since 1832, Rochester has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Radical, Whig.
What was the closest result in Rochester?
The closest result on record for Rochester was 1835, when Whig beat Conservative by just 1 votes (0.1 percentage points).
Did Rochester ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Rochester 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.