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Rossendale — UK General Election Results

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

Rossendale was won by Conservative at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 1,873 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Rossendale from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 Spencer Compton Cavendish (Liberal) 6,060 58.9% William Farrer Ecroyd (Conservative) 1,832 (17.8 pts) 89.9%
1886 Spencer Compton Cavendish (Liberal Unionist) 5,399 57.8% Thomas Newbigging (Liberal) 1,450 (15.5 pts) 81.6%
1892 John Henry Maden (Liberal) 6,058 58.3% Arthur Goldsmith Sparrow (Conservative) 1,724 (16.6 pts) 89.0%
1895 John Henry Maden (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1900 William Mather (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1906 Lewis Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) 6,881 59.6% John Robert Kebty-Fletcher (Conservative) 2,219 (19.2 pts) 90.4%
Jan 1910 Lewis Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) 7,185 57.4% John Robert Kebty-Fletcher (Conservative) 2,490 (19.9 pts) 94.7%
Dec 1910 Lewis Vernon Harcourt (Liberal) 6,619 56.0% Joshua Craven Hoyle (Conservative) 1,413 (11.9 pts) 89.5%
1918 Robert Waddington (Unionist) 8,907 39.2% Gilbert Wright Jones (Labour) 923 (4.1 pts) 63.6%
1922 David Halstead (Unionist) 12,881 42.6% Gilbert Wright Jones (Labour) 1,852 (6.1 pts) 85.0%
1923 Robert Waddington (Unionist) 11,362 37.6% Ernest James Young (Liberal) 1,770 (5.9 pts) 83.8%
1924 Robert Waddington (Unionist) 12,836 41.7% James Bell (Labour) 2,885 (9.4 pts) 84.5%
1929 Arthur Law (Labour) 14,624 36.0% Edwin Bayliss (Liberal) 877 (2.2 pts) 87.7%
1931 Ronald Hibbert Cross (Conservative) 16,206 40.1% William Furness Dean (Liberal) 3,117 (7.7 pts) 87.6%
1935 Ronald Hibbert Cross (Conservative) 15,650 39.4% Evelyn Walkden (Labour) 881 (2.2 pts) 86.1%
1945 George Henry Walker (Labour) 15,741 43.6% Ronald Hibbert Cross (Conservative) 5,588 (15.5 pts) 83.4%
1950 Anthony William James Anthony Greenwood (Labour) 21,596 45.1% Thomas Mercer Backhouse (Conservative) 2,113 (4.4 pts) 88.9%
1951 Anthony William James Anthony Greenwood (Labour) 24,814 51.7% Thomas Mercer Backhouse (Conservative) 1,670 (3.5 pts) 88.6%
1955 Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood (Labour) 23,472 53.3% John Parkinson (Conservative) 2,911 (6.6 pts) 84.2%
1959 Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood (Labour) 20,743 47.5% James Richard Trist Holt (Conservative) 2,591 (5.9 pts) 86.3%
1964 Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood (Labour) 21,371 54.0% Colin Clive Baillieu (Conservative) 3,141 (7.9 pts) 81.8%
1966 Arthur Greenwood (Labour) 21,093 55.4% Colin Baillieu (Conservative) 4,109 (10.8 pts) 80.4%
1970 Ronald Bray (Conservative) 20,448 52.4% Betty Boothroyd (Labour) 1,880 (4.8 pts) 78.2%
Feb 1974 Ronald Bray (Conservative) 16,040 38.4% Michael Noble (Labour) 797 (1.9 pts) 83.5%
Oct 1974 Michael Noble (Labour) 16,156 39.6% Ronald Bray (Conservative) 203 (0.5 pts) 80.9%
1979 David Trippier (Conservative) 20,370 48.0% Michael Noble (Labour) 1,873 (4.4 pts) 83.3%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Spencer Compton Cavendish Liberal 6,06058.9% Yes
William Farrer Ecroyd Conservative 4,22841.1% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Spencer Compton Cavendish Liberal Unionist 5,39957.8% Yes
Thomas Newbigging Liberal 3,94942.2% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Henry Maden Liberal 6,05858.3% Yes
Arthur Goldsmith Sparrow Conservative 4,33441.7% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Henry Maden Liberal Unopposed Yes

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Mather Liberal Unopposed Yes

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Lewis Vernon Harcourt Liberal 6,88159.6% Yes
John Robert Kebty-Fletcher Conservative 4,66240.4% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Lewis Vernon Harcourt Liberal 7,18557.4% Yes
John Robert Kebty-Fletcher Conservative 4,69537.5% No
Arthur Kilpin Bulley Women's Suffrage 6395.1% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Lewis Vernon Harcourt Liberal 6,61956.0% Yes
Joshua Craven Hoyle Conservative 5,20644.0% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Waddington Unionist 8,90739.2% Yes
Gilbert Wright Jones Labour 7,98435.1% No
John Henry Maden Liberal 5,83725.7% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Halstead Unionist 12,88142.6% Yes
Gilbert Wright Jones Labour 11,02936.5% No
Richard Durning Holt Liberal 6,32720.9% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Waddington Unionist 11,36237.6% Yes
Ernest James Young Liberal 9,59231.8% No
Ralph Norman Angell Labour 9,23030.6% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Waddington Unionist 12,83641.7% Yes
James Bell Labour 9,95132.4% No
Ernest James Young Liberal 7,95825.9% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Law Labour 14,62436.0% Yes
Edwin Bayliss Liberal 13,74733.9% No
Wilfrid Hart Sugden Unionist 12,22530.1% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ronald Hibbert Cross Conservative 16,20640.1% Yes
William Furness Dean Liberal 13,08932.4% No
Arthur Law Labour 11,13527.5% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ronald Hibbert Cross Conservative 15,65039.4% Yes
Evelyn Walkden Labour 14,76937.1% No
Arthur Holgate Liberal 9,34323.5% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Henry Walker Labour 15,74143.6% Yes
Ronald Hibbert Cross Conservative 10,15328.1% No
Arthur Ward Jones Liberal 8,54223.7% No
William Whittaker Communist 1,6634.6% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Anthony William James Anthony Greenwood Labour 21,59645.1% Yes
Thomas Mercer Backhouse Conservative 19,48340.7% No
Lillian May Tomlinson Liberal 6,75714.1% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Anthony William James Anthony Greenwood Labour 24,81451.7% Yes
Thomas Mercer Backhouse Conservative 23,14448.3% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood Labour 23,47253.3% Yes
John Parkinson Conservative 20,56146.7% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood Labour 20,74347.5% Yes
James Richard Trist Holt Conservative 18,15241.6% No
Alan Cooper Liberal 4,75210.9% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur William James Anthony Greenwood Labour 21,37154.0% Yes
Colin Clive Baillieu Conservative 18,23046.0% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Greenwood Labour 21,09355.4% Yes
Colin Baillieu Conservative 16,98444.6% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ronald Bray Conservative 20,44852.4% Yes
Betty Boothroyd Labour 18,56847.6% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ronald Bray Conservative 16,04038.4% Yes
Michael Noble Labour 15,24336.5% No
John Albert Hamilton Liberal 10,47825.1% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Michael Noble Labour 16,15639.6% Yes
Ronald Bray Conservative 15,95339.1% No
John Albert Hamilton Liberal 8,69321.3% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Trippier Conservative 20,37048.0% Yes
Michael Noble Labour 18,49743.6% No
Peter John Arnold Liberal 3,5348.3% No

Margin Over Time

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

1885: Liberal margin 17.8 pts 1886: Liberal Unionist margin 15.5 pts 1892: Liberal margin 16.6 pts 1906: Liberal margin 19.2 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 19.9 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 11.9 pts 1918: Unionist margin 4.1 pts 1922: Unionist margin 6.1 pts 1923: Unionist margin 5.9 pts 1924: Unionist margin 9.4 pts 1929: Labour margin 2.2 pts 1931: Conservative margin 7.7 pts 1935: Conservative margin 2.2 pts 1945: Labour margin 15.5 pts 1950: Labour margin 4.4 pts 1951: Labour margin 3.5 pts 1955: Labour margin 6.6 pts 1959: Labour margin 5.9 pts 1964: Labour margin 7.9 pts 1966: Labour margin 10.8 pts 1970: Conservative margin 4.8 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 1.9 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 0.5 pts 1979: Conservative margin 4.4 pts 1885 1886 1892 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Rossendale has been contested at 26 general elections on record since 1885. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Unionist, Labour, Conservative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Rossendale in the 1979 general election?

Conservative won Rossendale in 1979 with 20,370 votes (48.0%), a majority of 1,873 votes over Labour in second place.

Which parties have won Rossendale since 1885?

Since 1885, Rossendale has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal Unionist, Unionist.

What was the closest result in Rossendale?

The closest result on record for Rossendale was Oct 1974, when Labour beat Conservative by just 203 votes (0.5 percentage points).

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