EveryElectionResult.com

Election results, country by country.

Skipton — UK General Election Results

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

Skipton was won by Conservative at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 5,693 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in Skipton from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 Mathew Wilson (Liberal) 5,059 54.2% Samuel Cunliffe Lister (Conservative) 790 (8.5 pts) 86.4%
1886 Walter Morrison (Liberal Unionist) 4,423 50.8% Mathew Wilson (Liberal) 134 (1.5 pts) 80.7%
1892 Charles Savile Roundell (Liberal) 4,700 50.5% Walter Morrison (Liberal Unionist) 92 (1.0 pts) 77.0%
1895 Walter Morrison (Liberal Unionist) 4,902 50.7% James Anson Farrer (Liberal) 139 (1.4 pts) 87.1%
1900 Frederick Whitley Thomson (Liberal) 5,139 50.7% Walter Morrison (Liberal Unionist) 132 (1.3 pts) 85.5%
1906 William Clough (Liberal) 5,834 51.0% Richard Roundell (Conservative) 233 (2.0 pts) 90.0%
Jan 1910 William Clough (Liberal) 6,579 52.0% Richard Roundell (Conservative) 508 (4.0 pts) 91.2%
Dec 1910 William Clough (Liberal) 6,151 50.2% Richard Roundell (Conservative) 51 (0.4 pts) 88.4%
1918 Richard Foulis Roundell (Unionist) 12,599 55.0% William Anderton Brigg (Liberal) 2,281 (10.0 pts) 64.2%
1922 Richard Foulis Roundell (Unionist) 13,251 41.8% Harry Calvert Williams Verney (Liberal) 3,023 (9.5 pts) 85.2%
1923 Richard Foulis Roundell (Unionist) 12,676 40.0% Harry Calvert Williams Verney (Liberal) 1,391 (4.4 pts) 83.6%
1924 Ernest Roy Bird (Unionist) 14,924 45.9% Thomas Woffenden (Liberal) 5,977 (18.4 pts) 83.8%
1929 Ernest Roy Bird (Unionist) 16,588 39.5% John Percival Davies (Labour) 3,500 (8.3 pts) 83.4%
1931 Ernest Roy Bird (Conservative) 28,013 68.2% John Percival Davies (Labour) 14,960 (36.4 pts) 80.3%
1935 George William Rickards (Conservative) 22,847 56.2% John Percival Davies (Labour) 5,059 (12.4 pts) 79.6%
1945 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 17,905 41.5% John Percival Davies (Labour) 2,201 (5.1 pts) 81.5%
1950 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 22,254 49.2% Thomas Roberts (Labour) 5,964 (13.2 pts) 88.9%
1951 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 26,024 59.0% Edgar Hewitt (Labour) 7,960 (18.1 pts) 86.1%
1955 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 25,101 61.2% Vincent Richardson (Labour) 9,182 (22.4 pts) 82.5%
1959 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 20,278 48.3% Frank Oswald Hooley (Labour) 9,100 (21.7 pts) 85.6%
1964 George Burnaby Drayson (Conservative) 18,561 46.2% Roderick MacSween (Labour) 6,846 (17.1 pts) 84.0%
1966 George Drayson (Conservative) 17,532 45.1% Gordon Knott (Labour) 4,256 (10.9 pts) 82.0%
1970 George Drayson (Conservative) 20,817 51.3% Kenneth Targett (Labour) 8,806 (21.7 pts) 78.7%
Feb 1974 George Drayson (Conservative) 19,301 43.3% Kathleen Brooks (Liberal) 2,116 (4.8 pts) 85.5%
Oct 1974 George Drayson (Conservative) 17,882 41.4% Kathleen Brooks (Liberal) 650 (1.5 pts) 82.1%
1979 John Watson (Conservative) 23,177 51.2% Kathleen Brooks (Liberal) 5,693 (12.6 pts) 84.1%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Mathew Wilson Liberal 5,05954.2% Yes
Samuel Cunliffe Lister Conservative 4,26945.8% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist 4,42350.8% Yes
Mathew Wilson Liberal 4,28949.2% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Savile Roundell Liberal 4,70050.5% Yes
Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist 4,60849.5% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist 4,90250.7% Yes
James Anson Farrer Liberal 4,76349.3% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Frederick Whitley Thomson Liberal 5,13950.7% Yes
Walter Morrison Liberal Unionist 5,00749.3% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Clough Liberal 5,83451.0% Yes
Richard Roundell Conservative 5,60149.0% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Clough Liberal 6,57952.0% Yes
Richard Roundell Conservative 6,07148.0% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Clough Liberal 6,15150.2% Yes
Richard Roundell Conservative 6,10049.8% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Foulis Roundell Unionist 12,59955.0% Yes
William Anderton Brigg Liberal 10,31845.0% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Foulis Roundell Unionist 13,25141.8% Yes
Harry Calvert Williams Verney Liberal 10,22832.3% No
Tom Snowden Labour 8,22926.0% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Richard Foulis Roundell Unionist 12,67640.0% Yes
Harry Calvert Williams Verney Liberal 11,28535.6% No
Octavius George Willey Labour 7,76724.5% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Roy Bird Unionist 14,92445.9% Yes
Thomas Woffenden Liberal 8,94727.5% No
Octavius George Willey Labour 8,62626.5% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Roy Bird Unionist 16,58839.5% Yes
John Percival Davies Labour 13,08831.2% No
Thomas Woffenden Liberal 12,32029.3% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Roy Bird Conservative 28,01368.2% Yes
John Percival Davies Labour 13,05331.8% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George William Rickards Conservative 22,84756.2% Yes
John Percival Davies Labour 17,78843.8% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 17,90541.5% Yes
John Percival Davies Labour 15,70436.4% No
Eric Townsend Liberal 9,54622.1% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 22,25449.2% Yes
Thomas Roberts Labour 16,29036.0% No
Eric Arthur Greenwood Liberal 6,68914.8% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 26,02459.0% Yes
Edgar Hewitt Labour 18,06441.0% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 25,10161.2% Yes
Vincent Richardson Labour 15,91938.8% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 20,27848.3% Yes
Frank Oswald Hooley Labour 11,17826.6% No
Kathleen Claire Graham Liberal 10,54325.1% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Burnaby Drayson Conservative 18,56146.2% Yes
Roderick MacSween Labour 11,71529.2% No
Wilfrid EH Pickard Liberal 9,88624.6% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Drayson Conservative 17,53245.1% Yes
Gordon Knott Labour 13,27634.1% No
Wilfrid Pickard Liberal 8,10420.8% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Drayson Conservative 20,81751.3% Yes
Kenneth Targett Labour 12,01129.6% No
Jean Burns Liberal 7,73319.1% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Drayson Conservative 19,30143.3% Yes
Kathleen Brooks Liberal 17,18538.6% No
Terence Victor Wheeler Labour 8,07918.1% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Drayson Conservative 17,88241.4% Yes
Kathleen Brooks Liberal 17,23239.9% No
Christopher George Burks Labour 8,10918.8% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Watson Conservative 23,17751.2% Yes
Kathleen Brooks Liberal 17,48438.6% No
Brian Selby Labour 4,63210.2% No

Margin Over Time

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

1885: Liberal margin 8.5 pts 1886: Liberal Unionist margin 1.5 pts 1892: Liberal margin 1.0 pts 1895: Liberal Unionist margin 1.4 pts 1900: Liberal margin 1.3 pts 1906: Liberal margin 2.0 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 4.0 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 0.4 pts 1918: Unionist margin 10.0 pts 1922: Unionist margin 9.5 pts 1923: Unionist margin 4.4 pts 1924: Unionist margin 18.4 pts 1929: Unionist margin 8.3 pts 1931: Conservative margin 36.4 pts 1935: Conservative margin 12.4 pts 1945: Conservative margin 5.1 pts 1950: Conservative margin 13.2 pts 1951: Conservative margin 18.1 pts 1955: Conservative margin 22.4 pts 1959: Conservative margin 21.7 pts 1964: Conservative margin 17.1 pts 1966: Conservative margin 10.9 pts 1970: Conservative margin 21.7 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 4.8 pts Oct 1974: Conservative margin 1.5 pts 1979: Conservative margin 12.6 pts 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 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Skipton 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, Conservative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Skipton in the 1979 general election?

Conservative won Skipton in 1979 with 23,177 votes (51.2%), a majority of 5,693 votes over Liberal in second place.

Which parties have won Skipton since 1885?

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

What was the closest result in Skipton?

The closest result on record for Skipton was Dec 1910, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 51 votes (0.4 percentage points).

Related Pages