South East Lancashire — UK General Election Results
South East Lancashire elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Robert Leake (Liberal) and William Agnew (Liberal). This page covers every general election in South East Lancashire from 1868 to 1880.
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, 1868–1880
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1868 | Algernon Fulke Egerton (Conservative); John Snowdon Henry (Conservative) | 8,012 | 27.4% (top seat) | Frederick Peel (Liberal) | 988 (3.3 pts) | 78.3% |
| 1874 | Algernon Fulke Egerton (Conservative); Edward Hardcastle (Conservative) | 9,015 | 27.7% (top seat) | Peter Rylands (Liberal) | 1,551 (4.7 pts) | 77.3% |
| 1880 | Robert Leake (Liberal); William Agnew (Liberal) | 11,291 | 26.0% (top seat) | Algernon Fulke Egerton (Conservative) | 722 (1.7 pts) | 83.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algernon Fulke Egerton | Conservative | 8,290 | 27.4% | Yes |
| John Snowdon Henry | Conservative | 8,012 | 26.5% | Yes |
| Frederick Peel | Liberal | 7,024 | 23.2% | No |
| Henry Yates Thompson | Liberal | 6,953 | 23.0% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algernon Fulke Egerton | Conservative | 9,187 | 27.7% | Yes |
| Edward Hardcastle | Conservative | 9,015 | 27.2% | Yes |
| Peter Rylands | Liberal | 7,464 | 22.5% | No |
| John Edward Taylor | Liberal | 7,453 | 22.5% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Leake | Liberal | 11,313 | 26.0% | Yes |
| William Agnew | Liberal | 11,291 | 25.9% | Yes |
| Algernon Fulke Egerton | Conservative | 10,569 | 24.2% | No |
| Edward Hardcastle | Conservative | 10,419 | 23.9% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
South East Lancashire has been contested at 3 general elections on record since 1868. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won South East Lancashire in the 1880 general election?
Robert Leake (Liberal), William Agnew (Liberal) won South East Lancashire in 1880.
Which parties have won South East Lancashire since 1868?
Since 1868, South East Lancashire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal.
What was the closest result in South East Lancashire?
The closest result on record for South East Lancashire was 1880, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 722 votes (1.7 percentage points).
Did South East Lancashire ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, South East Lancashire 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.