Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
South Essex elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Thomas Charles Baring (Conservative) and William Thomas Makins (Conservative). This page covers every general election in South Essex from 1832 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, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Robert Westley Hall-Dare (Conservative); Thomas Barrett-Lennard (Whig)
1,538
41.3% (top seat)
William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley (Whig)
106 (2.1 pts)
56.4%
1835
Robert Westley Hall-Dare (Conservative); Thomas William Bramston (Conservative)
2,118
41.4% (top seat)
Champion Edward Branfill (Whig)
1,108 (20.8 pts)
57.4%
1837
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); George Palmer (Conservative)
2,260
39.7% (top seat)
Champion Edward Branfill (Whig)
710 (11.2 pts)
57.0%
1841
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); George Palmer (Conservative)
2,230
45.1% (top seat)
Rowland Gardner Alson (Whig)
1,647 (32.1 pts)
45.5%
1847
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); Edward North Buxton (Whig)
1,729
38.7% (top seat)
William Bowyer-Smijth (Conservative)
35 (0.6 pts)
52.4%
1852
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); William Bowyer-Smijth (Conservative)
2,457
38.4% (top seat)
Edward North Buxton (Whig)
654 (9.5 pts)
59.4%
1857
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); Richard Baker Wingfield (Whig)
2,119
35.6% (top seat)
William Bowyer-Smijth (Conservative)
17 (0.3 pts)
53.1%
1859
Thomas William Bramston (Conservative); John Watlington Perry-Watlington (Conservative)
2,704
36.9% (top seat)
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker (Liberal)
459 (5.9 pts)
58.8%
1865
Henry John Selwin (Conservative); Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil (Conservative)
2,710
35.6% (top seat)
Richard Baker Winfield-Baker (Liberal)
328 (4.2 pts)
53.9%
1868
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker (Liberal); Andrew Johnston (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Thomas Charles Baring (Conservative); William Thomas Makins (Conservative)
3,528
28.9% (top seat)
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker (Liberal)
793 (6.3 pts)
72.5%
1880
Thomas Charles Baring (Conservative); William Thomas Makins (Conservative)
4,726
26.8% (top seat)
Edward North Buxton (Liberal)
402 (2.2 pts)
75.5%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Robert Westley Hall-Dare
Conservative
2,088
41.3%
Yes
Thomas Barrett-Lennard
Whig
1,538
30.4%
Yes
William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley
Whig
1,432
28.3%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Robert Westley Hall-Dare
Conservative
2,212
41.4%
Yes
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,118
39.7%
Yes
Champion Edward Branfill
Whig
1,010
18.9%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,511
39.7%
Yes
George Palmer
Conservative
2,260
35.8%
Yes
Champion Edward Branfill
Whig
1,550
24.5%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,310
45.1%
Yes
George Palmer
Conservative
2,230
43.5%
Yes
Rowland Gardner Alson
Whig
583
11.4%
No
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,158
38.7%
Yes
Edward North Buxton
Whig
1,729
31.0%
Yes
William Bowyer-Smijth
Conservative
1,694
30.4%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,651
38.4%
Yes
William Bowyer-Smijth
Conservative
2,457
35.6%
Yes
Edward North Buxton
Whig
1,803
26.1%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,332
35.6%
Yes
Richard Baker Wingfield
Whig
2,119
32.3%
Yes
William Bowyer-Smijth
Conservative
2,102
32.1%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas William Bramston
Conservative
2,896
36.9%
Yes
John Watlington Perry-Watlington
Conservative
2,704
34.5%
Yes
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker
Liberal
2,245
28.6%
No
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry John Selwin
Conservative
2,817
35.6%
Yes
Eustace Brownlow Henry Gascoyne-Cecil
Conservative
2,710
34.3%
Yes
Richard Baker Winfield-Baker
Liberal
2,382
30.1%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Andrew Johnston
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Charles Baring
Conservative
3,646
28.9%
Yes
William Thomas Makins
Conservative
3,528
27.9%
Yes
Richard Baker Wingfield-Baker
Liberal
2,735
21.6%
No
Andrew Johnston
Liberal
2,728
21.6%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Charles Baring
Conservative
4,841
26.8%
Yes
William Thomas Makins
Conservative
4,726
26.2%
Yes
Edward North Buxton
Liberal
4,324
24.0%
No
Leonard Lyell
Liberal
4,147
23.0%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
South Essex has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won South Essex in the 1880 general election?
Thomas Charles Baring (Conservative), William Thomas Makins (Conservative) won South Essex in 1880.
Which parties have won South Essex since 1832?
Since 1832, South Essex has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Whig.
What was the closest result in South Essex?
The closest result on record for South Essex was 1857, when Conservative beat Conservative by just 17 votes (0.3 percentage points).
Did South Essex ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, South Essex 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.