Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
William Pleydell-Bouverie (Conservative) and Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative) were elected unopposed for South Wiltshire at the 1880 general election. This page covers every general election in South Wiltshire 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
Sidney Herbert (Conservative); John Benett (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1835
Sidney Herbert (Conservative); John Benett (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1837
Sidney Herbert (Conservative); John Benett (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Sidney Herbert (Conservative); John Benett (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Sidney Herbert (Peelite); John Benett (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1852
Sidney Herbert (Peelite); William Wyndham (Whig)
1,304
39.5% (top seat)
Richard Penruddocke Long (Conservative)
230 (5.9 pts)
60.3%
1857
Sidney Herbert (Peelite); William Wyndham (Whig)
1,445
35.9% (top seat)
Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative)
176 (4.2 pts)
65.3%
1859
Sidney Herbert (Liberal); Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative); Thomas Frazer Grove (Liberal)
1,427
36.9% (top seat)
Frederick Thomas Arthur Hervey-Bathurst (Conservative)
157 (3.7 pts)
63.9%
1868
Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative); Thomas Frazer Grove (Liberal)
0
0.0% (top seat)
None (None)
None (None pts)
2.6%
1874
Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative); William Pleydell-Bouverie (Conservative)
1,977
41.1% (top seat)
Thomas Frazer Grove (Liberal)
929 (18.1 pts)
65.3%
1880
William Pleydell-Bouverie (Conservative); Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Benett
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Benett
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Benett
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Benett
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Peelite
Unopposed
Yes
John Benett
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Peelite
1,550
39.5%
Yes
William Wyndham
Whig
1,304
33.2%
Yes
Richard Penruddocke Long
Conservative
1,074
27.3%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Peelite
1,517
35.9%
Yes
William Wyndham
Whig
1,445
34.2%
Yes
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
1,269
30.0%
No
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Sidney Herbert
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
1,576
36.9%
Yes
Thomas Frazer Grove
Liberal
1,427
33.4%
Yes
Frederick Thomas Arthur Hervey-Bathurst
Conservative
1,270
29.7%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
0
0.0%
Yes
Thomas Frazer Grove
Liberal
0
0.0%
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
2,115
41.1%
Yes
William Pleydell-Bouverie
Conservative
1,977
38.5%
Yes
Thomas Frazer Grove
Liberal
1,048
20.4%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Pleydell-Bouverie
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Henry Frederick Thynne
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
South Wiltshire has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Peelite, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won South Wiltshire in the 1880 general election?
William Pleydell-Bouverie (Conservative), Henry Frederick Thynne (Conservative) were elected unopposed for South Wiltshire in 1880 -- no other candidate stood.
Which parties have won South Wiltshire since 1832?
Since 1832, South Wiltshire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Peelite, Whig.
What was the closest result in South Wiltshire?
The closest result on record for South Wiltshire was 1865, when Conservative beat Conservative by just 157 votes (3.7 percentage points).
Did South Wiltshire ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, South Wiltshire 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.