Southern West Riding of Yorkshire — UK General Election Results
Southern West Riding of Yorkshire elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal) and William Henry Leatham (Liberal). This page covers every general election in Southern West Riding of Yorkshire from 1865 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, 1865–1880
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1865 | William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (Liberal); Henry Frederick Beaumont (Liberal) | 6,975 | 26.0% (top seat) | Christopher Beckket Denison (Conservative) | 91 (0.3 pts) | 78.0% |
| 1868 | William Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal); Henry Frederick Beaumont (Liberal) | 7,943 | 25.7% (top seat) | Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope (Conservative) | 8 (0.0 pts) | 79.4% |
| 1874 | Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope (Conservative); Lewis Randle Starkey (Conservative) | 9,639 | 27.1% (top seat) | William Henry Leatham (Liberal) | 1,374 (3.8 pts) | 80.0% |
| 1880 | William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal); William Henry Leatham (Liberal) | 11,181 | 26.5% (top seat) | Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope (Conservative) | 790 (1.8 pts) | 81.6% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam | Liberal | 7,258 | 26.0% | Yes |
| Henry Frederick Beaumont | Liberal | 6,975 | 25.0% | Yes |
| Christopher Beckket Denison | Conservative | 6,884 | 24.6% | No |
| Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope | Conservative | 6,819 | 24.4% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Wentworth-FitzWilliam | Liberal | 8,110 | 25.7% | Yes |
| Henry Frederick Beaumont | Liberal | 7,943 | 25.1% | Yes |
| Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope | Conservative | 7,935 | 25.1% | No |
| Lewis Randle Starkey | Conservative | 7,621 | 24.1% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope | Conservative | 9,705 | 27.1% | Yes |
| Lewis Randle Starkey | Conservative | 9,639 | 27.0% | Yes |
| William Henry Leatham | Liberal | 8,265 | 23.1% | No |
| Henry Frederick Beaumont | Liberal | 8,148 | 22.8% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam | Liberal | 11,385 | 26.5% | Yes |
| William Henry Leatham | Liberal | 11,181 | 26.0% | Yes |
| Walter Thomas William Spencer-Stanhope | Conservative | 10,391 | 24.2% | No |
| Lewis Randle Starkey | Conservative | 10,020 | 23.3% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Southern West Riding of Yorkshire has been contested at 4 general elections on record since 1865. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Conservative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Southern West Riding of Yorkshire in the 1880 general election?
William Henry Wentworth-FitzWilliam (Liberal), William Henry Leatham (Liberal) won Southern West Riding of Yorkshire in 1880.
Which parties have won Southern West Riding of Yorkshire since 1865?
Since 1865, Southern West Riding of Yorkshire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal.
What was the closest result in Southern West Riding of Yorkshire?
The closest result on record for Southern West Riding of Yorkshire was 1868, when Liberal beat Conservative by just 8 votes (0.0 percentage points).
Did Southern West Riding of Yorkshire ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Southern West Riding of Yorkshire 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.