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Sowerby — UK General Election Results

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

Sowerby was won by Conservative at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 1,180 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Sowerby from 1885 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1885–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1885 Edward Crossley (Liberal) 6,427 68.5% Frederick George Milner (Conservative) 3,467 (36.9 pts) 82.6%
1886 Edward Crossley (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1892 John William Mellor (Liberal) 5,754 63.4% Henry Tipping Crook (Liberal Unionist) 2,430 (26.8 pts) 75.9%
1895 John William Mellor (Liberal) 5,328 58.7% John Cann Bailey (Conservative) 1,575 (17.3 pts) 77.7%
1900 John William Mellor (Liberal) 5,528 57.6% John Cann Bailey (Conservative) 1,461 (15.2 pts) 80.0%
1906 John Sharp Higham (Liberal) 6,482 61.6% William Simpson-Hinchliffe (Conservative) 2,448 (23.3 pts) 84.2%
Jan 1910 John Sharp Higham (Liberal) 6,811 58.8% William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe (Conservative) 2,030 (17.5 pts) 90.5%
Dec 1910 John Sharp Higham (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1918 Robert Hewitt Barker (Independent Unionist) 8,287 37.0% John William Ogden (Labour) 981 (4.4 pts) 65.2%
1922 William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe (Unionist) 11,710 39.9% Arnold Williams (Liberal) 3,566 (12.1 pts) 83.9%
1923 Arnold Williams (Liberal) 11,350 39.6% William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe (Unionist) 1,418 (5.0 pts) 81.0%
1924 Geoffrey Reginald Devereux Shaw (Unionist) 11,181 37.8% Arnold Williams (Liberal) 1,701 (5.8 pts) 83.2%
1929 William John Tout (Labour) 14,223 37.3% William Arthur Colegate (Unionist) 2,166 (5.7 pts) 83.4%
1931 Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale (Conservative) 25,511 68.3% William John Trout (Labour) 13,654 (36.5 pts) 81.1%
1935 Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale (Conservative) 18,707 53.8% William John Tout (Labour) 2,672 (7.7 pts) 75.9%
1945 John William Belcher (Labour) 17,710 50.8% Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale (Conservative) 6,933 (19.9 pts) 81.9%
1950 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton (Labour) 22,846 45.4% Paul Elmore Oliver Bryan (Conservative) 3,665 (7.3 pts) 88.3%
1951 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton (Labour) 22,766 46.0% Paul Elmore Oliver Bryan (Conservative) 1,648 (3.3 pts) 86.9%
1955 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton (Labour) 20,092 45.2% Betty Harvie Anderson (Conservative) 2,783 (6.3 pts) 81.4%
1959 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton (Labour) 18,949 43.5% Robert Kenyon McKim (Conservative) 1,956 (4.5 pts) 82.9%
1964 Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton (Labour) 21,582 54.2% Robert Kenyon McKim (Conservative) 3,362 (8.5 pts) 79.5%
1966 Douglas Houghton (Labour) 21,591 56.9% William Burman (Conservative) 5,230 (13.8 pts) 77.7%
1970 Douglas Houghton (Labour) 16,583 43.8% William Guest Burman (Conservative) 469 (1.2 pts) 75.6%
Feb 1974 Max Madden (Labour) 14,492 36.1% Donald Thompson (Conservative) 115 (0.3 pts) 83.0%
Oct 1974 Max Madden (Labour) 14,971 38.8% Donald Thompson (Conservative) 646 (1.7 pts) 79.2%
1979 Donald Thompson (Conservative) 16,797 42.2% Max Madden (Labour) 1,180 (3.0 pts) 80.7%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Crossley Liberal 6,42768.5% Yes
Frederick George Milner Conservative 2,96031.5% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Crossley Liberal Unopposed Yes

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John William Mellor Liberal 5,75463.4% Yes
Henry Tipping Crook Liberal Unionist 3,32436.6% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John William Mellor Liberal 5,32858.7% Yes
John Cann Bailey Conservative 3,75341.3% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John William Mellor Liberal 5,52857.6% Yes
John Cann Bailey Conservative 4,06742.4% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Sharp Higham Liberal 6,48261.6% Yes
William Simpson-Hinchliffe Conservative 4,03438.4% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Sharp Higham Liberal 6,81158.8% Yes
William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe Conservative 4,78141.2% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Sharp Higham Liberal Unopposed Yes

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert Hewitt Barker Independent Unionist 8,28737.0% Yes
John William Ogden Labour 7,30632.7% No
John Sharp Higham Liberal 6,77830.3% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe Unionist 11,71039.9% Yes
Arnold Williams Liberal 8,14427.7% No
John William Ogden Labour 7,49625.5% No
Frank Roebuck National Liberal 2,0236.9% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arnold Williams Liberal 11,35039.6% Yes
William Algernon Simpson-Hinchliffe Unionist 9,93234.6% No
Arthur Dawson Labour 7,38925.8% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Geoffrey Reginald Devereux Shaw Unionist 11,18137.8% Yes
Arnold Williams Liberal 9,48032.1% No
Arthur Dawson Labour 8,88130.1% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William John Tout Labour 14,22337.3% Yes
William Arthur Colegate Unionist 12,05731.6% No
Thomas George Graham Liberal 11,89031.2% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale Conservative 25,51168.3% Yes
William John Trout Labour 11,85731.7% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale Conservative 18,70753.8% Yes
William John Tout Labour 16,03546.2% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John William Belcher Labour 17,71050.8% Yes
Malcolm Stewart McCorquodale Conservative 10,77730.9% No
Douglas Eugene Moore Liberal 6,37318.3% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Labour 22,84645.4% Yes
Paul Elmore Oliver Bryan Conservative 19,18138.1% No
Adrian John Liddell Hart Liberal 8,30616.5% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Labour 22,76646.0% Yes
Paul Elmore Oliver Bryan Conservative 21,11842.7% No
John Walker Liberal 5,57311.3% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Labour 20,09245.2% Yes
Betty Harvie Anderson Conservative 17,30938.9% No
John G Walker Liberal 7,04615.9% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Labour 18,94943.5% Yes
Robert Kenyon McKim Conservative 16,99339.0% No
John G Walker Liberal 7,65417.6% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Arthur Leslie Noel Douglas Houghton Labour 21,58254.2% Yes
Robert Kenyon McKim Conservative 18,22045.8% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Houghton Labour 21,59156.9% Yes
William Burman Conservative 16,36143.1% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Douglas Houghton Labour 16,58343.8% Yes
William Guest Burman Conservative 16,11442.6% No
David Shutt Liberal 5,13713.6% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Max Madden Labour 14,49236.1% Yes
Donald Thompson Conservative 14,37735.8% No
David Shutt Liberal 11,25428.0% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Max Madden Labour 14,97138.8% Yes
Donald Thompson Conservative 14,32537.1% No
David Shutt Liberal 9,13623.7% No
Harold Smith Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain 1570.4% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Donald Thompson Conservative 16,79742.2% Yes
Max Madden Labour 15,61739.3% No
David Shutt Liberal 7,36918.5% No

Margin Over Time

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

1885: Liberal margin 36.9 pts 1892: Liberal margin 26.8 pts 1895: Liberal margin 17.3 pts 1900: Liberal margin 15.2 pts 1906: Liberal margin 23.3 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 17.5 pts 1918: Independent Unionist margin 4.4 pts 1922: Unionist margin 12.1 pts 1923: Liberal margin 5.0 pts 1924: Unionist margin 5.8 pts 1929: Labour margin 5.7 pts 1931: Conservative margin 36.5 pts 1935: Conservative margin 7.7 pts 1945: Labour margin 19.9 pts 1950: Labour margin 7.3 pts 1951: Labour margin 3.3 pts 1955: Labour margin 6.3 pts 1959: Labour margin 4.5 pts 1964: Labour margin 8.5 pts 1966: Labour margin 13.8 pts 1970: Labour margin 1.2 pts Feb 1974: Labour margin 0.3 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 1.7 pts 1979: Conservative margin 3.0 pts 1885 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Sowerby has been contested at 26 general elections on record since 1885. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, Independent Unionist, Unionist, Labour, Conservative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Sowerby in the 1979 general election?

Conservative won Sowerby in 1979 with 16,797 votes (42.2%), a majority of 1,180 votes over Labour in second place.

Which parties have won Sowerby since 1885?

Since 1885, Sowerby has been won by: Conservative, Independent Unionist, Labour, Liberal, Unionist.

What was the closest result in Sowerby?

The closest result on record for Sowerby was Feb 1974, when Labour beat Conservative by just 115 votes (0.3 percentage points).

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