Taunton — UK General Election Results
Taunton was won by Liberal Democrat at the 2005 general election, with a majority of 573 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Taunton from 1832 to 2005.
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, 1832–2005
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Edward Thomas Bainbridge (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1835 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Edward Thomas Bainbridge (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1837 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Edward Thomas Bainbridge (Whig) | 414 | 36.3% (top seat) | Robert Netwon Lee (Conservative) | 5 (0.4 pts) | 68.5% |
| 1841 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Edward Thomas Bainbridge (Whig) | 409 | 29.9% (top seat) | William Wilberforce (Conservative) | 28 (1.9 pts) | 84.0% |
| 1847 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Thomas Edward Colebrooke (Whig) | 388 | 41.5% (top seat) | Arthur Mills (Conservative) | 12 (0.9 pts) | 71.7% |
| 1852 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Arthur Mills (Conservative) | 361 | 37.4% (top seat) | Thomas Edward Colebrooke (Whig) | 3 (0.3 pts) | 72.7% |
| 1857 | Henry Labouchere (Whig); Arthur Mills (Conservative) | 401 | 36.6% (top seat) | William Frederick Campbell (Whig) | 35 (2.9 pts) | 68.2% |
| 1859 | Arthur Mills (Conservative); Henry Labouchere (Liberal) | 388 | 30.0% (top seat) | George Augustus Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck (Conservative) | 63 (4.6 pts) | 83.1% |
| 1865 | Alexander Charles Barclay (Liberal); William Montagu Hay (Liberal) | 470 | 31.9% (top seat) | Edward William Cox (Conservative) | 178 (11.9 pts) | 89.4% |
| 1868 | Alexander Charles Barclay (Liberal); Edward William Cox (Conservative) | 988 | 37.0% (top seat) | Henry James (Liberal) | 98 (3.3 pts) | 75.4% |
| 1874 | Henry James (Liberal); Alexander Charles Barclay (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1880 | William Palliser (Conservative); Henry James (Liberal) | 1,000 | 26.9% (top seat) | William Walter Cargill (Conservative) | 29 (0.7 pts) | 90.4% |
| 1885 | Samuel Charles Allsopp (Conservative) | 1,361 | 58.2% | Charles James Jessel (Liberal) | 383 (16.4 pts) | 92.1% |
| 1886 | Samuel Charles Allsopp (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1892 | Alfred Percy Allsopp (Conservative) | 1,402 | 60.4% | Henry Hewitt Bridgman (Liberal) | 481 (20.7 pts) | 82.2% |
| 1895 | Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1900 | Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby (Conservative) | 1,387 | 57.5% | Walker King (Liberal) | 363 (15.1 pts) | 73.7% |
| 1906 | Edward Gurney Boyle (Conservative) | 1,842 | 55.1% | Arthur Augustus William Henry Ponsonby (Liberal) | 339 (10.1 pts) | 93.2% |
| Jan 1910 | William Robert Wellesley Peel (Conservative) | 1,906 | 55.3% | William Arthur Addinsell (Liberal) | 368 (10.7 pts) | 90.3% |
| Dec 1910 | William Robert Wellesley Peel (Conservative) | 1,806 | 53.4% | John Edward Schunck (Liberal) | 233 (6.9 pts) | 88.6% |
| 1918 | Dennis Fortescue Boles (Unionist) | 12,619 | 72.4% | George Saville Woods (Labour) | 7,803 (44.8 pts) | 60.4% |
| 1922 | John Hope Simpson (Liberal) | 13,195 | 56.4% | Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen (Unionist) | 3,013 (12.9 pts) | 79.1% |
| 1923 | John Hope Simpson (Liberal) | 13,053 | 52.5% | Andrew Hamilton Gault (Unionist) | 1,255 (5.1 pts) | 82.6% |
| 1924 | Andrew Hamilton Gault (Unionist) | 13,930 | 52.1% | John Hope Simpson (Liberal) | 3,549 (13.3 pts) | 85.6% |
| 1929 | Andrew Hamilton Gault (Unionist) | 15,083 | 46.0% | Walter Russell Rea (Liberal) | 3,962 (12.1 pts) | 82.2% |
| 1931 | Andrew Hamilton Gault (Conservative) | 22,564 | 72.9% | Frank George Bushnell (Labour) | 14,197 (45.9 pts) | 75.4% |
| 1935 | Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham (Conservative) | 19,443 | 63.4% | James Lunnon (Labour) | 8,224 (26.8 pts) | 72.3% |
| 1945 | Victor John Collins (Labour) | 19,976 | 52.8% | Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham (Conservative) | 2,118 (5.6 pts) | 73.2% |
| 1950 | Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson (Conservative) | 20,724 | 46.4% | Victor John Collins (Labour) | 1,372 (3.1 pts) | 88.8% |
| 1951 | Henry Lennonx D'Aubigne Hopkinson (Conservative) | 24,826 | 54.4% | Victor John Collins (Labour) | 3,981 (8.7 pts) | 89.0% |
| 1955 | Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson (Conservative) | 22,962 | 52.1% | Reginald Alfred Pestell (Labour) | 5,542 (12.6 pts) | 85.5% |
| 1959 | Edward Dillon Lott du Cann (Conservative) | 22,680 | 49.4% | Leonard V Pike (Labour) | 6,498 (14.2 pts) | 87.1% |
| 1964 | Edward Dillon Lott du Cann (Conservative) | 21,367 | 46.5% | Leonard V Pike (Labour) | 4,748 (10.3 pts) | 84.7% |
| 1966 | Edward du Cann (Conservative) | 22,369 | 47.5% | Robin Bradbury (Labour) | 3,153 (6.7 pts) | 85.4% |
| 1970 | Edward du Cann (Conservative) | 26,158 | 53.5% | Steven Mama (Labour) | 8,335 (17.1 pts) | 79.0% |
| Feb 1974 | Edward du Cann (Conservative) | 23,841 | 45.1% | David Wolfe Keene (Labour) | 8,440 (16.0 pts) | 83.8% |
| Oct 1974 | Edward du Cann (Conservative) | 22,542 | 44.6% | Barry Sheerman (Labour) | 6,821 (13.5 pts) | 79.4% |
| 1979 | Edward du Cann (Conservative) | 28,483 | 53.2% | Sandra Mary Cowan Horne (Labour) | 12,724 (23.8 pts) | 80.7% |
| 1983 | Edward Lott du Cann (Conservative) | 28,112 | 52.9% | Michael Cocks (Social Democratic Party) | 12,567 (23.6 pts) | 75.5% |
| 1987 | David Nicholson (Conservative) | 30,248 | 51.4% | Michael Cocks (Social Democratic Party) | 10,380 (17.6 pts) | 79.3% |
| 1992 | David Nicholson (Conservative) | 29,576 | 46.0% | Jacqueline Ballard (Liberal Democrat) | 3,336 (5.2 pts) | 82.3% |
| 1997 | Jacqueline Ballard (Liberal Democrat) | 26,064 | 42.7% | David Nicholson (Conservative) | 2,443 (4.0 pts) | 76.5% |
| 2001 | Adrian Flook (Conservative) | 23,033 | 41.7% | Jacqueline Ballard (Liberal Democrat) | 235 (0.4 pts) | 67.6% |
| 2005 | Jeremy Browne (Liberal Democrat) | 25,764 | 43.3% | Adrian Flook (Conservative) | 573 (1.0 pts) | 69.7% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Edward Thomas Bainbridge | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Edward Thomas Bainbridge | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | 469 | 36.3% | Yes |
| Edward Thomas Bainbridge | Whig | 414 | 32.0% | Yes |
| Robert Netwon Lee | Conservative | 409 | 31.7% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | 430 | 29.9% | Yes |
| Edward Thomas Bainbridge | Whig | 409 | 28.4% | Yes |
| William Wilberforce | Conservative | 381 | 26.5% | No |
| James Hall | Conservative | 218 | 15.2% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | 543 | 41.5% | Yes |
| Thomas Edward Colebrooke | Whig | 388 | 29.7% | Yes |
| Arthur Mills | Conservative | 376 | 28.8% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | 430 | 37.4% | Yes |
| Arthur Mills | Conservative | 361 | 31.4% | Yes |
| Thomas Edward Colebrooke | Whig | 358 | 31.2% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Labouchere | Whig | 442 | 36.6% | Yes |
| Arthur Mills | Conservative | 401 | 33.2% | Yes |
| William Frederick Campbell | Whig | 366 | 30.3% | No |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Mills | Conservative | 415 | 30.0% | Yes |
| Henry Labouchere | Liberal | 388 | 28.1% | Yes |
| George Augustus Frederick Cavendish-Bentinck | Conservative | 325 | 23.5% | No |
| William Beadon | Liberal | 255 | 18.4% | No |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Charles Barclay | Liberal | 478 | 31.9% | Yes |
| William Montagu Hay | Liberal | 470 | 31.3% | Yes |
| Edward William Cox | Conservative | 292 | 19.5% | No |
| Alfred Austin | Conservative | 260 | 17.3% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Charles Barclay | Liberal | 1,105 | 37.0% | Yes |
| Edward William Cox | Conservative | 988 | 33.1% | Yes |
| Henry James | Liberal | 890 | 29.8% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry James | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| Alexander Charles Barclay | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Palliser | Conservative | 1,084 | 26.9% | Yes |
| Henry James | Liberal | 1,000 | 24.9% | Yes |
| William Walter Cargill | Conservative | 971 | 24.1% | No |
| Roger Eykyn | Liberal | 968 | 24.1% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Charles Allsopp | Conservative | 1,361 | 58.2% | Yes |
| Charles James Jessel | Liberal | 978 | 41.8% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Charles Allsopp | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Percy Allsopp | Conservative | 1,402 | 60.4% | Yes |
| Henry Hewitt Bridgman | Liberal | 921 | 39.6% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby | Conservative | 1,387 | 57.5% | Yes |
| Walker King | Liberal | 1,024 | 42.5% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Gurney Boyle | Conservative | 1,842 | 55.1% | Yes |
| Arthur Augustus William Henry Ponsonby | Liberal | 1,503 | 44.9% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Robert Wellesley Peel | Conservative | 1,906 | 55.3% | Yes |
| William Arthur Addinsell | Liberal | 1,538 | 44.7% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Robert Wellesley Peel | Conservative | 1,806 | 53.4% | Yes |
| John Edward Schunck | Liberal | 1,573 | 46.6% | No |
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Fortescue Boles | Unionist | 12,619 | 72.4% | Yes |
| George Saville Woods | Labour | 4,816 | 27.6% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hope Simpson | Liberal | 13,195 | 56.4% | Yes |
| Arthur Sackville Trevor Griffith-Boscawen | Unionist | 10,182 | 43.6% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Hope Simpson | Liberal | 13,053 | 52.5% | Yes |
| Andrew Hamilton Gault | Unionist | 11,798 | 47.5% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Hamilton Gault | Unionist | 13,930 | 52.1% | Yes |
| John Hope Simpson | Liberal | 10,381 | 38.8% | No |
| George Saville Woods | Labour | 2,441 | 9.1% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Hamilton Gault | Unionist | 15,083 | 46.0% | Yes |
| Walter Russell Rea | Liberal | 11,121 | 33.9% | No |
| Joseph Alfred Sparks | Labour | 6,615 | 20.2% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Hamilton Gault | Conservative | 22,564 | 72.9% | Yes |
| Frank George Bushnell | Labour | 8,367 | 27.1% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham | Conservative | 19,443 | 63.4% | Yes |
| James Lunnon | Labour | 11,219 | 36.6% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor John Collins | Labour | 19,976 | 52.8% | Yes |
| Edward Thomas Ruscombe Wickham | Conservative | 17,858 | 47.2% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson | Conservative | 20,724 | 46.4% | Yes |
| Victor John Collins | Labour | 19,352 | 43.4% | No |
| John Robert Phillipson | Liberal | 4,561 | 10.2% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Lennonx D'Aubigne Hopkinson | Conservative | 24,826 | 54.4% | Yes |
| Victor John Collins | Labour | 20,845 | 45.6% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Lennox D'Aubigne Hopkinson | Conservative | 22,962 | 52.1% | Yes |
| Reginald Alfred Pestell | Labour | 17,420 | 39.5% | No |
| Guy Barrington | Liberal | 3,684 | 8.4% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Dillon Lott du Cann | Conservative | 22,680 | 49.4% | Yes |
| Leonard V Pike | Labour | 16,182 | 35.3% | No |
| Charles Meddon Karslake Bruton | Liberal | 7,031 | 15.3% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Dillon Lott du Cann | Conservative | 21,367 | 46.5% | Yes |
| Leonard V Pike | Labour | 16,619 | 36.2% | No |
| Margaret Irene Gaenor Heathcoat Amory | Liberal | 7,944 | 17.3% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward du Cann | Conservative | 22,369 | 47.5% | Yes |
| Robin Bradbury | Labour | 19,216 | 40.8% | No |
| Margaret Amory | Liberal | 5,460 | 11.6% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward du Cann | Conservative | 26,158 | 53.5% | Yes |
| Steven Mama | Labour | 17,823 | 36.5% | No |
| Gerald O'Donnell | Liberal | 4,871 | 10.0% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward du Cann | Conservative | 23,841 | 45.1% | Yes |
| David Wolfe Keene | Labour | 15,401 | 29.1% | No |
| Martin Edward Mann | Liberal | 13,607 | 25.7% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward du Cann | Conservative | 22,542 | 44.6% | Yes |
| Barry Sheerman | Labour | 15,721 | 31.1% | No |
| Martin Edward Mann | Liberal | 11,984 | 23.7% | No |
| Lewis Daniel Bradford | United Democratic | 283 | 0.6% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward du Cann | Conservative | 28,483 | 53.2% | Yes |
| Sandra Mary Cowan Horne | Labour | 15,759 | 29.4% | No |
| Marcus James Lee | Liberal | 7,928 | 14.8% | No |
| Geoffrey George Garbett | Green | 1,403 | 2.6% | No |
1983
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Lott du Cann | Conservative | 28,112 | 52.9% | Yes |
| Michael Cocks | Social Democratic Party | 15,545 | 29.2% | No |
| Jonathan Frederick Gray | Labour | 9,498 | 17.9% | No |
1987
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Nicholson | Conservative | 30,248 | 51.4% | Yes |
| Michael Cocks | Social Democratic Party | 19,868 | 33.7% | No |
| Gary Reynolds | Labour | 8,754 | 14.9% | No |
1992
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Nicholson | Conservative | 29,576 | 46.0% | Yes |
| Jacqueline Ballard | Liberal Democrat | 26,240 | 40.8% | No |
| Jean Hole | Labour | 8,151 | 12.7% | No |
| Philip Leavey | Natural Law | 279 | 0.4% | No |
1997
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacqueline Ballard | Liberal Democrat | 26,064 | 42.7% | Yes |
| David Nicholson | Conservative | 23,621 | 38.7% | No |
| Elizabeth Lisgo | Labour | 8,248 | 13.5% | No |
| Brian Ahern | Referendum Party | 2,760 | 4.5% | No |
| Leslie Andrews | BNP | 318 | 0.5% | No |
2001
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Flook | Conservative | 23,033 | 41.7% | Yes |
| Jacqueline Ballard | Liberal Democrat | 22,798 | 41.3% | No |
| Andrew Govier | Labour | 8,254 | 14.9% | No |
| Michael Canton | UKIP | 1,140 | 2.1% | No |
2005
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Browne | Liberal Democrat | 25,764 | 43.3% | Yes |
| Adrian Flook | Conservative | 25,191 | 42.3% | No |
| Andrew Govier | Labour | 7,132 | 12.0% | No |
| Helen Miles | UKIP | 1,441 | 2.4% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Taunton has been contested at 44 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal, Unionist, Labour, Liberal Democrat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Taunton in the 2005 general election?
Liberal Democrat won Taunton in 2005 with 25,764 votes (43.3%), a majority of 573 votes over Conservative in second place.
Which parties have won Taunton since 1832?
Since 1832, Taunton has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Liberal Democrat, Unionist, Whig.
What was the closest result in Taunton?
The closest result on record for Taunton was 1852, when Whig beat Whig by just 3 votes (0.3 percentage points).
Did Taunton ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Taunton 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.