Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
West Norfolk elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst (Conservative) and George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative). This page covers every general election in West Norfolk 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
William John Henry Browne ffolkes (Whig); Jacob Astley (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1835
William John Henry Browne ffolkes (Whig); Jacob Astley (Whig)
2,134
36.4% (top seat)
William Bagge (Conservative)
254 (4.0 pts)
68.1%
1837
William Bagge (Conservative); William Lyde Wiggett Chute (Conservative)
2,877
27.4% (top seat)
William John Henry Browne ffolkes (Whig)
39 (0.3 pts)
80.0%
1841
William Bagge (Conservative); William Lyde Wiggett Chute (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
William Bagge (Conservative); Edward Keppel Wentworth Coke (Whig)
3,052
26.4% (top seat)
Anthony Hamond (Whig)
117 (1.0 pts)
78.3%
1852
William Bagge (Conservative); George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative)
3,143
40.1% (top seat)
Anthony Hamond (Whig)
1,170 (13.7 pts)
54.5%
1857
George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative); John Brampton Gurdon (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1859
George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative); John Brampton Gurdon (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
William Bagge (Conservative); Thomas de Grey (Conservative)
2,611
28.4% (top seat)
Willoughby Jones (Liberal)
478 (5.0 pts)
73.0%
1868
William Bagge (Conservative); Thomas de Grey (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative); William Bagge (Conservative)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1880
William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst (Conservative); George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative)
2,233
38.1% (top seat)
Anthony Hamond (Liberal)
129 (1.8 pts)
70.4%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William John Henry Browne ffolkes
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
Jacob Astley
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William John Henry Browne ffolkes
Whig
2,299
36.4%
Yes
Jacob Astley
Whig
2,134
33.8%
Yes
William Bagge
Conservative
1,880
29.8%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
3,178
27.4%
Yes
William Lyde Wiggett Chute
Conservative
2,877
24.8%
Yes
William John Henry Browne ffolkes
Whig
2,838
24.5%
No
Jacob Astley
Whig
2,713
23.4%
No
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
William Lyde Wiggett Chute
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
3,113
26.4%
Yes
Edward Keppel Wentworth Coke
Whig
3,052
25.9%
Yes
Anthony Hamond
Whig
2,935
24.9%
No
Henry L'Estrange Styleman Le Strange
Conservative
2,676
22.7%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
3,421
40.1%
Yes
George William Pierrepont Bentinck
Conservative
3,143
36.8%
Yes
Anthony Hamond
Whig
1,973
23.1%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George William Pierrepont Bentinck
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Brampton Gurdon
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George William Pierrepont Bentinck
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
John Brampton Gurdon
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
2,710
28.4%
Yes
Thomas de Grey
Conservative
2,611
27.4%
Yes
Willoughby Jones
Liberal
2,133
22.4%
No
John Brampton Gurdon
Liberal
2,088
21.9%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Bagge
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
Thomas de Grey
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
George William Pierrepont Bentinck
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
William Bagge
Conservative
Unopposed
Yes
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst
Conservative
2,671
38.1%
Yes
George William Pierrepont Bentinck
Conservative
2,233
31.9%
Yes
Anthony Hamond
Liberal
2,104
30.0%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
West Norfolk has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won West Norfolk in the 1880 general election?
William Amhurst Tyssen-Amherst (Conservative), George William Pierrepont Bentinck (Conservative) won West Norfolk in 1880.
Which parties have won West Norfolk since 1832?
Since 1832, West Norfolk has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Whig.
What was the closest result in West Norfolk?
The closest result on record for West Norfolk was 1837, when Conservative beat Whig by just 39 votes (0.3 percentage points).
Did West Norfolk ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, West Norfolk 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.