Parliamentary elections

 

UK PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 1832-1895
Elected candidates are shown in bold.
* re-elected incumbents.
† defeated sitting members.
The majority is the number of votes by which the leading candidate exceeds those of the next highest party representative.

         
date candidates party votes share
      n %
1832  Dec 11-12 Isaac Newton Wigney Radical 826 29.70
Govt: Whig George Faithfull Radical 720 25.90
PM: Grey Capt George Pechell Whig 609 21.90
William Crawford Conservative 391 14.00
Sir Adolphus John Dalrymple bt Conservative 232 8.40
    electorate 1,649  
    voting/turnout 1,434 87.96%
         
1835  Jan 8-9 Capt George Pechell Whig 959 39.50
Govt: Whig *Isaac Newton Wigney Radical 523 21.50
PM: Melbourne Sir Adolphus John Dalrymple bt Conservative 482 19.80
†George Faithfull Radical 465 19.10
    electorate 1,535  
    voting/turnout 1,382 90.03%
         
1837  Aug 25 *Capt George Pechell Whig 1,814 48.90
Govt: Whig Sir Adolphus John Dalrymple bt Conservative 826 22.30
PM: Melbourne †Isaac Newton Wigney Radical 806 21.70
George Faithfull Radical 266 7.20
    electorate 1,908  
    voting/turnout 1,640 85.95%
         
1841  Jul 1 *Capt George Pechell Whig 1,443 40.22
Govt: Conservative Isaac Newton Wigney Radical 1,260 35.12
PM: Peel †Sir Adolphus John Dalrymple bt Conservative 868 24.19
Charles Brooker Chartist 17 0.47
    electorate 2,493  
    voting/turnout 2,050 82.23%
         
  Wigney resigns when the Brighton bank he inherited from his father fails and he is declared bankrupt.
         
1842 May 5 Lord Alfred Hervey Conservative 1,277 66.10
by-election Summers Harford Radical 640 33.10
Charles Brooker Chartist 16 0.80
Mr Nicholson 'nondescript' 0 0.00
    electorate 2,448  
    voting/turnout 1,933 78.96%
         
1847 Jul 30 *Capt George Pechell Whig 1,571 46.30
Govt: Whig *Lord Alfred Hervey Conservative 1,239 36.50
PM: Russell William Coningham Whig 586 17.30
    majority 332  
         
1852 Jul 8 *Capt Sir George Pechell bt Liberal 1,924 41.40
Govt: Conservative *Lord Alfred Hervey Conservative 1,239 36.50
PM: Derby Mr Ffooks Liberal 1,173 25.24
J S Trelawny Liberal 119 2.56
    majority 493  
         
  Hervey seeks re-election on appointment as a Lord of the Treasury (ie, whip).
1853 Jan 4 *Lord Alfred Hervey Conservative unopposed  
by-election        
1857 Mar 27 *Vice-Adm Sir George Brooke-Pechell bt Liberal 2,278 43.32
Govt: Whig William Coningham Liberal 1,900 36.14
PM: Palmerston †Lord Alfred Hervey Conservative 1,080 20.54
    majority 1,198  
         
1859 Apr 30 *Vice-Adm Sir George Brooke-Pechell bt Liberal 2,322 40.34
Govt: Whig *William Coningham Liberal 2,106 36.59
PM: Palmerston Sir A MacNab Conservative 1,327 23.06
    majority 995  
         
  Brooke-Pechell dies on 29 June 1860.
1860 Jul 16 James White Liberal 4,565 72.68
by-election Henry Moor Conservative 1,239 19.73
Frederick D Goldsmid Liberal 477 7.59
    majority 3,326  
         
  Coningham reigns on health grounds in January 1864.
1864 Feb 16 Henry Moor Conservative 1,663 39.28
by-election Henry Fawcett Liberal 1,468 34.67
Julian Goldsmid Liberal 775 18.30
Francis Kuper Dumas Liberal 246 5.81
E Harper Protestant 82 1.94
    majority 195  
Six editions of a newspaper, Brighton Election Reporter, were published during this election.
         
1865 Jul 13 *James White Liberal 3,065 38.98
Govt: Liberal Henry Fawcett Liberal 2,665 33.89
PM: Palmerston †Henry Moor Conservative 2,134 27.14
    majority 931  
         
1868 Nov 18 *James White Liberal 3,342 30.37
Govt: Liberal *Henry Fawcett Liberal 3,081 28.00
PM: Gladstone James Lloyd Ashbury Conservative 2,917 26.51
Henry Moor Conservative 1,232 11.20
William Coningham Liberal 432 3.93
    majority 425  
         
1874 Feb 5 James Lloyd Ashbury Conservative 4,393 29.54
Govt: Conservative Gen Charles Cameron Shute Conservative 3,995 26.87
PM: Disraeli †James White Liberal 3,351 22.54
†Henry Fawcett Liberal 3,130 21.05
    majority 425  
    electorate 10,228  
         
1880 Apr 3 John Robert Holland Liberal 4,913 25.56
Govt: Liberal William Thackeray Marriott Liberal 4,904 25.52
PM: Gladstone †James Lloyd Ashbury Conservative 4,739 24.66
Capt E Field Conservative 4,664 24.27
    majority 174  
    electorate 12,454  
    voting/turnout 9,610 67.82%
         
  Marriott resigns his seat after disagreement with the Liberal leadership of W E Gladstone and Joseph Chamberlain and seeks re-election as a Conservative.
1884 Mar 1 *William Thackeray Marriott Conservative 5,478 57.67
by-election Robert Romer Liberal 4,021 42.33
    spoiled papers 62  
    majority 1,457  
    electorate 13,340  
    voting/turnout 9,499 71.20%
         
The Third Reform Act 1884 extended the franchise to men who paid more than £10 a year in rent or owned land worth more than £10.

The Redistribution of Seats Act, given the Royal Assent on 25 June 1885, re-drew constituency boundaries. The Boundaries Commission revised map is here [opens in new window].
  Marriott is appointed Judge Advocate-General on 15 July 1885.
1885 Jul 10 *William Thackeray Marriott Conservative unopposed  
by-election        
         
1885 Nov 25 *Rt Hon William Thackeray Marriott QC Conservative 7,047 29.57
Govt: Liberal Alderman David Smith Conservative 7,019 29.45
PM: Gladstone J B Probyn Liberal 4,899 20.56
†John Robert Holland Liberal 4,865 20.42
    majority 2,148  
         
1886 Jul *Alderman David Smith Conservative 5,963 41.21
Govt: Con/L Unionist *Rt Hon William Thackeray Marriott QC Conservative 5,875 40.60
PM: Salisbury W Hall Liberal 2,633 18.20
    majority 3,330  
         
  Marriott is again appointed Judge Advocate-General on 9 August 1886.
1886 Aug 11 *William Thackeray Marriott Conservative unopposed  
by-election        
         
  Smith dies 3 November 1886.
1886 Nov 29 Dr William Tindall Robertson Conservative unopposed  
by-election        
         
  Dr Robertson, knighted in 1888, commits suicide at his home in Sussex Square, Brighton on 6 October 1889.
1889 Oct 25 Gerald Walter Erskine Loder Conservative 7,132 60.66
by-election Sir Robert Peel Liberal 4,625 39.34
  majority 2,507  
         
The polling stations for this election were at the Brighton and Hove Town Halls, the Oddfellows Hall and the following schools: Bristol Road, Fairlight Place, Farman Street, Pelham Street, Preston Road, Queensbury Mews, Richmond Street, St Martin Street, St Mary's, St Michael's and Sussex Street.
Source: ESRO DB/D/46
         
1892 Jul 6 *Gerald Walter Erskine Loder Conservative 7,807 38.29
Govt: Con/L Unionist *William Thackeray Marriott Conservative 7,134 34.99
PM: Salisbury F W Maude G 5,448 26.7
    majority 2,359  
         
  Marriott retires to pursue his legal career.
1893 Dec 14 Bruce Canning Vernon-Wentworth Conservative unopposed  
by-election        
         
1895 Jul 16 *Gerald Walter Erskine Loder Conservative 7,878 38.52
Govt: Con/L Unionist *Bruce Canning Vernon-Wentworth Conservative 7,493 36.64
PM: Salisbury Sir Joseph Ewart Liberal 5,082 24.85
    majority 2,796  
         

Sources include F W S Craig: The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847. (Chichester: Political reference Publications, 1973)

See also
• Parliamentary elections 1900-1945
• Knights of the Shire

Page updated 20 April 2025