Parliamentary elections

 

UK PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 1832-1895
Elected candidates are shown in bold, re-elected incumbents marked with * and defeated sitting members with †
The majority is the number of votes by which the total for the leading candidate exceeds the tally for the highest candidate of another party.

         
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
    majority 217  
         
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
    majority 436  
         
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
    majority 988  
         
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
    majority 183  
         
  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
    majority 637  
         
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: total 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  
    turnout 67.82  
    electorate: total 12,454  
         
  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  
    turnout 71.2  
    electorate 13,340  
         
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  
         

Parliamentary elections 1900-1945
Knights of the Shire

Page updated 3 August 2023