Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)

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Cambridge University University constituency
Created:	1603
Abolished:	1950
Type:	House of Commons
Members:	two

Cambridge University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.

Contents 1 Boundaries, Electorate and Election Systems 2 History 3 Members of Parliament 4 Elections before 1715 5 Election by Block Vote 1715-1918 5.1 Elections in the 1710s 5.2 Elections in the 1720s 5.3 Elections in the 1730s 5.4 Elections in the 1740s 5.5 Elections in the 1750s 5.6 Elections in the 1760s 5.7 Elections in the 1770s 5.8 Elections in the 1780s 5.9 Elections in the 1790s 5.10 Elections in the 1800s 5.11 Elections in the 1810s 5.12 Elections in the 1820s 5.13 Elections in the 1830s 5.14 Elections in the 1840s 5.15 Elections in the 1850s 5.16 Elections in the 1860s 5.17 Elections in the 1870s 5.18 Elections in the 1880s 5.19 Elections in the 1890s 5.20 Elections in the 1900s 5.21 Elections in the 1910s 6 Election by Single Transferable Vote 1918-1950 6.1 Elections in the 1910s 6.2 Elections in the 1920s 6.3 Elections in the 1930s 6.4 Elections in the 1940s 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Boundaries, Electorate and Election Systems

This university constituency was created by a Royal Charter of 1603. It was abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

The constituency was not a physical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University. Before 1918 the franchise was restricted to male graduates with a Doctorate or MA degree. Sedgwick records that the electors numbered 377, in 1727. For the 1754-1790 period Namier and Brooke estimated the electorate at about 500.

The constituency returned two Members of Parliament. Before 1918 they were elected using the bloc vote. From 1918, the MPs were elected by the Single Transferable Vote method of Proportional Representation.

[edit] History

In the early eighteenth century the University electorate were mostly Tory. However the Whig ministers of King George I were able to persuade the King to use the royal prerogative power to confer doctorates, so from 1727 the University returned Whig representatives. Oxford University, where the King did not have the same prerogative power, remained safely Tory (indeed often Jacobite) in sympathies.

The leading mid-eighteenth century Whig politician, the Duke of Newcastle, was for many years (1748-1768) Chancellor of the University. He "recommended" suitable candidates to represent the institution in Parliament. This practise continued under his successor, another Whig Duke and Prime Minister (1768-1770), the Duke of Grafton (Chancellor 1768-1811). However Grafton was less prominent as a politician than Newcastle had been and less attentive to the University. As a result some of Grafton's choices were criticised, notably that of the Duke's friend Richard Croftes.

Croftes lacked the sort of characteristics a University MP usually had. He was neither the son of a peer (like the Hon. John Townshend, the Marquess of Granby or Grafton's own son the Earl of Euston), a distinguished lawyer-politician (such as William de Grey, James Mansfield or Sir Vicary Gibbs) nor a prominent political figure (like William Pitt or Lord Henry Petty).

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Pittite/Tory candidates began to be elected. At the start of this political development some of the Pittite MPs, like William Pitt himself (MP for the University 1784-1806), called themselves Whigs. As time passed the division between the nineteenth century Tory and Whig parties became clearer.

The future Prime Minister, the Viscount Palmerston, retained his seat as a Whig after he left the Tory ranks. However by 1831 he was defeated. After the Viscount ceased to represent the University he was elected by a territorial constituency. No further non Tory/Conservative MP was to represent the University until the 1920s.

Even after the introduction of the single transferable vote in 1918, most Cambridge University MPs continued to be Conservatives.

[edit] Members of Parliament

This is a list of people who have been elected to represent this University in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, from 1784 to 1950.

Year	Member	Party	Member	Party
1784	William Pitt the Younger	1	Earl of Euston	Whig
1806	Lord Henry Petty	Whig
1807	Sir Vicary Gibbs	Tory
1811			The 3rd Viscount Palmerston	Tory
1812	John Henry Smyth	Whig
1822	William John Bankes	Tory
1826	Sir John Singleton Copley	Tory		Whig
1827	Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal	Tory
1829	William Cavendish	Whig
1831	Henry Goulburn	Tory	William Yates Peel	Tory
1832		Conservative	Charles Manners-Sutton	Conservative
1835			Hon. Charles Evan Law	Conservative
1850			Loftus Tottenham Wigram	Conservative
1856	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Conservative
1859			Charles Jasper Selwyn	Conservative
1868			Alexander Beresford Hope	Conservative
1882	Henry Cecil Raikes	Conservative
1887			Sir George Gabriel Stokes	Conservative
1891	Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb 2	Conservative
1892			Sir John Eldon Gorst	Conservative
1906	Samuel Henry Butcher	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Conservative
1911	Sir Joseph Larmor	Conservative
1918		Co. Conservative 3		Co. Conservative 3
1922	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	Ind. Liberal 4		Conservative
1923	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler 5	Conservative
1926			Sir John James Withers	Conservative
1929	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	Conservative
1935	Sir Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	Conservative
1940			Dr. Archibald Vivian Hill	Ind. Conservative 4
1945			Henry Wilson Harris	Independent

Notes:-

• ¹ Pitt called himself a Whig, but is usually retrospectively regarded as a Tory since most of his followers (whether their background was in the Whig or Tory tradition) came to call themselves the Tory Party in the decade after Pitt's death.
• ² Jebb died on 10 December 1905 - seat vacant at dissolution.
• ³ Co. is an abbreviation for Coalition.
• ⁴ Ind. is an abbreviation for Independent.
• ⁵ Butler died on 2 May 1929 - seat vacant at dissolution.

[edit] Elections before 1715

[edit] Election by Block Vote 1715-1918

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s

[edit] Elections in the 1710s

General Election 26 January 1715: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Thomas Paske	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1720s

• Death of Paske

By-Election 19 December 1720: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Thomas Willoughby	176	55.17	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Henry Finch	143	44.83	N/A
Majority			33	10.34	N/A
Turnout			319	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Note (1722): Stooks Smith gives Willoughby 319 votes.

General Election 22 March 1722: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Thomas Willoughby	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 22 August 1727: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	221	37.14	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	198	33.28	N/A
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	176	29.58	N/A
Turnout			595 (377 voted)	79.70	N/A
Registered Electors			473

• Note (1727): Unusually, for a pre-1832 election, Stooks Smith records the total number of electors for the constituency as well as the number who voted; so a turnout figure can be calculated.

[edit] Elections in the 1730s

General Election 29 April 1734: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	222	30.33	-2.95
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	209	28.55	-8.59
	Whig	-. Goodrick	174	23.77	N/A
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	137	17.35	-12.23
Turnout			732	N/A	N/A

• Note (1734): Goodrick was an Opposition Whig

[edit] Elections in the 1740s

General Election 6 May 1741: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber

By-Election 23 July 1742: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 26 June 1747: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1750s

General Election 17 April 1754: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed to an office

By-Election 14 June 1757: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1760s

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed to an office

By-Election 14 January 1761: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 27 March 1761: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 19 March 1768: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. Charles Yorke	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1770s

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Yorke as Lord Chancellor

By-Election 1 February 1770: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	William de Grey	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of de Grey as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election 4 February 1771: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	76	62.81	N/A
	Non Partisan	William Wynne	45	37.19	N/A
Majority			31	25.62	N/A
Turnout			121	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 October 1774: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Marquess of Granby	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Succession of Granby as the 4th Duke of Rutland

By-Election 10 June 1779: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	157	35.68	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	145	32.95	N/A
	Non Partisan	Lord Hyde	138	31.36	N/A
Majority			12	2.73	N/A
Turnout			440	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1780s

General Election 9 September 1780: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	277	27.10	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	247	24.17	N/A
	Non Partisan	Lord Hyde	206	20.16	N/A
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	150	14.68	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. William Pitt	142	13.89	N/A
Turnout			1,022 (546 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note (1780): Stooks Smith records Townshend as getting 237 votes.
• Seat vacated on Townshend being appointed to an office

By-Election 3 April 1782: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Townshend being appointed to an office

By-Election 11 April 1783: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Mansfield being appointed as Solicitor General for England and Wales

By-Election 26 November 1783: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 3 April 1784: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Rt Hon. William Pitt	351	31.65	+17.76
	Non Partisan	Earl of Euston	299	26.96	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	278	25.07	+0.90
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	181	16.32	-10.78
Turnout			1,109 (588 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note The 1784 election was broadly fought as a contest between the new government of Pitt and the ousted Fox-North Coalition, in which boh Townshend and Mansfield had held office.

[edit] Elections in the 1790s

General Election 1790: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	510	42.50	+10.85
	Whig	Earl of Euston	483	40.25	+13.29
	Whig	Lawrence Dundas	207	17.25	N/A
Turnout			1,200 (684 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note (1790): Pary labels in the 1790-1832 period follow Stooks Smith, who classifies Pitt and his Pittite supporters as Tories without regard to what they would have actually called themselves.
• Seat vacated on Pitt being appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

By-Election 1792: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Euston being appointed to an office

By-Election 1794: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1796: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1800s

General Election 1802: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on Pitt being appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer

By-Election 1804: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Pitt

By-Election February 1806: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Lord Henry Petty	331	54.80	N/A
	Whig	Viscount Althorp	145	24.01	N/A
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	128	21.19	N/A
Majority			186	30.79	N/A
Turnout			604	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

• Palmerston was a Peer of Ireland

General Election 1806: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Rt Hon. Lord Henry Petty	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1807: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Earl of Euston	324	26.75	N/A
	Tory	Sir Vicary Gibbs	312	25.76	N/A
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	310	25.60	N/A
	Whig	Rt Hon. Lord Henry Petty	265	21.88	N/A
Turnout			1,211 (631 voters)	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1810s

• Succession of Euston as the 4th Duke of Grafton

By-Election March 1811: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	451	56.66	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	345	43.34	N/A
Majority			106	13.32	N/A
Turnout			796	N/A	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Gibbs being appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election 1812: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

General Election 1812: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1818: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1820s

General Election 1820: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Smyth

By-Election 1822: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	William John Bankes	419	45.59	N/A
	Tory	Lord Harvey	281	30.58	N/A
	Whig	James Scarlett	219	23.83	N/A
Majority			138	15.02	N/A
Turnout			919	N/A	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General Election 1826: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Sir John Singleton Copley	772	32.88	N/A
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	631	26.87	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	508	21.64	N/A
	Tory	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	437	18.61	N/A
Turnout			2,348 (1,293 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Copley as Lord Chancellor and creation as 1st Baron Lyndhurst

By-Election May 1827: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal	479	55.89	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	378	44.11	N/A
Majority			101	11.79	N/A
Turnout			857	43.93	N/A
Registered Electors			1,951
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Note (1827): Unusually for a pre-1832 election Stooks Smith provides a total electorate figure, so a turnout percentage can be calculated. See the 1727 result above for another instance.
• Seat vacated on the appointment of Tindal as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election June 1829: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cavendish	609	56.86	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	462	43.14	-0.97
Majority			147	13.73	N/A
Turnout			1,071	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1830: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	William Cavendish	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Palmerston as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

By-Election November 1830: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1831: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	805	28.26	N/A
	Tory	William Yates Peel	804	28.22	N/A
	Whig	William Cavendish	630	22.11	N/A
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	610	21.41	N/A
Turnout			2,849	N/A	N/A

General Election 12 December 1832: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,319	N/A	N/A

• Note (1832): Manners-Sutton was the Speaker of the House of Commons.

General Election 6 January 1835: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,319	N/A	N/A

• Manners-Sutton created 'The 1st Viscount Canterbury'.

By-Election 21 March 1835: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Evan Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 25 July 1837: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Evan Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,613	N/A	N/A

• Note (1837): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Law as a Peelite between this election and that of 1847.

[edit] Elections in the 1840s

General Election 30 June 1841: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Evan Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,873	N/A	N/A

• Note (1841): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative and Law as a Peelite for this election.
• Goulburn appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

By-Election 15 September 1841: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 3 August 1847: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Evan Law	1,486	31.74	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	1,189	25.40	N/A
	Conservative	Viscount Feilding	1,147	24.50	N/A
	Liberal	John George Shaw-Lefevre	860	18.37	N/A
Turnout			3,800	61.61	N/A

• Note 1 (1847): 3,800 registered electors; 4,682 votes cast; minimum possible turnout estimated by dividing votes by 2. To the extent that electors did not use both their votes, the figure will be an underestimate.
• Note 2 (1847): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative and Law as a Peelite for this election.

[edit] Elections in the 1850s

• Death of Law.

By-Election 4 October 1850: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Loftus Tottenham Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 July 1852: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Loftus Tottenham Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,063	N/A	N/A

• Note (1852): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative for this election.
• Death of Goulburn.

By-Election 11 February 1856: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	886	67.89	N/A
	Liberal	Hon. George Denman	419	32.11	N/A
Majority			467	35.79	N/A
Turnout			4,552	28.67	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 28 March 1857: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Loftus Tottenham Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,552	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Walpole as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

By-Election 4 March 1858: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 29 April 1859: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,566	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1860s

General Election 11 July 1865: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,184	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Walpole as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

By-Election 11 July 1866: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Selwyn as Solicitor-General.

By-Election 22 July 1867: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Selwyn as Judge of the Court of Appeal in Chancery.

By-Election 24 February 1868: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	1,931	57.97	N/A
	Conservative	A. Cleasby	1,400	42.03	N/A
Majority			531	15.94	N/A
Turnout			5,184	64.26	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 16 November 1868: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,435	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1870s

General Election 2 February 1874: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,855	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1880s

General Election April 1880: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			6,161	N/A	N/A

• Resignation of Walpole.

By-Election 23-28 November 1882: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	3,491	72.85	N/A
	Liberal	James Stuart	1,301	27.15	N/A
Majority			2,190	45.70	N/A
Turnout			6,371	75.22	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 24 November 1885: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 2 July 1886: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Raikes as Postmaster General

By-Election 13 August 1886: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Beresford Hope.

By-Election 17 November 1887: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Prof. George Gabriel Stokes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1890s

• Death of Raikes.

By-Election 9 October 1891: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election July 1892: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 13 July 1895: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

[edit] Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1 October 1900: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Jebb - seat vacant at dissolution.

General Election 18 January 1906: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	3,050	39.72	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	2,976	38.76	N/A
	Free Trade	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	1,653	21.53	N/A
Turnout			4,063	65.8	N/A

• Note (1906): Turnout is as in Craig.

[edit] Elections in the 1910s

General Election 15 January 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election December 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Butcher.

By-Election 11-16 February 1911: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Joseph Larmor	2,308	50.24	N/A
	Free Trade	H. Cox	1,954	42.53	N/A
	Independent Conservative	T.E. Page	332	7.23	N/A
Majority			354	7.71	N/A
Turnout			7,129	64.44	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] Election by Single Transferable Vote 1918-1950

General Elections, from 1918 when most constituencies polled on the same day, were on different polling days than for territorial constituencies. The polls for university constituencies were open for five days.

1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s

[edit] Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 1st Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Coalition Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	2,034	35.16	N/A
	Coalition Conservative	Sir Joseph Larmor	1,891	32.69	N/A
	Independent	W.C.D. Whetham	1,220	21.09	N/A
	Labour	John Collings Squire	640	11.06	N/A
Total Votes			5,785
Quota			1,929
Turnout			9,282	62.32	N/A

General Election 1918: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 2nd Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Coalition Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	1,929	N/A	-105
	Coalition Conservative	Sir Joseph Larmor	1,986	N/A	+95
	Independent	W.C.D. Whetham	1,229	N/A	+9
	Labour	John Collings Squire	641	N/A	+1
Total Votes			5,785
Quota			1,929

[edit] Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Cambridge University (2 seats) - Only Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	4,192	49.39	+14.23
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,453	39.86	+39.86
	Conservative	Prof. William Ritchie Sorley	1,018	11.75	+11.75
Total Votes			8,663
Quota			2,888
Turnout			13,592	63.74	+1.42

General Election 1923: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 1st Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	4,207	40.85	-8.54
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,248	31.54	-8.32
	Conservative	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler	2,844	27.61	+27.61
Total Votes			10,229
Quota			3,434
Turnout			14,974	68.78	+5.04

General Election 1923: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 2nd Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	3,434	N/A	-773
	Conservative	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler	3,560	N/A	+716
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,283	N/A	+35
	non transferable	N/A	22	N/A	+22
Total Votes			10,229
Quota			3,434

General Election 1924: Cambridge University (2 seats) - Only Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	4,569	38.60	-2.25
	Conservative	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler	4,026	34.01	+6.40
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,241	27.38	-4.16
Total Votes			11,836
Quota			3,946
Turnout			16,621	71.21	+2.43

• Death of Rawlinson.

By-Election 13 February 1926: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John James Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Butler - seat vacant at dissolution.

General Election 1929: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 1st Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John James Withers	6,356	39.76	+39.76
	Conservative	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	5,069	31.71	+31.71
	Liberal	H.D. Henderson	3,099	19.38	+19.38
	Labour	Dr. A. Wood	1,463	9.15	+9.15
Total Votes			15,987
Quota			5,330
Turnout			23,978	66.67	-4.54

General Election 1929: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 2nd Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John James Withers	5,330	N/A	-1,026
	Conservative	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	6,046	N/A	+977
	Liberal	H.D. Henderson	3,131	N/A	+32
	Labour	Dr. A. Wood	1,480	N/A	+17
Total Votes			15,987
Quota			5,330

[edit] Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Sir John James Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Resignation of Wilson.

By-Election 23 February 1935: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1935: Cambridge University (2 seats) - Only Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir John James Withers	7,602	42.30	N/A
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	6,917	38.49	N/A
	Labour	H.L. Elvin	3,453	19.21	N/A
Total Votes			17,972
Quota			5,991
Turnout			33,617	53.46	N/A

• Death of Withers.

[edit] Elections in the 1940s

By-Election 19-23 February 1940: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Conservative	Dr. Archibald Vivian Hill	9,840	64.62	N/A
	Ind. Progressive	Prof. J.A. Ryle	5,387	35.38	N/A
Majority			4,453	29.24	N/A
Turnout			39,171	38.87	N/A
	Independent Conservative gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 1st Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	10,202	46.18	+7.69
	Ind. Progressive	John Boynton Priestley	5,041	22.82	+22.82
	Independent	Henry Wilson Harris	3,574	16.18	+16.18
	Independent	Dr. Charles Hill	2,238	10.13	+10.13
	National Independent	E.L. Howard-Williams	1,036	4.69	+4.69
Total Votes			22,091
Quota			7,364
Turnout			42,012	52.58	-0.88

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 2nd Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	7,364	N/A	-2,838
	Ind. Progressive	John Boynton Priestley	5,128	N/A	+87
	Independent	Henry Wilson Harris	4,709	N/A	+1,135
	Independent	Dr. Charles Hill	3,092	N/A	+854
	National Independent	E.L. Howard-Williams	1,798	N/A	+762
Total Votes			22,091
Quota			7,364

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 3rd Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	7,364	N/A	..
	Ind. Progressive	John Boynton Priestley	5,238	N/A	+110
	Independent	Henry Wilson Harris	5,185	N/A	+476
	Independent	Dr. Charles Hill	3,595	N/A	+503
	National Independent	E.L. Howard-Williams	..	N/A	-1,798
	non transferable	N/A	709	N/A	+709
Total Votes			22,091
Quota			7,364

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats) - 4th Count
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	7,364	N/A	..
	Independent	Henry Wilson Harris	6,556	N/A	+1,371
	Ind. Progressive	John Boynton Priestley	5,745	N/A	+507
	Independent	Dr. Charles Hill	..	N/A	-3,595
	non transferable	N/A	2,426	N/A	+1,717
Total Votes			22,091
Quota			7,364

• Constituency abolished (1950)

[edit] See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

[edit] References

• Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
• McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book: British Election Results 1832-1918 (8th edition, The Harvester Press 1971)
• The House of Commons 1715-1754, by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970)
• The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973))
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945-1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Appleby	Constituency represented by the Prime Minister 1784 - 1801	Succeeded by Devizes
Preceded by Devizes	Constituency represented by the Prime Minister 1804 - 1806	Succeeded by vacant. Next was Northampton in 1809