Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)

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

Cambridge University
Former University constituency for the House of Commons
1603–1950
Number of members	two
Replaced by	Cambridge

Franchise and method of election

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 geographical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University. Before 1918 the franchise was restricted to male graduates with a Doctorate or Master of Arts degree. Sedgwick records that there were 377 electors 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 by plurality-at-large voting, but from 1918 onwards the two members were elected by the Single Transferable Vote method.

History

In the early 18th century, the electors of both English universities were mostly Tories, but the Whig ministers of King George I were able to persuade him to use his royal prerogative to confer Cambridge doctorates on a large number of Whigs, so that from 1727 the University largely returned Whig representatives. At Oxford, the King did not enjoy the same prerogative power, so that the University of Oxford constituency remained Tory, and indeed often Jacobite, in its preferences.

The leading 18th-century Whig politician Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, was Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1748 to 1768 and recommended to the electors suitable candidates to represent them in Parliament. This practice continued under his successor, another Whig Duke and Prime Minister, Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, Chancellor of the University from 1768 to 1811. However, Grafton was less influential as a politician than Newcastle had been and also less attentive towards the University, and as a result some of his nominations came in for criticism, notably that of his friend Richard Croftes.

Croftes was far from typical of a University member of parliament: he was neither the son of a peer, like the Hon. John Townshend, the Marquess of Granby, and Grafton's own son the Earl of Euston, nor a distinguished lawyer-politician, such as William de Grey, James Mansfield, and Sir Vicary Gibbs, nor a prominent political figure like William Pitt the Younger and Lord Henry Petty. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Pittite and Tory candidates began to be elected. At the appearance of this political development, some of the Pittite members, including the younger William Pitt himself, one of the members for the University from 1784 to 1806, described themselves as Whigs. As time passed, the division between the 19th century Tory and Whig parties became clearer.

The future Prime Minister, Viscount Palmerston, retained his university seat as a Whig after he left the Tory ranks, but in 1831 he was defeated. After Palmerston ceased to represent the University he was elected by a territorial constituency. From then until the 1920s, all of the University's members were Tories and/or Conservatives.

Even after the introduction of the single transferable vote in 1918, most of the members continued to be elected as Conservatives.

Members of Parliament

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

1603 to 1660

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Constituency created 1603

Year	First member	Second member
1604	Nicholas Steward	Henry Mountlow
1614	Sir Miles Sandys	Sir Francis Bacon
1621	Robert Naunton	Barnaby Gough
1624	Sir Robert Naunton	Barnaby Gough
1625	Sir Robert Naunton	Sir Albert Morton
1626	Thomas Eden	Sir John Coke
1628–1629	Thomas Eden	Sir John Coke
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
Apr 1640	Thomas Eden	Henry Lucas
Nov 1640	Thomas Eden	Henry Lucas
Eden died 1644 replaced by Nathaniel Bacon
1648	Lucas secluded in Pride's Purge
1654	Henry Cromwell	(one seat only)
1656	Richard Cromwell	(one seat only)
1659	John Thurloe	Thomas Sclater

1660 to 1784

Year	Member	Party	Member	Party
1660 Apr	George Monck		Thomas Crouch
1660 Jun	William Montagu
1661	Sir Richard Fanshawe
1667	Sir Charles Wheler, 2nd Baronet
1679	Sir Thomas Exton		James Vernon
1681			Robert Brady
1689	Sir Robert Sawyer		Isaac Newton	Whig
1690			Edward Finch
1692	Henry Boyle	Whig
1695			George Oxenden
1698			Anthony Hammond
1701			Isaac Newton	Court Whig
1702			Arthur Annesley	Tory
1705	Dixie Windsor	Tory
1710			Thomas Paske	Tory
1720			Thomas Willoughby	Tory
1727	Edward Finch	Whig	Thomas Townshend	Whig
1768	Charles Yorke	Rockingham Whig
1770	William de Grey
1771	Richard Croftes
1774			Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby
1779			James Mansfield
1780	Lord John Townshend	Whig

1784 to 1950

Year	Member		Party	Member		Party
1784		William Pitt the Younger	Tory^1[1]		Earl of Euston	Whig[1]
1806		Lord Henry Petty	Whig[1]
1807		Sir Vicary Gibbs	Tory[1]
1811					Henry Temple	Tory[1]
1812		John Henry Smyth	Whig[1]
1822		William John Bankes	Tory[1]
1826		Sir John Copley	Tory[1]
1827		Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal	Tory[1]
1829		William Cavendish	Whig[1]
1830						Whig[1]
1831		Henry Goulburn	Tory [1]		William Yates Peel	Tory[1]
1832					Charles Manners-Sutton	Tory[1]
1834			Conservative[1]			Conservative[1]
1835					Hon. Charles Law	Conservative[1]
1850					Loftus 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 Stokes, Bt	Conservative
1891		Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb ^2	Conservative
1892					Sir John Eldon Gorst	Conservative
1906		Samuel Butcher	Conservative		John Rawlinson	Conservative
1911		Sir Joseph Larmor	Conservative
1918			Co. Conservative ^3			Co. Conservative^3
1922		J. R. M. Butler	Ind. Liberal^4			Conservative
1923		Sir Geoffrey G. Butler ^5	Conservative
1926					Sir John Withers	Conservative
1929		Godfrey Wilson	Conservative
1935		Sir Kenneth Pickthorn	Conservative
1940					Dr. Archibald Hill	Ind. Conservative^4
1945					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.

Elections before 1715

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

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

Elections in the 1710s

General election 26 January 1715: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	Dixie Windsor	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Thomas Paske	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

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	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	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	Edward Finch	221	37.14	N/A
	Whig	Thomas Townshend	198	33.28	N/A
	Tory	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.

Elections in the 1730s

General election 29 April 1734: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Whig	Thomas Townshend	222	30.33	-2.95
	Whig	Edward Finch	209	28.55	-8.59
	Whig	-. Goodrick	174	23.77	N/A
	Tory	Dixie Windsor	137	17.35	-12.23
Turnout			732	N/A	N/A

• Note (1734): Goodrick was an Opposition Whig

Elections in the 1740s

General election 6 May 1741: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Whig	Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	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	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	Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1750s

General election 17 April 1754: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Whig	Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	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	Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1760s

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed to an office

By-Election 14 January 1761: Cambridge University

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Whig	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	Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General election 19 March 1768: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Non Partisan	Charles Yorke	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

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	Charles Manners	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	John Townshend	145	32.95	N/A
	Non Partisan	Thomas Villiers	138	31.36	N/A
Majority			12	2.73	N/A
Turnout			440	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

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	John Townshend	247	24.17	N/A
	Non Partisan	Thomas Villiers	206	20.16	N/A
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	150	14.68	N/A
	Non Partisan	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	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	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	William Pitt	351	31.65	+17.76
	Non Partisan	George FitzRoy	299	26.96	N/A
	Non Partisan	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

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

Elections in the 1790s

General election 1790: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	William Pitt	510	42.50	+10.85
	Whig	George FitzRoy	483	40.25	+13.29
	Whig	Lawrence Dundas	207	17.25	N/A
Turnout			1,200 (684 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note (1790): Party 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	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	George FitzRoy	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1796: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	George FitzRoy	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1800s

General election 1802: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	George FitzRoy	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on Pitt being appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer

By-Election 1804: Cambridge University

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	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	Henry Petty	331	54.80	N/A
	Whig	John Spencer	145	24.01	N/A
	Tory	Henry Temple	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	Henry Petty	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	George FitzRoy	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General election 1807: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Whig	George FitzRoy	324	26.75	N/A
	Tory	Vicary Gibbs	312	25.76	N/A
	Tory	Henry Temple	310	25.60	N/A
	Whig	Henry Petty	265	21.88	N/A
Turnout			1,211 (631 voters)	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1810s

• Succession of Euston as the 4th Duke of Grafton

By-Election March 1811: Cambridge University

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	Henry Temple	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	Henry Temple	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	Henry Temple	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1820s

General election 1820: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Tory	Henry Temple	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	John Copley	772	32.88	N/A
	Whig	Henry Temple	631	26.87	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	508	21.64	N/A
	Tory	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	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

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Cambridge University (2 seats)[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Henry Temple	Unopposed
	Whig	William Cavendish	Unopposed
	Whig gain from Tory
	Whig gain from Tory

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

By-election, 30 November 1830: Cambridge University[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Henry Temple	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1831: Cambridge University (2 seats)[1][2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Tory	Henry Goulburn	805	28.3
	Tory	William Yates Peel	804	28.2
	Whig	William Cavendish	630	22.1
	Whig	Henry Temple	610	21.4
Majority			174	6.1
Turnout			1,450	65.5
Registered electors			2,215
	Tory gain from Whig
	Tory gain from Whig

General election 12 December 1832: Cambridge University (2 seats)[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Tory	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Speaker	Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,319
	Tory hold
	Speaker gain from Tory

General election 12 December 1835: Cambridge University (2 seats)[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Speaker	Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,319
	Conservative hold
	Speaker hold

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

By-election, 21 March 1835: Cambridge University[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Charles Law	Unopposed
	Conservative gain from Speaker

General election 25 July 1837: Cambridge University (2 seats)[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Conservative	Charles Law	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,613
	Conservative hold
	Conservative gain from Speaker

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

Elections in the 1840s

General election 30 June 1841: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Conservative	Charles Law	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,873
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

• 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	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 3 August 1847: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charles Law	1,486	31.7	N/A
	Conservative	Henry Goulburn	1,189	25.4	N/A
	Conservative	Rudolph Feilding	1,147	24.5	N/A
	Whig	John Shaw-Lefevre	860	18.4	N/A
Majority			42	0.9	N/A
Turnout			2,341 (est)	61.6	N/A
Registered electors			3,800
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	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.

Elections in the 1850s

• Death of Law.

By-election, 4 October 1850: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 10 July 1852: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Henry Goulburn	Unopposed
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed
Registered electors			4,063
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

• 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[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	886	67.9	N/A
	Whig	George Denman[4]	419	32.1	N/A
Majority			467	35.8	N/A
Turnout			1,305	28.7	N/A
Registered electors			4,552
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General election 28 March 1857: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed
Registered electors			4,552
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

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

By-election, 4 March 1858: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 29 April 1859: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
Registered electors			4,566
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 11 July 1865: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,184
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

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

By-Election 11 July 1866: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Appointment of Selwyn as Solicitor-General.

By-Election 22 July 1867: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

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

By-Election 24 February 1868: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	1,931	58.0	N/A
	Conservative	Anthony Cleasby[5]	1,400	42.0	N/A
Majority			531	15.9	N/A
Turnout			3,331	64.3	N/A
Registered electors			5,184
	Conservative hold

General election 16 November 1868: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,435
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 2 February 1874: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,855
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election April 1880: Cambridge University (2 seats)[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed
	Conservative	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed
Registered electors			6,161
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Walpole's resignation caused a by-election.

By-Election 23–28 Nov 1882: Cambridge University[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Henry Cecil Raikes	3,491	72.9	N/A
	Liberal	James Stuart	1,301	27.2	N/A
Majority			2,190	45.7	N/A
Turnout			4,792	75.2	N/A
Registered electors			6,371
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Hope

General election 1885: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed
	Conservative	Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1886: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed
	Conservative	Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Raikes was appointed Postmaster General, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 13 Aug 1886: Cambridge University[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Stokes

Beresford-Hope's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 Nov 1887: Cambridge University[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	George Stokes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

Jebb

1891 Cambridge University by-election[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'Richard Claverhouse Jebb'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1892: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'John Eldon Gorst'	Unopposed
	Conservative	'Richard Claverhouse Jebb'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1895: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'John Eldon Gorst'	Unopposed
	Conservative	'Richard Claverhouse Jebb'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'John Eldon Gorst'	Unopposed
	Conservative	'Richard Claverhouse Jebb'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election 1906: Cambridge University (2 seats)[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Samuel Butcher	3,050	39.72	N/A
	Conservative	John Rawlinson	2,976	38.76	N/A
	Free Trader	John Eldon Gorst	1,653	21.53	N/A
Majority			1,323	17.3	N/A
Turnout			4,063	65.8	N/A
Registered electors			6,972
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a
	Conservative hold		Swing	n/a

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'Samuel Butcher'	Unopposed
	Conservative	'John Rawlinson'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

General election December 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	'Samuel Butcher'	Unopposed
	Conservative	'John Rawlinson'	Unopposed
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Cox

1911 Cambridge University by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Joseph Larmor	2,308	50.24	N/A
	Free Trade	Harold Cox	1,954	42.53	N/A
	Ind. Conservative	Thomas Ethelbert Page	332	7.23	N/A
Majority			354	7.71	N/A
Turnout			7,129	64.44	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections 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. The elections were also conducted by Single Transferable Vote.

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2
C	Coalition Unionist	John Rawlinson	35.16	2,034
C	Coalition Unionist	Joseph Larmor	32.69	1,891	1,986
	Independent	William Cecil Dampier	21.09	1,220	1,229
	Labour	J. C. Squire	11.06	640	641
Electorate: 9,282   Valid: 5,785   Quota: 1,929   Turnout: 62.32% C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	John Rawlinson	4,192	49.39	+14.23
	Independent Liberal	J. R. M. Butler	3,453	39.86	+39.86
	Unionist	William Ritchie Sorley	1,018	11.75	+11.75
Quota			2,888
Registered electors			13,592
Turnout			8,663	63.74
	Independent Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	N/A

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary

General Election 1923: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2
	Unionist	John Rawlinson	40.85	4,207
	Unionist	Geoffrey G. Butler	27.61	2,844	3,560
	Independent Liberal	J. R. M. Butler	31.54	3,248	3,283
Electorate: 14,974   Valid: 10,229   Quota: 3,434   Turnout: 68.78%

General election 1924: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	John Rawlinson	4,569	38.60	-2.25
	Unionist	Geoffrey G. Butler	4,026	34.01	+6.40
	Independent Liberal	J. R. M. Butler	3,241	27.38	-4.16
Quota			3,946
Registered electors			16,621
Turnout			11,836	71.21	+2.43
	Unionist hold		Swing

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary

1926 Cambridge University by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Unionist	John Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1929: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2
	Unionist	John Withers	39.76	6,356
	Unionist	Godfrey Wilson	31.71	5,069	6,046
	Liberal	Hubert Henderson	19.38	3,099	3,131
	Labour	Alexander Wood	9.15	1,463	1,480
Electorate: 23,978   Valid: 15,987   Quota: 5,330   Turnout: 66.67%

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Godfrey Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	John Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing

1935 Cambridge University by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Kenneth Pickthorn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1935: Cambridge University (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	John Withers	7,602	42.30	N/A
	Conservative	Kenneth Pickthorn	6,917	38.49	N/A
	Labour	Lionel Elvin	3,453	19.21	N/A
Quota			5,991
Registered electors			33,617
Turnout			17,972	53.46	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary

Elections in the 1940s

1940 Cambridge University by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Ind. Conservative	Archibald Hill	9,840	64.62	N/A
	Independent Progressive	John Ryle	5,387	35.38	N/A
Majority			4,453	29.24	N/A
Turnout			39,171	38.87	N/A
	Ind. Conservative gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	FPv%	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4
	Conservative	Kenneth Pickthorn	46.18	10,202
	Independent	Wilson Harris	16.18	3,574	4,709	5,185	6,556
	Independent Progressive	J. B. Priestley	22.82	5,041	5,128	5,238	5,745
	Independent	Charles Hill	10.13	2,238	3,092	3,595	eliminated
	National Independent	Ernest Leslie Howard-Williams	4.69	1,036	1,798	eliminated	–
Electorate: 42,012   Valid: 22,091   Quota: 7,364   Turnout: 52.58%

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

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)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 1)

Specific

1. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 28–31. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
2. Fisher, David R. "Cambridge University". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
3. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
4. "Cambridge University Election". Yorkshire Gazette. 9 February 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Cambridge University Election". Cambridge Independent Press. 29 February 1868. p. 5. Retrieved 1 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.

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	Vacant until 1809 Title next held by Northampton
Preceded by Scarborough	Constituency represented by the Speaker 1832–1835	Succeeded by Edinburgh