1880 Caernarvonshire by-election

The 1880 Caernarvonshire by-election was a parliamentary by-election held for the UK House of Commons constituency of Caernarvonshire in Wales on 2 December 1880.

Vacancy

The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting Liberal MP, Watkin Williams, who was appointed as a judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice. ^[1]

Candidates

Two candidates were nominated by the two main parties of the time.

The Liberal Party nominated businessman William Rathbone. ^[2]

The Conservative Party nominated Welsh landowner and magistrate Hugh Ellis-Nanney. ^{[3] [4]}

Result

1880 Caernarvonshire by-election ^{[5] [6]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Rathbone	3,180	59.7	−0.3
	Conservative	Hugh Ellis-Nanney	2,151	40.3	+0.3
Majority			1,029	19.4	−0.6
Turnout			5,331	80.1	−2.7
Registered electors			6,652
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.3

References

1. "Williams, Charles James Watkin"  . Dictionary of National Biography . London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
2. Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1886
3. "The Nanney-Ites in Carnarvonshire" . Liverpool Mercury . 16 November 1880. p. 7. Retrieved 2 September 2022– via British Newspaper Archive.
4. The Constitutional year book. Harrison and Sons. 1904. p. 203. Retrieved 2 September 2022– via archive.org.
5. "Carnarvonshire Election". The Cornishman. No. 125. 2 December 1880. p. 5.
6. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (hardcover) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 519. ISBN   978-1-349-02349-3.