Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)

"Richmond (UK Parliament constituency)" redirects here. For the former constituency in greater London, see Richmond (Surrey) (UK Parliament constituency). For the current constituency in greater London, see Richmond Park (UK Parliament constituency).

Richmond (Yorks)
County constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Richmond (Yorks) in North Yorkshire
Location of North Yorkshire within England
County	1585–1974 North Riding of Yorkshire 1974– North Yorkshire
Electorate	83,219 (December 2019) [1]
Major settlements	Bedale, Catterick, Catterick Garrison, Great Ayton, Hawes, Leyburn, Middleham, Northallerton, Richmond, Stokesley
Current constituency
Created	1885
Member of Parliament	Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
Seats	One
1585–1885
Seats	1585–1868: Two 1868–1885: One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency

Richmond (Yorks) is a constituency ^{[note 1]} in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since May 2015 by Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party. ^{[note 2] [2]}

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat will be subject to moderate boundary changes and will be renamed Richmond and Northallerton, to be first contested at the next general election. ^[3]

Constituency profile

The constituency is a safe seat for the Conservative Party, which has held it continuously since 1910 (if including the 11 years by the allied Unionist Party from 1918), and in the 2010 general election Richmond produced the largest numerical and percentage majority for a Conservative, 62.8% of the vote. The Conservative MP and one-time Party leader William Hague held the seat from a by-election in 1989 until he retired from the Commons in 2015. He had held the posts of Leader of the Opposition (1997–2001), Foreign Secretary (2010–2014) and Leader of the House of Commons (2014–2015). His successor, Rishi Sunak, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from February 2020 to July 2022 and has served as Prime Minister since October 2022, whilst Hague's predecessor, Leon Brittan, served as Home Secretary. The constituency has thus produced three consecutive MPs who served in the Great Offices of State, two of whom served as Leader of the Conservative Party.

The constituency consists of, in the west, the entire Richmondshire district and, in the east, the northern part of Hambleton District. It is a mostly rural seat with a mostly affluent population. ^{[note 3]}

History

Richmond was one of the parliamentary boroughs in the Unreformed House of Commons that dates to the middle of its long existence, first being represented in 1585. Medieval royal charters had specifically exempted the town from sending members to Parliament; ^[4] at the time this was often seen as an expensive burden.

By the early eighteenth century it was controlled by the Yorke and Darcy families, who each nominated a member; the Darcys gained control in the 1760s and shortly afterwards the interest was purchased by Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet, along with the Aske estate. ^[5] The Dundases or their nominees would retain control of the borough's representation for many years; there was no contested election between 1722 and 1839 and then not another until 1866. The last Dundas family member would not retire from the seat until 1885. During this period the seat was a safe one for the Whigs and later the Liberals; since around 1918 it has been a safe seat for the Conservative Party, with majorities often more than 40%.

From 1983 the seat was represented by the cabinet minister Leon Brittan, after boundary changes saw his Cleveland and Whitby seat abolished; however he resigned from the Commons in December 1988 in order to take up the position of vice-president of the European Commission.

1989 by-election

The ensuing by-election, in February 1989, was won by William Hague: it was the last by-election won by a Conservative candidate during the Conservative Governments of 1979–1997. Hague's win has been attributed in part to the decision by the remnants of the Social Democratic Party (those members that objected to the merger with the Liberal Party the previous year) to contest the election as well as the newly merged Social and Liberal Democrats (who subsequently renamed themselves the Liberal Democrats). The SDP candidate, local farmer Mike Potter, came second, and Hague's majority of 2,634 was considerably smaller than the number of votes (11,589) for the SLD candidate, Barbara Pearce. Despite the Labour landslide of 1997, they did not come close to winning the seat, which stayed Conservative with a majority of 10,000. Hague retained the seat at every general election from then on, building the Conservative majority to 23,336, until his decision to step down at the 2015 election.

1992 change in main opposition candidate

In 1992 the Labour candidate until a few weeks before the election, David Abrahams, was deselected following a series of rows within the local party over his personal life and business interests. It emerged in 2007 that he used the name "David Martin" when dealing with tenants in his various rental properties in the Newcastle area, ^[6] and that he had claimed that he lived with his wife and son, though he had never been married. Divorcee Anthea Bailey later told a local newspaper she and her 11-year-old son had posed as Mr Abrahams' family as part of a business arrangement so that Abrahams could create "the right impression". ^{[7] [8]}

Since 2001

At the 2001 general election Richmond became the Conservatives' safest seat in the UK, both in terms of the actual numerical majority and by percentage, the seat being held by William Hague, then the Conservative leader. Although the numerical majority was surpassed by Buckingham at the 2005 election, Richmond has a smaller electorate and had a greater proportion of Conservative voters so retained the second-largest percentage majority. Again in 2010 Richmond was the safest Conservative seat in the country in terms of numerical and percentage majority. It has been represented since May 2015 by Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party. ^[2]

Boundaries

Map of current boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Richmond, the Urban Districts of Kirklington-cum-Upsland, Masham, and Northallerton, and the Rural Districts of Aysgarth, Bedale, Croft, Leyburn, Northallerton, Reeth, Richmond, Startforth, and Stokesley.

1950–1955: The Borough of Richmond, the Urban District of Northallerton, and the Rural Districts of Aysgarth, Croft, Leyburn, Masham, Northallerton, Reeth, Richmond, Startforth, and Stokesley.

1955–1974: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.

1974–1983: As prior but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–1997: The District of Richmondshire, and the District of Hambleton wards of Appleton Wiske, Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Carlton Miniott, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Hillside, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton North East, Northallerton South East, Northallerton West, Osmotherley, Romanby, Romanby Broomfield, Rudby, Sowerby, Stokesley, Swainby, Tanfield, The Cowtons, The Thorntons, Thirsk, Topcliffe, and Whitestonecliffe.

1997–2010: The District of Richmondshire, and the District of Hambleton wards of Appleton Wiske, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Great Ayton, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton North East, Northallerton South East, Northallerton West, Osmotherley, Romanby, Romanby Broomfield, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and The Cowtons.

2010–present: The District of Richmondshire, and the District of Hambleton wards of Bedale, Brompton, Broughton and Greenhow, Cowtons, Crakehall, Great Ayton, Leeming, Leeming Bar, Morton-on-Swale, Northallerton Broomfield, Northallerton Central, Northallerton North, Osmotherley, Romanby, Rudby, Stokesley, Swainby, and Tanfield.

The Richmond constituency covers the Richmondshire district and the northern part of the Hambleton District. It is a mostly affluent rural area with a significant commuter population, covering parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, including Wensleydale and Swaledale. It contains the market towns of Northallerton, Richmond, Leyburn, Bedale, Hawes and Stokesley, along with Great Ayton and other villages. It also includes the largest army base in Europe, Catterick Garrison.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1585–1640

Parliament	First member	Second member
1584	John Pepper	Marmaduke Wyvill [9]
1586	Robert Bowes	Samuel Coxe [9]
1588	James Dale	John Smythe [9]
1593	Talbot Bowes	John Pepper [9]
1597	Marmaduke Wyvill	Cuthbert Pepper [9]
1601	Cuthbert Pepper	Talbot Bowes [9]
1604	Sir John Savile	Richard Percevall
1614	Sir Talbot Bowes	Sir William Richardson
1621	Sir Talbot Bowes	William Bowes
1624	John Wandesford	Christopher Pepper
1625	Christopher Wandesford	Sir Talbot Bowes
1626	Christopher Wandesford	Matthew Hutton
1628	Sir Talbot Bowes	James Howell
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned

MPs 1640–1868

Year			First member [10]	First party	Second member [10]	Second party
		April 1640	Sir William Pennyman, Bt.	Royalist	Maulger Norton
		November 1640			Sir Thomas Danby	Royalist
		August 1642	Pennyman disabled to sit (Pennyman died August 1643)
		September 1642			Danby disabled to sit
		1645	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
		1653	Richmond was unrepresented in Barebone's Parliament
		1654	John Wastal		Richmond had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate
		1656	John Bathurst
		January 1659	Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.		John Bathurst
		May 1659	Thomas Chaloner		Francis Thorpe
		April 1660	James Darcy		Sir Christopher Wyvill, Bt.
		1661	Sir John Yorke		Joseph Cradock
		1662			John Wandesford
		1664	Sir William Killigrew
		1665			Marmaduke Darcy
		1679	Humphrey Wharton		Thomas Cradock
		1681			John Darcy, Lord Conyers
		1685	Thomas Cradock
		January 1689	Thomas Yorke
		February 1689			Philip Darcy
		1690	Sir Mark Milbanke, Bt		Theodore Bathurst
		1695	Thomas Yorke		Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt.
		1698			James Darcy
		1701			John Hutton
		1702			James Darcy
		May 1705			Wharton Dunch
		December 1705			William Walsh
		1708			Harry Mordaunt
		1710	John Yorke	Whig
		1713	Thomas Yorke
		1717	John Yorke	Whig
		1720			Richard Abell	Whig
		1722			Conyers Darcy	Whig
		1727	Charles Bathurst		Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, Bt.
		1728 [11]	John Yorke	Whig	Sir Conyers Darcy [12]	Whig
		1747			Earl of Ancram
		1757	Thomas Yorke
		1761	Sir Ralph Milbanke
		1763			Thomas Dundas
		March 1768	Alexander Wedderburn		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt [13]
		November 1768			William Norton
		1769	Charles John Crowle
		1774	Thomas Dundas [14]		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt [15]
		January 1775			Charles Dundas
		December 1775	William Norton
		1780	Marquess of Graham		Sir Lawrence Dundas, Bt
		1781			George Fitzwilliam
		1784	The Earl of Inchiquin		Charles Dundas
		1786			Sir Grey Cooper
		1790			Lawrence Dundas	Whig
		1796	Charles George Beauclerk
		1798	Arthur Shakespeare	Whig [16]
		1802			George Dundas	Whig [16]
		1806			Charles Lawrence Dundas	Whig [16]
		1808	Lawrence Dundas	Whig [16]
		1810			Robert Chaloner	Whig [16]
		January 1812	George Dundas	Whig
		October 1812	Dudley Long North	Whig [16]
		1818	Thomas Dundas	Whig [16] [17] [18]	Viscount Maitland	Whig [16]
		1820			Samuel Barrett Moulton Barrett	Whig [16]
		1828			Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig [16] [19] [20]
		1830	Hon. John Dundas	Whig [16] [21] [18] [22]
		1835	Alexander Speirs	Whig [16] [17] [18]	Hon. Thomas Dundas [23]	Whig [16] [17] [18]
		1839			Hon. Sir Robert Dundas	Whig [16] [19] [20]
		February 1841	Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Whig [16] [24] [25] [26]
		June 1841	Hon. John Dundas	Whig [16] [21] [18] [22]	Hon. William Ridley-Colborne	Whig [16] [22] [27]
		1846			Henry Rich	Whig [28] [16] [17] [29]
		1847	Marmaduke Wyvill	Whig [28]
		1859		Liberal		Liberal
		1861			Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
		1865	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
		1866	Marmaduke Wyvill	Liberal

MPs since 1868

Richmond, 1918–1948, shown within the North Riding of Yorkshire.

Election		Member [10]	Party
	1868	Sir Roundell Palmer	Liberal
	1872 by-election	Lawrence Dundas	Liberal
	1873 by-election	Hon. John Dundas	Liberal
	1885	Sir Frederick Milbank, Bt	Liberal
	1886	George Elliot [30]	Conservative
	1895	John Hutton	Conservative
	1906	Francis Dyke Acland	Liberal
	Jan 1910	Hon. William Orde-Powlett	Conservative
	1918	Sir Murrough Wilson	Unionist
	1929	Thomas Dugdale	Conservative
	1959	Timothy Kitson	Conservative
	1983	Leon Brittan	Conservative
	1989 by-election	William Hague	Conservative
	2015	Rishi Sunak	Conservative

Elections

Rishi Sunak

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[31] [32]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rishi Sunak	36,693	63.6	−0.3
	Labour	Thomas Kirkwood	9,483	16.4	−7.0
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Knowles	6,989	12.1	+6.2
	Green	John Yorke	2,500	4.3	+1.2
	Yorkshire	Laurence Waterhouse	1,077	1.9	−1.8
	Independent	Nick Jardine	961	1.7	New
Majority			27,210	47.2	+6.7
Turnout			57,703	69.9	−0.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.3

General election 2017: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[33] [34]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rishi Sunak	36,458	63.9	+12.5
	Labour	Dan Perry	13,350	23.4	+10.2
	Liberal Democrats	Tobie Abel	3,360	5.9	−0.5
	Yorkshire	Chris Pearson	2,106	3.7	New
	Green	Fiona Yorke	1,739	3.1	−1.2
Majority			23,108	40.5	+4.3
Turnout			57,013	70.5	+5.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.2

General election 2015: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[35] [36]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rishi Sunak	27,744	51.4	−11.4
	UKIP	Matthew Cooke	8,194	15.2	New
	Labour	Mike Hill	7,124	13.2	−2.1
	Liberal Democrats	John Harris	3,465	6.4	−12.7
	Independent	John Blackie	3,348	6.2	New
	Green	Leslie Rowe	2,313	4.3	+1.5
	Independent	Robin Scott	1,811	3.4	New
Majority			19,550	36.2	−7.5
Turnout			53,999	64.7	−2.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	−13.3

William Hague

General election 2010: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[37] [38]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	33,541 [note 4]	62.8	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Lawrence Meredith	10,205	19.1	+2.2
	Labour	Eileen Driver	8,150	15.3	−5.3
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,516	2.8	−0.3
Majority			23,336	43.7	+4.1
Turnout			53,412	67.2	+2.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Richmond (Yorks) ^[40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	26,722	59.1	+0.2
	Labour	Neil Foster	8,915	19.7	−2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Jacquie Bell	7,982	17.7	−0.2
	Green	Leslie Rowe	1,581	3.5	New
Majority			17,807	39.4	+2.4
Turnout			45,200	65.0	−2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.2

General election 2001: Richmond (Yorks) ^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	25,951	58.9	+10.0
	Labour Co-op	Fay Tinnion	9,632	21.9	−5.9
	Liberal Democrats	Thomas Forth	7,890	17.9	−0.5
	Monster Raving Loony	Boney Steniforth	561	1.3	New
Majority			16,319	37.0	+15.9
Turnout			44,034	67.4	−6.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.0

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Richmond (Yorks) ^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	23,326	48.9	−13.0
	Labour Co-op	Steven Merritt	13,275	27.8	+16.2
	Liberal Democrats	Jane Harvey	8,773	18.4	−7.3
	Referendum	Alex Bentley	2,367	5.0	New
Majority			10,051	21.1	−15.1
Turnout			47,741	73.4	−5.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	−13.9

General election 1992: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[43] [44]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	40,202	61.9	+0.7
	Liberal Democrats	George Irwin	16,698	25.7	−1.3
	Labour	Ross Cranston	7,523	11.6	−0.2
	Independent	A. Michael Barr	570	0.9	New
Majority			23,504	36.2	+2.0
Turnout			64,993	78.4	+6.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.0

Elections in the 1980s

Richmond by-election, 1989

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Hague	19,543	37.2	-24.0
	SDP	Mike Potter	16,909	32.2	New
	SLD	Barbara Pearce	11,589	22.1	-4.9
	Labour	Frank Robson	2,591	4.9	-6.9
	Green	Robert Upshall	1,473	2.8	New
	Monster Raving Loony	Screaming Lord Sutch	167	0.3	New
	Independent	Anthony Millns	113	0.2	New
	Corrective Party	Lindi St Clair	106	0.2	New
	Liberal	Nicholas Watkins	70	0.1	New
Majority			2,634	5.0	-29.2
Turnout			52,561	64.4	-7.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1987: Richmond (Yorks) ^[45]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	34,995	61.2	-1.4
	Liberal	David Lloyd-Williams	15,419	27.0	-0.7
	Labour	Frank Robson	6,737	11.8	+2.1
Majority			19,576	34.2	-0.7
Turnout			57,151	72.1	+3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.3

General election 1983: Richmond (Yorks) ^[46]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Leon Brittan	32,373	62.6
	Liberal	David Raw	14,307	27.7
	Labour Co-op	Barbara Hawkins	4,997	9.7
Majority			18,066	34.9
Turnout			51,677	68.7	-3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,958	61.5	+4.6
	Liberal	G. Hodgson	9,964	21.1	-2.3
	Labour	Ken Bratton	8,173	17.4	-2.3
Majority			18,994	40.4	+6.9
Turnout			47,095	72.1	-3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

General election October 1974: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,156	56.9	-1.3
	Liberal	P. Waudby	9,528	23.4	-1.9
	Labour	Ian Wilkie	8,025	19.7	+3.2
Majority			13,628	33.5	+0.6
Turnout			40,709	65.7	-9.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.6

General election February 1974: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	26,994	58.2	-4.6
	Liberal	Elizabeth May Graham	11,727	25.3	-0.9
	Labour	Edward Pearce	7,659	16.5	-9.7
Majority			15,267	32.9	-3.7
Turnout			46,380	75.5	+7.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1970: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	30,471	62.8	+6.2
	Labour	Michael Aldrich	12,702	26.2	+1.6
	Liberal	John R. Smithson	5,354	11.0	-7.8
Majority			17,769	36.6	+4.6
Turnout			48,527	68.4	-2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	23,541	56.6	-2.3
	Labour	W. Patrick Lisle	10,210	24.6	+3.9
	Liberal	Clifford Keith Wain Schellenberg	7,824	18.8	-1.6
Majority			13,331	32.0	-6.2
Turnout			41,575	71.3	-4.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1964: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	25,345	58.9	-16.5
	Labour	Gordon A. Knott	8,908	20.7	-3.9
	Liberal	Clifford Keith Wain Schellenberg	8,787	20.4	New
Majority			16,437	38.2	-12.7
Turnout			43,040	75.6	+4.1
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Timothy Kitson	28,270	75.44
	Labour	Mabel McMillan	9,203	24.56
Majority			19,067	50.88
Turnout			37,473	71.49
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1955: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	24,979	73.57
	Labour	Richard Hoyle	8,974	26.43
Majority			16,005	47.14
Turnout			33,953	67.25
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1951: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	26,231	70.62
	Labour	Richard Hoyle	10,915	29.38
Majority			15,316	41.24
Turnout			37,146	74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1950: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	22,999	59.20
	Labour	F.W. Beaton	8,694	22.38
	Liberal	Douglas Eugene Moore	7,157	18.42
Majority			14,305	36.82
Turnout			38,850	74.36
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	18,332	52.87	-24.1
	Liberal	M.W. Darwin	9,427	27.19	New
	Labour	George Henry Metcalfe	6,104	17.60	-5.1
	Common Wealth	Roy Norman Chesterton	813	2.34	New
Majority			8,905	25.68	-28.6
Turnout			34,676	68.38	+0.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	25,088	77.03
	Labour	Alfred Jonathan Best	7,369	22.70	New
Majority			17,719	54.33
Turnout			32,457	68.10
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1931: Richmond (Yorks)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Dugdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Richmond (Yorks) ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Thomas Dugdale	19,763	57.5	N/A
	Liberal	John Dixon Hinks	14,634	42.5	New
Majority			5,129	15.0	N/A
Turnout			34,397	79.4	N/A
	Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1924: Richmond (Yorks) ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murrough Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Unionist hold

General election 1923: Richmond (Yorks) ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murrough Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Unionist hold

General election 1922: Richmond (Yorks) ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Murrough Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Unionist hold

Election results 1868–1918

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roundell Palmer	375	81.2	N/A
	Liberal	William Henry Roberts	87	18.8	N/A
Majority			288	62.4	N/A
Turnout			462	71.1	N/A
Registered electors			650
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

Palmer resigned after being appointed Lord Chancellor and being elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Selborne.

By-election, 7 Nov 1872: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Lawrence Dundas	314	57.9	-42.1
	Independent Liberal	Charles Edward Brunskill Cooke [49] [50]	228	42.1	New
Majority			86	15.8	N/A
Turnout			542	79.5	N/A
Registered electors			682
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Dundas succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Zetland.

By-election, 27 May 1873: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Dundas	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1874: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Dundas	313	54.7	N/A
	Independent Liberal	Charles Edward Brunskill Cooke	259	45.3	N/A
Majority			54	9.4	−53.0
Turnout			572	81.0	+9.9
Registered electors			706
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Dundas	447	75.8	+21.1
	Conservative	George Swinburne-King [51]	143	24.2	New
Majority			304	51.6	+42.2
Turnout			590	84.8	+3.8
Registered electors			696
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1885: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [52] [53]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Frederick Milbank	4,869	53.0	−22.8
	Conservative	George Elliot	4,320	47.0	+22.8
Majority			549	6.0	−45.6
Turnout			9,189	81.8	−3.0
Registered electors			11,237
	Liberal hold		Swing	−22.8

General election 1886: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [52]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Elliot	4,810	55.5	+8.5
	Liberal	Edmund Turton	3,859	44.5	-8.5
Majority			951	11.0	N/A
Turnout			8,669	77.1	−4.7
Registered electors			11,237
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.5

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [52]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Elliot	4,340	50.9	-4.6
	Liberal	Edmund Turton	4,181	49.1	+4.6
Majority			159	1.8	-9.2
Turnout			8,521	79.9	+2.8
Registered electors			10,669
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.6

Hutton

General election 1895: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [52] [54]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hutton	4,555	53.4	+2.5
	Liberal	Edmund Turton	3,971	46.6	-2.5
Majority			584	6.8	+5.0
Turnout			8,526	79.9	0.0
Registered electors			10,669
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.5

Elections in the 1900s

Howard

General election 1900: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[52] [54] [55]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hutton	4,573	59.5	+6.1
	Liberal	Geoffrey Howard	3,117	40.5	−6.1
Majority			1,456	19.0	+12.2
Turnout			7,690	74.2	−5.7
Registered electors			10,369
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.1

Acland

General election 1906: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [52] [55]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Francis Dyke Acland	4,470	50.6	+10.1
	Conservative	Lawrence Dundas	4,368	49.4	-10.1
Majority			102	1.2	N/A
Turnout			8,838	87.4	+13.2
Registered electors			10,112
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+10.1

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [56]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Orde-Powlett	5,246	55.8	+6.4
	Liberal	Francis Dyke Acland	4,163	44.2	−6.4
Majority			1,083	11.6	N/A
Turnout			9,409	89.7	+2.3
Registered electors			10,485
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+6.4

General election December 1910: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[15] [56]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Orde-Powlett	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: William Orde-Powlett
• Liberal:

General election 1918: Richmond (Yorks) ^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Murrough Wilson	9,857	66.8	N/A
	National Farmers Union	William Parlour	4,907	33.2	New
Majority			4,950	33.6	N/A
Turnout			14,764	48.1	N/A
	Unionist hold		Swing
Cindicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Election results 1832–1868

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [48]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Robert Lawrence Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	John Dundas	Unopposed
Registered electors			273
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1835: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [48]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Thomas Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	Alexander Speirs	Unopposed
Registered electors			278
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1837: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [48]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Thomas Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	Alexander Speirs	Unopposed
Registered electors			272
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

Dundas succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Zetland and causing a by-election.

By-election, 12 March 1839: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [48]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Robert Lawrence Dundas	162	66.9
	Conservative	Miles Thomas Stapleton, 8th Baron Beaumont	80	33.1
Majority			82	33.8
Turnout			242	85.2
Registered electors			284
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

Speirs resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 16 February 1841: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[48] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Wentworth-FitzWilliam	Unopposed
Registered electors			276
	Whig hold

General election 1841: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[48] [16]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	William Nicholas Ridley-Colborne	Unopposed
Registered electors			276
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

Colborne's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 8 April 1846: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Henry Rich	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Rich was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 July 1846: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Henry Rich	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1847: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Marmaduke Wyvill	Unopposed
	Whig	Henry Rich	Unopposed
Registered electors			283
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Marmaduke Wyvill	Unopposed
	Whig	Henry Rich	Unopposed
Registered electors			243
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Marmaduke Wyvill	Unopposed
	Whig	Henry Rich	Unopposed
Registered electors			342
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1859: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Marmaduke Wyvill	Unopposed
	Liberal	Henry Rich	Unopposed
Registered electors			327
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Rich's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 9 July 1861: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roundell Palmer	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Palmer was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales, causing a by-election.

By-election, 17 October 1863: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roundell Palmer	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1865: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roundell Palmer	Unopposed
	Liberal	John Dundas	Unopposed
Registered electors			316
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Dundas' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 6 March 1866: Richmond (Yorks) ^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Marmaduke Wyvill	213	94.2	N/A
	Liberal	William Henry Roberts [57]	13	5.8	N/A
Majority			200	88.4	N/A
Turnout			226	71.5	N/A
Registered electors			316
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Pre-1832 election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [58]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Robert Lawrence Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	John Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

General election 1831: Richmond (Yorks) ^{[16] [58]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Robert Lawrence Dundas	Unopposed
	Whig	John Dundas	Unopposed
Registered electors			273
	Whig hold
	Whig hold

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in North Yorkshire

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. The latest 2011 census statistics include minimal percentages of social housing and welfare recipience.
4. This was the Conservative Party's highest vote share in the 2010 General Election, with William Hague securing 62.8% of the vote. ^[39]

References

1. "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
2. "Rishi Sunak warns of profound economic challenges after winning race to become prime minister". BBC News. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
3. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – Yorkshire and the Humber | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
4. "Richmond 1604-1629". History of Parliament.
5. "Richmond 1754-1790". History of Parliament.
6. Profile: reclusive Labour donor David Abrahams The Times - 26 November 2007
7. Colin Patterson (2 December 2007). "How Sunday Sun broke first David Abrahams story". Sunday Sun. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
8. Profile of David Abrahams BBC News - 27 November 2007
9. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament trust. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
10. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)
11. At the general election of 1727, Wyvill and Bathurst were returned as elected, but on petition they were unseated in favour of Yorke and Darcy, the dispute turning on who had the right to vote
12. Sir Conyers Darcy was re-elected in 1747 but had also been elected for Yorkshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit again for Richmond
13. Sir Lawrence Dundas was also elected for Edinburgh, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond
14. Thomas Dundas was also elected for Stirlingshire, which he chose to represent, and did not sit for Richmond in this parliament
15. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
16. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 150–155, 162–164. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via Google Books.
17. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 76, 193, 211. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via Google Books.
18. Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. pp. 157, 218. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via Google Books.
19. "Richmond Election" . The Pilot. 18 March 1839. p. 2. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
20. "London, Monday, March 11, 1839" . Hampshire Telegraph. 18 March 1839. p. 1. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
21. "North-Riding Election" . Yorkshire Gazette. 14 March 1857. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 19 August 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
22. "Evening Mail, from Wednesday, June 23, to Friday, June 25, 1841" . Evening Mail. 25 June 1841. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
23. Styled Lord Dundas after his father was created an Earl in 1838
24. "Electoral Decisions" . Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser. 3 July 1841. p. 24. Retrieved 24 June 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
25. "Members Returned" . Norfolk News. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 24 June 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
26. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844–1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp.  160, 235–237. ISBN   0-900178-13-2.
27. Ollivier, John (1841). Ollivier's parliamentary and political director. p. 19. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
28. "Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard" . 10 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 1 July 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
29. "General Election" . Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 15 July 1837. p. 3. Retrieved 11 November 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
30. Later Sir George Elliott
31. "Electoral and elections documents: Statement of Persons Nominated Richmond (Yorks) & Notice of Poll". Hambleton District Council. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
32. Minting, Stuart (13 December 2019). "Rishi Sunak increases Conservative majority in Richmond". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
33. "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Hambleton District Council. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
34. "BBC Election Site". BBC. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
35. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
36. "Richmond (Yorks)". BBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
37. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
38. "Richmond [Yorks]". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
39. "The UK General Election 2010 In-depth" (PDF). electoral-reform.org.uk. 6 May 2010. p. 32. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
40. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
41. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
42. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
43. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
44. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
45. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
46. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
47. Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN   0-900178-06-X.
48. 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.
49. "Representation of Richmond" . Aberdeen Press and Journal . 6 November 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 18 January 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
50. "Richmond" . Staffordshire Advertiser. 9 November 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 18 January 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
51. "The Tory Instructions to Voters" . York Herald. 31 March 1880. p. 5. Retrieved 10 December 2017– via British Newspaper Archive.
52. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
53. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
54. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
55. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN   9781349022984.
56. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
57. "Richmond Election" . Yorkshire Gazette . 10 March 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 16 March 2018– via British Newspaper Archive.
58. Casey, Martin. "Richmond". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 21 April 2020.

Sources

• D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808)
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Henry Stooks Smith, The Parliaments of England from 1715 to 1847 (2nd edition, edited by FWS Craig - Chichester: Parliamentary Reference Publications, 1973)
• The Constitutional Yearbook for 1913 (London: National Unionist Association,

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