South Devon (UK Parliament constituency)

South Devon
South Devon
County constituency ; for the House of Commons
	Boundary of South Devon in South West England
County	Devon
Electorate	71,691 (2023)
Major settlements	Totnes, Salcombe, Brixham, Dartmouth and Kingsbridge
Current constituency
Created	2024
Member of Parliament	Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrats)
Seats	One
Created from	Totnes
1832–1885
Seats	Two
Type of constituency	County constituency
Created from	Devon
Replaced by	Totnes ; Tavistock

Last updated July 28, 2025

South Devon, formerly known as the Southern Division of Devon, is a parliamentary constituency in the county of Devon in England. From 1832 to 1885 it returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.

Boundaries

Historic

Context of 1832–1868. Extract from 1837 result: the largest blue area.

In 1832 the county of Devon, in south western England, was divided for Parliamentary purposes between this constituency and North Devon. In 1868 the Devon county constituencies were re-arranged into North, South and East Devon divisions. Each of these divisions returned two members of Parliament.

In 1885 the three constituencies were again redrawn, so that Devon was represented by eight single member County constituencies (there were also three borough constituencies, two of which returned two members and the third one member). The county was split between the new smaller constituencies of Ashburton (alternatively the Mid Division), Barnstaple (the North-Western Division), Honiton (the Eastern Division), South Molton (the Northern Division), Tavistock (the Western Division), Tiverton (the North-Eastern Division), Torquay and Totnes (the Southern Division). The constituencies in this redistribution are normally referred to by the distinctive place name rather than the alternative compass point designation, so the South Devon division is considered to have been abolished in 1885.

1832–1868: The Hundreds of Axminster, Clyston, Colyton, Ottery St. Mary, East Budleigh, Lifton, Exminster, Teignbridge, Haytor, Coleridge, Stanborough, Ermington, Plympton, Roborough, and Tavistock, and Exeter Castle, and the parts of the hundred of Wonford that are not included in the city of Exeter.^[3]

1868–1885: The Hundreds of Black Torrington, Ermington, Lifton, Plympton, Roborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, and Tavistock.^[4]

Current

The re-established constituency is composed of the following (as they existed on 1 December 2020):

The District of South Hams wards of: Allington & Strete; Blackawton & Stoke Fleming; Charterlands; Dartington & Staverton; Dartmouth & East Dart; Kingsbridge; Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford; Marldon & Littlehempston; Salcombe & Thurlestone; South Brent; Stokenham; Totnes; West Dart.
The Borough of Torbay wards of: Churston with Galmpton; Collaton St. Mary; Furzeham with Summercombe; King’s Ash; St. Peter’s with St. Mary’s.^[5]

It is formed from the former seat of Totnes, with only minor changes to its boundaries.

Members of Parliament

1832–1885

	First member	First party	Second member	Second party
1832	Lord John Russell	Whig ^[6]^[7]	John Crocker Bulteel	Whig ^[6]^[7]
1835	Lord John Russell	Whig ^[6]^[7]	Sir John Yarde-Buller, Bt	Conservative
May 1835 by-election	Montague Parker	Conservative
1841	Lord Courtenay	Conservative
1849 by-election	Sir Ralph Lopes, Bt	Conservative
1854 by-election	Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt	Conservative
1858 by-election	Sir Lawrence Palk, Bt	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	Conservative
1868	Sir Massey Lopes, Bt	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	Conservative
1873 by-election			John Carpenter Garnier	Conservative
1884 by-election			John Tremayne	Conservative
1885	Constituency abolished

Since 2024

Election		Member	Party
	2024	Caroline Voaden	Liberal Democrats

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: South Devon^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Caroline Voaden	22,540	46.0	+17.8
	Conservative	Anthony Mangnall	15,413	31.5	−22.1
	Reform UK	Michael Bagley	6,363	13.0	N/A
	Labour	Daniel Steel	3,066	6.3	−10.7
	Green	Robert Bagnall	1,497	3.1	+2.9
	Heritage	Becca Collings	125	0.3	N/A
Majority			7,127	14.5	N/A
Turnout			49,004	69.3	−6.3
Registered electors			70,755
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+20.0

2019 notional result ^[9]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	29,027	53.6
	Liberal Democrats	15,308	28.2
	Labour	9,228	17.0
	Independent	544	1.0
	Green	82	0.2

Turnout		54,189	75.6
Electorate		71,691

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 14 Aug 1884: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Tremayne	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1880: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Carpenter Garnier	Unopposed
	Conservative	Massey Lopes	Unopposed
Registered electors			7,982
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Garnier resigned, triggering a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 19 Mar 1874: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Massey Lopes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1874: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Carpenter Garnier	Unopposed
	Conservative	Massey Lopes	Unopposed
Registered electors			8,350
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Lopes was appointed a Civil Lord of the Admiralty, triggering a by-election.

By-election, 17 Jun 1873: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Carpenter Garnier	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Massey Lopes	3,234	35.3	*N/A*
	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	3,233	35.3	*N/A*
	Liberal	John Russell	2,694	29.4	New
Majority			539	5.9	N/A
Turnout			5,928 (est)	73.7 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			8,047
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Kekewich's death triggered a by-election.

General election 1865: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	Unopposed
	Conservative	Lawrence Palk	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,592
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	Unopposed
	Conservative	Lawrence Palk	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,466
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

By-election, 6 August 1858: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Trehawke Kekewich	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1857: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	Unopposed
	Conservative	Lawrence Palk	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,625
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Buller was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Churston, triggering a by-election.

By-election, 14 February 1854: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lawrence Palk	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1852: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	Unopposed
	Conservative	Ralph Lopes	Unopposed
Registered electors			9,569
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Lopes' death triggered a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s

By-election, 13 February 1849: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ralph Lopes	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1847: South Devon^[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Courtenay	Unopposed
Registered electors			10,411
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Courtenay resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, triggering a by-election.

General election 1841: South Devon^[10]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	Unopposed
	Conservative	William Courtenay	Unopposed
Registered electors			10,783
	Conservative hold
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: South Devon^[10]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	4,974	37.1
	Conservative	Montague Parker	4,671	34.9
	Whig	John Crocker Bulteel	3,744	28.0
Majority			927	6.9
Turnout			8,449	78.4
Registered electors			10,775
	Conservative hold
	Conservative gain from Whig

By-election, 7 May 1835: South Devon^[10]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Montague Parker	3,755	54.6
	Whig	John Russell	3,128	45.4
Majority			627	9.2
Turnout			6,883	84.4
Registered electors			8,160
	Conservative gain from Whig

General election 1835: South Devon^[10]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	John Russell	Unopposed
	Conservative	John Yarde-Buller	Unopposed
Registered electors			8,160
	Whig hold
	Conservative gain from Whig

Russell was appointed Home Secretary, triggering a by-election.

General election 1832: South Devon^[10]^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John Russell	3,782	35.4
	Whig	John Crocker Bulteel	3,684	34.5
	Tory	John Yarde-Buller	3,217	30.1
Majority			467	4.4
Turnout			6,660	89.4
Registered electors			7,453
	Whig win (new seat)
	Whig win (new seat)

References

↑ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
↑ "South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
↑ "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
↑ "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
↑ "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 62. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
1 2 Gash, Norman (2013). Politics in the Age of Peel: A Study in the Technique of Parliamentary Representation, 1830–1850. Faber & Faber. p. 247. ISBN 9780571302901 . Retrieved 5 April 2019– via Google Books.
↑ "Election result for South Devon (Constituency)". UK Parliament . Retrieved 19 March 2025.
↑ "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament . Retrieved 11 July 2024.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 378–379. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

External links

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)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 2)
South Devon UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

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[1] "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South West". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 28 June 2024.

[2] "South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

[3] "The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 2 & 3 William IV. Cap. LXIV. An Act to settle and describe the Divisions of Counties, and the Limits of Cities and Boroughs, in England and Wales, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament". London: His Majesty's statute and law printers. 1832. pp. 300–383. Retrieved 22 May 2020.

[4] "Representation of the People Act 1867" (PDF). London. 1867. pp. 1165–1198. Retrieved 22 May 2020.

[5] "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 7 South West region.

[stooks-smith-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 62. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.

[gash-7] 1 2 Gash, Norman (2013). Politics in the Age of Peel: A Study in the Technique of Parliamentary Representation, 1830–1850. Faber & Faber. p. 247. ISBN 9780571302901 . Retrieved 5 April 2019– via Google Books.

[8] "Election result for South Devon (Constituency)". UK Parliament . Retrieved 19 March 2025.

[9] "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament . Retrieved 11 July 2024.

[craig1832-10] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 378–379. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.

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v t e Constituencies in South West England (58)
Labour (22)	Bournemouth East Bournemouth West Bristol East Bristol North East Bristol North West Bristol South Camborne and Redruth Exeter Filton and Bradley Stoke Forest of Dean Gloucester North Somerset Plymouth Moor View Plymouth Sutton and Devonport South Dorset South East Cornwall St Austell and Newquay Stroud Swindon North Swindon South Truro and Falmouth Weston-super-Mare
Liberal Democrats (22)	Bath Cheltenham Chippenham Frome and East Somerset Glastonbury and Somerton Honiton and Sidmouth Melksham and Devizes Mid Dorset and North Poole Newton Abbot North Cornwall North Devon South Cotswolds South Devon St Ives Taunton and Wellington Tewkesbury Thornbury and Yate Tiverton and Minehead Torbay Wells and Mendip Hills West Dorset Yeovil
Conservative (11)	Bridgwater Central Devon Christchurch East Wiltshire Exmouth and Exeter East North Cotswolds North Dorset Salisbury South West Devon South West Wiltshire Torridge and Tavistock
Green (1)	Bristol Central
Independent (2)	North East Somerset and Hanham Poole