City of Chester (UK Parliament constituency)

The City of Chester was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2 December 2022 by Samantha Dixon of the Labour Party until its abolition. She was elected in the by-election held following the resignation of Chris Matheson MP on 21 October 2022.

The constituency was split in two by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies with the majority, comprising areas to the north of the River Dee, including the city centre, being combined with the town of Neston to form Chester North and Neston, which was first contested at the 2024 general election. Areas to the south of the river were been added to Eddisbury, which was renamed Chester South and Eddisbury.

Profile

The constituency covered the English city of Chester on the border of Wales and parts of the surrounding Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority, including the villages of Aldford, Capenhurst, Christleton, Guilden Sutton, Mollington, Newtown, Pulford and Saughall.

Much of the city of Chester itself is residential of varying characteristics, with more middle-class areas such as Upton and the large rural former council estate of Blacon which is, except where purchased under the right to buy, owned and managed by the local housing association, Chester And District Housing Trust.

History

As part of a county palatine with a parliament of its own until the early-sixteenth century, Chester was not enfranchised (sent no MPs) until the Chester and Cheshire (Constituencies) Act 1542 (34 & 35 Hen. 8. c. 13), since when it returned two MPs to Parliament as a parliamentary borough. It continued to elect two MPs until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 which reduced its representation to one MP.

Under the Representation of the People Act 1918, the parliamentary borough was abolished and replaced by a county division, gaining rural areas from the neighbouring constituencies of Eddisbury and Wirral. From then until its abolition, the boundaries of the constituency remained relatively consistent, primarily reflecting changes in local authority and ward boundaries.

Boundaries

Template:Maplink 1918–1950: The County Borough of Chester, the Urban District of Hoole, and the Rural District of Chester.

1950–1974: As prior but with minor boundary changes to align with the revised boundaries of the Rural District of Chester.

1974–1983: The County Borough of Chester, and the Rural District of Chester.

Hoole Urban District had been absorbed by the County Borough of Chester in 1954, but the constituency boundaries remained unchanged.

1983–1997: The City of Chester wards of Blacon Hall, Boughton, Boughton Heath, Christleton, College, Curzon, Dee Point, Dodleston, Grosvenor, Hoole, Newton, Plas Newton, Sealand, Upton Grange, Upton Heath, Vicars Cross, and Westminster.

Rural areas to the north of Chester, comprising the wards of Elton, Mollington and Saughall, transferred to the new constituency of Ellesmere Port and Neston.

1997–2010: The City of Chester wards of Blacon Hall, Boughton, Boughton Heath, Christledon, College, Curzon, Dee Point, Dodleston, Grosvenor, Hoole, Mollington, Newton, Plas Newton, Saughall, Sealand, Upton Grange, Upton Heath, Vicars Cross, and Westminster.

The wards of Mollington and Saughall transferred back from Ellesmere Port and Neston.

2010–2019: The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007 defined the boundaries as:

The City of Chester wards of Blacon Hall, Blacon Lodge, Boughton, Boughton Heath, Christleton, City and St Anne's, College, Curzon and Westminster, Dodleston, Handbridge and St Mary's, Hoole All Saints, Hoole Groves, Huntington, Lache Park, Mollington, Newton Brook, Newton St Michael's, Saughall, Upton Grange, Upton Westlea, and Vicars Cross.

Minor changes to reflect revised ward boundaries.

However, before the new boundaries came into force for the 2010 election, the districts making up the county of Cheshire were abolished on 1 April 2009, being replaced by four unitary authorities. Consequently, the constituency's boundaries became:

The Cheshire West and Chester wards of Blacon, Boughton, Chester City, Chester Villages (part), Dodleston and Huntington, Farndon (part), Garden Quarter, Great Boughton, Handbridge Park, Hoole, Lache, Little Neston and Burton, Newton, Saughall and Mollington, and Upton.

2019–2024: Following a further local government ward boundary review in 2019, the boundaries were:

The Cheshire West and Chester wards of Central and Blacon, Chester City & the Garden Quarter, Christleton & Huntington (part), Farndon (part), Gowy Rural (part), Great Boughton, Handbridge Park, Lache, Newton & Hoole, Saughall and Mollington, and Upton.

Political history

Two-member seat (to 1885)

From 1715 to 1869, at least one of the two seats was held by a member of the Grosvenor family. For most of the nineteenth century, both MPs represented the Whigs and (later) the Liberals. The Conservatives held one of the two seats from 1859 to 1865 and 1868–1880.

Single-member seat (from 1885)

The Liberals won the single-member seat in 1885 but, apart from the landslide year of 1906 (won by the Liberals with a majority of just 47 votes), Chester returned Conservative Party MPs continuously from 1886 to 1997. At most elections, majorities were in relative terms medium but the party's MPs won marginal majorities at the 1929 general election over the Liberal candidate (when the Labour Party formed a minority government) and at the 1992 general election over the Labour candidate, when the Conservatives had a small parliamentary majority.

Christine Russell of the Labour Party gained the seat easily from Gyles Brandreth at the 1997 general election after 87 years of Conservative control, and retained it until 2010. Her majority over the Conservatives had been reduced to under 1,000 votes at the 2005 general election.Template:Refn

Stephen Mosley of the Conservatives gained the seat from Labour at the 2010 general election. However, Mosley narrowly lost his seat five years later to Chris Matheson of the Labour Party in 2015 by 93 votes. The 2015 general election result gave the constituency the most marginal majority (0.2%) of Labour's 232 seats won that year.

Matheson was re-elected at the 2017 general election with a significantly increased majority of 9,176 votes, one of the largest swings to Labour in the election. At 56.8%, it was the highest share of the vote that Labour has ever had in the constituency and it is no longer considered a marginal seat. At the 2019 election, Matheson was elected once again, with a reduced but still comfortable majority of 11.3%. On 21 October 2022, he resigned after allegations of sexual impropriety led him to be suspended from the House of Commons for four weeks, occasioning a by-election held on 1 December, which was won by Samantha Dixon with an increased majority for Labour.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1545 to 1660

Year	First member	Second member
1545	Sir Lawrence Smith
1547	Richard Sneyd	William Aldersey
1553 (Mar)	Richard Sneyd	Randall Mainwaring
1553 (Oct)	Richard Sneyd	Thomas Massey
1554 (Apr)	Richard Sneyd	William Aldersey
1554 (Nov)	Richard Sneyd	Thomas Massey
1555	William Gerard	William Aldersey
1558	Sir Lawrence Smith	William Gerard
1559 (Jan)	Sir Lawrence Smith	William Gerard
1562–1563	William Gerard	John Yerworth
1571	William Gerard	William Glasier
1572 (Apr)	William Gerard	William Glasier
1584 (Nov)	Richard Birkheved	Richard Bavand
1586 (Sep)	Richard Birkheved	Peter Warburton
1588–1589	Richard Birkheved	Peter Warburton
1593	Richard Birkheved	Gilbert Gerard
1597 (Sep)	Peter Warburton	William Brock
1601	Hugh Glasier	Thomas Gamull
1604	Thomas Lawton	Hugh Glasier
1606	Thomas Gamull	Hugh Glasier
1610	Thomas Gamull	Sir John Bingley
1614	Edward Whitby	Sir John Bingley
1621–1622	Edward Whitby	John Ratcliffe
1624	Edward Whitby	John Savage
1625	Edward Whitby	Sir John Savage
1626	Edward Whitby	William Gamull
1628–1629	Edward Whitby	John Ratcliffe
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
Apr 1640	Sir Thomas Smith	Robert Brerewood
Nov 1640	Sir Thomas Smith†	Francis Gamull†
1645	William Edwards	John Ratcliffe
1653	Chester not represented in Barebones Parliament
1654	Charles Walley	One seat only
1656	Edward Bradshaw	One seat only
1659	Jonathan Ridge	John Griffith

† Smith and Gamull were both disabled from serving in 1644.

MPs 1660–1880

Year			First member	First party	Second member	Second party
		1660	John Ratcliffe		William Ince
		1661			Sir Thomas Smith, Bt
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="2" |		1673	Robert Werden	Tory
	1675	William Williams
	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		1679	Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt		Tory
	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		1681	Roger Whitley		Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1685	Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt	Tory	Robert Werden	Tory
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1689	Roger Whitley	Whig	George Mainwaring	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="4"|	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1690	Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt	Tory	Sir Richard Levinge, Bt	Tory
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1695	Roger Whitley			Whig
	January 1698	Thomas Cowper
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="2"|	July 1698	Peter Shakerley			Tory
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="2"|	1701		Sir Henry Bunbury, Bt	Tory
style="color:inherit;background-color:Template:Party color" rowspan="2"|	1715	Sir Richard Grosvenor, Bt			Tory
	1727		Sir Thomas Grosvenor, Bt
		January 1733			Sir Robert Grosvenor, Bt
		March 1733	Sir Charles Bunbury, Bt
		1742	Philip Henry Warburton
		1754	Sir Richard Grosvenor, Bt
		1755			Thomas Grosvenor
		1761	Richard Wilbraham-Bootle
		1790	Viscount Belgrave
	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="4"|	1795			Thomas Grosvenor	Whig
	1802	Richard Erle-Drax-Grosvenor
	1807	John Grey Egerton
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="2"|	1818	Viscount Belgrave	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="5"|	1826			Lord Robert Grosvenor	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1830	Sir Philip Grey Egerton, Bt	Tory
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1831	Foster Cunliffe-Offley	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	May 1832	John Finchett Maddock	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="2"|	December 1832	Sir John Jervis	Radical
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="3"|	1847			Earl Grosvenor	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1850	William Owen Stanley	Whig
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1857	Enoch Salisbury	Radical
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="3"|	1859	Philip Stapleton Humberston		Conservative	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1865	William Henry Gladstone	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" rowspan="3"|	1868	Henry Cecil Raikes	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1869			Hon. Norman Grosvenor	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1874			John George Dodson	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1880	Beilby Lawley			Liberal
		1880	Writ suspended

MPs since 1885

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1885	Walter Foster	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1886	Robert Yerburgh	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1906	Alfred Mond	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1910	Robert Yerburgh	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1916 by-election	Sir Owen Philipps	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1922	Sir Charles Cayzer	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1940 by-election	Sir Basil Nield	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1956 by-election	John Temple	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1974	Peter Morrison	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1992	Gyles Brandreth	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1997	Christine Russell	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2010	Stephen Mosley	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2015	Chris Matheson	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2022 by-election	Samantha Dixon	Labour

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

By-election 2022: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Liz Wardlaw	6,335	22.2
		Rob Herd	2,368	8.3
		Paul Bowers	987	3.5
		Jeanie Barton	773	2.7
		Richard Hewison	277	1.0
		Cain Griffiths	179	0.6
		Howling Laud Hope	156	0.5
	Freedom Alliance	Chris Quartermaine	91	0.3
Majority			10,974	38.6
Turnout			28,475	41.2
	hold		Swing	+13.7

Elections in the 2010s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2019: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Samantha George	20,918	38.3
		Bob Thompson	3,734	6.8
		Nicholas Brown	1,438	2.6
		Andy Argyle	1,388	2.5
Majority			6,164	11.3
Turnout			54,560	71.7
	hold		Swing	―2.5

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2017: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Will Gallagher	22,847	40.5
		Lizzie Jewkes	1,551	2.7
Majority			9,176	16.3
Turnout			56,421	77.4
	hold		Swing	+8.1

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2015: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Stephen Mosley	22,025	43.1
		Steve Ingram	4,148	8.1
		Bob Thompson	2,870	5.6
Majority			93	0.1
Turnout			51,161	67.7
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+2.9

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2010: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Christine Russell	16,412	35.1
		Lizzie Jewkes	8,930	19.1
		Allan Weddell	1,225	2.6
		Ed Abrams	594	1.3
		Malcolm Barker	535	1.1
		John Whittingham	99	0.2
Majority			2,583	5.5
Turnout			46,853	66.7
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 2000s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2005: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Paul Offer	16,543	36.8
		Mia Jones	9,818	21.9
		Allan Weddell	776	1.7
		Ed Abrams	308	0.7
Majority			917	2.1
Turnout			44,903	64.3
	hold		Swing	–6.7

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 2001: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Jones	14,866	33.1
		Tony Dawson	6,589	14.7
		Allan Weddell	899	2.0
		George Rogers	763	1.7
Majority			6,894	15.4
Turnout			44,877	63.8
	hold		Swing	−1.7

Elections in the 1990s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1997: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Gyles Brandreth	19,253	34.2
		David Simpson	5,353	9.5
		Richard Mullen	1,487	2.6
		Ian Sanderson	204	0.4
	West Cheshire College In Crisis	William Johnson	154	0.3
Majority			10,553	18.2
Turnout			56,257	78.4
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+11.5

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1992: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Robinson	22,310	42.0
		John Smith	6,867	12.9
		Malcolm Barker	448	0.8
		Stephen Cross	98	0.2
Majority			1,101	2.1
Turnout			53,134	83.9
	hold		Swing	−3.6

Elections in the 1980s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1987: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Robinson	18,727	35.6
		Andrew Stunell	10,262	19.5
Majority			4,855	9.3
Turnout			52,571	79.8
	hold		Swing	-4.8

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1983: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Robertson	13,546	28.2
		Andrew Stunell	11,874	24.7
Majority			9,099	18.9
Turnout			48,065	74.5
	hold		Swing	+1.1

Elections in the 1970s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1979: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		R.D. Blair	19,450	34.78
		Andrew Stunell	7,711	13.79
Majority			9,314	16.65
Turnout			55,925	77.64
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election October 1974: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Crawford	18,477	35.21
		R.M. Green	10,907	20.78
Majority			4,618	8.80
Turnout			52,479	75.40
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election February 1974: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Crawford	17,759	32.07
		R. Green	13,098	23.65
Majority			6,768	12.22
Turnout			55,384	80.31
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1970: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Crawford	18,872	37.95
		Michael J. G. Tompkins	4,978	10.01
Majority			7,005	14.09
Turnout			49,727	73.15
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1966: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Crawford	18,870	40.10
		Peter James Samuel	6,516	13.85
Majority			2,803	5.95
Turnout			47,059	78.05
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1964: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Anthony Blond	16,708	35.20
		Peter James Samuel	7,583	15.98
Majority			6,464	13.62
Turnout			47,463	79.56
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1959: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lewis Carter-Jones	17,492	38.58
Majority			10,355	22.84
Turnout			45,339	78.69
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

1956 City of Chester by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Lewis Carter-Jones	14,789	36.19
		John Seys-Llewellyn	4,942	12.09
Majority			6,348	15.53
Turnout			40,868
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1955: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Forrester	13,903	31.63
		John Seys-Llewellyn	5,145	11.71
Majority			11,002	25.03
	hold		Swing
Turnout			43,953

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1951: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John G. Hughes	18,958	41.48
Majority			7,785	17.04
Turnout			45,701	82.57
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1950: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Campbell McKinnon	16,021	34.81
		Arthur Harvey Willitt	6,342	13.78
Majority			7,639	16.60
Turnout			46,023	83.88
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1945: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Martin Hopkinson	13,585	35.87
		Albert Edward Everett Jones	5,229	13.80
Majority			5,479	14.46
Turnout			37,878	72.14
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

1940 City of Chester by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Elections in the 1930s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1935: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Garner Evans	10,183	30.38
		Lois Bulley	6,450	19.25
Majority			6,699	19.99
Turnout			33,515	77.86
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1931: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aubrey Herbert	11,770	33.50
		Joseph Lewis	5,186	14.76
Majority			6,404	18.23
Turnout			35,130	85.77
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1929: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aubrey Herbert	13,292	40.8
		W. Herron	5,846	17.9
Majority			162	0.5
Turnout			32,592	82.3
	hold		Swing	-14.5

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1924: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Craven Llewelyn	5,538	23.6
		George Beardsworth	5,451	23.2
Majority			6,953	29.6
Turnout			23,480	81.9
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1923: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Craven Llewelyn	6,212	28.3
		George Muff	5,773	26.3
Majority			3,773	17.1
Turnout			21,790	78.6
	hold		Swing	-7.9

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1922: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Muff	5,414	24.6
		Joseph Banks	4,688	21.3
Majority			6,524	29.5
Turnout			22.040	81.2
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1910s

File:Lord Kylsant.jpg

Owen Philipps

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link coalition 1918Template:Election box end 1918

General election 1918: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Paul	4,993	28.0
		Arthur Mason	2,799	15.7
Majority			5,050	28.3
Turnout			17,835	65.2
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election 1916: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election December 1910: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Paul	3,681	49.3
Majority			106	1.4
Turnout			7,468	92.2
Registered electors			8,102
	hold		Swing	−0.6

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election January 1910: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Paul	3,776	48.7
Majority			202	2.6
Turnout			7,754	95.7
Registered electors			8,102
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+1.6

Elections in the 1900s

File:1910 Alfred Mond.jpg

Alfred Mond

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1906: Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Yerburgh	3,477	49.7
Majority			47	0.6
Turnout			7,001	88.4
Registered electors			7,918
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+6.5

Elections 1832–1900

File:Howell Idris MP.jpg

Idris

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1900: City of Chester (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Howell Idris	2,574	43.8
Majority			729	12.4
Turnout			5,877	81.0
Registered electors			7,257
	hold		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1895: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1892: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Halkett	2,528	44.5
Majority			620	11.0
Turnout			5,676	84.1
Registered electors			6,747
	hold		Swing	+4.8

File:Walter Foster.jpg

Foster

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1886: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Walter Foster	2,483	49.3
Majority			66	1.4
Turnout			5,032	79.9
Registered electors			6,296
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+3.6

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1885: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Yerburgh	2,440	47.1
Majority			300	5.8
Turnout			5,180	82.3
Registered electors			6,296
	hold		Swing	−8.4

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-Election 8 May 1880: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Dodson's appointment as President of the Local Government Board. The result was rendered moot when the previous general election result was voided upon petition. Dodson quickly stood in Scarborough instead.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1880: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Raikes	2,056	19.8
		Thomas Sandys	1,961	18.9
		Frederick Lewis Malgarini	16	0.2
Majority			1,091	10.5
Turnout			5,192 (est)	68.2 (est)
Registered electors			7,611
	hold		Swing	−1.7
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−1.5

• The election was declared void for bribery and the writ suspended. Chester was left unreprented until the next general election. Lawley succeeded to the peerage later that year.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1874: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Thomas Gibbons Frost	2,125	32.1
Majority			222	3.3
Turnout			4,486 (est)	71.6 (est)
Registered electors			6,268
	hold		Swing	+2.1
	hold		Swing	−1.4

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 4 December 1869: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Succession of Earl Grosvenor to the peerage as Marquess of Westminster.

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1868: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Enoch Salisbury	1,283	18.8
		Richard Hoare	1,071	15.7
Turnout			4,510 (est)	74.4 (est)
Registered electors			6,062
Majority			72	1.1
	hold		Swing	−2.8
Majority			915	13.4
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1865: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Fenton	565	17.4
		Henry Cecil Raikes	533	16.4
Majority			295	9.1
Turnout			1,621 (est)	71.3 (est)
Registered electors			2,274
	hold		Swing	−2.5
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+2.5

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1859: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Enoch Salisbury	708	21.6
Turnout			1,641 (est)	65.6 (est)
Registered electors			2,502
Majority			354	10.8
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			402	12.2
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1857: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Grenfell	786	26.6
Turnout			1,477 (est)	60.8 (est)
Registered electors			2,428
Majority			320	10.8
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			138	4.7
	gain from

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1852: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			2,524
	hold
	gain from

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

By-election, 22 July 1850: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Egerton	645	39.5
Majority			341	21.0
Turnout			1,631	64.5
Registered electors			2,529
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Jervis' resignation after his appointment as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1847: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			2,450
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 30 January 1847: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Grosvenor's resignation, by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, in order to contest a by-election at Middlesex

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 8 August 1846: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Grosvenor's appointment as Treasurer of the Household

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 11 July 1846: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Jervis' appointment as Solicitor-General for England and Wales

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1841: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			2,444
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1837: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Frederick Dudley Ryder	352	12.8
Turnout			1,427	62.1
Registered electors			2,298
Majority			173	6.3
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			757	27.6
	hold		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1835: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			2,053
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate with party link

General election 1832: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Finchett Maddock	499	18.4
Turnout			1,574	77.6
Registered electors			2,028
Majority			113	4.2
	hold		Swing	N/A
Majority			554	20.3
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

Elections before 1832

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

By-election, 18 May 1832: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Davies Davenport	452	43.9
Majority			125	12.2
Turnout			1,029	c. Template:Trim
Registered electors			c. Template:Trim
	hold		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Cunliffe-Offley's death

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1831: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			c. Template:Trim
	hold
	gain from

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 15 March 1831: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			c. Template:Trim
	hold

• Caused by Grosvenor vacating his seat

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link

By-election, 11 December 1830: City of Chester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Foster Cunliffe-Offley	154	38.5
Majority			92	23.0
Turnout			400
Registered electors
	hold		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Grosvenor's appointment as Comptroller of the Household

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1830: City of Chester (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold
	gain from

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cheshire
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Cheshire

External links

• nomis Constituency Profile for City of Chester — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
• City of Chester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• City of Chester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK