Taunton (UK Parliament constituency)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox UK constituency main Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset. Until 1918, it was a parliamentary borough, electing two Member of Parliaments (MPs) between 1295 and 1885 and one from 1885 to 1918; the name was then transferred to a county constituency, electing one MP.

In the boundary changes that came into effect at the general election of 2010, the Boundary Commission for England replaced Taunton with a modified constituency called Taunton Deane, to reflect the district name. The new constituency's boundaries are coterminous with the local government district of the same name.

History

Famous MPs for the borough include Thomas Cromwell.

The 1754 by-election was so fiercely contested that rioting broke out in which two people died.

In the 2005 general election, the victorious Liberal Democrats candidate in Taunton required the smallest percentage swing from the Conservative MP for them to take the seat.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Borough of Taunton, the Urban Districts of Wellington and Wiveliscombe, and the Rural Districts of Dulverton, Taunton, and Wellington.

1950–1974: As above less Wiveliscombe Urban District. This had been absorbed by Wellington Rural District in 1933. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.

1974–1983: As 1950 but with redrawn boundaries.

1983–2010: The Borough of Taunton Deane, and the District of West Somerset wards of Dulverton and Brushford, Exmoor, Haddon, and Quarme.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1640

• Constituency created (1295)

Parliament	First member	Second member
1362	William Portman	?
1363, 1365, 1366, 1368, 1369, 1371	Unknown
1372	William Portman	?
1373, 1376, 1377 (Jan), 1377 (Oct), 1378	Unknown
1379	William Portman	?
1380 (Jan)		?
1380 (Nov), 1381, 1382 (May), 1382 (Oct), 1383 (Feb), 1383 (Oct), 1384 (Apr)	Unknown
1384 (Nov)	William Portman	?
1385		?
1386		William Marchaunt
1388 (Feb)
1388 (Sep)	William Damarle
1390 (Jan)	John Porter
1390 (Nov)	Unknown
1391	William Portman	William Marchaunt
1393	John Porter
1394
1395	Walter Puryham
1397 (Jan)	Robert Coullyng	Robert Eysel
1397 (Sept)	Richard Marchaunt	John Northmore
1399	Walter Puryham	Edmund Rokes
1401	Unknown
1402	William Portman	Ralph Sargor
1404 (Jan), 1404 (Oct)	Unknown
1406	William Portman	Robert Bathe
1407	Richard Marchaunt	John Northmore
1410	Thomas Bacot	Thomas Edward
1411, 1413 (Feb)	Unknown
1413 (May)	John Rydon	Lewis John
1414 (Apr)	John Marchaunt	Edmund Dyer
1414 (Nov)
1415, 1416 (Mar), 1416 (Oct)	Unknown
1417	John Rydon	Walter Portman
1419	Walter Portman	Robert Croke
1420	Robert Croke	William Borde
1421 (May)	Walter Portman
1421 (Dec)		John Bowe
1422		?
1423	Unknown
1425	Walter Portman	?
1426		?
1427		?
1429	Unknown
1431	Walter Portman	?
1432, 1433	Unknown
1435	Walter Portman	?
1437, 1439, 1442, 1445, 1447, 1449 (Feb), 1449 (Nov), 1450, 1453	Unknown
1455	Ralph Legh	?
1459, 1460, 1461, 1463	Unknown
1467	Sir William Danvers	Robert Ashetill
1470	Sir William Danvers	Edward Aysshton
1472	Sir William Danvers	?
1478	Edward Aysshton	Robert Lovelord
1483–1523	Unknown
1529	Thomas Cromwell	William Portman
1536	?Richard Pollard	?William Portman
1547	Sir Nicholas Hare	John Caryll
1553 (Mar)	John Mason	?
1553 (Oct)	James Basset	Jacques Wingfield
1554 (Apr)	William Barne	Oliver Vachell
1554 (Nov)	Thomas Eden	John Norres
1555	Dr Valentine Dale	?
1558		Richard Myrfield
1559		?
1563–7	Miles Sandys	Anthony Leigh
1571	Robert Hill	Richard Blount
1572–81	Roger Hill	Richard Blount Edmund Hodges
1584–5	Alexander Pym Maurice Horner	William Goldwell
1586–7	Francis Bacon	John Goldwell
1588–9	Thomas Fisher
1593	William Aubrey, DCL	John Davidge
1597–8	Edward Barker	Edward Hext
1601	John Bond	Daniel Donne, DCL
1604–11		Edward Hext
Addled Parliament (1614)	James Clarke	John Donne
1621–2	Lewis Pope	Thomas Brereton
Happy Parliament (1624–5)	Roger Prowse
Useless Parliament (1625)	Hugh Portman	Thomas Brereton
1625–6	Sir Robert Gorges	George Browne
1628	Hugh Portman
1629–40	No Parliament summoned

MPs 1640–1885

Year		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
April 1640	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir William Portman	Royalist	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Roger Hill	Parliamentarian
November 1640	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			George Searle	Parliamentarian
February 1644	Portman disabled from sitting — seat vacant
1645		John Palmer, MD
1653	Taunton was unrepresented in the Barebone's Parliament
1654		Colonel Thomas Gorges			John Gorges
1656					Admiral Robert Blake
January 1659					Sir William Wyndham
May 1659		John Palmer, MD		One seat vacant
March 1660		Thomas Gorges			Sir William Wyndham
1661		Sir William Portman
February 1679				rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Trenchard	Whig
September 1679		Sir John Cutler Bt
1680		Edmund Prideaux
1685	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir William Portman	Tory	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Sanford	Tory
March 1690	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Edward Clarke	Whig
April 1690	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Speke	Whig
1698	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry Seymour Portman	Tory
1701 by-election	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Francis Warre	Tory
1710	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Henry Seymour Portman	Tory
1715	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Pynsent	Whig	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	James Smith	Whig
1722	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Trenchard	Whig
1724 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Abraham Elton	Whig
1727	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	George Speke	Whig	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Francis Fane	Whig
1734	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry William Berkeley Portman	Tory
1741	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir John Chapman	Whig	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Buck	Tory
1745	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Percy Wyndham-O'Brien	Whig
1747	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Charles Wyndham	Whig	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Webb	Whig
1750	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Admiral William Rowley	Whig
1754	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	The Lord Carpenter	Whig	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	John Halliday	Whig
1754 by-election	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Robert Maxwell	Whig
1762	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Laurence Sulivan	Whig
1768		Alexander Popham			Nathaniel Webb
1774	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hon. Edward Stratford	Whig
1775		John Halliday			Alexander Popham
1780					Major-General John Roberts
1782 by-election					(Sir) Benjamin Hammet
1784		Alexander Popham
1796		William Morland
1800					John Hammet
1806	rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alexander Baring	Whig
1812	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Henry Powell Collins	Tory
1818	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir William Burroughs, Bt	Whig
1819	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Henry Powell Collins	Tory
1820	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			John Ashley Warre	Whig
1826	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry Seymour	Tory	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	William Peachey	Tory
1830	rowspan="5" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Henry Labouchere	Whig	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Edward Thomas Bainbridge	Whig
1842 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir Edward Colebrooke	Whig
1852	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Arthur Mills	Conservative
1853 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir John Ramsden	Whig
1857	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Arthur Mills	Conservative
1859	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Liberal
1859 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	George Cavendish-Bentinck	Conservative
1865	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alexander Charles Barclay	Liberal	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Lord William Hay	Liberal
1868	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Edward William Cox	Conservative
1869	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			(Sir) Henry James	Liberal
1873 by-election
1880	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir William Palliser	Conservative
1882 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Samuel Allsopp	Conservative
1885	Representation reduced to one Member

MPs since 1885

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1885	Samuel Allsopp	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1887 by-election	Alfred Percy Allsopp	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1895	Sir Alfred Welby	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1906	Sir Edward Boyle	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1909 by-election	William Peel	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1912 by-election	Sir Gilbert Wills	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1918	Dennis Boles	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1921 by-election	Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1922	Sir John Hope Simpson	Liberal
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1924	Hamilton Gault	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1935	Edward Wickham	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1945	Victor Collins	Labour
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1950	Henry Hopkinson	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1956 by-election	Sir Edward du Cann	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1987	David Nicholson	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1997	Jackie Ballard	Liberal Democrat
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2001	Adrian Flook	Conservative
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	2005	Jeremy Browne	Liberal Democrat
	2010	Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	46.1
		Edward Thomas Bainbridge	Template:Replace	30.0
		William Peachey	223	23.9
Majority			57	6.1
Turnout			533	c. Template:Trim
Registered electors			c. Template:Trim
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1831: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Labouchere was appointed as a Lord of the Admiralty, causing a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

By-election, 12 June 1832: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1832: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1835: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Labouchere was appointed as vice-president of the Board of Trade, and Master of the Mint, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box majority no changeTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

By-election, 29 April 1835: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Henry Labouchere		61.6
		Benjamin Disraeli		38.4
Turnout			734	79.8
	hold

Template:Election box majority no changeTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

General election 1837: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Henry Labouchere		36.3
		Edward Thomas Bainbridge		32.0
		Robert Newton Lee		31.7
Turnout			798	84.6
	hold
	hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	29.9
		Edward Thomas Bainbridge	Template:Replace	28.4
		William Wilberforce	381	26.5
		James Hall	218	15.2
Majority			28	1.9
Turnout			759	88.7
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold		Swing	−5.7
	hold		Swing	−4.3

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

By-election, 11 February 1842: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Colebrooke	Template:Replace	53.9
		James Hall	337	46.1
Majority			57	7.8
Turnout			731	72.4
Registered electors			1,010
	hold		Swing	−4.4

Labouchere was appointed Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 10 July 1846: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

General election 1847: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	41.5
		Edward Colebrooke	Template:Replace	29.7
		Arthur Mills	376	28.8
Majority			12	0.9
Turnout			654 (est)	71.7 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold		Swing	+9.0
	hold		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	37.4
		Arthur Mills	Template:Replace	31.4
		Edward Colebrooke	358	31.2
Turnout			575 (est)	72.7 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			69	6.0
	hold		Swing	−2.7
Majority			3	0.2
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+2.6

Mills' election was declared void on petition.

By-election, 4 May 1853: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John William Ramsden	Template:Replace	50.3
		Henry Badcock	367	49.7
Majority			5	0.6
Turnout			739	83.4
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−18.3

Labouchere was appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 5 February 1856: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

General election 1857: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	36.6
		Arthur Mills	Template:Replace	33.2
		William Campbell	366	30.3
Turnout			605 (est)	68.2 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			41	3.4
	hold		Swing	−0.9
Majority			35	2.9
	hold		Swing	+1.8

General election 1859: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Arthur Mills	Template:Replace	30.0
		Henry Labouchere	Template:Replace	28.1
		George Cavendish-Bentinck	325	23.5
		William Beadon	255	18.4
Turnout			692 (est)	83.1 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
Majority			27	1.9
	hold		Swing	+11.8
Majority			63	4.6
	hold		Swing	−9.3

Labouchere was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord 1st Baron Taunton and causing a by-election.

By-election, 9 August 1859: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Cavendish-Bentinck	Template:Replace	53.1
		Alexander Charles Barclay	337	46.9
Majority			45	6.2
Turnout			719	86.4
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−0.4

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alexander Charles Barclay	Template:Replace	31.9
		William Hay	Template:Replace	31.3
		Edward William Cox	292	19.5
		Alfred Austin	260	17.3
Majority			178	11.8
Turnout			750 (est)	89.4 (est)
Registered electors			Template:Replace
	hold		Swing	+6.1
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+10.6

General election 1868: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alexander Charles Barclay	Template:Replace	37.0
		Edward William Cox	Template:Replace	33.1
		Henry James	890	29.8
Turnout			1,492 (est)	75.4 (est)
Registered electors			1,977
Majority			117	3.9
	hold		Swing	+3.5
Majority			98	3.3
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−3.7

On petition, Cox's election was scrutinised, and some of his votes were found to have been acquired by bribery, and were then struck off. This caused him to be unseated on 8 March 1869 and James was declared elected. While a petition was then lodged against James, the court ruled a petitioner who had been seated on petition could not then be petitioned against.

Elections in the 1870s

James was appointed Solicitor-General for England and Wales, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 Oct 1873: Taunton (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry James	Template:Replace	52.5
		Sir Alfred Frederic Adolphus Slade, 3rd Baronet	812	47.5
Majority			87	5.0
Turnout			1,711	89.4
Registered electors			1,913
	hold		Swing	−14.4

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

General election 1874: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			1,999
	hold
	gain from

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Taunton (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Palliser	Template:Replace	26.9
		Henry James	Template:Replace	24.9
		William Cargill	971	24.1
		Roger Eykyn	968	24.1
Turnout			2,012 (est)	90.4 (est)
Registered electors			2,225
Majority			84	2.8
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing
Majority			29	0.8
	hold		Swing

James was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales, requiring a by-election.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 8 May 1880: Taunton (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Palliser's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 Feb 1882: Taunton (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Samuel Allsopp	Template:Replace	55.5
		Frederick Lambart	917	44.5
Majority			227	11.0
Turnout			2,061	87.3
Registered electors			2,362
	hold		Swing	+4.5

File:Charles Jessel.PNG

Jessel

General election 1885: Taunton (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Samuel Allsopp	Template:Replace	58.2
		Charles Jessel	978	41.8
Majority			383	16.4
Turnout			2,339	92.1
Registered electors			2,541
	hold		Swing	+7.2

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1886: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Allsopp succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Hindlip, causing a by-election.

By-election, 23 Apr 1887: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alfred Allsopp	Template:Replace	61.6
		James Harris Sanders	890	38.4
Majority			536	23.2
Turnout			2,316	89.4
Registered electors			2,825
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alfred Allsopp	Template:Replace	60.4
		Henry Hewitt Bridgman	921	39.6
Majority			481	20.8
Turnout			2,323	82.2
Registered electors			2,825
	hold		Swing

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

General election 1895: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Alfred Welby	Template:Replace	57.5
		Walker King	1,024	42.5
Majority			363	15.0
Turnout			2,411	73.7
Registered electors			3,272
	hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1906: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Boyle	Template:Replace	55.1
		Arthur Ponsonby	1,503	44.9
Majority			339	10.2
Turnout			3,345	93.2
Registered electors			3,590
	hold		Swing	-2.4

File:Frank Smith 1908.JPG

Smith

1909 Taunton by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Peel	Template:Replace	64.6
		Frank Smith	1,085	35.4
Majority			891	29.2
Turnout			3,061	80.4
Registered electors			3,808
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

File:William Peel.jpg

Peel

General election January 1910: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Peel	Template:Replace	55.3
		William Arthur Addinsell	1,538	44.7
Majority			368	10.6
Turnout			3,444	90.3
Registered electors			3,814
	hold		Swing	+0.2

General election December 1910: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Peel	Template:Replace	53.4
		John Edward Schunck	1,573	46.6
Majority			233	6.8
Turnout			3,379	88.6
Registered electors			3,814
	hold		Swing	−1.9

File:Gilbert Wills Lord Dulverton.jpg

Wills

1912 Taunton by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Gilbert Wills	Template:Replace	54.1
		John Edward Schunk	1,597	45.9
Majority			285	8.2
Turnout			3,479	88.7
Registered electors			3,921
	hold		Swing	+0.7

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Gilbert Wills
• Liberal: James Bromley Eames

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

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1918: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		George Woods	4,816	27.6
Majority			7,803	44.8
Turnout			17,435	60.4
	hold		Swing	N/A

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

File:John Hope Simpson.jpg

John Simpson

1921 Taunton by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		James Lunnon	8,290	38.9
Majority			4,704	22.2
Turnout			21,284	73.5
	hold		Swing	-11.3

General election 1922: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Hope Simpson	Template:Replace	56.4
		Arthur Griffith-Boscawen	10,182	43.6
Majority			3,007	12.8
Turnout			23,377	79.1
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

File:Andrew Hamilton Gault.jpg

Andrew Gault

General election 1923: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Hope Simpson	Template:Replace	52.5
		Hamilton Gault	11,798	47.5
Majority			1,255	5.0
Turnout			24,851	82.6
	hold		Swing	-3.9

General election 1924: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hamilton Gault	Template:Replace	52.1
		John Hope Simpson	10,381	38.8
		George Woods	2,441	9.1
Majority			3,549	13.3
Turnout			26,752	85.6
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+9.1

General election 1929: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hamilton Gault	Template:Replace	45.9
		Walter Rea	11,121	33.9
		Joseph Sparks	6,615	20.2
Majority			3,962	12.0
Turnout			32,819	82.2
	hold		Swing	-0.6

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hamilton Gault	Template:Replace	72.95
		Frank George Bushnell	8,367	27.05
Majority			14,197	45.90
Turnout			30,931	75.43
	hold		Swing

General election 1935: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward Wickham	Template:Replace	63.41
		James Lunnon	11,219	36.59
Majority			8,224	26.82
Turnout			30,720	72.39
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

• Conservative: Edward Wickham
• Labour: Charles W. Gott

General election 1945: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Victor Collins	Template:Replace	52.80
		Edward Wickham	17,858	47.20
Majority			2,118	5.60
Turnout			37,834	72.98
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Hopkinson	Template:Replace	46.43
		Victor Collins	19,352	43.35
		John Robert Phillipson	4,561	10.22
Majority			1,372	3.08
Turnout			44,637	88.81
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

General election 1951: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Hopkinson	Template:Replace	54.36
		Victor Collins	20,845	45.64
Majority			3,981	8.72
Turnout			45,671	89.00
	hold		Swing

General election 1955: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Henry Hopkinson	Template:Replace	52.11
		Reginald Wells-Pestell	17,420	39.53
		Guy Barrington	3,684	8.36
Majority			5,542	12.58
Turnout			44,066	85.46
	hold		Swing

1956 Taunton by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	50.84
		Reginald Wells-Pestell	19,163	49.16
Majority			657	1.68
Turnout			38,983
	hold		Swing

General election 1959: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	49.42
		Leonard V Pike	16,182	35.26
		Charles Meddon Karslake Bruton	7,031	15.32
Majority			6,498	14.16
Turnout			45,893	87.12
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	46.52
		Leonard V Pike	16,619	36.18
		Margaret Irene Gaenor Heathcoat Amory	7,944	17.30
Majority			4,748	10.34
Turnout			45,930	84.74
	hold		Swing

General election 1966: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	47.55
		Robin J Bradbury	19,216	40.85
		Margaret Irene Gaenor Heathcoat Amory	5,460	11.61
Majority			3,153	6.70
Turnout			47,045	85.27
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	53.55
		Steven Mama	17,823	36.48
		Gerard O'Donnell	4,871	9.97
Majority			8,335	17.07
Turnout			48,852	78.96
	hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	45.11
		D.W. Keene	15,401	29.14
		M.E. Mann	13,607	25.75
Majority			8,440	15.97
Turnout			52,849	83.88
	hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	44.61
		Barry Sheerman	15,721	31.11
		M.E. Mann	11,984	23.72
	United Democratic Party	L.D. Bradford	283	0.56
Majority			6,821	13.50
Turnout			50,530	79.38
	hold		Swing

General election 1979: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	53.17
		S. Horne	15,759	29.42
		M. Lee	7,928	14.80
		G. Garbett	1,403	2.62
Majority			12,724	23.75
Turnout			53,573	80.74
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Edward du Cann	Template:Replace	52.89
		Michael Cocks	15,545	29.24
		Jon Gray	9,498	17.87
Majority			12,567	23.65
Turnout			53,155	75.55
	hold		Swing

General election 1987: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Nicholson	Template:Replace	51.38
		Michael Cocks	19,868	33.75
		Gary Reynolds	8,754	14.87
Majority			10,380	17.63
Turnout			58,870	79.40
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		David Nicholson	Template:Replace	46.0
		Jackie Ballard	26,240	40.8
		L. Jean Hole	8,151	12.7
		Philip A. Leavey	279	0.4
Majority			3,336	5.2
Turnout			64,246	82.3
	hold		Swing	−6.2

General election 1997: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Jackie Ballard	Template:Replace	42.7
		David Nicholson	23,621	38.7
		Elizabeth Lisgo	8,248	13.5
		Brian Ahern	2,760	4.5
		Leslie Andrews	318	0.5
Majority			2,443	4.0
Turnout			61,011	76.5
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Adrian Flook	Template:Replace	41.7
		Jackie Ballard	22,798	41.3
		Andrew Govier	8,254	14.9
		Michael Canton	1,140	2.1
Majority			235	0.4
Turnout			55,225	67.6
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing

File:Jeremy Browne - Minister for Crime Prevention.jpg

Jeremy Browne

General election 2005: Taunton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Jeremy Browne	Template:Replace	43.3
		Adrian Flook	25,191	42.3
		Andrew Govier	7,132	12.0
		Helen Miles	1,441	2.4
Majority			573	1.0
Turnout			59,528	69.7
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	−0.7

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Somerset

Sources

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) [1]
• 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) [2]
• Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. Template:ISBN.
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Maija Jansson (ed.), Proceedings in Parliament, 1614 (House of Commons) (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1988)
• J E Neale, The Elizabethan House of Commons (London: Jonathan Cape, 1949)
• Template:Cite Notitia Parliamentaria
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol I (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979)
• The BBC/ITN Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services, 1983)
• Concise Dictionary of National Biography
• List of speakers: Parliaments of 1656 and 1658-9, Diary of Thomas Burton esq, volume 4: March – April 1659 (1828) at British History Online

External links

• UK Constituency Maps
• BBC Vote 2001
• BBC Election 2005
• Taunton UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK