1905 Chichester by-election
Parliamentary by-election in 1905
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1905 Chichester by-election was a Parliamentary by-election. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. It was held on 2 June 1905 after the incumbent Conservative MP Lord Edmund Talbot was appointed as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and he was obliged to stand again in a ministerial by-election. It was retained by Talbot.
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2 June 1905
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Vacancy
Lord Edmund Talbot had been Conservative MP for the seat of Chichester since the 1894 Chichester by-election. He was appointed as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and he was obliged to stand again in a ministerial by-election.
Electoral history
The seat had been Conservative since creation in 1868. Lord Edmund Talbot held the seat at the last election, unopposed:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Talbot | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Conservative hold | |||||
Talbot had always been returned unopposed. The last contest in the constituency came in 1892, when the Conservative out-polled the Liberal by nearly two to one.[1]
Candidates
The local Conservative Association re-selected 50 year-old Lord Edmund Talbot as their candidate to defend the seat. The local Liberal Association selected 33 year-old John Ernest Allen as their candidate to challenge for the seat. Allen was a Barrister-at-law, who had been educated at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities where he gained a Master of Arts.[4]
Campaign
Polling Day was fixed for the 2 June 1905, the day after the 1905 Whitby by-election. On the eve of poll, the Liberals gained Whitby from the Conservatives.[1]
Result
The Conservatives held the seat with their lowest majority since 1885:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edmund Talbot | 4,174 | 52.6 | N/A | |
| Liberal | John Ernest Allen | 3,762 | 47.4 | New | |
| Majority | 412 | 5.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,936 | 73.6 | N/A | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Aftermath
At the following general election, Talbot again held the seat, the result was:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Lord Talbot | 5,197 | 56.4 | N/A | |
| Liberal | John Ernest Allen | 4,023 | 43.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,174 | 12.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 9,220 | 82.1 | N/A | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||