Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)

Cambridge University
Former University constituency for the House of Commons
1603–1950
Number of members	two

Cambridge University was a university constituency electing two members to the British House of Commons, from 1603 to 1950.

Boundaries, Electorate and Election Systems

This university constituency was created by a Royal Charter of 1603. It was abolished in 1950 by the Representation of the People Act 1948.

The constituency was not a geographical area. Its electorate consisted of the graduates of the University. Before 1918 the franchise was restricted to male graduates with a Doctorate or MA degree. Sedgwick records that there were 377 electors in 1727. For the 1754–1790 period Namier and Brooke estimated the electorate at about 500.

The constituency returned two Members of Parliament. Before 1918 they were elected using the block vote. From 1918, the MPs were elected by the Single Transferable Vote method.

History

In the early 18th century the electors were mostly Tory. However the Whig ministers of King George I were able to persuade the King to use the royal prerogative power to confer doctorates, so from 1727 the University returned Whig representatives. Oxford University, where the King did not have the same prerogative power, remained safely Tory (indeed often Jacobite) in sympathies.

The leading mid-18th century Whig politician, the Duke of Newcastle, was Chancellor of the University from 1748–68. He "recommended" suitable candidates to represent the institution in Parliament. This practice continued under his successor, another Whig Duke and Prime Minister (1768–1770), the Duke of Grafton (Chancellor 1768–1811). However Grafton was less prominent as a politician than Newcastle had been and less attentive to the University. As a result, some of Grafton's choices were criticised, notably that of the Duke's friend Richard Croftes.

Croftes was atypical of a University MP: he was neither the son of a peer (like the Hon. John Townshend, the Marquess of Granby and Grafton's own son the Earl of Euston), a distinguished lawyer-politician (such as William de Grey, James Mansfield and Sir Vicary Gibbs) nor a prominent political figure (like William Pitt and Lord Henry Petty).

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries Pittite/Tory candidates began to be elected. At the start of this political development some of the Pittite MPs, like William Pitt himself (MP for the University 1784–1806), called themselves Whigs. As time passed the division between the 19th century Tory and Whig parties became clearer.

The future Prime Minister, Viscount Palmerston, retained his seat as a Whig after he left the Tory ranks. However, by 1831 he was defeated. After Palmerston ceased to represent the University he was elected by a territorial constituency. From then until the 1920s all the University MPs were Tory/Conservative.

Even after the introduction of the single transferable vote in 1918, most Cambridge University MPs continued to be Conservatives.

Members of Parliament

This is a list of people who have been elected to represent this University in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

1603 to 1660

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

• Constituency created 1603

Year	First member	Second member
1604	Nicholas Steward	Henry Mountlow
Styward replaced by Barnaby Gough
1614	Sir Miles Sandys	Sir Francis Bacon
1621	Robert Naunton	Barnaby Gough
1624	Sir Robert Naunton	Barnaby Gough
1625	Sir Robert Naunton	Sir Albert Morton
1626	Thomas Eden	Sir John Coke
1628–1629	Thomas Eden	Sir John Coke
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
Apr 1640	Thomas Eden	Henry Lucas
Nov 1640	Thomas Eden	Henry Lucas
Eden died 1644 replaced by Nathaniel Bacon
1648	Lucas secluded in Pride's Purge
1654	Henry Cromwell	(one seat only)
1656	Richard Cromwell	(one seat only)
1659	John Thurloe	Thomas Sclater

1660 to 1784

Year	Member	Party	Member	Party
1660 Apr	George Monck		Thomas Crouch
1660 Jun	William Montagu
1661	Sir Richard Fanshawe
1667	Sir Charles Wheler, 2nd Baronet
1679	Sir Thomas Exton		James Vernon
1681			Robert Brady
1689	Sir Robert Sawyer		Isaac Newton	Whig
1690			Edward Finch
1692	Henry Boyle	Whig
1695			George Oxenden
1698			Anthony Hammond
1701			Isaac Newton	Court Whig
1702			Arthur Annesley	Tory
1705	Dixie Windsor	Tory
1710			Thomas Paske	Tory
1720			Thomas Willoughby	Tory
1727	Edward Finch	Whig	Thomas Townshend	Whig
1768	Charles Yorke	Rockingham Whig
1770	William de Grey
1771	Richard Croftes
1774			Charles Manners, Marquess of Granby
1779			James Mansfield
1780	Lord John Townshend	Whig

1784 to 1950

Year	Member	Party	Member	Party
1784	William Pitt the Younger	^1	Earl of Euston	Whig
1806	Lord Henry Petty	Whig
1807	Sir Vicary Gibbs	Tory
1811			The 3rd Viscount Palmerston	Tory
1812	John Henry Smyth	Whig
1822	William John Bankes	Tory
1826	Sir John Singleton Copley	Tory		Whig
1827	Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal	Tory
1829	William Cavendish	Whig
1831	Henry Goulburn	Tory	William Yates Peel	Tory
1832		Conservative	Charles Manners-Sutton	Conservative
1835			Hon. Charles Law	Conservative
1850			Loftus Wigram	Conservative
1856	Spencer Horatio Walpole	Conservative
1859			Charles Jasper Selwyn	Conservative
1868			Alexander Beresford Hope	Conservative
1882	Henry Cecil Raikes	Conservative
1887			Sir George Stokes, Bt	Conservative
1891	Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb ^2	Conservative
1892			Sir John Eldon Gorst	Conservative
1906	Samuel Henry Butcher	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Conservative
1911	Sir Joseph Larmor	Conservative
1918		Co. Conservative ^3		Co. Conservative ^3
1922	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	Ind. Liberal ^4		Conservative
1923	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler ^5	Conservative
1926			Sir John James Withers	Conservative
1929	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	Conservative
1935	Sir Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	Conservative
1940			Dr. Archibald Vivian Hill	Ind. Conservative ^4
1945			Henry Wilson Harris	Independent

Notes:-

• ¹ Pitt called himself a Whig, but is usually retrospectively regarded as a Tory since most of his followers (whether their background was in the Whig or Tory tradition) came to call themselves the Tory Party in the decade after Pitt's death.
• ² Jebb died on 10 December 1905 – seat vacant at dissolution.
• ³ Co. is an abbreviation for Coalition.
• ⁴ Ind. is an abbreviation for Independent.
• ⁵ Butler died on 2 May 1929 – seat vacant at dissolution.

Elections before 1715

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Election by Block Vote 1715–1918

1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s

Elections in the 1710s

General Election 26 January 1715: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Thomas Paske	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1720s

• Death of Paske

By-Election 19 December 1720: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Thomas Willoughby	176	55.17	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Henry Finch	143	44.83	N/A
Majority			33	10.34	N/A
Turnout			319	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Note (1722): Stooks Smith gives Willoughby 319 votes.

General Election 22 March 1722: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory	Thomas Willoughby	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 22 August 1727: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	221	37.14	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	198	33.28	N/A
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	176	29.58	N/A
Turnout			595 (377 voted)	79.70	N/A
Registered electors			473

• Note (1727): Unusually, for a pre-1832 election, Stooks Smith records the total number of electors for the constituency as well as the number who voted; so a turnout figure can be calculated.

Elections in the 1730s

General Election 29 April 1734: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	222	30.33	-2.95
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	209	28.55	-8.59
	Whig	-. Goodrick	174	23.77	N/A
	Tory	Hon. Dixie Windsor	137	17.35	-12.23
Turnout			732	N/A	N/A

• Note (1734): Goodrick was an Opposition Whig

Elections in the 1740s

General Election 6 May 1741: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber

By-Election 23 July 1742: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 26 June 1747: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1750s

General Election 17 April 1754: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed to an office

By-Election 14 June 1757: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1760s

• Seat vacated when Finch was appointed to an office

By-Election 14 January 1761: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 27 March 1761: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Hon. Edward Finch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 19 March 1768: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. Charles Yorke	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Hon. Thomas Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1770s

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Yorke as Lord Chancellor

By-Election 1 February 1770: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	William de Grey	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of de Grey as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election 4 February 1771: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	76	62.81	N/A
	Non Partisan	William Wynne	45	37.19	N/A
Majority			31	25.62	N/A
Turnout			121	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 October 1774: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Marquess of Granby	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Succession of Granby as the 4th Duke of Rutland

By-Election 10 June 1779: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	157	35.68	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	145	32.95	N/A
	Non Partisan	Lord Hyde	138	31.36	N/A
Majority			12	2.73	N/A
Turnout			440	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1780s

General Election 9 September 1780: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	277	27.10	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	247	24.17	N/A
	Non Partisan	Lord Hyde	206	20.16	N/A
	Non Partisan	Richard Croftes	150	14.68	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. William Pitt	142	13.89	N/A
Turnout			1,022 (546 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note (1780): Stooks Smith records Townshend as getting 237 votes.
• Seat vacated on Townshend being appointed to an office

By-Election 3 April 1782: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Townshend being appointed to an office

By-Election 11 April 1783: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Mansfield being appointed as Solicitor General for England and Wales

By-Election 26 November 1783: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 3 April 1784: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Rt Hon. William Pitt	351	31.65	+17.76
	Non Partisan	Earl of Euston	299	26.96	N/A
	Non Partisan	Hon. John Townshend	278	25.07	+0.90
	Non Partisan	James Mansfield	181	16.32	-10.78
Turnout			1,109 (588 voters)	N/A	N/A

• The 1784 election was broadly a contest between the new government of Pitt and the ousted Fox-North Coalition, in which both Townshend and Mansfield had held office.

Elections in the 1790s

General Election 1790: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	510	42.50	+10.85
	Whig	Earl of Euston	483	40.25	+13.29
	Whig	Lawrence Dundas	207	17.25	N/A
Turnout			1,200 (684 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Note (1790): Party labels in the 1790–1832 period follow Stooks Smith, who classifies Pitt and his Pittite supporters as Tories without regard to what they would have actually called themselves.
• Seat vacated on Pitt being appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports

By-Election 1792: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Euston being appointed to an office

By-Election 1794: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1796: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1800s

General Election 1802: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on Pitt being appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer

By-Election 1804: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. William Pitt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Pitt

By-Election February 1806: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Lord Henry Petty	331	54.80	N/A
	Whig	Viscount Althorp	145	24.01	N/A
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	128	21.19	N/A
Majority			186	30.79	N/A
Turnout			604	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

• Palmerston was a Peer of Ireland

General Election 1806: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Rt Hon. Lord Henry Petty	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Earl of Euston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1807: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Earl of Euston	324	26.75	N/A
	Tory	Sir Vicary Gibbs	312	25.76	N/A
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	310	25.60	N/A
	Whig	Rt Hon. Lord Henry Petty	265	21.88	N/A
Turnout			1,211 (631 voters)	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1810s

• Succession of Euston as the 4th Duke of Grafton

By-Election March 1811: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	451	56.66	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	345	43.34	N/A
Majority			106	13.32	N/A
Turnout			796	N/A	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

• Seat vacated on Gibbs being appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election 1812: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

General Election 1812: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 1818: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1820s

General Election 1820: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	John Henry Smyth	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Smyth

By-Election 1822: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	William John Bankes	419	45.59	N/A
	Tory	Lord Harvey	281	30.58	N/A
	Whig	James Scarlett	219	23.83	N/A
Majority			138	15.02	N/A
Turnout			919	N/A	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General Election 1826: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Sir John Singleton Copley	772	32.88	N/A
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	631	26.87	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	508	21.64	N/A
	Tory	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	437	18.61	N/A
Turnout			2,348 (1,293 voters)	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Copley as Lord Chancellor and creation as 1st Baron Lyndhurst

By-Election May 1827: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal	479	55.89	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	378	44.11	N/A
Majority			101	11.79	N/A
Turnout			857	43.93	N/A
Registered electors			1,951
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

• Note (1827): Unusually for a pre-1832 election Stooks Smith provides a total electorate figure, so a turnout percentage can be calculated. See the 1727 result above for another instance.
• Seat vacated on the appointment of Tindal as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas

By-Election June 1829: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Cavendish	609	56.86	N/A
	Tory	William John Bankes	462	43.14	-0.97
Majority			147	13.73	N/A
Turnout			1,071	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1830: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig	William Cavendish	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Seat vacated on the appointment of Palmerston as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

By-Election November 1830: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1831: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	805	28.26	N/A
	Tory	William Yates Peel	804	28.22	N/A
	Whig	William Cavendish	630	22.11	N/A
	Whig	The Viscount Palmerston	610	21.41	N/A
Turnout			2,849	N/A	N/A

General Election 12 December 1832: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,319	N/A	N/A

• Note (1832): Manners-Sutton was the Speaker of the House of Commons.

General Election 6 January 1835: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Charles Manners-Sutton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,319	N/A	N/A

• Manners-Sutton created 'The 1st Viscount Canterbury'.

By-Election 21 March 1835: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 25 July 1837: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,613	N/A	N/A

• Note (1837): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Law as a Peelite between this election and that of 1847.

Elections in the 1840s

General Election 30 June 1841: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Law	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			2,873	N/A	N/A

• Note (1841): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative and Law as a Peelite for this election.
• Goulburn appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

By-Election 15 September 1841: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 3 August 1847: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hon. Charles Law	1,486	31.74	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	1,189	25.40	N/A
	Conservative	Viscount Feilding	1,147	24.50	N/A
	Liberal	John George Shaw-Lefevre	860	18.37	N/A
Turnout			3,800	61.61	N/A

• Note 1 (1847): 3,800 registered electors; 4,682 votes cast; minimum possible turnout estimated by dividing votes by 2. To the extent that electors did not use both their votes, the figure will be an underestimate.
• Note 2 (1847): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative and Law as a Peelite for this election.

Elections in the 1850s

• Death of Law.

By-Election 4 October 1850: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 10 July 1852: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,063	N/A	N/A

• Note (1852): McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book classifies Goulburn as a Liberal Conservative for this election.
• Death of Goulburn.

By-Election 11 February 1856: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	886	67.89	N/A
	Liberal	Hon. George Denman	419	32.11	N/A
Majority			467	35.79	N/A
Turnout			4,552	28.67	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 28 March 1857: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Loftus Wigram	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,552	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Walpole as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

By-Election 4 March 1858: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 29 April 1859: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			4,566	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 11 July 1865: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,184	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Walpole as Secretary of State for the Home Department.

By-Election 11 July 1866: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Selwyn as Solicitor-General.

By-Election 22 July 1867: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Jasper Selwyn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Selwyn as Judge of the Court of Appeal in Chancery.

By-Election 24 February 1868: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	1,931	57.97	N/A
	Conservative	A. Cleasby	1,400	42.03	N/A
Majority			531	15.94	N/A
Turnout			5,184	64.26	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 16 November 1868: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,435	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 2 February 1874: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			5,855	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General Election April 1880: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Spencer Horatio Walpole	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Turnout			6,161	N/A	N/A

• Resignation of Walpole.

By-Election 23–28 November 1882: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	3,491	72.85	N/A
	Liberal	James Stuart	1,301	27.15	N/A
Majority			2,190	45.70	N/A
Turnout			6,371	75.22	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 24 November 1885: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 2 July 1886: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander Beresford Hope	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Appointment of Raikes as Postmaster General

By-Election 13 August 1886: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Henry Cecil Raikes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Beresford Hope.

By-Election 17 November 1887: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Prof. George Gabriel Stokes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1890s

• Death of Raikes.

By-Election 9 October 1891: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election July 1892: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election 13 July 1895: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Prof. Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1 October 1900: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Jebb – seat vacant at dissolution.

General Election 18 January 1906: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	3,050	39.72	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	2,976	38.76	N/A
	Free Trade	Rt Hon. Sir John Eldon Gorst	1,653	21.53	N/A
Turnout			4,063	65.8	N/A

• Note (1906): Turnout is as in Craig.

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 15 January 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

General Election December 1910: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Samuel Henry Butcher	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Death of Butcher.

By-Election 11–16 February 1911: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir Joseph Larmor	2,308	50.24	N/A
	Free Trade	Harold Cox	1,954	42.53	N/A
	Independent Conservative	T.E. Page	332	7.23	N/A
Majority			354	7.71	N/A
Turnout			7,129	64.44	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Election by Single Transferable Vote 1918–1950

General Elections, from 1918 when most constituencies polled on the same day, were on different polling days than for territorial constituencies. The polls for university constituencies were open for five days.

1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	% 1st Pref	Count 1	Count 2
	Coalition Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	35.16	2,034
	Coalition Conservative	Sir Joseph Larmor	32.69	1,891	1,986
	Independent	Sir William Cecil Dampier Whetham	21.09	1,220	1,229
	Labour	John Collings Squire	11.06	640	641
Electorate: 9,282   Valid: 5,785   Quota: 1,929   Turnout: 62.32%

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	4,192	49.39	+14.23
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,453	39.86	+39.86
	Conservative	Prof. William Ritchie Sorley	1,018	11.75	+11.75
Quota			2,888
Registered electors			13,592
Turnout			8,663	63.74

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary

General Election 1923: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	% 1st Pref	Count 1	Count 2
	Conservative	Rt Hon. John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	40.85	4,207
	Conservative	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler	27.61	2,844	3,560
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	31.54	3,248	3,283
Electorate: 14,974   Valid: 10,229   Quota: 3,434   Turnout: 68.78%

General Election 1924: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Rt Hon. John Frederick Peel Rawlinson	4,569	38.60	-2.25
	Conservative	Sir George Geoffrey Gilbert Butler	4,026	34.01	+6.40
	Independent Liberal	James Ramsay Montagu Butler	3,241	27.38	-4.16
Quota			3,946
Registered electors			16,621
Turnout			11,836	71.21	+2.43

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary
• Death of Rawlinson.

By-Election 13 February 1926: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John James Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Butler – seat vacant at dissolution.

General Election 1929: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	% 1st Pref	Count 1	Count 2
	Conservative	John James Withers	39.76	6,356
	Conservative	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	31.71	5,069	6,046
	Liberal	Hubert Douglas Henderson	19.38	3,099	3,131
	Labour	Alexander Wood	9.15	1,463	1,480
Electorate: 23,978   Valid: 15,987   Quota: 5,330   Turnout: 66.67%

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Godfrey Harold Alfred Wilson	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative	Sir John James Withers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A

• Resignation of Wilson.

By-Election 23 February 1935: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1935: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir John James Withers	7,602	42.30	N/A
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	6,917	38.49	N/A
	Labour	Lionel Elvin	3,453	19.21	N/A
Quota			5,991
Registered electors			33,617
Turnout			17,972	53.46	N/A

• As two candidates achieved the quota only one count was necessary
• Death of Withers.

Elections in the 1940s

By-Election 19–23 February 1940: Cambridge University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Conservative	Dr. Archibald Vivian Hill	9,840	64.62	N/A
	Independent Progressive	John A. Ryle	5,387	35.38	N/A
Majority			4,453	29.24	N/A
Turnout			39,171	38.87	N/A
	Independent Conservative gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

General Election 1945: Cambridge University (2 seats)
Party		Candidate	% 1st Pref	Count 1	Count 2	Count 3	Count 4
	Conservative	Kenneth William Murray Pickthorn	46.18	10,202
	Independent	Henry Wilson Harris	16.18	3,574	4,709	5,185	6,556
	Independent Progressive	John Boynton Priestley	22.82	5,041	5,128	5,238	5,745
	Independent	Dr. Charles Hill	10.13	2,238	3,092	3,595	eliminated
	National Independent	E.L. Howard-Williams	4.69	1,036	1,798	eliminated	–
Electorate: 42,012   Valid: 22,091   Quota: 7,364   Turnout: 52.58%

• Constituency abolished (1950)

See also

• List of former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies

References

• 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)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
• British Parliamentary Election Results 1918–1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press, revised edition 1977)
• McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book: British Election Results 1832–1918 (8th edition, The Harvester Press 1971)
• The House of Commons 1715–1754, by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970)
• The House of Commons 1754–1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume IV 1945–1979, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1981)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 1)