1885 United Kingdom general election in Wales

none 1885 United Kingdom general election in Wales Wales parliamentary no 1880 United Kingdom general election in Wales 1880 List of MPs elected in the 1880 United Kingdom general election 1886 United Kingdom general election in Wales 1886 All 34 Welsh seats to the House of Commons List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885 24 Nov. – 18 Dec. 1885 82.2% William Ewart Gladstone, 1892 (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 William Ewart Gladstone April 1880 Liberal Party (UK) Midlothian 29 seats, 58.8% 29 119,231 58.3% 0.5 pp Robert-Gascoyne-Cecil-3rd-Marquess-of-Salisbury (cropped).jpg 120 120 160 0 0 Marquess of Salisbury April 1881 Conservative Party (UK) House of Lords 4 seats, 41.2% 4 79,690 38.9% 2.3 pp File:United Kingdom general election 1885 in Wales.svg From 24 November to 18 December 1885, the 1885 United Kingdom general election was held in Wales, to elect all 670 members of the House of Commons, with 34 seats being in Wales.British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 12 2006British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 1 0333197348 1976 34 seats represented territorial constituencies contested under the first past the post electoral system amongst 33 constituencies.https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04458/ Research Briefing: Voting systems in the UK 10 January 2023 Library of the House of Commons 7 August 2026 The election came about due to the resignation of the Liberal Government and request for a dissolution after a defeat in the House of Commons on an amendment to the Finance Bill by the Liberal Party. The Marquess of Salisbury formed subsequently a minority Conservative Government but within five months he requested a dissolution.British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 164 0333197348 1976 As a result of the election nationally, the Liberal Party were returned with the greatest number of seats, but short of an overall majority in its own right. Electoral system All constituencies contested under the first past the post electoral system. It was the first general election to be held after enactment of the Representation of the People Act 1884, known also as the Third Reform Act.British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 173 0333197348 1976 This was also accompanied with the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. The former Act brought about an extension of the franchise and voting rights which had already existed in towns to rural areas of the United Kingdom, massively expanding the size of the Welsh electorate from 149,841 to 282,242. Together with the latter Act, it brought about the general use of single-member constituencies under first-past-the-post voting and increased the general distribution of more rural constituencies amongst the counties. As part of the general re-distribution, the number of Welsh seats from the 33 used between 1832 to 1880, to 34 seats. Although there were 34 seats, there were only 33 constituencies in Wales, with a two-member constituency of Merthyr Tydfil. This arrangement would last until 1918.British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 173 0333197348 1976British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 20 2006 It was also the first election following the passing of the Corrupt and Illegal Practices Prevention Act 1883. This Act criminalised attempts to bribe voters and standardised the amount that could be spent on election expenses.British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 173 0333197348 1976 Candidates Below is a table summarising the candidates of the 1885 general election in Wales.https://api.parliament.uk/uk-general-elections/general-elections/13 UK General Elections Results 1832-2019 12 August 2026British Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 12 2006Craig F. W. S. F. W. S. Craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 1977 Macmillan Press London 978-1-349-02349-3 1st e-book Affiliation CandidatesLiberal Party 34Conservative Party 29Independent Liberal 1Candidate Morgan Lloyd stood in Merioneth.Independent Liberal-Labour 1Candidate William Abraham stood in Rhondda.Total 65 Analysis In the United Kingdom as a whole, the Liberal Party under William Ewart Gladstone maintained its position as the largest party by way of seats, though it did not maintain its position as holding an overall majority in it own right. In spite of this, the Liberal maintained its dominant position in Wales, suffering a very minor swing against the party in comparison to the rival Conservatives. In all, the Liberals maintained 29 seats in Wales as well as holding the majority of the Welsh vote at 58.3%. Of the redistributed seats, the Liberal Party won the seats of Anglesey, Arfon, Carnarvon Boroughs, Eifion, East Denbighshire, West Denbighshire, Flint Boroughs, Flintshire, Merioneth, Montgomeryshire, Breconshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthen Boroughs, East Carmarthenshire, West Carmarthenshire, Pembroke and Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Cardiff, East Glamorganshire, Mid Glamorganshire, South Glamorganshire, Gower, Swansea District, Swansea Town, Monmouth Boroughs, North Monmouthshire and West Monmouthshire. The party also won both seats in the two-member constituency of Merthyr Tydfil.Craig F. W. S. F. W. S. Craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 1977 Macmillan Press London 978-1-349-02349-3 1st e-book The Conservative Party also saw relatively little change in terms of seats and vote share in Wales. Although it saw a larger drop in vote share of 2.3% when compared to the Liberal Party, it also maintained the same number of seats. The Conservatives won Denbigh Boroughs, Montgomery, Radnorshire and South Monmouthshire of the newly redistributed constituencies. Outside of the major parties, trade unionist William Abraham stood as an Independent Liberal-Labour candidate, winning the new seat of Rhondda against a Liberal candidates. Abraham would hold the seat for the entirely of its existence, though subsequently stood in and with support of the Liberal Party following this election.Craig F. W. S. F. W. S. Craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 1977 Macmillan Press London 978-1-349-02349-3 1st e-book Abraham himself would remain in Parliament (although later as a member of the future Labour Party from 1910) until 1920. Another candidate, Morgan Lloyd, who had previously represented the abolished seat of Beaumaris, contested the seat of Merioneth as an Independent Liberal candidate. He did so unsuccessfully, leaving Parliament at this election; however, Lloyd would later attempt to re-enter Parliament in 1892 general election as a member of the future Liberal Unionist Party.Craig F. W. S. F. W. S. Craig British Parliamentary Election Results 1832–1885 1977 Macmillan Press London 978-1-349-02349-3 1st e-book Results +PartyBritish Electoral Facts Colin Rallings Micheal Thrasher Total Politics 978-1-907278-03-7 12 2006British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 1 0333197348 1976SeatsAggregate votes Total Gains Losses Net Of total (%) Total Of total (%)Adjusted for multi-member constituencies. Change (%) Liberal Party (UK) 29 colspan=2 Difficult to calculate due to significant boundary changes. 85.3 119,231 58.3 0.5 Conservative Party (UK) 4 colspan=2 Difficult to calculate due to significant boundary changes. 11.8 79,690 38.9 2.3   Independent Liberal-Labour 1 colspan="2" New 1 1.9 3,859 1.9 New Independent Liberal 0 colspan="2" Did not stand in 1880 — 1,907 0.9 Total 34 1 100.0 204,687 100.0 0.0 Registered voters, and turnout 249,147Electorate in contested constituencies. The total electorate was 282,242.British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 75 0333197348 1976 82.2British Electoral Facts 1885-1975 F.W.S. Craig Macmillan Press 3 75 0333197348 1976 Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Liberal Liberal Party (UK) 58.3 Conservative Conservative Party (UK) 38.9 Ind. Lib-Lab Liberal-Labour (UK) 1.9 Ind. Liberal Independent Liberal 0.9 Parliament seats #ddd 600px 410px Liberal Liberal Party (UK) 85.3 Conservative Conservative Party (UK) 11.8 Ind. Lib-Lab Liberal-Labour (UK) 2.9 See also 1885 United Kingdom general election in England 1885 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1885 United Kingdom general election in Ireland List of MPs for constituencies in Wales (1885–1886) Notes References Politics Wales United Kingdom Category:1885 in Wales Category:1880s elections in Wales 1885 #Wales