City of Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

"Durham (UK Parliament constituency)" redirects here. For the pre–1832 county constituency, see County Durham (UK Parliament constituency).

City of Durham is a constituency^{[n 1]} represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Mary Kelly Foy of the Labour Party.^{[n 2]}

City of Durham
County constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary of City of Durham in the North East England
County	County Durham
Population	94,375 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	72,878 (2023) [2]
Major settlements	Durham, Brandon, Coxhoe, Bowburn, Framwellgate Moor, Sherburn and Ushaw Moor
Current constituency
Created	1918
Member of Parliament	Mary Kelly Foy (Labour)
Seats	One
1885–1918
Seats	One
Type of constituency	Borough constituency
1678–1885
Seats	Two
Type of constituency	Borough constituency

Constituency profile

The constituency contains a large minority of students, researchers and academics at the early 19th century founded University of Durham,^{[n 3]} that has a claim towards being the third oldest in England and has elected Labour MPs since 1935, although there have been strong SDP–Liberal Alliance and Liberal Democrat challenges to Labour since the 1980s.

The constituency includes a number of surrounding villages and suburbs as well as Durham itself, the largest of these are Brandon, Bowburn, Esh Winning, Framwellgate Moor, Sherburn, Ushaw Moor and Willington. The seat extends as far west as Satley and as far east as Shadforth.

The seat has traditionally been dominated by Labour, with support particularly strong in those villages historically connected to County Durham's mining industry. Durham is famous as an educational centre, for Durham University and the feepaying preparatory school, Chorister School where Tony Blair was educated. The city centre is more inclined to the Liberal Democrats. Like many other university cities such as Cambridge and Oxford, in the 2005 election it swung strongly towards the Liberal Democrats, one possible reason being these cities' sizeable student population who were viewed as being hostile to Labour's policies on areas such as top-up fees and the Iraq War. The Liberal Democrats were able to reduce Labour's majority by over 10,000 votes, although they were still unable to gain the seat from Labour, as was the case in the 2010 election. As reflected in throughout the country, the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed in the 2015 election.

History

The parliamentary borough (1678–1918)

The City of Durham was first given the right to return Members to Parliament by the Durham (Representation of) Act 1672 (25 Cha. 2. c. 9), although the first election was not held until 1678 due to drafting errors.^[3] It was the last new borough but one to be enfranchised before the Great Reform Act 1832.^[4] It was the only borough in County Durham, the county also having been unrepresented until the same act of Parliament also created two MPs for the county. Both constituencies were frequently referred to simply as Durham, which can make for some confusion.

The constituency as constituted in 1678 consisted only of the city of Durham itself, though this included its suburbs which were within the municipal boundary. The right to vote was held by the corporation and the freemen of the city, many of whom were not resident within the boundaries. Unlike the situation in many small rotten boroughs, the corporation had no jurisdiction over the creation of freemen: freemen were generally created by connection with companies of trade, either by apprenticeship or by birth (by being the son of an existing freeman), though the common council of the city had a power to create honorary freemen.

The creation of honorary freemen with the specific intention of swaying elections was a common abuse in a number of boroughs in the 18th century, and at the Durham election of 1762 became sufficiently controversial to force a change in the law. The election was disputed because 215 new freemen, most of them not resident in the city, had been made after the writ for the election was issued. The existing freemen petitioned against this dilution of their voting rights, the candidate who had been declared elected was unseated by the Commons committee which heard the case, and the following year the Freemen (Admission) Act 1763 (3 Geo. 3. c. 15) was passed to prevent any honorary freeman from voting in a borough election within twelve months of their being accorded that status.

Through having a freeman franchise the electorate was comparatively numerous for the period, though comprising only a small fraction of the city's population; at the time of the Reform Act 1832 there were between 1,100 and 1,200 freemen in total, of whom 427 were resident and 558 lived within seven miles, while the total population of the borough was 9,269. The Lambton and Tempest families were influential, and were generally able to secure election, but fell far short of the sort of control common in pocket boroughs.

The city retained both its MPs under the Reform Act 1832, with its boundaries adjusted only very slightly, although as elsewhere the franchise was reformed. The Reform Act 1867 extended the boundaries to include part of Framwellgate parish which had previously been excluded.^[5] Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough's representation was reduced from the 1885 general election to a single MP.^[6] In the boundary changes of 1918, the borough was abolished, but a division of County Durham was named after the city.

County constituency (since 1918)

From 1918, Durham City was included in a county constituency officially called The Durham Division of (County) Durham, consisting of the central part of the county.^[7] In the 1983 boundary changes, the constituency officially acquired the unambiguous City of Durham name for the first time and its boundaries were realigned to match the new City of Durham local government district.

Boundaries

1918–1950

• the Borough of Durham
• the Urban District of Hetton
• the Rural District of Durham except the parish of Brancepeth
• in the Rural District of Houghton-le-Spring, the parishes of East Rainton, Great Eppleton, Little Eppleton, Moor House, Moorsley, and West Rainton.^[7]

As well as absorbing the abolished parliamentary borough, the reconstituted seat included Hetton-le-Hole and surrounding rural areas, transferred from Houghton-le-Spring, and northern areas of the abolished Mid Division of Durham.

1950–1974

• the Borough of Durham
• the Urban Districts of Hetton and Spennymoor
• the Rural District of Durham.^[8]

Spennymoor and the parish of Brancepeth transferred in from the abolished constituency of Spennymoor. Other minor changes (the Rural District of Houghton-le-Spring had been abolished and absorbed into neighbouring local authorities).

1974–1983

• the Borough of Durham and Framwelgate
• the Rural District of Sedgefield and the Rural District of Durham except the parish of Brancepeth.^[9]

Hetton transferred back to Houghton-le-Spring, and Spennymoor and Brancepeth now included in Durham North West. Gained the Rural District of Sedgefield from the abolished constituency of Sedgefield.

1983–2024

Map of boundaries 1997–2024

• The City of Durham.^[10][11][12]

Sedgefield returned to the re-established constituency thereof. Gained the area comprising the former Urban District of Brandon and Byshottles which had been absorbed into the District of the City of Durham, previously part of North West Durham.

2024–present

• The County of Durham electoral districts of: Belmont; Brandon; Deerness; Durham South; Elvet and Gilesgate; Esh and Witton Gilbert; Framwellgate and Newton Hall; Neville's Cross; Sherburn; and Willington and Hunwick.^[13]

Coxhoe was transferred to the new constituency of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, offset by gains from the abolished constituency of North West Durham, including the communities of Esh and Willington.

Members of Parliament

Durham City (borough)

• Constituency created 1678

MPs 1678–1885

Year		First member[14]	First party		Second member[14]	Second party
1678		Sir Ralph Cole			John Parkhurst
February 1679					William Tempest
September 1679		William Blakiston			Sir Richard Lloyd
1681		William Tempest
1685		Charles Montagu
1689		George Morland			Henry Liddell
1690					William Tempest
1695		Charles Montagu			Henry Liddell
1698					Thomas Conyers	Tory
1701					Sir Henry Belasyse
1702		Thomas Conyers	Tory
1708					James Nicolson
1710					Sir Henry Belasyse	Tory
1712					Robert Shafto	Tory
1713					George Baker	Tory
1722					Charles Talbot
1727		Robert Shafto	Tory
1730		John Shafto	Tory
1734					Henry Lambton	Whig
1742		John Tempest
1761					Ralph Gowland[15]
1762					Major General John Lambton
1768		John Tempest	Tory[16]
1787					William Henry Lambton	Whig[16]
1794		Sir Henry Vane-Tempest	Tory[16]
1798					Ralph John Lambton	Whig[16]
1800		Michael Angelo Taylor	Whig[16]
1802		Richard Wharton[17]	Tory[16]
1804		Robert Eden Duncombe Shafto
1806		Richard Wharton	Tory[16]
1813					George Allan	Tory[16]
1818					Michael Angelo Taylor	Whig[16]
1820		Sir Henry Hardinge	Tory[16]
1830		Sir Roger Gresley[18]	Tory[16]
March 1831		William Chaytor	Whig[16]
May 1831					Hon. Arthur Trevor	Tory[16]
1832					William Charles Harland	Whig[16][19][20]
1835		Hon. Arthur Trevor	Conservative[16]
1841		Thomas Colpitts Granger	Radical[21][22][23][24]		Robert FitzRoy	Conservative
April 1843					The Viscount Dungannon[25]	Conservative[16]
July 1843					John Bright	Radical/Anti-Corn Law[16]
1847					Henry John Spearman	Whig[26][27]
July 1852					William Atherton[28]	Radical[29][30]
December 1852		Lord Adolphus Vane[31]	Conservative
1853		John Mowbray	Conservative
1859						Liberal
1864					John Henderson	Liberal
1868		John Robert Davison	Liberal
1871		John Lloyd Wharton	Conservative
February 1874		Thomas Charles Thompson	Liberal
June 1874[32]		Farrer Herschell	Liberal		Sir Arthur Middleton	Liberal
1880					Thomas Charles Thompson	Liberal
1885	Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1885–1918

Matthew Fowler

Election		Member[14][33]	Party
	1885	Thomas Milvain	Conservative
	1892	Matthew Fowler	Liberal
	1898 by-election	Arthur Elliot	Liberal Unionist
	1906	John Hills	Liberal Unionist
	1918	Parliamentary borough abolished

Durham, Durham/City of Durham (county constituency)

MPs since 1918

Year		Member[14][33]	Party
	1918	John Hills	Conservative
	1922	Joshua Ritson	Labour
	1931	William McKeag	Liberal
	1935	Joshua Ritson	Labour
	1945	Charles Grey	Labour
	1970	Mark Hughes	Labour
	1987	Gerry Steinberg	Labour
	2005	Roberta Blackman-Woods	Labour
	2019	Mary Foy	Labour

Elections

Election results 1885–2024

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: City of Durham ^[34][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mary Kelly Foy	19,131	47.1	+6.2
	Reform UK	Mark Belch	7,374	18.2	+11.6
	Liberal Democrats	Mark Wilkes	5,920	14.6	−2.3
	Conservative	Luke Holmes	5,221	12.9	−19.0
	Green	Jonathan Elmer	2,803	6.9	+3.6
	SDP	Sarah Welbourne	178	0.4	N/A
Majority			11,757	28.9
Turnout			40,627	58.5
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: City of Durham^[36][37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mary Kelly Foy	20,531	42.0	−13.4
	Conservative	William Morgan	15,506	31.7	+1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Amanda Hopgood	7,935	16.2	+6.3
	Brexit Party	Lesley Wright	3,252	6.7	N/A
	Green	Jonathan Elmer	1,635	3.3	+1.7
Majority			5,025	10.3	−15.3
Turnout			48,859	68.6	+0.7
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.7

General election 2017: City of Durham^[38][39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roberta Blackman-Woods	26,772	55.4	+8.1
	Conservative	Richard Lawrie	14,408	29.8	+7.6
	Liberal Democrats	Amanda Hopgood	4,787	9.9	−1.4
	UKIP	Malcolm Bint	1,116	2.3	−9.1
	Green	Jonathan Elmer	797	1.6	−4.3
	Independent	Jim Clark	399	0.8	N/A
	Young People's	Jon Collings	45	0.1	N/A
Majority			12,364	25.6	+0.5
Turnout			48,324	67.9	+1.4
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.25

General election 2015: City of Durham^[40][41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roberta Blackman-Woods	21,596	47.3	+3.0
	Conservative	Rebecca Coulson[42]	10,157	22.2	+8.9
	UKIP	Liam Clark	5,232	11.4	+9.5
	Liberal Democrats	Craig Martin[43]	5,183	11.3	−26.4
	Green	Jonathan Elmer[44]	2,687	5.9	N/A
	Independent	John Marshall[45]	649	1.4	N/A
	Independent	Jon Collings	195	0.4	N/A
Majority			11,439	25.1	+18.5
Turnout			45,699	66.5	−0.7
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.0

General election 2010: City of Durham^[46][47][48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roberta Blackman-Woods	20,496	44.3	−2.9
	Liberal Democrats	Carol Woods	17,429	37.7	−2.1
	Conservative	Nick Varley	6,146	13.3	+3.9
	BNP	Ralph Musgrave	1,153	2.5	N/A
	UKIP	Nigel Coghill-Marshall	856	1.9	N/A
	Independent	Jon Collings	172	0.4	N/A
Majority			3,067	6.6	−0.8
Turnout			46,252	67.2	+5.1
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.4

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: City of Durham^[49]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roberta Blackman-Woods	20,928	47.2	−8.9
	Liberal Democrats	Carol Woods	17,654	39.8	+16.1
	Conservative	Ben Rogers	4,179	9.4	−7.9
	Veritas	Tony Martin	1,603	3.6	N/A
Majority			3,274	7.4	−25.0
Turnout			44,364	62.1	+2.5
	Labour hold		Swing	−12.5

General election 2001: City of Durham^[50]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gerry Steinberg	23,254	56.1	−7.2
	Liberal Democrats	Carol Woods	9,813	23.7	+8.4
	Conservative	Nick Cartmell	7,167	17.3	−0.2
	UKIP	Chris Williamson	1,252	3.0	N/A
Majority			13,441	32.4	−13.4
Turnout			41,486	59.6	−11.2
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: City of Durham^[51]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gerry Steinberg	31,102	63.3	+10.0
	Conservative	Richard Chalk	8,598	17.5	−6.2
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Martin	7,499	15.3	−6.2
	Referendum	Margaret Robson	1,723	3.5	N/A
	Natural Law	Paul Kember	213	0.4	N/A
Majority			22,504	45.8	+16.2
Turnout			49,135	70.8	−3.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+8.1

General election 1992: City of Durham^[52][53]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gerry Steinberg	27,095	53.3	+8.4
	Conservative	Martin I. Woodroofe	12,037	23.7	+1.8
	Liberal Democrats	Nigel Martin	10,915	21.5	−11.7
	Green	Jane Banks	812	1.6	N/A
Majority			15,058	29.6	+17.9
Turnout			50,859	74.6	−3.6
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: City of Durham^[54]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gerry Steinberg	23,382	44.9	+8.4
	SDP	David Stoker	17,257	33.2	+0.7
	Conservative	Gordon Colquhoun	11,408	21.9	−9.1
Majority			6,125	11.7	+7.7
Turnout			52,047	78.2	+3.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.8

General election 1983: City of Durham^[55]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Hughes	18,163	36.5
	SDP	David Stoker	16,190	32.5
	Conservative	Matthew Lavis	15,438	31.0
Majority			1,973	4.0
Turnout			49,791	74.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Hughes	30,903	52.3	−6.1
	Conservative	Matthew Lavis	19,666	33.3	+9.6
	Liberal	Chris Foote Wood	8,572	14.5	−2.3
Majority			11,237	19.0	−15.7
Turnout			59,141	76.4	+4.8
	Labour hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Hughes	31,305	58.5	+6.0
	Conservative	Derek Conway	13,189	24.7	−2.4
	Liberal	Alan Heesom	9,011	16.8	−1.7
Majority			18,116	33.9	+8.5
Turnout			53,505	71.6	−9.2
	Labour hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Hughes	31,405	52.5
	Conservative	Timothy Kirkhope	16,202	27.1
	Liberal	Alan Heesom	12,235	20.5
Majority			15,203	25.4
Turnout			59,842	80.8
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1970: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mark Hughes	33,766	66.9	−0.7
	Conservative	Ernest Greenwood	16,707	33.1	+3.7
Majority			17,059	33.8	−4.1
Turnout			50,473	73.3	−1.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	32,200	70.6	+2.3
	Conservative	Richard Yorke	13,383	29.4	−2.3
Majority			18,817	41.2	+4.6
Turnout			45,583	74.7	−4.1
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1964: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	32,818	68.3	+1.9
	Conservative	Joseph Whittaker	15,209	31.7	−1.9
Majority			17,609	36.7	+3.8
Turnout			48,027	78.8	−3.0
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	33,795	66.4	+0.3
	Conservative	Charles MacCarthy	17,106	33.6	−0.3
Majority			16,689	32.8	+0.7
Turnout			50,901	81.8	+2.3
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1955: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	32,412	66.1	−1.0
	Conservative	Charles P. MacCarthy	16,640	33.9	+1.0
Majority			15,772	32.2	+2.0
Turnout			49,052	79.5	−6.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1951: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	35,597	67.1	−1.0
	Conservative	Robert Fisher	17,447	32.9	+1.0
Majority			18,150	34.2	−2.0
Turnout			53,044	86.1	−0.9
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1950: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	36,024	68.1
	Conservative	Henry Laslett	16,903	31.9
Majority			19,121	36.2
Turnout			52,927	87.0
	Labour hold		Swing

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Grey	24,135	66.2	+7.1
	National Liberal	John Bunyan	12,331	33.8	−7.1
Majority			11,804	32.4	+14.3
Turnout			36,466	79.8	−5.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	21,517	59.1	+9.5
	National Liberal	William McKeag	14,910	40.9	N/A
Majority			6,607	18.1	N/A
Turnout			36,427	85.2	+1.5
	Labour gain from Liberal		Swing

General election 1931: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William McKeag	17,406	50.4	+28.1
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	17,136	49.6	−7.2
Majority			270	0.8	N/A
Turnout			34,542	83.7	N/A
	Liberal gain from Labour		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	18,514	56.8	+1.9
	Liberal	William McKeag	7,266	22.3	+12.3
	Unionist	George Hamilton-Fletcher	6,820	20.9	−14.2
Majority			11,248	34.5	+14.7
Turnout			32,600	80.1	−5.1
Registered electors			40,676
	Labour hold		Swing	−5.2

General election 1924: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	15,032	54.9	−1.9
	Unionist	Sidney Streatfeild	9,614	35.1	−8.1
	Liberal	William McKeag	2,747	10.0	N/A
Majority			5,418	19.8	+6.2
Turnout			27,393	85.2	+8.0
Registered electors			32,163
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.1

General election 1923: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	13,819	56.8	+1.6
	Unionist	Thomas Bradford	10,530	43.2	−1.6
Majority			3,289	13.6	+3.2
Turnout			24,349	77.2	−4.7
Registered electors			31,523
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.6

General election 1922: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	14,068	55.2	+5.8
	Unionist	John Hills	11,396	44.8	−5.8
Majority			2,672	10.4	N/A
Turnout			25,464	81.9	+20.5
Registered electors			31,104
	Labour gain from Unionist		Swing	+1.8

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Durham

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	John Hills	9,027	50.6
	Labour	Joshua Ritson	8,809	49.4	N/A
Majority			218	1.2
Turnout			17,836	61.4
	Unionist hold		Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

General election December 1910: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	John Hills	1,313	60.0	N/A
	Liberal	Cecil Cochrane	877	40.0	N/A
Majority			436	20.0	N/A
Turnout			2,190	84.2	N/A
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing

General election January 1910: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	John Hills	Unopposed
	Liberal Unionist hold

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	John Hills	1,313	59.9	−1.6
	Free Trader	Arthur Elliot[n 4]	880	40.1	+1.6
Majority			433	19.8	−3.2
Turnout			2,193	85.0	+7.1
Registered electors			2,580
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1900: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur Elliot	1,250	61.5	+11.6
	Liberal	William Geary	781	38.5	−11.6
Majority			469	23.0	N/A
Turnout			2,031	77.9	−11.4
Registered electors			2,607
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+11.4

Elections in the 1890s

By-election, 1898: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur Elliot	1,167	51.4	+1.5
	Liberal	H.F. Boyd	1,102	48.6	−1.5
Majority			65	2.8	N/A
Turnout			2,269	89.1	−0.2
Registered electors			2,548
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+1.5

• Caused by Fowler's death.

General election 1895: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Matthew Fowler	1,110	50.1	−1.7
	Liberal Unionist	Arthur Elliot	1,107	49.9	+1.7
Majority			3	0.2	−3.4
Turnout			2,217	89.3	−0.1
Registered electors			2,482
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.7

• These are the final 1895 results after a recount. The original result was Fowler with 1,111 votes, and Elliot with 1,110 votes, leaving a Liberal majority of just one vote.

General election 1892: Durham^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Matthew Fowler	1,075	51.8	+8.7
	Conservative	Thomas Milvain	1,000	48.2	−8.7
Majority			75	3.6	N/A
Turnout			2,075	89.4	+3.2
Registered electors			2,322
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.7

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Durham (1 seat)^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Milvain	1,129	56.9	+4.0
	Liberal	George Brooks[57]	855	43.1	−4.0
Majority			274	13.8	+8.0
Turnout			1,984	86.2	−5.3
Registered electors			2,302
	Conservative hold		Swing	−4.0

General election 1885: Durham (1 seat)^[56]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Milvain	1,114	52.9	+22.2
	Liberal	Thomas Charles Thompson	993	47.1	−22.2
Majority			121	5.8	N/A
Turnout			2,107	91.5	−6.1
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

By-election, 10 May 1880: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Farrer Herschell	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Herschell's appointment as Solicitor General for England and Wales

General election 1880: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Charles Thompson	1,237	35.9	+1.0
	Liberal	Farrer Herschell	1,152	33.4	+0.2
	Conservative	John Lloyd Wharton	1,058	30.7	−1.2
Majority			94	2.7	+1.4
Turnout			2,295 (est)	97.6 (est)	+12.7
Registered electors			2,352
	Liberal hold		Swing
	Liberal hold		Swing

Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 13 Jun 1874: Durham (2 seats)^[58][59]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Farrer Herschell	930	27.8	−7.1
	Liberal	Arthur Monck[n 5]	918	27.5	−5.7
	Conservative	Francis Duncan	752	22.5	+6.5
	Conservative	Francis Barrington	742	22.2	+6.2
Majority			166	5.0	+3.7
Turnout			1,671 (est)	81.2 (est)	−3.7
Registered electors			2,059
	Liberal hold		Swing	-6.8
	Liberal hold		Swing	-6.0

• Caused by the 1874 election being declared void on petition.

General election 1874: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Charles Thompson	924	34.9	+1.4
	Liberal	John Henderson	879	33.2	−2.0
	Conservative	John Lloyd Wharton	846	31.9	+0.6
Majority			33	1.3	−0.9
Turnout			1,748 (est)	84.9 (est)	−2.5
Registered electors			2,059
	Liberal hold		Swing	+0.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.2

By-election, 28 Apr 1871: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Lloyd Wharton	814	51.2	+19.9
	Liberal	Thomas Charles Thompson	776	48.8	−19.9
Majority			38	2.4	N/A
Turnout			1,590	81.7	−5.7
Registered electors			1,946
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+19.9

• Caused by Davison's death.

By-election, 14 Jan 1871: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Robert Davison	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Davison's appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces.

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Henderson	823	35.2	N/A
	Liberal	John Robert Davison	784	33.5	N/A
	Conservative	John Lloyd Wharton	732	31.3	N/A
Turnout			1,536 (est)	87.4 (est)	N/A
Majority			89	3.9	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing
Majority			52	2.2	N/A
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing

By-election, 11 July 1866: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Mowbray	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Mowbray's appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces

General election 1865: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Henderson	Unopposed
	Conservative	John Mowbray	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,056
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

By-election, 9 February 1864: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Henderson	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Atherton's death.

By-election, 8 July 1861: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Atherton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Atherton's appointment as Attorney General for England and Wales.

By-election, 9 January 1860: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Atherton	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Atherton's appointment as Solicitor General for England and Wales.

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Atherton	Unopposed
	Conservative	John Mowbray	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,147
	Liberal hold
	Conservative hold

By-election, 17 March 1858: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Mowbray	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Mowbray's appointment as Judge Advocate General of the Armed Forces.

General election 1857: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	William Atherton	Unopposed
	Conservative	John Mowbray	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,184
	Radical hold
	Conservative gain from Radical

By-election, 25 June 1853: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Mowbray	529	54.4	+22.5
	Whig	Charles Eurwicke Douglas[60][61]	444	45.6	−22.6
Majority			85	8.8	N/A
Turnout			973	88.9	−1.5
Registered electors			1,094
Void election result			Swing	+22.6

• Caused by the earlier by-election being declared void on petition due to bribery.^[62]

By-election, 3 December 1852: Durham (1 seat)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Adolphus Vane-Tempest	545	52.4	+20.5
	Whig	Henry Fenwick[63][64][65]	496	47.6	−20.6
Majority			49	4.8	N/A
Turnout			1,041	95.2	+4.8
Registered electors			1,094
	Conservative gain from Radical		Swing	+20.6

• Caused by Granger's death.

General election 1852: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Thomas Colpitts Granger	571	36.0	−2.0
	Radical	William Atherton	510	32.2	−1.0
	Conservative	Adolphus Vane-Tempest	506	31.9	+3.1
Majority			4	0.3	N/A
Turnout			1,047 (est)	90.4 (est)	+3.7
Registered electors			1,157
	Radical hold		Swing	−1.8
	Radical gain from Whig		Swing	−1.3

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1847: Durham (2 seats)^[58]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Radical	Thomas Colpitts Granger	595	38.0
	Whig	Henry John Spearman	519	33.2
	Conservative	David Edward Wood[66]	450	28.8
Turnout			1,007 (est)	86.7 (est)
Majority			76	4.8
	Radical hold
Majority			69	4.4
	Whig gain from Conservative

By-election, 26 July 1843: Durham^[58][16][67]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Radical	John Bright	488	54.3
	Conservative	Thomas Purvis	410	45.7
Majority			78	8.6
Turnout			898	81.2
	Radical gain from Conservative

• Caused by the by-election being declared void on petition due to bribery by Hill-Trevor's agents.^[68]

By-election, 5 April 1843: Durham^[58][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Arthur Hill-Trevor	507	55.6
	Radical	John Bright	405	44.4
Majority			102	11.2
Turnout			912	82.5
	Conservative hold

• Caused by FitzRoy's appointment as Governor of New Zealand

General election 1841: Durham (2 seats)^[58][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Robert FitzRoy	Unopposed
	Radical	Thomas Colpitts Granger	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,022
	Conservative hold
	Radical gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Durham (2 seats)^[58][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Hill-Trevor	465	38.5	+0.8
	Whig	William Charles Harland	373	30.9	−3.6
	Radical	Thomas Colpitts Granger	371	30.7	+2.8
Turnout			857	90.3	−2.6
Registered electors			949
Majority			92	7.6	+4.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.2
Majority			2	0.2	−6.4
	Whig hold		Swing	−2.2

General election 1835: Durham (2 seats)^[58][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Hill-Trevor	473	37.7	+6.5
	Whig	William Charles Harland	433	34.5	−34.3
	Radical	Thomas Colpitts Granger	350	27.9	N/A
Turnout			829	92.9	−2.4
Registered electors			892
Majority			40	3.2	N/A
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+20.4
Majority			83	6.6	+4.9
	Whig hold		Swing	−20.4

General election 1832: Durham (2 seats)^[58][16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Charles Harland	440	35.9
	Whig	William Chaytor	404	32.9
	Tory	Arthur Hill-Trevor	383	31.2
Majority			21	1.7
Turnout			768	95.3
Registered electors			806
	Whig win (new boundaries)
	Whig win (new boundaries)

General election 1831: Durham (2 seats)^[16][69]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Chaytor	Unopposed
	Tory	Arthur Hill-Trevor	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 1,200
	Whig hold
	Tory hold

By-election, 23 March 1831: Durham^[16][69]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Chaytor	495	51.1	+13.9
	Tory	Arthur Hill-Trevor	470	48.6	+15.5
	Whig	John Clervaux Chaytor	3	0.3	−29.4
Majority			25	2.5	N/A
Turnout			968	c. 80.7
Registered electors			c. 1,200
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	−0.8

• Caused by Gresley being unseated on petition.

General election 1830: Durham (2 seats)^[16][69]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Michael Angelo Taylor	546	37.2
	Tory	Roger Gresley	486	33.1
	Whig	William Chaytor, Senior	436	29.7
Turnout			988
Registered electors
Majority			60	4.1
	Whig hold
Majority			50	3.4
	Tory hold

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in County Durham
• History of parliamentary constituencies and boundaries in Durham

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. In the 2001 Census 14.5% of those aged 16–74 were further education students and 2.4% were students aged 16 or 17 such as at a sixth form or college.
4. Supported by the local Liberal association
5. Monck changed his surname to Middleton in 1876