# Esher (UK Parliament constituency)

Esher was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In the general elections during its 47-year lifetime it was won by three Conservatives successively. In area it shrank in 1974, then regrew in 1983 taking in four sparsely inhabited wards which proved to be temporary, as omitted from the successor seat, Esher and Walton.

## Boundaries

1950–1974: Urban Districts of Esher, and Walton and Weybridge.
1974–1983: The Urban District of Esher.
Walton, Hersham, Weybridge and Oatlands were transferred to the new Chertsey and Walton seat.
1983–1997:
* The Borough of Guildford wards: Clandon and Horsley, Effingham, Lovelace (included Ockham), and Send (for this period temporarily taken from the Mole Valley seat); and
* Borough of Elmbridge wards: Claygate, Cobham and Downside, Cobham Fairmile, Esher, Hinchley Wood, Long Ditton, Molesey East, Molesey North, Molesey South, Oxshott and Stoke D'Abernon, Thames Ditton, and Weston Green (its whole area except for Walton, Hersham, Weybridge and Oatlands). These 13 wards were equivalent to Esher Urban District.

## Neighbours

Neighbours with borders of more than 2 miles (3.2 km) were:
* Dorking
* Guildford
* Chertsey
* Surbiton
or their variations including:
* Chertsey and Walton
* Mole Valley
* Kingston and Surbiton

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Other terms served as MP |
| 1950 | William Robson-Brown | Conservative | None |
| 1970 | Carol Mather | Conservative | None |
| 1987 | Ian Taylor | Conservative | 1997-2010 for Esher and Walton |
| 1997 | constituency abolished: see Esher and Walton | constituency abolished: see Esher and Walton | constituency abolished: see Esher and Walton |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 33,094 | 60.73 | |
| | Labour | Ethel Chipchase | 15,514 | 28.56 | |
| | Liberal | Heather Harvey | 5,704 | 10.50 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,580 | 32.37 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,312 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1951: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 33,755 | 62.86 |
| | Labour | Percy C McNally | 15,334 | 28.55 |
| | Liberal | Heather Harvey | 4,612 | 8.59 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,421 | 34.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,701 | 83.41 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 33,774 | 63.66 |
| | Labour | Frederick A Messer | 13,132 | 24.75 |
| | Liberal | Gerald Edward Owen | 6,146 | 11.58 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,642 | 38.91 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,052 | 79.27 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 37,155 | 63.17 |
| | Labour | Paul Evelyn Vanson | 12,934 | 21.99 |
| | Liberal | Gerald Edward Owen | 8,730 | 14.84 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24,221 | 41.18 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,819 | 81.49 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 33,226 | 56.19 |
| | Labour | Paul Evelyn Vanson | 13,644 | 23.07 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Robert Cawley | 12,259 | 20.73 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,582 | 33.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,129 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1966: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | William Robson Brown | 32,649 | 55.35 |
| | Labour | Cyril Rofe | 15,023 | 25.47 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Robert Cawley | 11,310 | 19.18 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,626 | 29.88 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,982 | 78.03 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Carol Mather | 37,727 | 61.83 |
| | Labour | Richard S. Scorer | 14,449 | 23.68 |
| | Liberal | George Kahan | 8,845 | 14.50 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,278 | 38.15 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,021 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Carol Mather | 21,775 | 61.83 |
| | Liberal | C Byers | 11,060 | 28.50 |
| | Labour | GA Barnham | 5,970 | 15.38 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,715 | 27.33 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,805 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Carol Mather | 19,741 | 55.84 |
| | Liberal | Charles Welchman | 8,881 | 25.12 |
| | Labour | A Hudson | 6,729 | 19.03 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,860 | 30.72 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,351 | 74.31 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Carol Mather | 24,152 | 65.10 |
| | Liberal | Charles Welchman | 7,311 | 19.71 |
| | Labour | Richard S. Scorer | 5,634 | 15.19 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,841 | 45.39 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,097 | 77.51 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Carol Mather | 28,577 | 63.3 |
| | Liberal | Colin Wheatley | 12,665 | 28.0 |
| | Labour | Daphne Plaskow | 3,250 | 7.2 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | W Wellie | 664 | 1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,912 | 35.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,156 | 73.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1987: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Taylor | 31,334 | 65.5 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal | Anthony Barnett | 12,266 | 25.7 | −2.3 |
| | Labour | Norman Lucas | 4,197 | 8.8 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,068 | 39.8 | +4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,797 | 76.9 | +3.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.3 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Esher :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ian Taylor | 31,115 | 65.4 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John Richling | 10,744 | 22.6 | −3.1 |
| | Labour | Julie Reay | 5,685 | 12.0 | +3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,371 | 42.8 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,544 | 80.8 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.5 | |