# South Molton (UK Parliament constituency)

South Molton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the small town of South Molton in Devon, in the South West of England. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The constituency was created for the 1885 general election, and abolished for the 1950 general election, when it was largely replaced by Torrington.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of South Molton, and the Sessional Divisions of Crediton, Great Torrington, and South Molton.
1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Great Torrington, Okehampton, and South Molton, the Urban District of Crediton, and the Rural Districts of Crediton, Okehampton, South Molton, and Torrington.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Newton Wallop | Liberal |
| 1886 | Newton Wallop | Liberal Unionist |
| 1891 | George Lambert | Liberal |
| 1924 | Cedric Drewe | Unionist |
| 1929 | George Lambert | Liberal |
| 1931 | George Lambert | Liberal National |
| 1945 | George Lambert jnr. | National Liberal |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Newton Wallop | 4,925 | 62.7 | |
| | Conservative | Walter Rodolph Trefusis | 2,924 | 37.3 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,001 | 25.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,849 | 84.0 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,343 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Newton Wallop | 4,041 | 63.2 | +25.9 |
| | Liberal | William Heap Walker | 2,352 | 36.8 | −25.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,689 | 26.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,393 | 68.4 | −15.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,343 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.9 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

Viscount Lymington was elevated to the peerage, becoming Earl of Portsmouth, causing a by-election.
By-election, 13 Nov 1891: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 4,222 | 58.4 | +21.6 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles William Buller | 3,010 | 41.6 | −21.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,212 | 16.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,232 | 83.0 | +14.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,712 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +21.6 | |
General election 1892: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 4,278 | 59.3 | +22.5 |
| | Conservative | Richard Moore-Stevens | 2,939 | 40.7 | −22.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,339 | 18.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,217 | 82.6 | +14.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,737 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +22.5 | |
General election 1895: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 4,283 | 59.4 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal Unionist | James J. Long | 2,923 | 40.6 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,360 | 18.8 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,206 | 83.2 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,662 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.1 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election January 1900: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election January 1906: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 4,419 | 56.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Perowne | 3,398 | 43.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,021 | 13.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,817 | 89.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,700 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election December 1910: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 4,224 | 56.8 | +0.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist | John Perowne | 3,217 | 43.2 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,007 | 13.6 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,441 | 85.5 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,700 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.3 | |
General Election 1914–15: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1914 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: George Lambert,
* Conservative:
General election 1918: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 10,424 | 56.3 | −0.5 |
| C | Unionist | Herbert Sparkes | 8,093 | 43.7 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,331 | 12.6 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,517 | 65.8 | −19.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.5 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1923: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1924:South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Cedric Drewe | 12,811 | 51.3 | New |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 12,157 | 48.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 654 | 2.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,968 | 85.3 | N/A |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1929: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Lambert | 15,072 | 48.1 | −0.6 |
| | Unionist | Cedric Drewe | 13,567 | 43.2 | −8.1 |
| | Labour | Rudolph Putnam Messel | 2,731 | 8.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,505 | 4.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,370 | 87.4 | +2.1 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | George Lambert | 25,700 | 88.0 | +39.9 |
| | Labour | Rudolph Putnam Messel | 3,499 | 12.0 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,201 | 76.0 | +71.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,199 | 81.0 | −6.4 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | George Lambert | 20,767 | 78.7 | −9.3 |
| | Labour | H F Chilcott | 5,610 | 21.3 | +9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,157 | 57.4 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,377 | 72.9 | −8.1 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal National: George Lambert
General election 1945: South Molton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | George Lambert | 19,065 | 67.6 | −11.1 |
| | Labour | C Lang | 9,140 | 32.4 | +11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,925 | 35.2 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,205 | 71.9 | −1.0 |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |