# Bishop Auckland (UK Parliament constituency)

Bishop Auckland is a constituency in County Durham that is represented in the House of Commons since 2024 by Sam Rushworth of the Labour Party.

## Constituency profile

The constituency is located in an upland, western part of County Durham in the North East of England.
The constituency includes as its major settlements the towns of Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Shildon, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Crook, Tow Law, Stanhope and Wolsingham, with their surrounding villages, dales and fields. The seat is named for the market town of Bishop Auckland which has a mixed modern and historic high street. It also includes the similarly sized Barnard Castle, together with large areas used for agriculture, particularly hill farming on the rolling landscape that cuts into the Pennines, with a substantial quantity of livestock. Most housing, many small towns and most facilities were built in the prosperous era of coal mining which brought thousands of workers to live in Bishop Auckland town and neighbouring settlements. Manufacturing, including food processing and packaging, public sector employment, retail and agriculture are the main employers.
Within the seat are Auckland Castle and Park, Lartington Hall, Witton Castle, Raby Castle, Binchester Roman Fort (Vinovia), The Bowes Museum, the Weardale Railway and enclosures and industrial workings on Cockfield Fell.

## History

From 1935 to 2017 inclusive, the seat's voters returned MPs from the Labour Party; the former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Dalton, was the MP for Bishop Auckland from 1929 to 1931, and after regaining the seat in 1935, remained an MP until 1959. The 2019 result returned a Conservative; the party's results had shown an increase from election to election from 2001 onwards, going from 20% of the vote in the previous 1997 election to a majority of votes at 53% in 2019. However, this was reversed in 2024 when the Conservative vote dropped back down to 25.6% and Labour regained the seat.

## Boundaries
### 1885–1918

* Part of the Sessional Division of Bishop Auckland.
The constituency was created for the 1885 general election by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of eight new single-member divisions of the county of Durham, replacing the two 2-member seats of North Durham and South Durham. See map on Vision of Britain website.

### 1918–1950

* The Urban Districts of Bishop Auckland and Shildon; and
* part of the Rural District of Auckland.
Gained parts of Barnard Castle, offset by losses to the new constituencies of Sedgefield and Spennymoor.

### 1950–1955

* The Urban Districts of Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, and Shildon; and
* the Rural District of Barnard Castle.
The urban and rural districts of Barnard Castle transferred from the abolished constituency thereof.

### 1955–1974

As above, except the part of the Middridge ward transferred to the Rural District of Darlington by the County of Durham (Parish of Great Aycliffe) Confirmation Order 1952 (Statutory Instrument 1953/741).

### 1974–1983

* The Urban Districts of Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, and Shildon; and
* the Rural Districts of Barnard Castle and Darlington.
Gained the rural district of Darlington (which contained the new town of Newton Aycliffe) from the abolished constituency of Sedgefield.

### 1983–1997

* The District of Wear Valley wards of Bishop Auckland Town, Cockton Hill, Coundon, Coundon Grange, Escomb, Henknowle, St Helen's, West Auckland, and Woodhouse Close;
* the District of Teesdale; and
* the District of Sedgefield wards of Byerley, Middridge, Neville, Shafto, Simpasture, Sunnydale, Thickley, West, and Woodham.
Rural areas around Darlington returned to the re-established Sedgefield constituency.

### 1997–2024

* The District of Wear Valley wards of Bishop Auckland Town, Cockton Hill, Coundon, Coundon Grange, Escomb, Henknowle, St Helen's, West Auckland, and Woodhouse Close;
* the District of Teesdale; and
* the District of Sedgefield wards of Byerley, Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, Middlestone, Spennymoor, Sunnydale, Thickley, and Tudhoe.
Gained Spennymoor from Sedgefield in exchange for Newton Aycliffe.
Following a review of parliamentary representation in County Durham in 2007, the Boundary Commission for England made no changes to the Bishop Auckland constituency. In the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, the local authority districts in Durham were abolished and replaced with a single unitary authority; however, this did not affect the boundaries of the constituency.

### 2024–present

Following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, from the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following electoral divisions of the County of Durham (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
* Barnard Castle East; Barnard Castle West; Bishop Auckland Town; Coundon; Crook; Evenwood; Shildon and Dene Valley; Tow Law; Weardale; West Auckland; Woodhouse Close.
The constituency experienced significant boundary changes with, Spennymoor and Tudhoe being transferred to the new constituency of Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, and Crook, Tow Law and Weardale being added from the abolished constituency of North West Durham.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | James Mellor Paulton | Liberal |
| Jan. 1910 | Sir Henry Havelock-Allan, Bt. | Liberal |
| 1918 | Ben Spoor | Labour |
| 1929 by-election | Ruth Dalton | Labour |
| 1929 | Hugh Dalton | Labour |
| 1931 | Aaron Curry | Liberal National |
| 1935 | Hugh Dalton | Labour |
| 1959 | James Boyden | Labour |
| 1979 | Derek Foster | Labour |
| 2005 | Helen Goodman | Labour |
| 2019 | Dehenna Davison | Conservative |
| 2024 | Sam Rushworth | Labour |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sam Rushworth | 17,036 | 42.1 | +5.5 |
| | Conservative | Jane MacBean | 10,364 | 25.6 | −27.4 |
| | Reform UK | Rhys Burris | 9,466 | 23.4 | +17.9 |
| | Green | Sarah Hannan | 1,857 | 4.6 | +4.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Helen Cross | 1,373 | 3.4 | −0.2 |
| | Transform | Rachel Maughan | 331 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,672 | 16.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,427 | 57.1 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Dehenna Davison | 24,067 | 53.7 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Helen Goodman | 16,105 | 35.9 | −12.2 |
| | Brexit Party | Nicholas Brown | 2,500 | 5.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ray Georgeson | 2,133 | 4.8 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,962 | 17.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,805 | 65.7 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.5 | |
General election 2017: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen Goodman | 20,808 | 48.1 | +6.7 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Adams | 20,306 | 46.9 | +14.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ciaran Morrissey | 1,176 | 2.7 | −1.7 |
| | BNP | Adam Walker | 991 | 2.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 502 | 1.2 | −7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,281 | 64.1 | +4.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.85 | |
General election 2015: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen Goodman | 16,307 | 41.4 | +2.4 |
| | Conservative | Christopher Adams | 12,799 | 32.5 | +6.2 |
| | UKIP | Rhys Burriss | 7,015 | 17.8 | +15.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen White | 1,723 | 4.4 | −18.0 |
| | Green | Thom Robinson | 1,545 | 3.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,508 | 8.9 | −3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,389 | 59.6 | −0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.9 | |
General election 2010: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen Goodman | 16,023 | 39.0 | −11.1 |
| | Conservative | Barbara Harrison | 10,805 | 26.3 | +3.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Wilkes | 9,189 | 22.3 | −1.3 |
| | BNP | Adam Walker | 2,036 | 4.9 | N/A |
| | Local Liberals People Before Politics | Sam Zair | 1,964 | 4.8 | N/A |
| | UKIP | Dave Brothers | 1,119 | 2.7 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,218 | 12.7 | −13.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,136 | 60.2 | +4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Helen Goodman | 19,065 | 50.0 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Foote Wood | 9,018 | 23.7 | +8.0 |
| | Conservative | Richard Bell | 8,736 | 22.9 | +0.2 |
| | UKIP | Margaret Hopson | 1,309 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,047 | 26.3 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,128 | 56.5 | −0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 2001: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 22,680 | 58.8 | −7.1 |
| | Conservative | Fiona P. McNish | 8,754 | 22.7 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chris Foote Wood | 6,073 | 15.7 | +6.4 |
| | Green | Carl D. Bennett | 1,052 | 2.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,926 | 36.1 | −9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,559 | 57.2 | −11.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.8 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 30,359 | 65.9 |
| | Conservative | Josephine H. Fergus | 9,295 | 20.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Les Ashworth | 4,293 | 9.3 |
| | Referendum | David Blacker | 2,104 | 4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,064 | 45.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,051 | 68.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1992: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 27,763 | 50.0 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | David R. Williamson | 17,676 | 31.8 | −3.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | William P. Wade | 10,099 | 18.2 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,087 | 18.2 | +5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,538 | 76.5 | +2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.5 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 25,648 | 48.0 | +3.6 |
| | Conservative | Robin Wight | 18,613 | 34.8 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | George Irwin | 9,195 | 17.2 | −2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,035 | 13.2 | +4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,456 | 74.1 | +2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.4 | |
General election 1983: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 22,750 | 44.4 |
| | Conservative | Barry Legg | 18,444 | 36.0 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Collinge | 10,070 | 19.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,306 | 8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,264 | 72.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Derek Foster | 27,200 | 48.8 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | Michael Irvine | 21,160 | 38.0 | +6.7 |
| | Liberal | J.D. Frise | 7,439 | 13.3 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,040 | 10.8 | −11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,799 | 74.7 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.4 | |
General election October 1974: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 27,181 | 52.8 | +4.7 |
| | Conservative | D.W. Etheridge | 16,086 | 31.3 | −2.8 |
| | Liberal | David Lytton Cobbold | 8,168 | 15.9 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,095 | 21.5 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,435 | 70.9 | −7.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.8 | |
General election February 1974: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 27,101 | 48.1 | −12.6 |
| | Conservative | D.W. Etheridge | 19,226 | 34.1 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal | J.D. Frise | 10,044 | 17.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,875 | 14.0 | −7.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,371 | 78.4 | +7.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.7 | |
General election 1970: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 21,257 | 60.7 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | Tom J. Wiseman | 13,769 | 39.3 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,488 | 21.4 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,026 | 71.0 | −2.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.1 | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 22,015 | 64.8 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Vivian Ropner | 11,936 | 35.2 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,079 | 29.6 | +6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,951 | 73.4 | −3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.0 | |
General election 1964: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 22,310 | 61.8 | +6.8 |
| | Conservative | Jeremy Vivian Ropner | 13,782 | 38.2 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,528 | 23.6 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,092 | 76.2 | −4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.3 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James Boyden | 21,706 | 55.0 | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | Neil W. Murray | 13,377 | 33.9 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal | Gurney Pease | 4,377 | 11.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,329 | 21.1 | +5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,460 | 80.8 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.9 | |
General election 1955: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 21,804 | 57.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Douglas M Youngson | 15,959 | 42.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,845 | 15.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,763 | 77.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 25,881 | 60.5 | +2.6 |
| | Conservative | Bruce Lionel Butcher | 16,895 | 39.5 | +7.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,986 | 21.0 | −5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,776 | 85.1 | −1.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −5.3 | |
General election 1950: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 25,039 | 57.9 |
| | Conservative | Antony Lambton | 13,669 | 31.6 |
| | Liberal | Louis William Malby | 4,527 | 10.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,370 | 26.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,235 | 86.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 20,100 | 64.1 | +1.8 |
| | National Liberal | William John Wilson Tily | 11,240 | 35.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,860 | 28.2 | +3.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,340 | 74.0 | −5.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 20,481 | 62.3 | +13.7 |
| | Liberal | Aaron Curry | 12,395 | 37.7 | −13.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,086 | 24.6 | +21.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,876 | 79.2 | −3.2 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1931: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Aaron Curry | 17,751 | 51.4 | N/A |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 16,796 | 48.6 | −7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 955 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,547 | 82.5 | +6.0 |
| | National Liberal gain from Labour | National Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Hugh Dalton | 17,838 | 55.8 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal | Aaron Curry | 9,635 | 30.1 | −14.8 |
| | Unionist | Herbert Thompson | 4,503 | 14.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,203 | 25.7 | +15.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,976 | 76.5 | −4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,772 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +7.8 | |
Bishop Auckland by-election, 1929 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ruth Dalton | 14,797 | 57.1 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal | Aaron Curry | 7,725 | 29.9 | −15.0 |
| | Unionist | Herbert Thompson | 3,357 | 13.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,072 | 27.2 | +17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,879 | 74.4 | −6.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,787 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
General election 1924: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Spoor | 15,786 | 55.1 | +3.9 |
| | Liberal | John Bainbridge | 12,868 | 44.9 | +19.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,918 | 10.2 | −15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,654 | 80.9 | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,438 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −7.7 | |
General election 1923: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Spoor | 13,328 | 51.2 | −2.5 |
| | Liberal | John Bainbridge | 6,686 | 25.7 | −20.6 |
| | Unionist | Robert Gee | 6,024 | 23.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,642 | 25.5 | +18.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,038 | 75.5 | +0.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,487 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +9.1 | |
General election 1922: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ben Spoor | 13,946 | 53.7 | +3.1 |
| | National Liberal | Egbert Atherley-Jones | 12,019 | 46.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,927 | 7.4 | −5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,965 | 74.8 | +14.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,730 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Ben Spoor | 10,060 | 50.6 |
| C | National Liberal | Godfrey Vick | 7,417 | 37.3 |
| | Liberal | Vickerman Rutherford | 2,411 | 12.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,643 | 13.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,888 | 60.8 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
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 and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: Vickerman Rutherford
* Unionist: Richard George Tyndall Bright
* Labour: Ben Spoor
General election December 1910: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Havelock-Allan | 4,531 | 37.6 | −4.5 |
| | Labour | William House | 3,993 | 33.2 | +5.3 |
| | Conservative | Gervase Edward Markham | 3,519 | 29.2 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 538 | 4.4 | −7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,043 | 82.8 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,552 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −4.9 | |
General election January 1910: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Havelock-Allan | 5,391 | 42.1 | −28.8 |
| | Conservative | Walter Chaytor | 3,841 | 30.0 | +0.9 |
| | Labour | William House | 3,579 | 27.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,550 | 12.1 | −29.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,811 | 88.0 | +6.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,552 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −14.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1906: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | 7,430 | 70.9 | +13.7 |
| | Conservative | Gervase Edward Markham | 3,056 | 29.1 | −13.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,374 | 41.8 | +27.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,486 | 82.0 | +6.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,790 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +13.7 | |
General election 1900: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | 4,872 | 57.2 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | William Hustler Hopkins | 3,641 | 42.8 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,231 | 14.4 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,513 | 75.1 | −4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,341 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.2 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | 5,032 | 57.4 | −11.5 |
| | Conservative | Gervase Edward Markham | 3,735 | 42.6 | +11.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,297 | 14.8 | −23.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,767 | 79.9 | +5.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,979 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -11.5 | |
General election 1892: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | 5,784 | 68.9 |
| | Conservative | Eli Waddington | 2,607 | 31.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,177 | 37.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,391 | 74.6 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1886: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1885: Bishop Auckland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Mellor Paulton | 5,907 | 72.2 | |
| | Conservative | Marmaduke D'Arcy Wyvill | 2,280 | 27.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,627 | 44.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,187 | 83.0 | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |