# Boston (UK Parliament constituency)

Boston was a parliamentary borough in Lincolnshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1547 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the constituency was abolished.

## History

Boston first elected Members of Parliament in 1352–1353, but after that the right lapsed and was not revived again until the reign of Edward VI. The borough consisted of most of the town of Boston, a port and market town on the River Witham which had overgrown its original boundaries as the river had been cleared of silt and its trade developed. In 1831, the population of the borough was 11,240, contained 2,631 houses.
The right to vote belonged to the Mayor, aldermen, members of the common council and all resident freemen of the borough who paid scot and lot. This gave Boston a relatively substantial electorate for the period, 927 votes being cast in 1826 and 565 in 1831. The freedom was generally obtained either by birth (being the son of an existing freemen) or servitude (completing an apprenticeship in the town), but could also be conferred as an honorary status, and Boston charged a consistently escalating sum to its Parliamentary candidates who wanted to be admitted as freemen - set at £20 in 1700, it was raised to £50 in 1719, to £100 in 1790 and to £135 in 1800.
Major local landowners had some influence over election outcomes through deference of the voters - the Duke of Ancaster, for example, was generally allowed to choose one of the members up to the end of the 18th century - but in the last few years before the Reform Act at least one of the two members seems consistently to have been the free choice of the people of the town. However, bribery was rife in some of the early 19th-century elections, and the election of Thomas Fydell in 1802 was overturned when it was discovered that not only had he been paying electors five guineas for a vote, but that many of these were not qualified to vote anyway. (They were freemen not resident in the borough, whose names had been fraudulently entered as paying the poor rate at houses where they did not live, so as to appear eligible.)
Boston retained both its MPs under the Reform Act, but its boundaries were extended slightly, taking in more of the town and part of the neighbouring parish of Skirbeck. This increased the population of the borough to 12,818, although only 869 of these were eligible to vote in the first election after Reform; this had grown to just over 1,000 by the time of the Second Reform Act, when the widening of the franchise more than doubled it, over 2,500 electors being registered for the 1868 general election which followed. But by the 1870s, electoral corruption had again become a problem in Boston. The result of the 1874 election was overturned for bribery, and a Royal Commission set up to investigate; when the next general election, in 1880, had to be declared void for the same reasons, Boston's representation was suspended for the remainder of the Parliament.
Boston had its right to vote restored for the 1885 election, but the boundary changes which came into effect at the same time slightly reduced the size of the borough and allowed it only one MP. The constituency at this period was mainly middle-class but non-conformists had a strong presence, enabling the Liberals to be competitive where they might otherwise have struggled. The deciding factor which may have tilted the constituency towards the Conservatives in its final years may have been the benefit that the local fisherman saw in Tariff Reform.
The borough was abolished with effect from the general election of 1918, Boston being included in the new Holland with Boston county division.

## Boundaries

1832-1885: The old borough of Boston, the parish of Skirbeck, and the hamlet of Skirbeck Quarter, including the Fen Allotment of the hamlet of Skirbeck Quarter, but not the Fen Allotment of the parish of Skirbeck.
1885-1918: The existing parliamentary borough, excluding two detached parts situate to the north of the borough, one in East Fen and one in West Fen, and also excluding a part situate on the north side of the borough in the parishes of Sibsey and Frithville.

## Members of Parliament
### 1547-1640

| Year | First member | Second member |
| 1547 | John Wendon | William Naunton |
| 1553 (Mar) | Leonard Irby | George Foster |
| 1553 (Oct) | Francis Allen | George Foster |
| 1554 (Apr) | Leonard Irby | George Foster |
| 1554 (Nov) | Leonard Irby | George Foster |
| 1555 | Leonard Irby | George Foster |
| 1558 | Leonard Irby | George Foster |
| 1559 (Jan) | Robert Carr | Leonard Irby |
| 1562–3 | Thomas Heneage, sat for Lincolnshire, replaced Jan 1563 by John Tamworth | Leonard Irby |
| 1571 | Christopher Hatton, sat for Higham Ferrers, replaced 1571 by Thomas Lyfield | Leonard Irby |
| 1572 | Stephen Thymbleby | William Dodington |
| 1584 (Nov) | Nicholas Gorges | Vincent Skinner |
| 1586 (Oct) | Vincent Skinner | Richard Stevenson |
| 1588–9 | Vincent Skinner | Anthony Irby |
| 1593 | Anthony Irby | Richard Stevenson |
| 1597 (Sep) | Anthony Irby | Richard Stevenson |
| 1601 (Oct) | Anthony Irby | Henry Capell |
| 1604 | Anthony Irby | Francis Bullingham |
| 1614 | Anthony Irby | Leonard Bawtree |
| 1621 | Anthony Irby | Sir Thomas Cheek, sat for Harwich replaced by Sir William Airmine |
| 1624 | William Boswell | Sir Clement Cotterell, sat for Grantham replaced by Sir William Airmine |
| 1625 | Sir Edward Barkham | William Boswell |
| 1626 | Sir Edward Barkham | Richard Oakley |
| 1628 | Richard Bellingham | Richard Oakley, unseated after petition replaced by Anthony Irby |
| 1629–1640 | No Parliaments summoned | No Parliaments summoned |
Back to Members of Parliament

### 1640-1880

| Year | | First member | First party | | Second member | Second party |
| April 1640 | | William Ellis | Parliamentarian | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| November 1640 | | William Ellis | Parliamentarian | | Sir Anthony Irby | Parliamentarian |
| December 1648 | | William Ellis | Parliamentarian | Irby excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant | Irby excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant | Irby excluded in Pride's Purge - seat vacant |
| 1653 | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament | Boston was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament |
| 1654 | | William Ellis | | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| 1656 | | Sir Anthony Irby | | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate | Boston had only one seat in the First and Second Parliaments of the Protectorate |
| January 1659 | | Sir Anthony Irby | | | Francis Mussenden | |
| May 1659 | | William Ellis | | One seat vacant in restored Rump | One seat vacant in restored Rump | One seat vacant in restored Rump |
| February 1660 | | William Ellis | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| April 1660 | | Thomas Hatcher | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| 1661 | | Lord Willoughby de Eresby | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| 1666 | | Sir Philip Harcourt | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| February 1679 | | Sir William Ellis | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| May 1679 | | Sir William Yorke | | | Sir Anthony Irby | |
| 1685 | | Lord Willoughby de Eresby | | | Peregrine Bertie | |
| 1689 | | Lord Willoughby de Eresby | | | Sir William Yorke | |
| 1690 | | Peregrine Bertie | | | Sir William Yorke | |
| 1698 | | Richard Wynn | | | Edmund Boulter | |
| January 1701 | | Sir William Yorke | | | Edmund Boulter | |
| December 1701 | | Sir William Yorke | | | Peregrine Bertie | |
| 1702 | | Sir Edward Irby | | | Peregrine Bertie | |
| 1705 | | Sir Edward Irby | | | Richard Wynn | |
| 1708 | | Peregrine Bertie | | | Richard Wynn | |
| 1711 | | William Cotesworth | | | Richard Wynn | |
| 1713 | | Henry Heron | | | Richard Wynn | |
| 1719 | | Henry Heron | | | Richard Ellys | |
| 1722 | | Henry Pacey | | | Richard Ellys | |
| 1730 | | The Lord Coleraine | | | Richard Ellys | |
| 1734 | | Albemarle Bertie | | | Richard Fydell | |
| 1741 | | Lord Vere Bertie | | | John Michell | |
| 1754 | | Lord Robert Bertie | | | Charles Amcotts | |
| 1761 | | Lord Robert Bertie | | | John Michell | |
| 1766 | | Lord Robert Bertie | | | Charles Amcotts | |
| 1777 | | Lord Robert Bertie | | | Humphrey Sibthorp | |
| 1782 | | Sir Peter Burrell | | | Humphrey Sibthorp | |
| 1784 | | Sir Peter Burrell | | | Dalhousie Watherston | |
| 1790 | | Sir Peter Burrell | | | Thomas Fydell I | Tory |
| 1796 | | Thomas Colyear | Whig | | Thomas Fydell I | Tory |
| 1802 | | William Madocks | Whig | | Thomas Fydell I | Tory |
| 1803 | | William Madocks | Whig | | Thomas Fydell II | Tory |
| 1806 | | William Madocks | Whig | | Thomas Fydell I | Tory |
| 1812 | | William Madocks | Whig | | Peter Drummond-Burrell | Whig |
| 1820 | | Gilbert Heathcote | Whig | | Henry Ellis | Tory |
| 1821 | | Gilbert Heathcote | Whig | | William Augustus Johnson | Whig |
| 1826 | | Gilbert Heathcote | Whig | | Neil Malcolm | Tory |
| 1830 | | John Wilks | Radical | | Neil Malcolm | Tory |
| 1831 | | John Wilks | Radical | | Gilbert Heathcote | Whig |
| 1832 | | John Wilks | Radical | | Benjamin Handley | Whig |
| 1835 | | John Wilks | Radical | | John Studholme Brownrigg | Conservative |
| 1837 | | Sir James Duke | Whig | | John Studholme Brownrigg | Conservative |
| 1847 | | Sir James Duke | Whig | | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | Conservative |
| 1849 | | Hon. Dudley Pelham | Whig | | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | Conservative |
| 1851 | | James William Freshfield | Conservative | | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | Conservative |
| 1852 | | Gilbert Heathcote | Whig | | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | Conservative |
| 1856 | | Herbert Ingram | Radical | | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | Conservative |
| 1857 | | Herbert Ingram | Radical | | William Henry Adams | Peelite |
| 1859 | | Herbert Ingram | Liberal | | Meaburn Staniland | Liberal |
| 1860 | | John Malcolm | Conservative | | Meaburn Staniland | Liberal |
| 1865 | | John Malcolm | Conservative | | Thomas Parry | Liberal |
| 1866 | | John Malcolm | Conservative | | Meaburn Staniland | Liberal |
| 1867 | | John Malcolm | Conservative | | Thomas Parry | Liberal |
| 1868 | | John Malcolm | Conservative | | Thomas Collins | Conservative |
| 1874 | | William Ingram | Liberal | | Thomas Parry | Liberal |
| 1874 | | William Ingram | Liberal | | John Malcolm | Conservative |
| 1878 | | William Ingram | Liberal | | Thomas Garfit | Conservative |
| 1880 | Representation suspended | Representation suspended | Representation suspended | Representation suspended | Representation suspended | Representation suspended |
Back to Members of Parliament

### 1885-1918

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | 1885 | Representation restored and reduced to one Member | Representation restored and reduced to one Member |
| | 1885 | William Ingram | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Henry Farmer-Atkinson | Conservative |
| | 1892 | Sir William Ingram | Liberal |
| | 1895 | William Garfit | Conservative |
| | 1906 | George Faber | Liberal |
| | Jan. 1910 | Charles Harvey Dixon | Conservative |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |
Back to Members of Parliament

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Neil Malcolm | 337 | 41.2 | |
| | Radical | John Wilks | 294 | 36.0 | |
| | Whig | Charles Keightley Tunnard | 186 | 22.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 503 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 43 | 5.2 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 108 | 13.2 | N/A |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Swing | | |
General election 1831: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Gilbert Heathcote | 265 | 46.9 | +24.1 |
| | Radical | John Wilks | 249 | 44.1 | +8.1 |
| | Tory | Neil Malcolm | 51 | 9.0 | −32.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 354 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 214 | 37.9 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +20.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 198 | 35.1 | +21.9 |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | +12.1 | |
General election 1832: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | John Wilks | 509 | 39.3 | −4.8 |
| | Whig | Benjamin Handley | 433 | 33.4 | −13.5 |
| | Tory | John Studholme Brownrigg | 353 | 27.3 | +18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 788 | 90.7 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 869 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 76 | 5.9 | −29.2 |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −7.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 80 | 6.1 | −31.8 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −11.3 | |
General election 1835: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Studholme Brownrigg | 532 | 44.0 | +16.7 |
| | Radical | John Wilks | 356 | 29.4 | −9.9 |
| | Whig | Benjamin Handley | 321 | 26.6 | −6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 813 | 86.7 | −4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 938 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 211 | 17.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +10.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35 | 2.8 | −3.1 |
| | Radical hold | Radical hold | Swing | −3.3 | |
General election 1837: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Studholme Brownrigg | 459 | 32.6 | +10.6 |
| | Whig | James Duke | 442 | 31.4 | +18.1 |
| | Whig | Benjamin Handley | 350 | 24.9 | +11.6 |
| | Conservative | William Rickford Collett | 156 | 11.1 | −10.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 839 | 87.9 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 955 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 109 | 7.7 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 286 | 20.3 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Radical | Whig gain from Radical | Swing | +9.1 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Studholme Brownrigg | 527 | 34.9 | +2.3 |
| | Whig | James Duke | 515 | 34.2 | −22.1 |
| | Conservative | Charles Alexander Wood | 466 | 30.9 | +19.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 920 | 80.3 | −7.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,146 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 0.7 | −7.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 49 | 3.3 | −17.0 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −22.1 | |
General election 1847: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | James Duke | 590 | 42.3 | +8.1 |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | 466 | 33.4 | −32.4 |
| | Radical | David William Wire | 339 | 24.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 698 (est) | 64.4 (est) | −15.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,083 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 124 | 8.9 | +5.6 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +12.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 127 | 9.1 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −18.2 | |
Duke resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds in order to contest a by-election at City of London.
By-election, 2 August 1849: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Dudley Pelham | 422 | 56.8 | +14.5 |
| | Radical | David William Wire | 321 | 43.2 | +18.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 101 | 13.6 | +4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 743 | 77.2 | +12.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 963 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −2.2 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1850s

Pelham's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 22 April 1851: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James William Freshfield | 368 | 59.5 | +26.1 |
| | Radical | David William Wire | 251 | 40.5 | +16.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 117 | 19.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 619 | 64.0 | −0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 967 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +5.0 | |
Wire retired from the contest.
General election 1852: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Gilbert Heathcote | 547 | 33.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Bond Cabbell | 490 | 29.9 | −3.5 |
| | Whig | John Alexander Hankey | 437 | 26.6 | N/A |
| | Whig | Thomson Hankey | 148 | 9.0 | N/A |
| | Peelite | William Henry Adams | 18 | 1.1 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 820 (est) | 83.1 (est) | +18.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 987 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 57 | 3.5 | −5.4 |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 53 | 3.3 | −5.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Heathcote resigned to contest the 1856 by-election at Rutland.
By-election, 7 March 1856: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Herbert Ingram | 521 | 63.8 | N/A |
| | Peelite | William Henry Adams | 296 | 36.2 | +35.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 225 | 27.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 817 | 81.5 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,003 | | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Swing | | |
General election 1857: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | Herbert Ingram | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Peelite | William Henry Adams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,057 | | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig |
| | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold |
Herbert's appointment as Recorder of Derby required a by-election.
By-election, 3 February 1859: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | William Henry Adams | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold | Peelite hold |
General election 1859: Boston (2 seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Herbert Ingram | 621 | 37.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Meaburn Staniland | 593 | 35.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Hardwick Hollway | 452 | 27.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 141 | 8.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 833 (est) | 77.3 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,078 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1860s

Ingram's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 30 Oct 1860: Boston (1 Seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Malcolm | 533 | 63.8 | +36.7 |
| | Liberal | George Parker Tuxford | 303 | 36.2 | −36.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 230 | 27.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 836 | 82.0 | +4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,019 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +36.7 | |
General election 1865: Boston (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Malcolm | 646 | 41.3 | +14.2 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Parry* | 465 | 29.7 | −7.6 |
| | Liberal | Meaburn Staniland | 453 | 29.0 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 181 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 782 (est) | 71.7 (est) | −5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,090 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.2 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −7.1 | |
* On petition, Parry's election was declared void on grounds of bribery and Staniland was duly elected in his place.
Staniland then resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 16 Mar 1867: Boston (1 Seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Parry | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1868: Boston (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Malcolm | 1,306 | 29.8 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Collins | 1,119 | 25.5 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | Meaburn Staniland | 1,029 | 23.5 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Mason Jones | 926 | 21.1 | −8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 90 | 2.0 | −9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,190 (est) | 86.7 (est) | +15.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,527 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.2 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Boston (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,572 | 37.1 | +13.6 |
| | Conservative | John Malcolm | 996 | 23.5 | −6.3 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Parry | 994* | 23.4 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Thomas Collins | 679 | 16.0 | −9.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,297 (est) | 86.6 (est) | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,651 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 576 | 13.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2 | 0.1 | −1.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −4.3 | |
* An election petition found extensive bribery relating to Parry's votes, which on the initial count totalled 1,347. However, 353 of these were struck off - and further may have been taken if the process had not stopped on 8 June 1874 - leading to Malcolm's election instead. A Royal Commission was established to investigate the borough. A separate petition against Ingram was dropped.
In 1878, Malcolm then resigned in order to contest a by-election in Argyllshire, leading to a by-election in Boston.
By-election, 12 Aug 1878: Boston (1 Seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Garfit | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Boston (2 Seats) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Garfit | 1,412 | 26.6 | +3.1 |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,367 | 25.7 | −11.4 |
| | Conservative | George Fydell Rowley | 1,350 | 25.4 | +9.4 |
| | Liberal | Sydney Buxton | 1,182 | 22.3 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,656 (est) | 85.8 (est) | −0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,094 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 45 | 0.9 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17 | 0.3 | −13.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −10.4 | |
Bribery convictions led to the Boston writ being suspended and the 1880 result being voided. The seat was again reconstituted in 1885, when it was reduced to one member.
General election 1885: Boston (1 seat) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,295 | 56.5 | +8.5 |
| | Conservative | Nehemiah Learoyd | 996 | 43.5 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 299 | 13.0 | +12.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,291 | 84.3 | −1.5 (est) |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,718 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
General election 1886: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Atkinson | 1,192 | 51.0 | +7.5 |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,144 | 49.0 | −7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 2.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,336 | 85.9 | +1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,718 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.5 | |
Back to elections

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,355 | 51.2 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby | 1,293 | 48.8 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 62 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,648 | 86.7 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,054 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.2 | |
General election 1895: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Garfit | 1,633 | 56.9 | +8.1 |
| | Liberal | William Ingram | 1,237 | 43.1 | −8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 396 | 13.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,870 | 87.0 | +0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,299 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.1 | |
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### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Garfit | 1,710 | 59.7 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal | William Turner Simonds | 1,155 | 40.3 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 555 | 19.4 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,865 | 83.1 | −3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,448 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |
General election 1906: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Faber | 1,801 | 51.5 | +11.2 |
| | Conservative | William Garfit | 1,694 | 48.5 | −11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 107 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,495 | 89.7 | +6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,896 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +11.2 | |
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### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Harvey Dixon | 1,975 | 53.5 | +5.0 |
| | Liberal | Henry Lunn | 1,715 | 46.5 | −5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 260 | 7.0 | 10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,690 | 91.4 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.0 | |
General election December 1910: Boston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Harvey Dixon | 1,875 | 52.3 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | Fitzroy Hemphill | 1,712 | 47.7 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 163 | 4.6 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,587 | 88.9 | −2.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.2 | |
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;
* Unionist: Charles Harvey Dixon
* Liberal: F. Stapleton Hiley
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