# 1885 Manchester City Council election

Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Monday, 2 November 1885. One third of the councillors seats were up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a three-year term of office. Owing to the extension of the city's boundaries, three new wards (Bradford, Harpurhey, and Rusholme) elected all of their councillors for the first time.
The Liberal Party retained overall control of the council.

## Election result

| Party | Votes | Seats | Seats | Seats | Full Council | Full Council |
| Liberal Party | 12,313 (46.9%) | 13 (52.0%) | 13 / 25 | 2 | 42 (55.3%) | 42 / 76 |
| Conservative Party | 13,199 (50.3%) | 12 (48.0%) | 12 / 25 | 7 | 34 (44.7%) | 34 / 76 |
| Independent Liberal | 749 (2.9%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 / 25 | | 0 (0.0%) | 0 / 76 |

### Full council

| 42 | 34 |

### Aldermen

| 14 | 5 |

### Councillors

| 28 | 29 |

## Ward results
### All Saints'

All Saints' :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. Roberts* | uncontested | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Ardwick

Ardwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. Hinchliffe* | uncontested | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Bradford

Bradford (3 vacancies) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | E. Williams | 1,538 | 65.4 | |
| | Conservative | J. Tunstall | 1,502 | 63.8 | |
| | Liberal | J. Hutt | 1,196 | 50.8 | |
| | Liberal | C. Cooper | 1,082 | 46.0 | |
| | Liberal | J. Maudsley | 991 | 42.1 | |
| | Independent Liberal | R. W. Bird | 749 | 31.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 114 | 4.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,353 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

### Cheetham

Cheetham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | W. Holt* | 1,278 | 53.3 |
| | Conservative | S. P. Bidder | 1,119 | 46.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 159 | 6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,397 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | |

### Collegiate Church

Collegiate Church :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. Brooks* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Exchange

Exchange :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | H. Rawson* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Harpurhey

Harpurhey (3 vacancies) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | G. Needham | 2,052 | 60.9 | |
| | Liberal | W. Sharratt | 1,855 | 55.0 | |
| | Conservative | J. Richards | 1,755 | 52.1 | |
| | Conservative | A. Wilkinson | 1,601 | 47.5 | |
| | Liberal | J. R. Lancashire | 1,507 | 44.7 | |
| | Liberal | T. W. Foxcroft | 1,343 | 39.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 154 | 4.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,371 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### Medlock Street

Medlock Street :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. Evans* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### New Cross

New Cross (2 vacancies) :
| Party | Candidate | Votes |
| Conservative | J. Grantham* | uncontested |
| Liberal | H. C. Pingstone | uncontested |
| Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
| Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing |

### Oxford

Oxford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | G. Clay* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### Rusholme

Rusholme (3 vacancies) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | F. E. Estcourt | 678 | 69.8 | |
| | Liberal | W. T. Gunson | 491 | 50.5 | |
| | Conservative | J. Ramsay | 441 | 45.4 | |
| | Conservative | S. Royle | 438 | 45.1 | |
| | Liberal | S. Jewsbury | 382 | 39.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 0.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 972 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |

### St. Ann's

St. Ann's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. Mark* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### St. Clement's

St. Clement's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | J. H. Andrews | 798 | 52.0 |
| | Liberal | T. A. Bazley* | 737 | 48.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 61 | 4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,535 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | |

### St. George's

St. George's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. Lovatt Reade* | uncontested | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St. James'

St. James' :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | A. Murray* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### St. John's

St. John's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | G. Kenworthy* | uncontested | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### St. Luke's

St. Luke's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. Hoy* | uncontested | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |

### St. Michael's

St. Michael's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | W. Brown* | 1,451 | 53.2 |
| | Conservative | R. Walker | 1,277 | 46.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 174 | 6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,728 | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | |

## Aldermanic elections
### Aldermanic elections, 9 November 1885

Caused by the creation of Bradford, Harpurhey, and Rusholme wards on 1 November 1885, requiring the election of three aldermen by the council.
Councillors William Griffin (Conservative, Collegiate Church, elected 1 November 1871), Hugo Shaw (Conservative, New Cross, elected 1 November 1871), and William Brown (Liberal, St. Michael's, elected 1 November 1870) were elected as aldermen by the council on 9 November 1885.
| Party | Alderman | Ward |
| Conservative | William Griffin | Harpurhey |
| Conservative | Hugo Shaw | Bradford |
| Liberal | William Brown | |