# Honiton (UK Parliament constituency)

Honiton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Honiton in east Devon, formerly represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It sent members intermittently from 1300, consistently from 1640. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) until it was abolished in 1868. It was recreated in 1885 as a single-member constituency.
For the 1997 general election, the town of Honiton was added to the neighbouring constituency of Tiverton to form the Tiverton & Honiton constituency. The remainder continued as the East Devon constituency.
Honiton was regarded as a potwalloper borough by the time of Thomas Cochrane. It was notorious for the bribes demanded by its electors, and was therefore a very expensive seat for a candidate to seek election in. The Yonge family of Colyton, patrons of the borough, were almost ruined by representing Honiton on several occasions. Sir William Pole, 4th Baronet (1678–1741) who had twice represented Honiton at great personal financial expense, made an "earnest request and recommendation" in his will that his son would "never stand as a candidate or if chosen will never be prevailed upon to represent or serve in Parliament for the borough of Honiton".

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Sessional Divisions of Axminster, Honiton, Ottery, and Woodbury.
1918–1974: The Borough of Honiton, the Urban Districts of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, and Sidmouth, the Rural Districts of Axminster and Honiton, and part of the Rural District of St Thomas.
1974–1983: The Borough of Honiton, the Urban Districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St Mary, Seaton, and Sidmouth, the Rural Districts of Axminster and Honiton, and part of the Rural District of St Thomas.
1983–1997: The District of East Devon wards of Axminster Hamlets, Axminster Town, Beer, Budleigh Salterton, Colyton, Edenvale, Exmouth Brixington, Exmouth Halsdon, Exmouth Littleham Rural, Exmouth Littleham Urban, Exmouth Withycombe Raleigh, Exmouth Withycombe Urban, Honiton St Michael's, Honiton St Paul's, Lympstone, Newbridges, Newton Poppleford and Harpford, Otterhead, Patteson, Raleigh, Seaton, Sidmouth Rural, Sidmouth Town, Sidmouth Woolbrook, Trinity, Upper Axe, Woodbury, and Yarty.

## Members of Parliament

Honiton re-enfranchised by Parliament in Nov 1640

### MPs 1640–1660

Long Parliament
* 1640–1643: William Poole (Royalist) - disabled to sit, June 1643
* 1640–1648: Walter Yonge (Parliamentarian) - not recorded as sitting after Pride's Purge, December 1648; died December 1649
* 1645(?)–1648: Charles Vaughan - excluded in Pride's Purge, December 1648
Honiton was unrepresented in the Barebones Parliament.
First Protectorate Parliament
* 1654: John Yonge
Second Protectorate Parliament
* 1656: Samuel Serle
Third Protectorate Parliament
* 1659: Walter Yonge (grandson of the Member from 1640 -1648)
* 1659: Samuel Serle
Long Parliament (restored)
* 1659–1660: Not represented

### MPs 1660–1868

| Election | | First member | !First party | | Second member | Second party |
| 1660 | | Sir John Yonge | | | Samuel Serle | |
| 1661 | | Sir Courtenay Pole | | | Peter Prideaux | |
| 1679 | | Sir Walter Yonge | | | Sir Thomas Putt | |
| 1685 | | Edmond Walrond | | | Sir Thomas Putt | |
| 1689 | | Edmond Walrond | | | Richard Courtenay | |
| 1690 | | Sir William Drake | | | Sir Walter Yonge | |
| 1711 | | Sir William Drake | | | James Sheppard | |
| 1715 | | Sir William Courtenay | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1716 | | Sir William Pole | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1727 | | James Sheppard | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1731 | | Sir William Pole | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1734 | | William Courtenay | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1741 | | Henry Reginald Courtenay | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1747 | | John Heath (later John Duke) | | | Sir William Yonge | Whig |
| 1754 | | Henry Reginald Courtenay | | | Sir George Yonge | |
| 1761 | | Henry Reginald Courtenay | | | John Duke | |
| 1763 | | Sir George Yonge | | | John Duke | |
| 1768 | | Sir George Yonge | | | Brass Crosby | |
| 1774 | | Sir George Yonge | | | Laurence Cox | |
| 1780 | | Sir George Yonge | | | Alexander Macleod | |
| 1781 | | Sir George Yonge | | | Jacob Wilkinson | |
| 1784 | | Sir George Yonge | | | Sir George Collier | |
| 1790 | | Sir George Yonge | | | George Templer | |
| 1796 | | George Chambers | | | George Shum | |
| 1802 | | Sir John Honywood | | | George Shum | |
| 1805 | | Sir John Honywood | | | Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw | Whig |
| 1806 (April) | | Richard Bateman-Robson | | | Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw | Whig |
| 1806 (October) | | Thomas Cochrane | Whig | | Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw | Whig |
| 1807 | | Sir Charles Hamilton | | | Augustus Cavendish-Bradshaw | Whig |
| 1812 | | Richard Howard-Vyse | | | George Robinson | |
| 1818 | | Hon. Peregrine Cust | Tory | | Samuel Crawley | Whig |
| 1826 | | Josiah John Guest | Whig | | Harry Baines Lott | |
| 1830 | | Josiah John Guest | Whig | | Sir George Warrender | Tory |
| 1831 | | Harry Baines Lott | | | Sir George Warrender | Tory |
| 1832 | | George Child-Villiers | Tory | | James Ruddell-Todd | Whig |
| 1834 | | George Child-Villiers | Conservative | | James Ruddell-Todd | Whig |
| 1835 | | Hugh Duncan Baillie | Conservative | | Arthur Chichester | Conservative |
| 1837 | | Hugh Duncan Baillie | Conservative | | James Stewart | Whig |
| 1841 | | Hugh Duncan Baillie | Conservative | | Forster Alleyne McGeachy | Conservative |
| 1847 | | Joseph Locke | Whig | | Sir James Hogg 1st Bt | Conservative |
| 1857 | | Joseph Locke | Whig | | Archibald Stuart-Wortley | Conservative |
| 1859 | | Joseph Locke | Liberal | | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | Conservative |
| 1860 | | George Moffatt | Liberal | | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | Conservative |
| 1865 | | Frederick Goldsmid | Liberal | | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | Conservative |
| 1866 | | Julian Goldsmid | Liberal | | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | Conservative |
| 1868 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 | Constituency abolished, but re-established in 1885 |

### MPs 1885–1997

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1885 | John Kennaway | Conservative |
| Jan 1910 | Clive Morrison-Bell | Conservative |
| 1931 | Cedric Drewe | Conservative |
| 1955 | Robert Mathew | Conservative | Died 1966 |
| 1967 by-election | Peter Emery | Conservative |
| 1997 | constituency abolished: see Tiverton and Honiton & Devon East | constituency abolished: see Tiverton and Honiton & Devon East |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Honiton :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Whig | John Josiah Guest | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Tory | George Warrender | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
| Tory gain from Nonpartisan | Tory gain from Nonpartisan | Tory gain from Nonpartisan | Tory gain from Nonpartisan |
General election 1831: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | George Warrender | 319 | 36.7 |
| | Nonpartisan | Harry Baines Lott | 283 | 32.6 |
| | Whig | John Josiah Guest | 259 | 29.8 |
| | Radical | John Thomas Mayne | 8 | 0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 492 | c. 96.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 510 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 36 | 4.1 |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 2.8 |
| | Nonpartisan gain from Whig | Nonpartisan gain from Whig | Nonpartisan gain from Whig | Nonpartisan gain from Whig |
General election 1832: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | George Child Villiers | 360 | 46.6 | +28.3 |
| | Whig | James Ruddell-Todd | 302 | 39.1 | +9.3 |
| | Tory | James Peel Cockburn | 110 | 14.2 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 492 | 96.3 | c. −0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 511 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 58 | 7.5 | +3.4 |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | +11.8 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 192 | 24.9 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Nonpartisan | Whig gain from Nonpartisan | Swing | −1.4 | |
General election 1835: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Duncan Baillie | 332 | 42.6 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Chichester | 226 | 29.0 | +14.8 |
| | Whig | James Ruddell-Todd | 221 | 28.4 | −10.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 0.6 | −6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 446 | 94.7 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 471 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +10.1 | |
General election 1837: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Duncan Baillie | 294 | 40.7 | −1.9 |
| | Whig | James Stewart | 225 | 31.2 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Grant | 203 | 28.1 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 435 | 94.6 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 460 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 69 | 9.5 | +8.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 3.1 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.8 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Duncan Baillie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Forster Alleyne McGeachy | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 440 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1847: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hogg | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Joseph Locke | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 446 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Joseph Locke | 166 | 37.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | James Hogg | 152 | 34.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Richard Gard | 123 | 27.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 3.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 221 (est) | 76.8 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 287 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1857: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Joseph Locke | 214 | 47.6 | +10.0 |
| | Conservative | Archibald Stuart-Wortley | 119 | 26.4 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | James Hogg | 117 | 26.0 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 95 | 21.2 | +18.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 225 (est) | 85.2 (est) | +8.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 264 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +10.0 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −6.8 | |
General election 1859: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Locke | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 287 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

Locke's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 22 October 1860: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Moffatt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1865: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick Goldsmid | 171 | 42.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alexander Baillie-Cochrane | 140 | 35.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Evan Matthew Richards | 88 | 22.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 200 (est) | 74.7 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 267 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 31 | 7.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 13.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Goldsmid's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 28 March 1866: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Julian Goldsmid | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
In 1868, the seat was absorbed into East Devon. It was later recreated for 1885.

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | 4,540 | 60.6 | |
| | Liberal | John Budd Phear | 2,957 | 39.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,583 | 21.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,497 | 83.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,012 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | 4,591 | 64.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Hickman Smith Aubrey | 2,565 | 35.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,026 | 28.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,156 | 78.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,167 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1906: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Kennaway | 4,854 | 56.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Balkwill Luke | 3,711 | 43.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,143 | 13.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,565 | 87.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,797 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Clive Morrison-Bell | 5,604 | 60.0 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal | William Balkwill Luke | 3,733 | 40.0 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,871 | 20.0 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,337 | 88.7 | +1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,522 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election December 1910: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Clive Morrison-Bell | 5,348 | 60.9 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal | Harry Geen | 3,439 | 39.1 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,909 | 21.8 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,787 | 83.5 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,522 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
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: Clive Morrison-Bell
* Liberal:
General election 1918: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Clive Morrison-Bell | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Unionist hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Clive Morrison-Bell | 12,972 | 55.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John George Hawkins Halse | 10,404 | 44.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,568 | 11.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,376 | 79.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 29,546 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Clive Morrison-Bell | 12,470 | 50.6 | −4.9 |
| | Liberal | John George Hawkins Halse | 12,177 | 49.4 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 293 | 1.2 | −9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,647 | 81.0 | +1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,443 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −4.9 | |
General election 1924: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Clive Morrison-Bell | 14,804 | 55.2 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal | John George Hawkins Halse | 12,025 | 44.8 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,779 | 10.4 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,829 | 85.5 | +4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 31,388 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
General election 1929: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Clive Morrison-Bell | 17,911 | 50.9 | −4.3 |
| | Liberal | John George Hawkins Halse | 16,353 | 46.5 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | Rose Davies | 915 | 2.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,558 | 4.4 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,179 | 84.3 | −1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,723 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −3.0 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cedric Drewe | 21,854 | 60.0 | +9.1 |
| | Liberal | John George Hawkins Halse | 14,563 | 40.0 | −6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,291 | 20.0 | +15.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,417 | 83.5 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.8 | |
General election 1935: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cedric Drewe | 22,805 | 71.9 | +11.9 |
| | Labour | J R Morris | 8,916 | 28.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,889 | 43.8 | +23.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,721 | 69.6 | −13.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### 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;
* Conservative: Cedric Drewe
* Labour: J White
General election 1945: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cedric Drewe | 24,499 | 65.8 | −6.1 |
| | Labour | Henry Thomas Langdon | 12,739 | 34.2 | +6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,760 | 31.6 | −12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,238 | 70.3 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -6.1 | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Cedric Drewe | 26,767 | 57.78 | |
| | Labour | GR Sargeant | 10,816 | 23.35 | |
| | Liberal | Guy Barrington | 8,742 | 18.87 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,951 | 34.43 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,295 | 84.43 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1951: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Cedric Drewe | 27,015 | 58.42 |
| | Liberal | John B Halse | 9,858 | 21.32 |
| | Labour | Norman L Stevens | 9,369 | 20.26 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,157 | 37.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,242 | 82.54 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Mathew | 25,808 | 57.63 |
| | Liberal | John B Halse | 11,067 | 24.71 |
| | Labour | Frederick W Thornton | 7,907 | 17.66 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,741 | 32.92 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,782 | 79.68 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Mathew | 25,959 | 56.69 |
| | Liberal | John B Halse | 12,906 | 28.18 |
| | Labour | Frederick W Morgan | 6,928 | 15.13 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,053 | 28.51 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,793 | 80.10 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Robert Mathew | 26,475 | 55.04 |
| | Liberal | Warwick Deal | 12,354 | 25.68 |
| | Labour | Marjorie Clark | 9,273 | 19.28 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,121 | 29.36 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,102 | 78.77 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1966: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Mathew | 26,966 | 54.4 | −0.6 |
| | Labour | Marjorie Clark | 13,257 | 26.7 | +7.4 |
| | Liberal | Raymond Hicks | 9,342 | 18.9 | −6.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,707 | 27.7 | −1.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,565 | 78.6 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
1967 Honiton by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 26,501 | 57.0 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal | Bridget Trethewey | 10,509 | 22.6 | +3.7 |
| | Labour | Marjorie Clark | 9,501 | 20.4 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,992 | 34.4 | +6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,511 | 72.6 | −6.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.7 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 32,885 | 59.48 |
| | Liberal | Bridget Trethewey | 11,330 | 20.49 |
| | Labour | Malyn DD Newitt | 11,072 | 20.03 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21,555 | 38.99 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,287 | 76.66 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election February 1974: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 32,429 | 54.48 |
| | Liberal | Victor Howell | 18,306 | 30.75 |
| | Labour | Malyn DD Newitt | 8,791 | 14.77 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,123 | 23.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,526 | 81.98 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election October 1974: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 29,720 | 53.77 |
| | Liberal | Victor Howell | 16,500 | 29.85 |
| | Labour | RL Spiller | 9,048 | 16.37 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,220 | 23.92 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,268 | 75.64 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1979: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 37,832 | 62.42 | |
| | Liberal | R Ruffle | 12,601 | 20.79 | |
| | Labour | T Luesby | 8,756 | 14.45 | |
| | Ecology | MH Bacon | 1,423 | 2.35 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 25,231 | 41.63 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60,612 | 77.41 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 32,602 | 60.58 |
| | SDP | Alistair Sampson | 17,833 | 33.14 |
| | Labour | Raymond Sharpe | 3,377 | 6.28 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,769 | 27.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,812 | 74.50 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1987: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 34,931 | 59.2 | −1.4 |
| | SDP | Gerald Tatton-Brown | 18,369 | 31.1 | −2.0 |
| | Labour | Simon Pollentine | 4,988 | 8.5 | +2.2 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Stuart Hughes | 747 | 1.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,562 | 28.05 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 59,035 | 76.41 | +1.91 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Honiton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Emery | 33,533 | 52.4 | −6.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | JM Sharratt | 17,022 | 26.6 | −4.5 |
| | Labour | R Davison | 8,142 | 12.7 | +4.2 |
| | Ind. Conservative | DA Owen | 2,175 | 3.4 | New |
| | Raving Loony Green Giant | Stuart Basil Fawlty Hughes | 1,442 | 2.3 | New |
| | Liberal | Gerald Halliwell | 1,005 | 1.6 | New |
| | Green | Alan Tootill | 650 | 1.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,511 | 25.8 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63,969 | 80.7 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.1 | |