# Torquay (UK Parliament constituency)

Torquay was a county constituency in Devon, South West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the February 1974 general election. The area it represented became part of the Torbay constituency.

## Boundaries

1885–1918: The Borough of Dartmouth and the Sessional Division of Paignton.
1918–1950: The Boroughs of Dartmouth and Torquay, the Urban Districts of Brixham and Paignton, the parishes of Churston Ferrers, Kingswear, Marldon, and Stoke Gabriel in the Rural District of Totnes, and the parishes of Cockington and Stokeinteignhead in the Rural District of Newton Abbot.
1950–1974: The Borough of Torquay, the Urban Districts of Brixham and Paignton, and the parishes of Churston Ferrers and Kingswear in the Rural District of Totnes.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Lewis McIver | Liberal |
| 1886 | Richard Mallock | Conservative |
| 1895 | Arthur Philpotts | Conservative |
| 1900 | Francis Layland-Barratt | Liberal |
| Dec 1910 | Charles Burn | Liberal Unionist |
| 1912 | Charles Burn | Conservative Party |
| 1918 | Charles Burn | Coalition Conservative |
| 1922 | Charles Burn | Conservative |
| 1923 | Piers Thompson | Liberal |
| 1924 | Charles Williams | Conservative |
| 1955 by-election | Frederic Bennett | Conservative |
| Feb 1974 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1885: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Lewis McIver | 3,509 | 52.6 | |
| | Conservative | Richard Mallock | 3,161 | 47.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 348 | 5.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,670 | 86.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,738 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Mallock | 3,135 | 50.6 | +3.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Lewis McIver | 3,055 | 49.4 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 80 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,190 | 80.0 | −6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,738 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.2 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Mallock | 4,157 | 52.5 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Hayter | 3,763 | 47.5 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 394 | 5.0 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,920 | 84.2 | +4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,404 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1895: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Philpotts | 4,205 | 51.1 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | 4,030 | 48.9 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 175 | 2.2 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,235 | 82.0 | −2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,039 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.4 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | 4,020 | 50.8 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative | James Reginald Lea Rankin | 3,891 | 49.2 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 129 | 1.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,911 | 84.9 | +2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,313 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1906: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | 4,856 | 52.5 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | Henry Lopes | 4,396 | 47.5 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 460 | 5.0 | +3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,252 | 89.5 | +4.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,343 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.7 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | 5,104 | 50.1 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | Henry Lopes | 5,093 | 49.9 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 0.2 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,197 | 90.7 | +1.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,241 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −2.4 | |
General election December 1910: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Burn | 5,101 | 50.6 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal | Francis Layland-Barratt | 4,971 | 49.4 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 130 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,072 | 89.6 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,241 | | |
| | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +0.7 | |
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 Burn
* Liberal: Thomas Devereux Pile
General election 1918: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Charles Burn | 14,068 | 66.2 | +15.6 |
| | Labour | Alfred Trestrail | 4,029 | 18.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Russell Cooke | 3,173 | 14.9 | −34.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,039 | 47.3 | +46.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,270 | 65.3 | −24.3 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +25.1 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Burn | 14,676 | 52.2 | −14.0 |
| | Liberal | Piers Thompson | 13,425 | 47.8 | +32.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,251 | 4.4 | −42.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,101 | 78.5 | +13.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -23.5 | |
General election 1923: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Piers Thompson | 15,294 | 50.6 | +2.8 |
| | Unionist | Charles Williams | 14,922 | 49.4 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,216 | 80.0 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +2.8 | |
General election 1924: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Williams | 18,119 | 55.2 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal | Piers Thompson | 11,958 | 36.4 | −14.2 |
| | Labour | Arthur Moyle | 2,752 | 8.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,161 | 18.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 32,829 | 84.4 | +4.4 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.0 | |
General election 1929: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Williams | 21,690 | 49.7 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | Richard Acland | 16,337 | 37.5 | +1.1 |
| | Labour | Hubert Medland | 5,576 | 12.8 | +4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,353 | 12.2 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,603 | 81.7 | −2.7 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -3.3 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 34,690 | 82.5 | +32.8 |
| | Labour | Hubert Medland | 7,351 | 17.5 | +4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 27,339 | 65.03 | +52.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,041 | 74.6 | −7.1 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 27,008 | 63.6 | −18.9 |
| | Liberal | Harry Samways | 9,073 | 21.4 | New |
| | Labour | F Scardifield | 6,387 | 15.0 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,935 | 42.2 | −22.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,468 | 71.0 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Election 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: Charles Williams
* Liberal: Hugo Keene
* Labour: W W Blaylock
General election 1945: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 25,479 | 48.9 | −14.7 |
| | Labour | George Cornes | 13,590 | 26.1 | +11.1 |
| | Liberal | Gorley Putt | 13,003 | 25.0 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,889 | 22.8 | −19.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,072 | 71.4 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 29,153 | 53.56 |
| | Labour | Robert Briscoe | 14,287 | 26.25 |
| | Liberal | Stuart Townend | 10,987 | 20.19 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,866 | 27.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,427 | 82.83 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1951: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 31,441 | 59.16 |
| | Labour | Robert Briscoe | 14,801 | 27.85 |
| | Liberal | Deryck Abel | 6,904 | 12.99 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,640 | 31.31 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,146 | 79.97 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Charles Williams | 29,777 | 60.36 |
| | Labour | Robert Briscoe | 12,547 | 25.43 |
| | Liberal | Peter Bessell | 7,012 | 14.21 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,230 | 34.93 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,336 | 75.49 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
1955 Torquay by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 20,964 | 50.98 | −9.38 |
| | Labour | William Hamling | 10,383 | 25.25 | −0.18 |
| | Liberal | Peter Bessell | 9,775 | 23.77 | +9.56 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,581 | 25.73 | −9.20 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,122 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 29,527 | 56.79 |
| | Labour | William V Cooper | 11,784 | 22.66 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Kellock | 10,685 | 20.55 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,743 | 34.13 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,996 | 76.91 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 28,801 | 52.38 |
| | Liberal | Hugo Brunner | 13,652 | 24.83 |
| | Labour | Thelma W Thompson | 12,530 | 22.79 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,149 | 27.55 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,983 | 75.04 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1966: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 28,693 | 49.44 |
| | Labour | Raymond S Dash | 16,594 | 28.59 |
| | Liberal | Hugo Brunner | 12,750 | 21.97 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,099 | 20.85 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 58,037 | 77.40 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Election in the 1970s

General election 1970: Torquay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frederic Bennett | 33,996 | 55.6 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | Paul ST Bryers | 15,948 | 26.1 | −2.5 |
| | Liberal | Keith P. Jenkins | 11,163 | 18.3 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,048 | 29.54 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61,107 | 73.72 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |