# South Warwickshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South Warwickshire was a parliamentary constituency in the county of Warwickshire in England. It returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.

## History

The constituency was created under the Reform Act 1832, when the former Warwickshire constituency was divided into two new divisions: North Warwickshire and South Warwickshire.
South Warwickshire was itself abolished in 1885, when the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 replaced it with four new single-member constituencies: Nuneaton, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon and Tamworth.

## Boundaries

1832–1885: The Hundreds of Barlichway and Kington, and the Kenilworth and Southam Divisions of the Hundred of Knightlow.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Party |
| 1832 | Sir Grey Skipwith, Bt | Whig | Sir George Philips, Bt | Whig |
| 1835 | Sir John Mordaunt, Bt | Conservative | Edward Sheldon | Radical |
| 1836 by-election | Sir John Mordaunt, Bt | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Conservative |
| 1845 by-election | Lord Brooke | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Conservative |
| 1849 by-election | Lord Brooke | Conservative | Lord Guernsey | Conservative |
| 1853 by-election | Evelyn Shirley | Conservative | Lord Guernsey | Conservative |
| 1857 | Evelyn Shirley | Conservative | Edward Bolton King | Whig |
| 1859 | Evelyn Shirley | Conservative | Sir Charles Mordaunt, Bt | Conservative |
| 1865 | Henry Christopher Wise | Conservative | Sir Charles Mordaunt, Bt | Conservative |
| 1868 | Henry Christopher Wise | Conservative | John Hardy | Conservative |
| 1874 | Hugh Seymour | Conservative | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Conservative |
| 1880 | Hon. Gilbert Leigh | Liberal | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Conservative |
| 1884 by-election | Sampson Lloyd | Conservative | Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, Bt | Conservative |
| constituency abolished |

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

General election 1832: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Grey Skipwith | 1,396 | 38.5 |
| | Whig | George Philips | 1,121 | 30.9 |
| | Tory | Evelyn Shirley | 1,108 | 30.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,249 | 88.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,550 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
General election 1835: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Radical | Edward Sheldon (MP) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | John Mordaunt | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,901 | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
Sheldon's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 1 July 1836: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | 1,885 | 58.1 |
| | Whig | Grey Skipwith | 1,360 | 41.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 525 | 16.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,245 | 81.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,997 | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical |
General election 1837: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | John Mordaunt | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,304 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Mordaunt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,261 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Mordaunt's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 5 November 1845: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Greville | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Greville | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,066 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Shirley resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 7 June 1849: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Heneage Finch | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Greville | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Heneage Finch | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,980 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Greville succeeded to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl of Warwick and causing a by-election.
By-election, 3 December 1853: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig | Edward Bolton King | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,522 | | |
| | 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 |
General election 1859: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Evelyn Shirley | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative | Charles Mordaunt | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,470 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Christopher Wise | 1,585 | 35.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Charles Mordaunt | 1,517 | 34.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Viscount Duncan | 1,321 | 29.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 196 | 4.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,872 (est) | 81.7 (est) | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,517 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Christopher Wise | 2,581 | 25.8 | −10.0 |
| | Conservative | John Hardy | 2,501 | 25.0 | −9.3 |
| | Liberal | Robert Hamilton | 2,472 | 24.7 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal | Edward Villiers | 2,453 | 24.5 | +9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29 | 0.3 | −4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,004 (est) | 80.6 (est) | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,205 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −9.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −9.5 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Earl of Yarmouth | 2,832 | 36.3 | +10.5 |
| | Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,801 | 35.9 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal | Robert Hamilton | 2,170 | 27.8 | −21.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 631 | 8.1 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,987 (est) | 78.7 (est) | −1.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,340 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +10.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +10.8 | |
Seymour was appointed Comptroller of the Household, causing a by-election.
By-election, 21 Feb 1879: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Hugh Seymour | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Eardley-Wilmot | 2,644 | 34.3 | −1.6 |
| | Liberal | Gilbert Leigh | 2,550 | 33.1 | +5.3 |
| | Conservative | Hugh Seymour | 2,507 | 32.6 | −3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,123 (est) | 79.7 (est) | +1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,429 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 94 | 1.2 | −6.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 43 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.7 | |
Leigh's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 10 Nov 1884: South Warwickshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sampson Lloyd | 3,095 | 61.7 | −5.2 |
| | Liberal | William Compton | 1,919 | 38.3 | +5.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,176 | 23.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,014 | 76.1 | −3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,590 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | −5.2 | |