# Dorking (UK Parliament constituency)

Dorking was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Dorking and Horley in Surrey. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 – 1983. In the eight elections during its 33-year lifetime it was held by three Conservatives successively.

## History

The seat was created by the Representation of the People Act 1948 and first contested at the 1950 general election. It was abolished prior to the 1983 general election.

## Boundaries

The Urban District of Dorking, the Rural District of Dorking and Horley, and in the Rural District of Guildford the parishes of Albury, East Clandon, East Horsley, Effingham, Ockham, Ripley, St Martha, Send, Shere, West Clandon, West Horsley, and Winsley.
In 1983 parliamentary boundaries were realigned to those of the local government districts created in 1974: the town of Dorking became part of Mole Valley district, and just over half of the previous area was transferred to the Mole Valley seat for national elections which took in territory to the north from elsewhere. Horley transferred to the redrawn Reigate seat.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1950 | Sir Gordon Touche | Conservative |
| 1964 | Sir George Sinclair | Conservative |
| 1979 | Keith Wickenden | Conservative |
| 1983 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gordon Touche | 22,096 | 59.2 | |
| | Labour | Julian D Richard | 11,114 | 29.8 | |
| | Liberal | George Gordon Grant Francis | 4,128 | 11.1 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,982 | 29.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,338 | 83.4 | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1951: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Gordon Touche | 24,416 | 65.85 |
| | Labour | Julian D Richard | 12,664 | 34.15 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,752 | 31.70 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,080 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1955: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Gordon Touche | 24,451 | 67.19 |
| | Labour | Robert Patrick E Walsh | 11,942 | 32.81 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,509 | 34.38 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 36,393 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
General election 1959: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Gordon Touche | 24,564 | 60.3 | −6.9 |
| | Labour | Stanley R Mills | 9,605 | 23.6 | −8.8 |
| | Liberal | Wilfred Sydney Watson | 6,582 | 16.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,959 | 36.7 | +2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,751 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Sinclair | 23,862 | 55.6 | −4.7 |
| | Labour | Douglas Sidney Tilbé | 9,806 | 22.9 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal | Wilfred Sydney Watson | 8,773 | 20.4 | +4.3 |
| | Patriotic Party | Barbara Davies | 476 | 1.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,056 | 32.7 | −4.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,917 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Sinclair | 23,087 | 53.8 | −1.8 |
| | Labour | Betty Dunmore | 12,201 | 28.4 | +5.5 |
| | Liberal | George H Kahan | 7,629 | 17.8 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,886 | 25.4 | −7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,917 | 79.0 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Sinclair | 25,393 | 59.0 | +5.2 |
| | Labour | W. John Fahy | 10,523 | 24.5 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal | John Baker | 7,103 | 16.5 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,870 | 34.5 | +9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,019 | 72.0 | −7.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
General election February 1974: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Sinclair | 24,803 | 51.4 | −7.6 |
| | Liberal | G S A Andrews | 14,490 | 30.0 | +13.5 |
| | Labour | J R Spiers | 8,961 | 18.6 | −5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,313 | 21.4 | −13.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,254 | 82.6 | +10.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election October 1974: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Sinclair | 22,403 | 50.6 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal | G S A Andrews | 12,098 | 27.4 | −2.6 |
| | Labour | Jane Chapman | 9,714 | 22.0 | +3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,305 | 23.2 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,215 | 75.0 | −7.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
General election 1979: Dorking :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Keith Wickenden | 29,003 | 61.43 | +10.83 |
| | Liberal | R Hope | 9,240 | 19.57 | −7.83 |
| | Labour | JAS Weir | 8,970 | 19.0 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,763 | 41.86 | +18.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,213 | 77.87 | +2.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.33 | |