Chichester (UK Parliament constituency)

Chichester is a constituency^{[n 1]} in West Sussex, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jess Brown-Fuller, a Liberal Democrat.^[3]

Chichester
County constituency for the House of Commons
Interactive map of boundaries from 2024
Boundary of Chichester in South East England
County	West Sussex
Population	104,374 (2011 census)[1]
Electorate	76,765 (2023)[2]
Major settlements	Chichester, Selsey, Nutbourne
Current constituency
Created	1295
Member of Parliament	Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrats)
Seats	1295–1868: Two 1868–: One

History

Chichester centres on the small medieval cathedral city by the South Downs National Park. It is one of the oldest constituencies in the UK, having been created when commoners were first called to the Model Parliament in 1295 as one of the original Parliamentary boroughs returning two members. The seat has sent one member since 1868, after the Reform Act 1867.

In its various forms, Chichester was a Conservative stronghold from 1868 to 2024 (except for a brief period of 10 months in 1923-24 when it was held by the Liberal Party's Charles Rudkin), but swung decisively to the Liberal Democrats in 2024 with the election of Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller.

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010–2024

The seat forms a far western strip of West Sussex and covers the southern half of the Chichester district (including the City of Chichester and the coastal area).

Before the 1974 redistribution Chichester was a more compact seat, taking in the eastern towns of Arundel and Bognor Regis in latter years. Emergence of newer urban centres and modern cities meant that the area was expanded to the north to avoid malapportionment.

1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Sessional Divisions of Arundel and Chichester, and part of the Sessional Division of Steyning.

1918–1950: The Municipal Boroughs of Arundel and Chichester, the Urban Districts of Bognor and Littlehampton, and the Rural Districts of East Preston, Midhurst, Petworth, Westbourne, and Westhampnett.

1950–1974: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Urban District of Bognor Regis, and the Rural District of Chichester.

1974–1983: The Municipal Borough of Chichester, the Rural Districts of Midhurst and Petworth, and part of the Rural District of Chichester.

1983–1997: The District of Chichester. The constituency boundaries remained unchanged.

1997–2010: All the wards of the District of Chichester except the Bury, Plaistow and Wisborough Green wards.

2010–2024: The District of Chichester wards of Bosham, Boxgrove, Chichester East, Chichester North, Chichester South, Chichester West, Donnington, Easebourne, East Wittering, Fernhurst, Fishbourne, Funtington, Harting, Lavant, Midhurst, North Mundham, Plaistow, Rogate, Selsey North, Selsey South, Sidlesham, Southbourne, Stedham, Tangmere, West Wittering, and Westbourne.

2024–present: The District of Arun wards of Bersted and Pagham, and District of Chichester wards of Chichester Central, Chichester East, Chichester North, Chichester South, Chichester West, Goodwood (part), Harbour Villages, Lavant, North Mundham & Tangmere, Selsey South, Sidlesham with Selsey North, Southbourne, The Witterings, and Westbourne.^[4]

Electorate reduced to bring it within the permitted range by transferring northern, largely rural areas, including the town of Midhurst, to Arundel and South Downs. To partly compensate, Bersted and Pagham were transferred in from Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

Constituency profile

Physical geography

The constituency runs from the county's border with Surrey, through a partly wooded broad swathe of the South Downs, to the town of Selsey and paired villages The Witterings on the English Channel. The small cathedral city Chichester and Selsey account for 6 of 24 wards but comprise a higher proportion of councillors as these are larger three-member wards. The highest density of villages is near the Hampshire border, in the west.

Social geography

The city has relatively little social housing and few homes which are cheap to buy or rent, as epitomised in the National Park status of much of the land north of Chichester. In Chichester itself the percentage of social housing in 2011 was 20.5%, including 3% directly in local authority homes.^[5] The area is linked to London by train and the A3. Modestly deprived areas of Chichester, Selsey and the rural South Downs are dominated by the working poor and poorer pensioners with little generational unemployment. The local economy has many entry-level or intensive manual jobs in food production, retail, driving, warehousing as well as intermittent or traditionally low paid labour such as road repair and the care sector. Some of these workers commute from the outskirts of nearest major cities Brighton and Portsmouth.^[6] The contributory districts occupy the top two rankings out of all seven in terms of fuel poverty in West Sussex.^[7]

Results

The seat was held by the Conservatives from 1924 to 2024 continuously; in 2017 the new Conservative candidate Gillian Keegan polled over 60% of the vote, a share which dropped slightly in 2019. The 2024 election saw the seat gained by the Liberal Democrat Jess Brown-Fuller who polled over 49%. The closest election before then was the 1997 general election, where a Liberal Democrat took 29.0% of the vote. The best performances by Labour candidates were in 2001 and 2017, with 21.4% and 22.4% of the vote, respectively. In terms of the fourth party since 2001, the three general elections to 2010 saw an increase in support for the UK Independence Party to their highest level to date, 6.8%.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1660

• Constituency created 1295

Parliament	First member	Second member
1386	Thomas Patching	John Sherare[8]
1388 (Feb)	Thomas Patching	William Neel[8]
1388 (Sep)	William Horlebat	Simon Vincent[8]
1390 (Jan)	Thomas Patching	John Sherare[8]
1390 (Nov)
1391	Thomas Patching	John Sherare[8]
1393	Thomas Patching	John Sherare[8]
1394
1395	John atte Mille	John Sherare[8]
1397 (Jan)	John Goldston	John Hebbe[8]
1397 (Sep)	Thomas Patching	John Okehurst[8]
1399	Thomas Patching	William Neel[8]
1401	William Combe	Thomas Hayne[8]
1402	Robert Jugler	Simon Vincent[8]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)
1406	John Dolyte	Thomas Neel[8]
1407	Robert Jugler	Thomas Neel[8]
1410
1411
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	Geoffrey Hebbe	Robert Jugler[8]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	Robert Stryvelyne	Robert Jugler[8]
1415	William Farnhurst	Thomas Neel[8]
1416 (Mar)	William Farnhurst	John Vincent[8]
1416 (Oct)
1417	Thomas Russell	Robert Stryvelyne[8]
1419	John Dolyte	Richard Sherter[8]
1420	John Cok	William Hore[8]
1421 (May)	William Farnhurst	Robert Stryvelyne[8]
1421 (Dec)	John Dolyte	Richard Fust[8]
1431	William Hore[9]
1510–1523	No names known[10]
1529	Robert Bowyer I	Robert Trigges[10]
1536	?
1539	?
1542	William Erneley	?[10]
1545	?
1547	Richard Sackville	Robert Bowyer I[10]
1553 (Mar)	Thomas Stoughton	Thomas Carpenter[10]
1553 (Oct)	Thomas Stoughton	Thomas Carpenter[10]
1554 (Apr)	Thomas Stoughton	Thomas Carpenter[10]
1554 (Nov)	John Digons	Walter Roynon[10]
1555	Richard Knight	Robert Bowyer II[10]
1558	Peter Tolpat	Lawrence Ardren[10]
1558–9	Sir Henry Radcliffe	Robert Bowyer II[11]
1562–3	Thomas Stoughton	John Sherwin[11]
1571	Thomas Kyrle	Thomas West[11]
1572	Valentine Dale	Richard Lewknor[11]
1584	Valentine Dale	Richard Lewknor[11]
1586	Valentine Dale	Richard Lewknor[11]
1588	Valentine Dale	Richard Lewknor[11]
1593	Richard Lewknor	William Ashby[11]
1597	Richard Lewknor	Adrian Stoughton[11]
1601	Adrian Stoughton	Stephen Barnham[11]
1604	Adrian Stoughton	Sir John Morley
1614	Adrian Stoughton	Sir John Morley
1621	Sir Edward Cecil[12]	Thomas Whatman
1624	Thomas Edmondes	Thomas Whatman
1625	Algernon Percy	Humphrey Haggett
1626	Algernon Percy	Humphrey Haggett
April 1626	Edward Dowse	Humphrey Haggett
1628	William Cawley	Henry Bellingham
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
1640 (Apr)	Christopher Lewknor	Edward Dowse
1640 (Nov)	Christopher Lewknor	Sir William Morley, disabled 23 November 1642
1645	Sir John Temple	Henry Peck
1648	?
1653	Chichester not represented in Barebones Parliament
1654	Henry Peckham	(one seat only)
1656	Henry Peckham	(one seat only)
1659	Henry Peckham	William Cawley

MPs 1660–1868

Year			First member[13]	First party	Second member[13]	Second party
		1660	Henry Peckham		John Farrington
		1661			William Garway
		1673	Richard May
		February 1679			John Braman
		September 1679	John Farrington
		1681	Richard Farington	Whig
		1685	Sir Richard May		George Gounter
		1689	Thomas Miller		Thomas May
		1695	The Earl of Ranelagh		William Elson
		1698	Sir Richard Farington, 1st Bt	Whig	John Miller	Tory
		January 1701	Sir Thomas May		William Elson
		November 1701	John Miller	Tory
		May 1705	Sir Thomas Littleton, 3rd Bt	Whig
		November 1705			Thomas Onslow
		1708	Thomas Carr	Tory	Sir Richard Farington, 1st Bt	Whig
		1710	Sir John Miller, 2nd Bt	Tory
		1713	William Elson		James Brudenell
		1715	Sir Richard Farington, 1st Bt	Whig	Thomas Miller
		1719	Henry Kelsall
		1722	Charles Lennox
		1724	Lord William Beauclerk
		1727			Charles Lumley
		1729			James Lumley
		1733	Sir Thomas Prendergast, 2nd Baronet
		1734	James Brudenell		Thomas Yates
		1741			John Page
		1746	George Keppel
		1755	Augustus Keppel	Whig
		1761	Lord George Lennox
		1767	William Keppel
		1768			Thomas Conolly
		1780			Thomas Steele	Tory[14]
		1782	Percy Charles Wyndham
		1784	George White-Thomas	Whig[14]
		1807			James du Pre	Tory[14]
		1812	Charles Gordon-Lennox	Tory[14]	William Huskisson	Tory[14]
		1819	Lord John Lennox	Whig[14]
		1823			William Stephen Poyntz	Whig[14]
		1830			John Smith	Whig[14][15]
		1831	Lord Arthur Lennox	Whig[14]	John Abel Smith	Whig[14][16][17][18][19][20]
		1837		Conservative[14]
		1846	Lord Henry Lennox	Conservative
		1859			Humphrey William Freeland	Liberal
		1863			John Abel Smith	Liberal
		1868	Representation reduced to one member

MPs since 1868

Election		Member[13][21]	Party
	1868	Lord Henry Lennox	Conservative
	1885	Charles Gordon-Lennox	Conservative
	1888 by-election	Lord Walter Gordon-Lennox	Conservative
	1894 by-election	Lord Edmund Talbot	Conservative
	1918		Coalition Conservative
	1921 by-election	Sir William Bird	Coalition Conservative
	1922		Conservative
	1923	Charles Rudkin	Liberal
	1924	John Courtauld	Conservative
	1942 by-election	Sir Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	Conservative
	1958 by-election	Bill Loveys	Conservative
	1969 by-election	Christopher Chataway	Conservative
	Oct 1974	Anthony Nelson	Conservative
	1997	Andrew Tyrie	Conservative
	2017	Gillian Keegan	Conservative
	2024	Jess Brown-Fuller	Liberal Democrats

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Chichester^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Jess Brown-Fuller	25,540	49.2	+28.9
	Conservative	Gillian Keegan	13,368	25.7	–33.1
	Reform UK	Teresa De Santis	7,859	15.1	N/A
	Labour	Tom Collinge	3,175	6.1	–9.3
	Green	Tim Young	1,815	3.5	–1.4
	Independent	Andrew Emerson	190	0.4	+0.2
Majority			12,172	23.5	N/A
Turnout			51,947	66.3	–0.2
Registered electors			78,374
	Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative		Swing	+31.0

Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result[23]
Party		Vote	%
	Conservative	29,981	58.8
	Liberal Democrats	10,359	20.3
	Labour	7,850	15.4
	Green	2,499	4.9
	Others	333	0.6
Turnout		51,022	66.5
Electorate		76,765

General election 2019: Chichester^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gillian Keegan	35,402	57.8	–2.3
	Liberal Democrats	Kate O'Kelly	13,912	22.7	+11.4
	Labour	Jay Morton	9,069	14.8	–7.6
	Green	Heather Barrie	2,527	4.1	+0.8
	Libertarian	Adam Brown	224	0.4	N/A
	Patria	Andrew Emerson	109	0.2	+0.1
Majority			21,490	35.1	–2.6
Turnout			61,243	71.6	+1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	–6.9

General election 2017: Chichester^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Gillian Keegan	36,032	60.1	+2.4
	Labour	Mark Farwell	13,411	22.4	+10.3
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Brown	6,749	11.3	+2.8
	Green	Heather Barrie	1,992	3.3	–3.2
	UKIP	Andrew Moncreiff	1,650	2.8	–12.1
	Patria	Andrew Emerson	84	0.1	–0.1
Majority			22,621	37.7	–5.1
Turnout			59,918	70.6	+2.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	–3.8

General election 2015: Chichester^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Tyrie	32,953	57.7	+2.4
	UKIP	Andrew Moncreiff	8,540	14.9	+8.1
	Labour	Mark Farwell	6,933	12.1	+1.6
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew Smith	4,865	8.5	–18.9
	Green	Jasper Richmond	3,742	6.5	N/A
	Patria	Andrew Emerson	106	0.2	N/A
Majority			24,413	42.8	+14.9
Turnout			57,139	68.4	–1.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	–2.9

General election 2010: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Tyrie	31,427	55.3	+7.4
	Liberal Democrats	Martin Lury	15,550	27.4	–0.3
	Labour	Simon Holland	5,937	10.5	–8.1
	UKIP	Andrew Moncreiff	3,873	6.8	+1.0
Majority			15,877	27.9	+7.7
Turnout			56,787	69.7	+4.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.8

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Tyrie	25,302	48.3	+1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Alan Hilliar	14,442	27.6	+3.5
	Labour	Jonathan Austin	9,632	18.4	−3.0
	UKIP	Douglas Denny	3,025	5.8	+1.0
Majority			10,860	20.7	−2.2
Turnout			52,401	66.6	+2.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.1

General election 2001: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Tyrie	23,320	47.0	+0.6
	Liberal Democrats	Lynne Ravenscroft	11,965	24.1	−4.9
	Labour	Celia Barlow	10,627	21.4	+4.2
	UKIP	Douglas Denny	2,380	4.8	+3.4
	Green	Gavin Graham	1,292	2.6	N/A
Majority			11,355	22.9	+5.5
Turnout			49,584	63.8	−10.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.7

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Andrew Tyrie	25,895	46.4	−12.9
	Liberal Democrats	Peter Gardiner	16,161	29.0	+2.4
	Labour	Charlie Smith	9,605	17.2	+5.9
	Referendum	Douglas Denny	3,318	5.9	N/A
	UKIP	J.G. Rix	800	1.4	N/A
Majority			9,734	17.4	−15.2
Turnout			55,779	74.6	−3.2
	Conservative hold		Swing

This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.

General election 1992: Chichester^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Nelson	37,906	59.3	−2.5
	Liberal Democrats	Peter F. Gardiner	17,019	26.6	−1.7
	Labour	Diane M. Andrewes	7,192	11.3	+3.4
	Green	Eric Paine	876	1.4	−0.6
	Liberal	JL Weights	643	1.0	N/A
	Natural Law	JL Jackson	238	0.4	N/A
Majority			20,887	32.7	−0.8
Turnout			63,874	77.8	+3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	−0.4

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Nelson	37,274	61.8	−1.9
	Alliance (Liberal)	Peter Weston	17,097	28.3	+0.7
	Labour	David Morrison	4,751	7.9	+0.7
	Green	Ian Bagnall	1,196	2.0	+0.5
Majority			20,177	33.5	−2.6
Turnout			60,318	74.4	+2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	−1.3

General election 1983: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Nelson	35,482	63.7	+1.4
	Alliance (SDP)	Howard Gibson	15,365	27.6	+8.0
	Labour	Robert Rhodes	3,995	7.2	−8.2
	Ecology	Jonathan Sherlock	838	1.5	N/A
Majority			20,117	36.1	−6.6
Turnout			55,680	72.1	−4.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Nelson	34,696	62.29
	Liberal	J Rix	10,920	19.60
	Labour	GN Cooke	8,569	15.38
	United Country Party	E Iremonger	863	1.55	N/A
	Ecology	N Bagnall	656	1.18	N/A
Majority			23,776	42.69
Turnout			55,704	75.56
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Anthony Nelson	26,942	52.51
	Liberal	GA Jeffs	15,601	30.41
	Labour	Nigel Smith	8,767	17.09
Majority			11,341	22.10
Turnout			51,310	73.54
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher Chataway	29,127	53.25
	Liberal	G Jeffs	17,714	32.39
	Labour	Nigel Smith	7,854	14.36
Majority			11,413	20.86
Turnout			54,695	79.12
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1970: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher Chataway	38,120	62.60
	Labour	Neville Sandelson	12,574	20.65
	Liberal	Denys Gilbert Kinsella	10,205	16.76
Majority			25,546	41.95
Turnout			60,899	69.91
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.0

Elections in the 1960s

1969 Chichester by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christopher Chataway	31,966	74.16	+17.00
	Liberal	Denys Gilbert Kinsella	5,879	13.64	−4.07
	Labour	John White	5,257	12.20	−12.93
Majority			26,087	60.52	+28.49
Turnout			43,102
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1966: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Loveys	31,358	57.16
	Labour	David J Burnett	13,784	25.13
	Liberal	Patrick J Collins	9,714	17.71
Majority			17,574	32.03
Turnout			54,856	73.19
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.15

General election 1964: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Loveys	30,225	57.80
	Liberal	Denys Gilbert Kinsella	11,912	22.78
	Labour	Adrian J Cohen	10,155	19.42
Majority			18,313	35.02
Turnout			52,292	74.03
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Loveys	30,755	65.14
	Labour	John S Spooner	9,546	20.22
	Liberal	Jackson Newman	6,913	14.64	N/A
Majority			21,209	44.92
Turnout			47,214	73.82
	Conservative hold		Swing

1958 Chichester by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Loveys	23,158	70.90	+0.11
	Labour	William Edgar Simpkins	9,504	29.10	−0.11
Majority			13,654	41.80	+0.23
Turnout			32,662
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1955: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	30,857	70.79
	Labour	Mervyn Jones	12,735	29.21
Majority			18,122	41.58
Turnout			43,592	71.80
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1951: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	32,166	69.72
	Labour	David George Packham	13,971	30.28
Majority			18,195	39.44
Turnout			46,137	77.32
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1950: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	29,106	62.42
	Labour	David George Packham	12,614	27.05
	Liberal	Ronald Vincent Gibson	4,911	10.53
Majority			16,492	35.37
Turnout			46,631	80.47
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	30,989	54.6	−23.7
	Labour	Rosalie Francesca Chamberlayne	13,670	24.1	+2.4
	Liberal	Gerald Kidd	11,345	20.0	N/A
	National	MH Woodard	625	1.1	N/A
	Democratic	Paul Tracy Carter	118	0.2	N/A
Majority			17,319	30.5	−26.1
Turnout			56,747	68.24	+8.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

1942 Chichester by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lancelot Joynson-Hicks	15,634	58.1	−20.2
	Independent Progressive	Gerald Kidd	10,564	39.3	N/A
	Independent	A. A. W. Tribe	706	2.6	N/A
Majority			5,070	18.8	−37.8
Turnout			26,904	29.2	−30.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

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: John Courtauld
• Labour: E A Weston
• Liberal: Gerald Kidd^[28]
• British Union: Charles Hudson

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Courtauld	37,882	78.32
	Labour	Claude William Higgins	10,484	21.67
Majority			27,398	56.65
Turnout			48,366	59.5	−9.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1931: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Courtauld	43,756	87.79
	Labour	Claude William Higgins	6,085	12.21
Majority			37,671	75.58
Turnout			49,841	68.51
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Courtauld	26,278	60.2	+0.9
	Liberal	John Freeman Dunn	17,398	39.8	+4.2
Majority			8,880	20.4	−3.3
Turnout			43,676	64.9	−7.5
Registered electors			67,276
	Unionist hold		Swing	−1.7

General election 1924: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	John Courtauld	20,710	59.3	+11.4
	Liberal	Charles Rudkin	12,416	35.6	−16.5
	Labour	Richard Henry Kennard Hope	1,765	5.1	N/A
Majority			8,294	23.7	N/A
Turnout			34,891	72.4	+12.2
Registered electors			48,170
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+14.0

General election 1923: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Rudkin	14,513	52.1	N/A
	Unionist	William Bird	13,348	47.9	−26.4
Majority			1,165	4.2	N/A
Turnout			27,861	60.2	+2.3
Registered electors			46,257
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing

General election 1922: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	William Bird	19,494	74.3	+5.9
	Labour	Richard Henry Kennard Hope	6,752	25.7	−5.9
Majority			12,742	48.6	+11.8
Turnout			26,246	57.9	+7.6
Registered electors			45,364
	Unionist hold		Swing	+5.9

1921 Chichester by-election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Coalition Unionist	William Bird	Unopposed
	Unionist hold

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Chichester

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Edmund Talbot	14,491	68.4	+2.0
	Labour	Frederick Ernest Green	6,705	31.6	N/A
Majority			7,786	36.8	+4.0
Turnout			21,196	50.3	−22.8
Registered electors			42,131
	Unionist hold		Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

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: Edmund Talbot
• Liberal:

General election December 1910: Chichester ^[30][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	5,900	66.4	0.0
	Liberal	Richard Reiss	2,985	33.6	0.0
Majority			2,915	32.8	0.0
Turnout			8,885	73.1	−8.6
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.0

General election January 1910: Chichester ^[30][31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	6,589	66.4	+10.0
	Liberal	Richard Reiss	3,338	33.6	−10.0
Majority			3,251	32.8	+20.0
Turnout			9,927	81.7	−0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+10.0

Elections in the 1900s

Talbot

General election 1906: Chichester ^[32][33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	5,197	56.4	N/A
	Liberal	John Ernest Allen	4,023	43.6	N/A
Majority			1,174	12.8	N/A
Turnout			9,220	82.1	N/A
Registered electors			11,225
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

1905 Chichester by-election^[33][34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	4,174	52.6	N/A
	Liberal	John Ernest Allen	3,762	47.4	N/A
Majority			412	5.2	N/A
Turnout			7,936	73.6	N/A
Registered electors			10,784
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1900: Chichester ^{[32][33][35][36]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1895: Chichester ^{[32][33][35][36]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

By-election, 1894: Chichester^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edmund Talbot	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1892: Chichester ^[32][33][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Gordon-Lennox	4,236	64.2	N/A
	Liberal	Herbert J. Reid	2,361	35.8	N/A
Majority			1,875	28.4	N/A
Turnout			6,597	72.1	N/A
Registered electors			9,146
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

By-election, 1891: Chichester ^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 14 Mar 1888: Chichester ^[32][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Gordon-Lennox's resignation.

General election 1886: Chichester ^[32][35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1885: Chichester ^[32][35][37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Charles Gordon-Lennox	4,760	65.8	+9.5
	Liberal	Frederick Waymouth Gibbs	2,470	34.2	−9.5
Majority			2,290	31.6	+19.0
Turnout			7,230	85.0	+1.4
Registered electors			8,502
	Conservative hold		Swing	+9.5

General election 1880: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	602	56.3	N/A
	Liberal	Frederick Waymouth Gibbs	467	43.7	N/A
Majority			135	12.6	N/A
Turnout			1,069	83.6	N/A
Registered electors			1,279
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

By-election, 13 Mar 1874: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,240
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Lennox's appointment as First Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings

General election 1874: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,240
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	603	58.2	N/A
	Liberal	John Abel Smith	433	41.8	N/A
Majority			170	16.4	N/A
Turnout			1,036	86.7	N/A
Registered electors			1,195
	Conservative hold

Seat reduced to one member

General election 1865: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Liberal	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			562
	Conservative hold
	Liberal hold

By-election, 21 Feb 1863: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

• Caused by Freeland's resignation.

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Humphrey William Freeland	300	34.5	N/A
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	288	33.1	N/A
	Liberal	John Abel Smith	282	32.4	N/A
Turnout			579 (est)	92.8 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			562
Majority			12	1.4	N/A
	Liberal hold
Majority			6	0.7	N/A
	Conservative hold

By-election, 6 March 1858: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Gordon-Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

General election 1857: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Whig	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			638
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

General election 1852: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Whig	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			757
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

By-election, 4 March 1852: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Gordon-Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1847: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Whig	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			799
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

By-election, 10 February 1846: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry Gordon-Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Lennox's resignation by accepting the office of Steward of the Manor of Hempholme

By-election, 12 August 1845: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Lennox's appointment as Clerk of the Ordnance

By-election, 27 May 1844: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Lennox	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

• Caused by Lennox's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

General election 1841: Chichester ^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arthur Lennox	Unopposed
	Whig	John Abel Smith	Unopposed
Registered electors			829
	Conservative hold
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Chichester ^[38][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Abel Smith	490	43.4	+2.4
	Conservative	Arthur Lennox	387	34.3	−13.0
	Radical	John Morgan Cobbett	252	22.3	+10.5
Turnout			631	71.3	c. +17.6
Registered electors			885
Majority			103	9.1	−20.1
	Whig hold		Swing	+7.7
Majority			135	12.0	N/A
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	−7.7

General election 1835: Chichester ^[38][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Arthur Lennox	486	47.3	−2.3
	Whig	John Abel Smith	421	41.0	+9.0
	Radical	John Morgan Cobbett	121	11.8	−6.6
Majority			300	29.2	+15.6
Turnout			c. 514	c. 53.7	c. −36.8
Registered electors			958
	Whig hold		Swing	+0.5
	Whig hold		Swing	+6.2

General election 1832: Chichester ^[38][14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Arthur Lennox	707	49.6	+0.7
	Whig	John Abel Smith	456	32.0	+3.4
	Radical	William Parrott Carter[39]	263	18.4	−4.1
Majority			193	13.6	+7.5
Turnout			771	90.5	c. −0.6
Registered electors			852
	Whig hold		Swing	+1.4
	Whig hold		Swing	+2.7

General election 1831: Chichester^[14][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Arthur Lennox	665	48.9	+2.6
	Whig	John Abel Smith	388	28.6	−9.3
	Radical	Godfrey Webster	306	22.5	+6.7
Majority			82	6.1	−16.0
Turnout			716	c. 91.1	+35.8
Registered electors			c. 786
	Whig hold		Swing	−0.4
	Whig hold		Swing	−6.3

General election 1830: Chichester^[14][40]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Lennox	643	46.3
	Whig	John Smith	527	37.9
	Radical	Charles Sinclair Cullen	219	15.8
Majority			308	22.1
Turnout			768	55.3
Registered electors
	Whig hold		Swing
	Whig hold		Swing

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in West Sussex
• List of parliamentary constituencies in the South East England (region)

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)

References

1. "Chichester: Usual Resident Population, 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
2. "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume two: Constituency names, designations and composition – South East". Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
3. "Chichester - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
4. "The Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023". Schedule 1 Part 6 South East region.
5. "Custom report - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics".
6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
9. "HORE, William (d.1448), of Chichester, Suss. - History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org.
10. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
11. "History of Parliament". History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
12. Dictionary of National Biography, later editions, and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
13. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
14. Stooks Smith, Henry (1845). The Parliaments of England, from 1st George I., to the Present Time. Vol II: Oxfordshire to Wales Inclusive. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 78–80. Retrieved 18 August 2018 – via Google Books.
15. "John Smith". Legacies of British Slave-ownership. University College London. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
16. Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1837). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. p. 216. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
17. Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 161.
18. Coohill, Joseph, ed. (October 2011). "Chapter 7. Irish Religion in British Politics: The Maynooth Difficulties for Liberal Party MPs". Parliamentary History. 30 (s2): 154–169. doi:10.1111/j.1750-0206.2011.00261.x.
19. Proceedings at the Contested Election for the City of Chichester, 1830 ... copy of the poll book, speeches ... squibs and addresses. To which are added, the proceedings at the election of representatives for the County of Sussex, etc. J. Hackman. 1830. p. 38. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
20. Le Pichon, Alain, ed. (2006). "February 1835". China Trade and Empire: Jardine, Matheson & Co. and the Origins of British Rule in Hong Kong 1827–1843. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-19-726337-2. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
21. "Chichester 1660-". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 2 February 2015.
22. Chichester
23. "Notional results for a UK general election on 12 December 2019". Rallings & Thrasher, Professor David Denver (Scotland), Nicholas Whyte (NI) for Sky News, PA, BBC News and ITV News. UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
25. "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll". Retrieved 26 May 2017.
26. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
27. "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
28. Bognor Regis Observer 30 December 1939
29. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1922
30. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
31. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
32. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
33. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
34. "Chichester By-election". Ballymena Observer. 9 June 1905. Retrieved 8 December 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
35. Audit Bureau of Circulations Ltd– abc.org.uk
36. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
37. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
38. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
39. "Chichester". Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser. 6 December 1832. p. 4. Retrieved 10 April 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
40. Jenkins, Terry; Spencer, Howard. "Chichester". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 10 April 2020.

Sources

• Election result, 2010 (BBC)
• Election result, 2005 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 (BBC)
• Election results, 1997 – 2001 Archived 21 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1983 – 1992 (Election Demon)
• Election results, 1992 – 2010 (Guardian) (UKIP result for 2001 is incorrect)
• Iain Dale, ed. (2003). The Times House of Commons 1929, 1931, 1935. Politico's (reprint). ISBN 1-84275-033-X.
• The Times House of Commons 1945. 1945. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• The Times House of Commons 1950. 1950. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• The Times House of Commons 1955. 1955. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

External links

• nomis Constituency Profile for Chichester — presenting data from the ONS annual population survey and other official statistics.
• Chichester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Chichester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK
• Chichester UK Parliament constituency (boundaries from June 2024) at MapIt UK

50.83652°N 0.77918°W / 50.83652; -0.77918