Great Grimsby (UK Parliament constituency)

Great Grimsby was a constituency^{[n 1][n 2]} in North East Lincolnshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since December 2019 by Lia Nici of the Conservative Party. Between 1918 and 1983 it was known simply as Grimsby; following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was subject to boundary changes, incorporating the neighbouring town of Cleethorpes. As a consequence, it was renamed Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, first contested at the 2024 general election.

Great Grimsby
Former borough constituency for the House of Commons
2010–2024 boundary of Great Grimsby in the former county of Humberside
Location of the former county of Humberside within England
County	Lincolnshire
Electorate	60,149 (December 2019)[1]
1295–2024
Seats	One (Two until 1832)
Replaced by	Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes

Constituency profile

Fishing is a significant sector in Grimsby which is a deprived area. These factors meant the constituency voted strongly to leave the EU in 2016.^[2]

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

The constituency followed the boundaries of the old Borough of Great Grimsby, which was abolished when the former county of Humberside was divided into four unitary authorities in 1996. From the 2010 general election new boundaries took effect, but the Boundary Commission's review led only to minimal changes, aligning the constituency boundaries with updated ward boundaries.

The seat consisted of the following electoral wards of the Borough of North East Lincolnshire:

• East Marsh, Freshney, Heneage, Park, Scartho, South, West Marsh and Yarborough.

History

The constituency has been represented since the first House of Commons was assembled in the Model Parliament of 1295, and it elected two MPs until 1832. Great Grimsby was established as a parliamentary borough in 1295, sending two burgesses, and has been continuously represented ever since. The town of Grimsby in Lincolnshire, a market town, fishing port and seaport.

Freemen of the town had the right to vote, provided they were resident and paying scot and lot; in 1831 this amounted to just under 400 voters. The town corporation bestowed this status, as today, rarely on those bringing acclaim to the place, but it was routinely acquired through apprenticeship in the guilds and by inheritance; in Great Grimsby, unusually, the husband of a freeman's daughter or widow acquired the freedom.^{[n 3]}

In 1831, when the Reform Bill was being discussed in Parliament, the wives and daughters of the Great Grimsby freemen petitioned the House of Lords to retain their rights to pass on the vote to their future husbands and children. However, their concern to retain these rights may not have been rooted in any their family desiring to help choose the borough's MPs as a vote in Great Grimsby was a valuable commodity in a more mercenary sense, and the contemporary polemicist Oldfield considered that "This borough stands second to none in the history of corruption." At the start of the 18th century it was noted^{[by whom?]} that Grimsby's "freemen did enter into treaties with several gentlemen in London, for sale of the choice of burgess to such as would give the most money". In 1701, the House of Commons overturned the election of one of Great Grimsby's MPs, William Cotesworth, for bribery and sent him to the Tower of London and temporarily suspended the borough's right to representation. Almost every election in Great Grimsby at this period was followed by a petition from defeated candidates alleging bribery, although that of 1701 seems to have been the only one which was acted upon.

Great Grimsby, like most boroughs except for the very largest, recognised a "patron" who could generally exercise influence over the choice of its MPs; at the time of the Great Reform Act of 1832, this was Lord Yarborough. However, the extent of the patron's power was limited in Great Grimsby, and the voters were quite prepared (at a price) to defy his advice. The patron could strengthen his position by providing employment to the freemen, as could his rivals. Jupp quotes two letters, one of 1818 and one of 1819, in which local agents advise the Tennyson family how best to do this in Grimsby so as to encroach on Lord Yarborough's influence:

"Build upon every spot of vacant ground you are possessed of... Thus you would give employment to a great number of freemen... Let Mr Heneage's estates^{[n 4]} be divided into fields of four or six acres; and let these, together with your own estates be placed in the hands of freemen to whom they would be an object of importance. Provide, if possible, small farms for the sons of Lord Yarbro's tenants".^[3]

On a less extravagant level, it is recorded that after Charles Tennyson was first elected in 1818 he presented a bottle of wine to each of the fathers of 92 local children about to be christened.

The General Election of 1831 in Grimsby was as notorious as in some of the rotten boroughs, the local Tories being accused of using a revenue cutter lying in the Humber to ply the Whig voters with drink and prevent them getting to the polls; the fact of the outcome standing led to a nationally well-known action by John Shelley for libel.

In 1831, the population of the borough was 4,008, and contained 784 houses. The Boundary Act in concert with the Reform Act enlarged the borough to include eight neighbouring parishes^{[n 5]}, brought the population up to 6,413 with 1,365 houses but the landed property aspect to the franchise was not reformed so this increased the electorate only to 656 so Great Grimsby lost one of its two seats. However, Grimsby's population and housing continued to grow and, unlike most of the boroughs that lost one seat in 1832, it has retained its existence, without taking up large swathes of the county.

The constituency underwent further significant boundary change in 1918 and 1950. In 1918, parishes that had joined, (Bradley, Great Coates, Little Coates, Laceby, Waltham, Weelsby and the adjoining neighbourhood/parish of Scartho) were detached to be added to Louth county constituency, and the seat ^{[n 6]} consisted of the county borough of Grimsby and the urban district (later borough) of Cleethorpes. In 1950, Cleethorpes was moved into the Louth county division, leaving the borough once more as Grimsby alone. More recent boundary changes have only been adjustments to conform to changes at local government level.

Labour's Austin Mitchell retained the seat in 1977 by only 520 votes in a by-election following the death of the Foreign Secretary Tony Crosland. He held the seat until retiring in 2015. At the 2010 election, Mitchell's majority was again reduced to three figures, after a swing of over 10% to the Conservatives.

At the 2015 election, Great Grimsby was considered a target for the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).^[4] UKIP had selected as their candidate the 2010 Conservative candidate, Victoria Ayling, who had switched parties since the previous election. Labour's candidate was Melanie Onn, while the Conservatives stood Marc Jones. In the event however, Onn was successful, increasing Mitchell's majority of 714 more than sixfold and enjoying a swing of 5.6% from the Conservatives, with UKIP finishing third, just 57 votes behind the Conservatives.^[5] The Conservative and UKIP votes combined outnumbered the Labour vote, which was an indication that the Labour position was potentially precarious.

Similarly to many other traditionally working class Labour strongholds – labelled the "Red Wall" – in the North of England, in 2019, Great Grimsby was won by the Conservatives for the first time since 1935.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1295–1660

Year	First member	Second member
1330	Edmundus Rayner	Robertus Keilby[6]: 109
1341	Johannes de Grymesby[6]: 110
1346	Peter de la See[6]: 115
1355	Johannes de Grymesby[6]: 112
1365	Willielmus Grymesby[6]: 112
1372	Johannes de Grymesby[6]: 112
1377	Willielmus Wele[6]: 113
1379	Willielmus Grymesby[6]: 112
1382	Willielmus Grymesby[6]
1383	Petrus de Gryesby[6]: 112
1385	Willielmus Wele[6]: 113
1386	John Newland	William Elmsall[7]
1388 (Feb)	Robert Burton	William Paule[7]
1388 (Sep)	Geoffrey Askeby	Richard Barber[7]
1390 (Jan)	Richard Misen	Walter Slotheby[7]
1390 (Nov)
1391	John Hesilden	William Welle[7]
1393	Robert Burton	John Kelby[7]
1394	Robert Burton	Walter Slotheby[7]
1395	Robert Burton	William Elmsall[7]
1397 (Jan)	Robert Burton	John Kelby[7]
1397 (Sep)
1399	Walter Slotheby	William Elmsall[7]
1401
1402	Richard White	John Kelby[7]
1404 (Jan)
1404 (Oct)	William Hosier	John Miles[7]
1406	William Lele	John Kelby[7]
1407	William Fosse	Simon Grimsby[7]
1411	William Fosse	John Thoresby[7]
1413 (Feb)
1413 (May)	Gilbert Keremond	Richard Duffield[7]
1414 (Apr)
1414 (Nov)	Roger Dale	Richard Duffield[7]
1415
1416 (Mar)	Roger Dale	Gilbert Keremond[7]
1416 (Oct)
1417
1419
1420	John Lufford	Richard Duffield[7]
1421 (May)	Simon Elkyngton	Roger Grainsby[7]
1421 (Dec)	Roger Dale	Richard Duffield[7]
1410
1448	Willielmus Grymesby[6]: 112
1472	Willielmus Grymesby[6]: 112	Hugo Eden[6]: 115
1483	Hugo Eden[6]: 115	Peter de la See[6]: 115
1485	Stephen de la See[6]: 118
1485	John Saynton	Thomas Pormard[8]
1487	John Saynton	John Moigne[8]
1494	Hugo Eden[6]: 115
1496	John Heneage[6]: 119
1509	Sir Robert Tyrwhitt[6]: 115
1510	Sir William Tyrwhitt	Sir Robert Wingfield[9]
1512	George Barnardiston	Robert Vicars[9]
1515	Philip Hamby	William Hatcliffe[9]
1523	John Heneage	Robert Lord[9]
1529	Sir William Askew	John Heneage[9]
1536	?
1539	?
1542	Richard Goodrich	?[9]
1545	Thomas Hussey	Richard Goodrich[9]
1547	Richard Goodrich	John Bellow[9]
1553 (Mar)	?
1553 (Oct)	George Heneage	John Bellow[9]
1554 (Apr)	Ambrose Sutton	John Bellow[9]
1554 (Nov)	John Bellow	Thomas Constable[9]
1555	John Bellow	Thomas Constable[9]
1558	John Bellow	Marmaduke Tyrwhitt[9]
1558–9	Sir Edward Warner	John Bellow[10]
1562–3	Christopher Wray	Edward Fitzgerald[10]
1571	Thomas St Poll	John Thymbleby[10]
1572	Thomas Moryson	Thomas Grantham[10]
1584 (Nov)	William Wray	Thomas Moryson[10]
1586 (Oct)	Tristram Tyrwhitt	Thomas Moryson[10]
1588–9	Thomas Moryson	Tristram Tyrwhitt[10]
1593	William Barne	Nicholas Saunderson[10]
1597 (Sep)	Thomas Hatcliffe	Thomas Ellis[10]
1601 (Oct)	Thomas Clinton alias Fiennes, Lord Clinton	Edward Skipwith[10]
1604	Sir William Wray	Sir George St Paul
1614	Sir John Wray	Richard Toothby
1621	Henry Pelham	Sir Christopher Wray
1624	Henry Pelham	Sir Christopher Wray
1625	Henry Pelham	Sir Christopher Wray
1626	Henry Pelham	William Skinner
1628	Henry Pelham	Christopher Wray
1629–1640	No Parliaments summoned
April 1640	Christopher Wray	Sir Gervase Hollis
November 1640	Christopher Wray	Sir Gervase Holles
1645	William Wray	Edward Rossiter
1654	William Wray	One seat only
1656	William Wray	One seat only
1659	William Wray	Edward Ayscough

MPs 1660–1832

Year		First member[11]	First party		Second member[11]	Second party
1660		Edward King			William Wray
1661		Gervase Holles			Adrian Scrope
1666					Sir Henry Belasyse, killed in duel, 1667	Royalist
October 1667					Sir Philip Tyrwhitt
November 1667					Sir Frescheville Holles
1673					William Broxholme
1675		Sir Christopher Wray
1679		George Pelham
1685		Sir Edward Ayscough			Sir Thomas Barnardiston	Whig
1690					John Chaplin
1695					Arthur Moore
1699		Thomas Vyner
January 1701					William Cotesworth
March 1701				Seat vacant[12]
December 1701		Arthur Moore
1702					John Chaplin
1705					William Cotesworth
1710					Robert Vyner
1713					William Cotesworth
1715		Robert Chaplin[13]			Joseph Banks
1721		Arthur Moore
1722		Benjamin Collyer			Charles Pelham
1727		John Page			George Monson
1734		Sir Robert Sutton			Robert Knight
1741		William Lock
1747					John Gore
1761		Hon. Henry Knight			Joseph Mellish
1762		Robert Knight, 1st Baron Luxborough[14]
1768		Colonel Anthony St Leger
1774		Francis Evelyn Anderson
1780		John Harrison	Whig[15]		Francis Eyre
1784					Dudley Long[16]	Whig[15]
1796		Ayscoghe Boucherett	Whig[15]		William Mellish	Whig[15]
1802					Colonel John Henry Loft[17]	Tory[15]
March 1803					William Mellish	Whig[15]
July 1803		Hon. Charles Anderson-Pelham	Whig[15]
1806					Hon. George Anderson-Pelham	Whig[15]
1807					William Ellice	Tory[15]
1808		Colonel John Henry Loft	Tory[15]
1812		John Peter Grant	Whig[15]		Sir Robert Heron, Bt	Whig[15]
1818		John Nicholas Fazakerley	Whig[15]		Charles Tennyson	Tory[15]
1820		William Duncombe	Tory[15]
1826		Charles Wood	Whig[15]		George Heneage	Whig[15]
1830					George Harris	Tory[15]
May 1831		John Shelley	Tory[15]
August 1831		Henry Fitzroy	Tory[15]		James St Clair-Erskine	Tory[15]
1832	Representation reduced to one member

MPs 1832–2024

Election		Member[11]	Party
	1832	William Maxfield	Whig[15]
	1835	Edward Heneage	Whig[18][19][20][15]
	1852	William Annesley	Conservative
	1857	Charles Anderson-Pelham	Whig[21]
	1859		Liberal
	1862 by-election	John Chapman	Conservative
	1865	John Fildes	Liberal
	1868	George Tomline	Liberal
	1874	John Chapman	Conservative
	1877 by-election	Alfred Watkin	Liberal
	1880	Edward Heneage	Liberal
	1886		Liberal Unionist
	1892	Henri Josse	Liberal
	1893 by-election	Edward Heneage	Liberal Unionist
	1895	Sir George Doughty	Liberal
	1898 by-election		Liberal Unionist
	Jan 1910	Thomas Wing	Liberal
	Dec 1910	Sir George Doughty	Liberal Unionist
	1914 by-election	Thomas Tickler	Conservative
	1922	Tom Sutcliffe	Conservative
	1924	Sir Walter Womersley	Conservative
	1945	Kenneth Younger	Labour
	1959	Tony Crosland	Labour
	1977 by-election	Austin Mitchell	Labour
	2015	Melanie Onn	Labour
	2019	Lia Nici	Conservative
	2024	Constituency abolished

Election results 1830–2024

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Grimsby^[15][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Wood	227	29.0
	Tory	George Harris (MP for Great Grimsby)	215	27.4
	Whig	George Heneage	186	23.7
	Tory	Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner	156	19.9
Turnout			394	c. 98.5
Registered electors			c. 400
Majority			12	1.6
	Tory hold		Swing
Majority			29	3.7	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing

General election 1831: Grimsby^[15][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	George Harris (MP for Great Grimsby)	200	26.6	−0.8
	Tory	John Shelley	192	25.5	+5.6
	Whig	Rees Howell Gronow	187	24.9	−4.1
	Whig	Henry William Hobhouse	173	23.0	−0.7
Majority			5	0.7	−0.9
Turnout			c. 376	c. 94.0	c. −4.5
Registered electors			c. 400
	Tory hold		Swing	+0.8
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	+4.0

By-election, 10 August 1831: Grimsby^[15][22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Henry FitzRoy	182	26.9	+0.3
	Tory	James St Clair-Erskine	181	26.8	+1.3
	Whig	Charles Henry Bellenden Ker	160	23.7	−1.2
	Whig	William Maxfield	153	22.6	−0.4
Majority			21	3.1	+2.4
Turnout			338	c. 84.5	c. −9.5
Registered electors			c. 400
	Tory hold		Swing	+0.6
	Tory hold		Swing	+1.1

• Caused by the 1831 election being overturned on petition.

General election 1832: Grimsby^[23][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Maxfield	297	65.3	+17.4
	Tory	James St Clair-Erskine	158	34.7	−17.4
Majority			139	30.6	N/A
Turnout			455	69.4	c. −24.6
Registered electors			656
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	+17.4

General election 1835: Grimsby^[23][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Heneage	260	53.4	−11.9
	Conservative	Alexander Grant	227	46.6	+11.9
Majority			33	6.8	−23.8
Turnout			487	82.3	+12.9
Registered electors			592
	Whig hold		Swing	−11.9

General election 1837: Grimsby^[23][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Heneage	Unopposed
Registered electors			590
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Heneage	Unopposed
Registered electors			573
	Whig hold

General election 1847: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Edward Heneage	Unopposed
Registered electors			619
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Annesley	347	54.8	New
	Whig	Edward Heneage	286	45.2	N/A
Majority			61	9.6	N/A
Turnout			633	73.5	N/A
Registered electors			861
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General election 1857: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Anderson-Pelham	Unopposed
Registered electors			888
	Whig gain from Conservative

General election 1859: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Anderson-Pelham	526	91.2	N/A
	Chartist	William Colley Parker[24][25]	51	8.8	New
Majority			475	82.4	N/A
Turnout			577	62.7	N/A
Registered electors			920
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

1862 Grimsby by-election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Chapman	458	50.7	New
	Liberal	George Heneage	446	49.3	−41.9
Majority			12	1.4	N/A
Turnout			904	85.1	+22.4
Registered electors			1,062
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	N/A

• Caused by Anderson-Pelham's succession to the peerage, becoming Earl of Yarborough.

General election 1865: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Fildes	571	54.1	−37.1
	Conservative	John Chapman	485	45.9	N/A
Majority			86	8.2	−74.2
Turnout			1,056	83.0	+20.3
Registered electors			1,273
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1868: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal-Conservative	George Tomline[26]	1,548	53.7	New
	Liberal	John Fildes	1,337	46.3	−7.8
Majority			211	7.4	N/A
Turnout			2,885	66.4	−16.6
Registered electors			4,348
	Liberal-Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Grimsby ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Chapman	1,534	52.4	N/A
	Liberal	Edward Heneage	1,393	47.6	+1.3
Majority			141	4.8	N/A
Turnout			2,927	57.5	−8.9
Registered electors			5,091
	Conservative gain from Liberal-Conservative		Swing	N/A

1877 Great Grimsby by-election^[23][27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alfred Watkin	1,699	54.6	+7.0
	Conservative	Peter Kerslake Seddon	1,315	42.3	−10.1
	Liberal	Philip Sayle	97	3.1	N/A
Majority			384	12.3	N/A
Turnout			3,111	59.4	+1.9
Registered electors			5,235
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.6

• Caused by Chapman's death.

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Grimsby^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Heneage	3,054	60.4	+12.8
	Conservative	George Morland Hutton[28]	2,002	39.6	−12.8
Majority			1,052	20.8	N/A
Turnout			5,056	77.0	+19.5
Registered electors			6,562
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.8

General election 1885: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Heneage	3,711	56.2	−4.2
	Conservative	Arthur Walker	2,897	43.8	+4.2
Majority			814	12.4	−8.4
Turnout			6,608	76.3	−0.7
Registered electors			8,659
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.2

1886 Grimsby by-election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Edward Heneage	3,390	59.3	+3.1
	Conservative	Arthur Walker	2,330	40.7	−3.1
Majority			1,060	18.6	+6.2
Turnout			5,720	66.1	−10.2
Registered electors			8,659
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.1

• Caused by Heneage's appointment as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

General election 1886: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Edward Heneage	2,982	53.0	+9.2
	Liberal	Thomas Sutherst	2,649	47.0	−9.2
Majority			333	6.0	N/A
Turnout			5,631	65.0	−11.3
Registered electors			8,659
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+9.2

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henri Josse	4,202	54.1	+7.1
	Liberal Unionist	Edward Heneage	3,566	45.9	−7.1
Majority			636	8.2	N/A
Turnout			7,768	75.3	+10.3
Registered electors			10,315
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+7.1

Henry Broadhurst

1893 Great Grimsby by-election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Edward Heneage	4,427	56.1	+10.2
	Lib-Lab	Henry Broadhurst	3,463	43.9	−10.2
Majority			964	12.2	N/A
Turnout			7,890	74.0	−1.3
Registered electors			10,662
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+10.2

• Caused by Josse's resignation.

George Doughty

General election 1895: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Doughty	4,347	51.1	−3.0
	Liberal Unionist	Edward Heneage	4,166	48.9	+3.0
Majority			181	2.2	−6.0
Turnout			8,513	73.7	−1.6
Registered electors			11,558
	Liberal hold		Swing	−3.0

Thomas Wintringham

1898 Great Grimsby by-election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	George Doughty	4,940	59.3	+10.4
	Liberal	Thomas Wintringham	3,189	38.3	−12.8
	Ind. Conservative	Robert D. Melhuish	204	2.4	New
Majority			1,751	21.0	N/A
Turnout			8,333	67.7	−6.0
Registered electors			12,317
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+11.6

• Doughty resigned to seek re-election as a candidate for the Liberal Unionist Party.

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	George Doughty	Unopposed
	Liberal Unionist hold

General election 1906: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	George Doughty	6,349	50.2	N/A
	Liberal	Henry Hyman Haldinstein	4,040	32.0	New
	Labour Repr. Cmte.	Thomas Proctor	2,248	17.8	New
Majority			2,309	18.2	N/A
Turnout			12,638	78.7	N/A
Registered electors			16,058
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

Tom Wing

General election January 1910: Grimsby^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Wing	7,772	51.1	+19.1
	Liberal Unionist	George Doughty	7,450	48.9	−1.3
Majority			322	2.2	N/A
Turnout			15,222	84.4	+5.7
Registered electors			18,029
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+10.2

General election December 1910: Grimsby^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	George Doughty	7,903	52.3	+3.4
	Liberal	Thomas Wing	7,205	47.7	−3.4
Majority			698	4.6	N/A
Turnout			15,108	83.8	−0.6
Registered electors			18,029
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+3.4

1914 Great Grimsby by-election^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Thomas Tickler	8,471	50.8	−1.5
	Liberal	Alfred Bannister	8,193	49.2	+1.5
Majority			278	1.6	−3.0
Turnout			16,664	80.5	−3.3
	Unionist hold		Swing	−1.5

General Election 1915: Grimsby (cancelled)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Thomas Tickler
	Liberal	James Whitely Wilkin
Due to the outbreak of the First World War, this election did not take place. These candidates were chosen by Autumn 1914.

General election 1918: Grimsby^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
C	Unionist	Thomas Tickler	13,688	51.2	−1.1
	Labour	Charles Edwin Franklin	9,015	33.7	New
	Ind. Unionist	James William Eason	2,791	10.4	New
	NFDDSS	Harry James Frederick Crosby	1,260	4.7	New
Majority			4,673	17.5	+12.9
Turnout			25,494	54.0	−29.8
	Unionist hold		Swing
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Grimsby^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Tom Sutcliffe	23,726	62.5	+11.3
	Labour	Charles Edwin Franklin	14,227	37.5	+1.8
Majority			9,499	25.0	+7.5
Turnout			37,953	72.3	+18.3
	Unionist hold		Swing	+3.8

General election 1923: Grimsby ^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Tom Sutcliffe	17,577	52.4	−10.1
	Labour	Charles Edwin Franklin	15,959	47.6	+10.1
Majority			1,618	4.8	−20.2
Turnout			33,536	62.2	−10.1
	Unionist hold		Swing	−10.1

General election 1924: Grimsby^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Walter Womersley	21,487	51.4	−1.0
	Labour	Charles Edwin Franklin	14,874	35.6	−12.0
	Liberal	Thomas Wing	5,442	13.0	New
Majority			6,613	15.8	+11.0
Turnout			41,803	76.4	+14.2
	Unionist hold		Swing	+5.5

General election 1929: Grimsby ^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Walter Womersley	27,001	54.8	+3.4
	Labour	Ernest Marklew	22,254	45.2	+9.6
Majority			4,747	9.6	−6.2
Turnout			49,255	71.9	−4.5
	Unionist hold		Swing	−3.1

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Womersley	33,725	67.65
	Labour	George Edward Farmery	16,124	32.35
Majority			17,601	35.30
Turnout			49,849	69.33
	Conservative hold		Swing

General election 1935: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Walter Womersley	25,470	51.75
	Labour	Henry Brinton	23,743	48.25
Majority			1,727	3.50
Turnout			49,213	69.27
	Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kenneth Younger	28,484	60.10
	Conservative	Walter Womersley	18,841	39.81
Majority			9,643	20.38	N/A
Turnout			47,325	68.39
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kenneth Younger	28,906	56.24
	Conservative	John Hall	22,494	43.76
Majority			6,412	12.48
Turnout			51,400	82.73
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1951: Great Grimsby^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kenneth Younger	29,462	56.58
	National Liberal	Charles William Hewson	22,611	43.42
Majority			6,851	13.16
Turnout			52,073	82.01
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1955: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kenneth Younger	24,926	53.80
	Conservative	Lord Worsley	21,404	46.20
Majority			3,522	7.60
Turnout			46,330	73.33
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1959: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	24,729	50.10
	Conservative	Wilfrid Pearson	24,628	49.90
Majority			101	0.20
Turnout			49,357	76.70
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	26,675	54.34	+4.24
	Conservative	Wilfrid Pearson	21,577	45.66	−4.24
Majority			4,098	8.68
Turnout			48,252	75.89
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.24

General election 1966: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	26,788	58.94	+4.6
	Conservative	Patrick Cormack	18,662	41.06	−4.6
Majority			8,126	17.88	+9.20
Turnout			45,450	74.18
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.6

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	23,571	52.52	−6.42
	Conservative	Michael Fabian Spungin	17,460	38.90	−2.16
	Liberal	Dilwyn J. Hardwidge	3,850	8.58	New
Majority			6,111	13.62	−4.26
Turnout			44,881	68.38
	Labour hold		Swing	−2.13

General election February 1974: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	21,585	42.83	−9.69
	Conservative	K. C. Brown	15,914	31.58	−7.32
	Liberal	D. M. Rigby	12,084	23.98	+15.40
	Ind. Conservative	P. H. Kale	816	1.62	New
Majority			5,671	11.25	−2.37
Turnout			50,399	76.73
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.18

General election October 1974: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Crosland	21,657	47.10	+4.27
	Conservative	K. C. Brown	14,675	31.91	+0.33
	Liberal	D. M. Rigby	9,487	20.63	+3.35
	Independent Labour	J. McElrea	166	0.36	New
Majority			6,982	15.19	+3.94
Turnout			45,985	69.36
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.0

1977 Great Grimsby by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	21,890	46.88	−0.22
	Conservative	Robert Blair	21,370	45.76	+13.85
	Liberal	Andrew de Freitas	3,128	6.7	−13.93
	Socialist Workers	Michael Stanton	215	0.5	New
	Sunshine Party	Peter Bishop	64	0.1	New
	Malcolm Muggeridge Fan Club	Max Nottingham	30	0.0	New
Majority			520	1.12	−14.06
Turnout			46,697
	Labour hold		Swing	−7.03

General election 1979: Great Grimsby

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	26,282	52.03	+4.93
	Conservative	Robert Blair	20,041	39.68	+7.77
	Liberal	D. M. Rigby	3,837	7.60	−13.03
	Independent	J. Lennard	214	0.42	New
	National Front	J. Hayes	137	0.27	New
Majority			6,241	12.36	−2.82
Turnout			50,511	75.79	+6.43
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.41

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Great Grimsby^[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	18,330	36.3	−13.7
	Conservative	Colin Hancock	17,599	34.9	−4.8
	SDP	Paul Genney	14,552	28.8	+21.2
Majority			731	1.4	−11.0
Turnout			50,481	73.8	−2.0
	Labour hold		Swing	−5.4

General election 1987: Great Grimsby^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	23,463	50.4	+14.1
	Conservative	Francis Robinson	14,679	31.5	−3.4
	SDP	Paul Genney	8,387	18.0	−10.8
Majority			8,784	18.9	+17.5
Turnout			46,529	74.7	+0.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+8.7

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Great Grimsby^[37][38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	25,897	51.0	+0.6
	Conservative	Philip Jackson	18,391	36.2	+4.7
	Liberal Democrats	Pat Frankish	6,475	12.8	−5.2
Majority			7,506	14.8	−4.1
Turnout			50,763	75.3	+0.6
	Labour hold		Swing	−2.0

General election 1997: Great Grimsby^[39][40][41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	25,765	59.8	+8.8
	Conservative	Dean Godson	9,521	22.1	−14.1
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew De Freitas	7,810	18.1	+5.3
Majority			16,244	37.7	+22.9
Turnout			43,096	66.3	−9.0
	Labour hold		Swing	+11.5

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2001: Great Grimsby^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	19,118	57.9	−1.9
	Conservative	James Cousins	7,634	23.1	+1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew De Freitas	6,265	19.0	+0.9
Majority			11,484	34.8	−2.9
Turnout			33,017	52.3	−14.0
	Labour hold		Swing	−1.4

General election 2005: Great Grimsby^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	15,512	47.1	−10.8
	Conservative	Giles Taylor	7,858	23.8	+0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew de Freitas	6,356	19.3	+0.3
	BNP	Stephen Fyfe	1,338	4.1	New
	UKIP	Martin Grant	1,239	3.8	New
	Green	David Brooks	661	2.0	New
Majority			7,654	23.3	−11.5
Turnout			32,964	51.7	−0.6
	Labour hold		Swing	−5.7

Elections in the 2010s

See also: Opinion polling in United Kingdom constituencies, 2010–15 § Great Grimsby

General election 2010: Great Grimsby^[44][45]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Austin Mitchell	10,777	32.7	−14.4
	Conservative	Victoria Ayling	10,063	30.5	+6.7
	Liberal Democrats	Andrew de Freitas	7,388	22.4	+3.1
	UKIP	Henry Hudson	2,043	6.2	+2.4
	BNP	Stephen Fyfe	1,517	4.6	+0.5
	Independent	Ernie Brown	835	2.5	New
	People's National Democratic Party	Adrian Howe	331	1.0	New
Majority			714	2.2	−21.1
Turnout			32,954	53.8	+2.1
	Labour hold		Swing	−10.5

General election 2015: Great Grimsby^[46][47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Melanie Onn	13,414	39.8	+7.1
	Conservative	Marc Jones	8,874	26.3	−4.2
	UKIP	Victoria Ayling	8,417	25.0	+18.8
	Liberal Democrats	Steve Beasant	1,680	5.0	−17.4
	Green	Vicky Dunn	783	2.3	New
	Independent	Gary Calder	390	1.2	New
	TUSC	Val O'Flynn	173	0.5	New
Majority			4,540	13.5	+11.3
Turnout			33,731	57.7	+3.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.6

General election 2017: Great Grimsby^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Melanie Onn	17,545	49.4	+9.6
	Conservative	Jo Gideon	14,980	42.2	+15.9
	UKIP	Mike Hookem	1,648	4.6	−20.4
	Liberal Democrats	Steve Beasant	954	2.7	−2.3
	Independent	Christina McGilligan-Fell	394	1.1	New
Majority			2,565	7.2	−6.3
Turnout			35,521	58.0	+0.3
	Labour hold		Swing	−3.1

General election 2019: Great Grimsby^[49]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lia Nici	18,150	54.9	+12.7
	Labour	Melanie Onn	10,819	32.7	−16.7
	Brexit Party	Christopher Barker	2,378	7.2	New
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Barfield	1,070	3.2	+0.5
	Green	Loyd Emmerson	514	1.6	New
	Independent	Nigel Winn	156	0.5	New
Majority			7,331	22.2	N/A
Turnout			33,087	57.7	−0.3
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+14.7

See also

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Humberside

Notes

1. A borough constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer)
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency currently elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.
3. Not only were sons of freemen considered freemen
4. See three MPs which that name, in 1496 and throughout the 19th century including one elevated to Baron Heneage
5. Including Cleethorpes and Great Coates
6. From 1918 Grimsby rather than Great Grimsby

References

1. "Constituency data: electorates – House of Commons Library". Parliament UK. 15 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
2. Sky News November 2019
3. George Oliver to George Tennyson, 24 November 1818, quoted in Jupp.
4. Brant, Robin (28 April 2015). "East coast voters weigh up UKIP". BBC News.
5. "UKIP charge falls flat in Grimsby". BBC News. 8 May 2015.
6. Shaw, George (1897). Old Grimsby. Grimsby, G. Shaw.
7. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 30 September 2011.
8. Cavill. The English Parliaments of Henry VII 1485-1504.
9. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 30 September 2011.
10. "History of Parliament". Retrieved 30 September 2011.
11. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "G" (part 2)
12. On petition, the Commons resolved that William Cotesworth "has been notoriously guilty of bribery and other indirect practices", that he had not been duly elected and that his offences he should be committed as a prisoner to the Tower of London. They also resolved that no new writ for Great Grimsby should be issued for the remainder of the session, leaving the seat vacant
13. Expelled from the House of Commons in 1721 for his role in the South Sea Bubble
14. Created Earl of Catherlough (in the Peerage of Ireland), 1763
15. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 200–202. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
16. Long changed his name to North in 1789
17. On petition, which accused both Loft and Boucherett of bribery and treating, the result of the 1802 election was overturned. The committee amended the result of the voting, so that Loft who had been placed first was placed third, and declared Mellish duly elected in Loft's place.
18. "General Election". Leicester Chronicle. 24 January 1835. p. 2. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
19. "Lincolnshire". Bell's New Weekly Messenger. 11 January 1835. p. 5. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
20. "Election Movements". London Courier and Evening Gazette. 1 January 1835. p. 4. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. Sussex Agricultural Express. 14 March 1857. p. 9 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000654/18570314/104/0009. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. Casey, Martin; Salmon, Philip. "Great Grimsby". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
23. 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.
24. "Grimsby". Stamford Mercury. 6 May 1859. p. 7. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
25. "The New Parliament". Sheffield Independent. 7 May 1859. p. 11. Retrieved 12 May 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
26. "Lincolnshire and Other Elections". Grantham Journal. 21 November 1868. p. 4. Retrieved 13 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
27. "The Representation of Grimsby". Shields Daily Gazette. 1 August 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
28. "The General Election". London Evening Standard. 31 March 1880. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 27 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
29. British parliamentary election results, 1885-1918 (Craig)
30. British parliamentary election results 1885-1918 by F.W.S. Craig
31. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 by F.W.S. Craig
32. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
33. The Liberal Year Book, 1931
34. The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1951.
35. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
36. "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
37. "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
38. "UK General Election results April 1992". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
39. "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
40. "UK General Election results May 1997". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
41. The 1997 swings are calculated relative to the actual 1992 result as there were no boundary changes to this constituency in 1997. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (1995). The Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies. Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre. p. 89.
42. "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
43. "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
44. "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
45. "UK - England - Yorkshire & the Humber - Great Grimsby". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
46. "Great Grimsby". BBC News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
47. "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
48. "Great Grimsby parliamentary constituency". BBC News.
49. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Sources

• Robert Beatson, A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807) A Chronological Register of Both Houses of the British Parliament, from the Union in 1708, to the Third Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in 1807
• Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803 (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) titles A-Z
• F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (2nd edition, Aldershot: Parliamentary Research Services, 1989)
• Peter Jupp, British and Irish Elections 1784-1831 (Newton Abbott: David & Charles, 1973)
• T. H. B. Oldfield, The Representative History of Great Britain and Ireland (London: Baldwin, Cradock & Joy, 1816)
• Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt, The Unreformed House of Commons (Cambridge University Press, 1903)
• J Holladay Philbin, Parliamentary Representation 1832 - England and Wales (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965)
• Robert Walcott, English Politics in the Early Eighteenth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1956)
• Frederic A Youngs, jr, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol II (London: Royal Historical Society, 1991)

External links

• Great Grimsby UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at MapIt UK
• Great Grimsby UK Parliament constituency (boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at MapIt UK