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1879 Canterbury by-election

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The 1879 Canterbury by-election was held on 8 May 1879. The by-election was fought due to the resignation of the incumbent Conservative MP, Lewis Majendie. It was won by the Conservative candidate Robert Peter Laurie.[1]

Corruption

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The Liberal candidate Charles Edwards was accused of spending about £140 (equivalent to £16,920 in 2023) on buying votes during the campaign. Although Edwards disclaimed knowledge of this and blamed his campaign manager, he did admit that the money was spent on bribery.[2]

Canterbury by-election, 1879[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Peter Laurie 1,159 51.2 −10.4
Liberal Charles Edwards 1,103 48.8 +10.3
Majority 56 2.4 −7.6
Turnout 2,262 73.2 −2.5
Conservative hold Swing -10.4

References

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  1. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
  2. ^ Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons (1881). Parliamentary Papers. H.M. Stationery Office. pp. 5–14.
  3. ^ "Canterbury Election". Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald. 10 May 1879. Retrieved 5 October 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.