The number of Conservative Party candidates nearly doubled between the 1832 and 1979 elections. This reflects the far greater number of constituencies that were created between those years, the result of the growth in the electorate that came about as a result of the 1832, 1867, 1884 and 1918 reform acts.

 

1832: 350

 

1835: 407

 

1837: 485

 

1841: 498

 

1847: 421

 

1852: 462

 

1857: 351

 

1859: 393

 

1865: 407

 

1868: 436

 

1874: 507

 

1880: 521

 

1885: 602

 

1886: 653

 

1892: 606

 

1895: 588

 

1900: 569

 

1906: 556

 

1910: 594

 

1910*: 548

 

1918: 445

 

1922: 482

 

1923: 536

 

1924: 534

 

1929: 590

 

1931: 583

 

1935: 583

 

1945: 618

 

1950: 619

 

1951: 617

 

1955: 624

 

1959: 625

 

1964: 630

 

1966: 629

 

1970: 628

 

1974: 623

 

1974**: 622

 

1979: 622

 

* = December

 

** = October