In June 1923 Tiverton was embroiled in by-election fever. There had been a General Election in November 1922 when Mr. Weston Sparkes had been elected for the Conservative Party with a small majority over Francis Acland of the Liberals. Mr. Sparke’s tenure was brief as he died in May 1923 sparking the by-election. The Gazette covered the selection of candidates and the election campaigns across the Constituency which, in 1923, included not only Mid-Devon but Dawlish and parts of Newton Abbot and St Thomas District.

Gazette entry of the results of the previous election

Francis Acland stood again, his opponent this time was his second cousin, Gilbert Acland Troyte. The result was announced at 3.15pm on the afternoon of June 21st. The Museum has several records of this event.

Crowds waiting for the election result

The result is declared

This is not quite the end of the story because on December 6 1923, there was a General Election bringing the two men together again. This time, Acland was victorious but by what must be one of the smallest majorities on record, 3 votes out of a total 24,603.

At the General Election on 29 October 1924, the third in less than 2 years, Troyte defeated Acland and remained the MP for the Constituency until 1945.