The 1870 Colchester by-election was held on 3 November 1870. The byelection was fought due to the death of the incumbent Liberal MP,

John Gurdon Rebow John Gurdon Rebow (1799 - 11 October 1870) was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1857 and 1870. Rebow was born as "Gurdon" the son of Theophilus Thornhaugh Gurdon of Letton, Norfolk and his ...

. The Liberal candidate was Sir Henry Storks, a strong supporter of the controversial Contagious Diseases Acts which provided for compulsory inspection and medical treatment of prostitutes in garrison towns, including Colchester. Opponents of the legislation, including Josephine Butler, supported a rival Liberal

Baxter Langley John Baxter Langley (1819 – February 1892) was a radical political activist and newspaper editor. Early life Langley son of Rev John Langley was born in Shrewsbury. His father was curate of the church of St Chad. The Langley's neighbours were t ...

, and used the election in their campaign for repeal. Langley withdrew on election day and the Conservative candidate Alexander Learmonth of Edinburgh, gained the seat convincingly. The gain was retained at the subsequent general election.

References

1870 in England Politics of Colchester 1870 elections in the United Kingdom By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Essex constituencies 1870s in Essex {{England-UK-Parl-by-election-stub