title: 1969 Louth by-election
text: # 1969 Louth by-election
  
  The 1969 Louth by-election was a by-election held on 4 December 1969 for the British House of Commons constituency of Louth in Lincolnshire.
  
  The seat had become vacant on the death on 31 August of the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Sir Cyril Osborne. He had held the seat since the 1945 general election.
  
  The result was a victory for the Conservative candidate Jeffrey Archer. Archer held the seat until the October 1974 general election, when he stepped down due to financial difficulties and began writing popular novels.
  
  ## Votes
  
  Louth by-election, 1969 :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Conservative | Jeffrey Archer | 16,317 | 58.00 | +11.63 |
  | | Labour | Bruce Briggs | 5,590 | 19.87 | −17.00 |
  | | Liberal | John Adams | 5,003 | 17.78 | +1.02 |
  | | Democratic Party | George Fitzgerald | 1,225 | 4.35 | New |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,727 | 38.13 | +28.63 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,135 | | |
  | | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +14.3 | |
  
  General election 1966: Louth, Lincolnshire :
  
  | Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Conservative | Cyril Osborne | 19,977 | 46.37 |
  | | Labour | Robin Brumby | 15,885 | 36.87 |
  | | Liberal | Edmund Marshall | 7,222 | 16.76 |
  | Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,092 | 9.50 |
  | Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,084 | 74.35 |
  | | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
  