[1] It was uncontested and retained by incumbent Liberal Party MP John Robert Davison.
[3] However, a week before the nomination, Davison was lobbied by a nonconformist group over the recent Education Act.
Davison told the group that he was unable to make a substantial comment on the issue and that he felt he should support the government's position.
[5] Davison then thanked the attendees, which included fellow Liberal MPs Hedworth Williamson and Joseph Dodds,[6] who represented the nearby North Durham and Stockton-on-Tees constituencies.
He made a short speech in which he claimed that Prime Minister Gladstone still had the confidence of the public.