Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868.

Aberdeenshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandAberdeenshire
1708–1868
Number of membersOne
Replaced byEastern Aberdeenshire
Western Aberdeenshire

In 1868 it was divided to create Eastern Aberdeenshire and Western Aberdeenshire.

Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Aberdeenshire .

Boundaries

When created in 1708, the constituency covered the county of Aberdeen minus the burgh of Aberdeen, which was part of the Aberdeen Burghs constituency.

Under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832 the Aberdeen burgh constituency was created to cover the burgh plus areas previously within the Aberdeenshire constituency.[1]

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished for the 1868 general election.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

In 1868, the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 divided Aberdeenshire to form Eastern Aberdeenshire and Western Aberdeenshire, and these new constituencies were first used in the 1868 general election.

Members of Parliament
Election [7] Member Party Notes
1708 Lord Haddo Tory
1709 by-election Sir Alexander Cumming, Bt Tory[3]
1722 Sir Archibald Grant, Bt Opposition Whig[3] expelled due to his role in the Charitable Corporation
1732 by-election Sir Arthur Forbes, Bt Whig[3]
1747 Andrew Mitchell Whig[3] MP for Elgin Burghs 1755–1771
1754 Lord Adam Gordon Pro-Administration MP for Kincardineshire 1774–1788
1768 Alexander Garden Independent
1786 by-election George Skene Whig MP for Elgin Burghs 1806–1807
1790 James Ferguson Tory MP for Banffshire 1789–1790
Sept 1820 by-election William Gordon Tory[8] Royal Navy officer, Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
1834 Conservative[8]
1854 by-election Lord Haddo Peelite[9][10][11] succeeded as Earl of Aberdeen in 1860
1859 Liberal
1861 by-election William Leslie Conservative resigned May 1866
1866 by-election William Dingwall Fordyce Liberal afterwards MP for East Aberdeenshire
1868 constituency divided: see Eastern Aberdeenshire and Western Aberdeenshire

Election results

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Aberdeenshire[8][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 184
Tory hold
General election 1831: Aberdeenshire[8][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Gordon 75 68.2
Whig Sir Michael Bruce, 8th Baronet 32 29.1
Tory John Gordon 3 2.7
Majority 43 39.1
Turnout 110 59.8
Registered electors 184
Tory hold
General election 1832: Aberdeenshire[8][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory William Gordon 1,183 54.1 −14.1
Whig Sir Michael Bruce, 8th Baronet 1,002 45.9 +16.8
Majority 181 8.2 −30.9
Turnout 2,185 96.2 +36.4
Registered electors 2,271
Tory hold Swing −15.5
General election 1835: Aberdeenshire[8][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 2,271
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Aberdeenshire[8][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative William Gordon 1,220 60.2
Whig Sir Thomas Burnett, 8th Baronet 807 39.8
Majority 413 20.4
Turnout 2,027 67.7
Registered electors 2,996
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 3,181
Conservative hold

Gordon was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 21 September 1841: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gordon Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 3,694
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 4,022
Conservative hold

Gordon resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 August 1854: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite George Hamilton-Gordon Unopposed
Peelite gain from Conservative
General election 1857: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite George Hamilton-Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 4,682
Peelite gain from Conservative
General election 1859: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Hamilton-Gordon Unopposed
Registered electors 4,952
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Hamilton-Gordon succeeded as 5th Earl of Aberdeen, causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 February 1861: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Leslie 851 56.1 New
Liberal Arthur Hamilton-Gordon[14] 665 43.9 N/A
Majority 186 12.2 N/A
Turnout 1,516 30.8 N/A
Registered electors 4,928
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General election 1865: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Leslie Unopposed
Registered electors 4,384
Conservative gain from Liberal

Leslie resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 15 May 1866: Aberdeenshire[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Dingwall Fordyce 2,175 66.7 N/A
Conservative James Dalrymple-Horn-Elphinstone 1,088 33.3 N/A
Majority 1,087 33.4 N/A
Turnout 3,263 73.4 N/A
Registered electors 4,447
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

See also
  • Former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies

References
  1. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, Schedules (A) (County constituencies) and (M) (boundaries of Aberdeen burgh constituency).
  2. "Aberdeenshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. "Aberdeenshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. "Aberdeenshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. "Aberdeenshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  6. "Aberdeenshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  7. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844–1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 615. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  8. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 195.
  9. "Elgin Courier". 25 August 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "The County Election". Aberdeen Herald and General Advertiser. 26 August 1854. p. 5. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Summary of the Week". Oxford University and City Herald. 26 August 1854. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. Fisher, David R. "Aberdeenshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  13. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  14. "Aberdeenshire Election – 1861". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 27 February 1861. p. 2. Retrieved 26 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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