Inverness (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
Inverness | |
---|---|
Former County constituency for the House of Commons | |
1918–1983 | |
Number of members | One |
Replaced by | Inverness, Nairn & Lochaber and Ross, Cromarty & Skye[1] |
Created from | Inverness-shire and Inverness Burghs |
There was also a county constituency called Inverness-shire, 1708 to 1918, and a burgh constituency called Inverness Burghs, 1708 to 1918.
Boundaries
The earlier Inverness-shire constituency covered, nominally, the county of Inverness minus the burgh of Inverness, which was a part of the Inverness Burghs constituency. By 1918, however, county boundaries were out of alignment with constituency boundaries.
In 1918, the Representation of the People Act 1918 created new constituency boundaries, taking account of new local government boundaries, and the new constituency boundaries were first used in the 1918 general election.
The new Inverness constituency included the burgh of Inverness and was one of three constituencies covering the county of Inverness and the county of Ross and Cromarty. The other two were the Ross and Cromarty constituency and the Western Isles constituency.[2]
The Inverness constituency covered the county of Inverness minus Outer Hebridean areas (the districts of Harris, North Uist and South Uist), which were covered by the Western Isles constituency. The same boundaries were used in every election from 1918 onwards.
In 1975, counties and burghs were abolished as local government areas, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and from 1975 until 1983, the Inverness constituency was entirely within the Highland local government region.
For the 1983 general election, new boundaries defined three new constituencies to cover the region: Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber, Ross, Cromarty and Skye and Caithness and Sutherland. Each of the new constituencies covered a number of the districts of the region. The Caithness and Sutherland constituency carried forward the name of an older constituency.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1918 | Thomas Brash Morison | Coalition Liberal | Previously MP for Inverness-shire | |
1922 by-election | Sir Murdoch Macdonald | Coalition Liberal | ||
1922 | National Liberal | |||
1922 | Liberal | |||
1931 | National Liberal | |||
1950 | Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton | Unionist | ||
1954 by-election | Neil McLean | Unionist | ||
1964 | Russell Johnston | Liberal | Subsequently, MP for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber | |
1983 | constituency abolished |
Election results
![](../I/Inverness_election_history.png.webp)
Elections in the 1910s
![](../I/Thomas_Morison.jpg.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Liberal | Thomas Morison | 7,991 | 73.2 | |
Highland Land League | George James Bruce | 2,930 | 26.8 | ||
Majority | 5,061 | 46.4 | |||
Turnout | 10,921 | 37.3 | |||
Registered electors | 29,263 | ||||
Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coalition Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 8,340 | 51.0 | New | |
Liberal | Alexander Livingstone | 8,024 | 49.0 | -24.2 | |
Majority | 316 | 2.0 | −44.4 | ||
Turnout | 16,364 | 50.1 | +13.8 | ||
Registered electors | 32,695 | ||||
Coalition Liberal hold | Swing | −22.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 9,796 | 52.7 | N/A | |
Liberal | Alexander Livingstone | 8,785 | 47.3 | -25.9 | |
Majority | 1,011 | 5.4 | −41.0 | ||
Turnout | 18,581 | 54.3 | +17.0 | ||
Registered electors | 34,244 | ||||
National Liberal hold | Swing | −20.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 10,194 | 65.4 | +12.7 | |
Labour | Andrew D. Kinloch | 5,385 | 34.6 | New | |
Majority | 4,809 | 30.8 | +25.4 | ||
Turnout | 15,579 | 46.9 | −7.4 | ||
Registered electors | 33,230 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +12.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 11,468 | 62.6 | −2.8 | |
Labour | T. Henderson | 6,863 | 37.4 | +2.8 | |
Majority | 4,605 | 25.2 | −5.6 | ||
Turnout | 18,331 | 54.1 | +7.2 | ||
Registered electors | 33,875 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | +2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 14,042 | 55.3 | −7.3 | |
Labour | David Norman Mackay | 11,369 | 44.7 | +7.3 | |
Majority | 2,673 | 10.6 | −14.6 | ||
Turnout | 25,411 | 58.6 | +4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 43,387 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −7.3 |
Elections in the 1930s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal National | Murdoch Macdonald | 18,702 | 65.3 | +10.0 | |
Labour | David Norman Mackay | 5,941 | 20.7 | -24.0 | |
National (Scotland) | John MacCormick | 4,016 | 14.0 | New | |
Majority | 12,761 | 44.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 28,659 | 61.9 | +3.3 | ||
Liberal National gain from Liberal | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal National | Murdoch Macdonald | 14,985 | 56.4 | -8.9 | |
Labour | Hugh Fraser | 7,297 | 27.5 | +6.8 | |
SNP | John MacCormick | 4,273 | 16.1 | +2.1 | |
Majority | 7,688 | 28.9 | -15.7 | ||
Turnout | 26,555 | 57.8 | -4.1 | ||
Liberal National hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1940s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Liberal | Murdoch Macdonald | 12,090 | 43.26 | ||
Labour | Neil George Maclean | 9,655 | 34.55 | ||
Liberal | John MacCormick | 6,200 | 22.19 | New | |
Majority | 2,435 | 8.71 | |||
Turnout | 27,945 | 59.40 | |||
Independent Liberal gain from Liberal National | Swing | ||||
Elections in the 1950s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton | 16,056 | 45.47 | New | |
Labour | Desmond Nethersole-Thompson | 11,236 | 31.82 | −2.73 | |
Liberal | John Bannerman | 8,023 | 22.72 | +0.53 | |
Majority | 4,820 | 13.65 | +4.94 | ||
Turnout | 35,315 | 68.52 | +9.12 | ||
Unionist gain from Liberal National | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton | 22,497 | 64.54 | +19.07 | |
Labour | Thomas Alexander MacNair | 12,361 | 35.46 | +3.64 | |
Majority | 10,136 | 29.08 | +15.43 | ||
Turnout | 34,858 | 69.30 | +0.78 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | +21.37 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Neil McLean | 10,329 | 41.4 | -23.1 | |
Liberal | John Bannerman | 8,998 | 36.0 | New | |
Labour | William Paterson | 5,642 | 22.6 | -12.9 | |
Majority | 1,331 | 5.4 | -23.7 | ||
Turnout | 24,969 | 49.2 | -20.1 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Neil McLean | 14,352 | 41.5 | −23.1 | |
Liberal | John Bannerman | 13,386 | 38.7 | New | |
Labour | Desmond Nethersole-Thompson | 6,891 | 19.9 | −15.6 | |
Majority | 966 | 2.8 | −26.3 | ||
Turnout | 34,629 | 67.49 | −1.7 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | −9.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unionist | Neil McLean | 15,728 | 44.4 | +2.9 | |
Liberal | John Bannerman | 11,653 | 32.9 | −5.8 | |
Labour | Ian John Forgan Coulter | 8,073 | 22.77 | +2.9 | |
Majority | 4,075 | 11.49 | +8.70 | ||
Turnout | 35,454 | 71.56 | +4.07 | ||
Unionist hold | Swing | +5.75 |
Elections in the 1960s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 14,235 | 39.8 | +6.9 | |
Unionist | Neil McLean | 12,099 | 33.9 | −10.5 | |
Labour | Allan Campbell McLean | 9,402 | 26.3 | +3.5 | |
Majority | 2,136 | 5.9 | −5.6 | ||
Turnout | 35,736 | 71.4 | −0.2 | ||
Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 14,356 | 39.4 | −0.4 | |
Conservative | David Anthony Wathen | 11,961 | 32.9 | −1.0 | |
Labour | Allan Campbell McLean | 10,069 | 27.7 | +1.4 | |
Majority | 2,395 | 6.5 | +0.6 | ||
Turnout | 36,386 | 72.1 | +0.7 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 15,052 | 38.4 | −1.0 | |
Conservative | David Anthony Wathen | 12,378 | 31.5 | −1.4 | |
Labour | Donald Macauley | 9,038 | 23.0 | −4.7 | |
SNP | Athole Christina Cameron | 2,781 | 7.1 | New | |
Majority | 2,674 | 6.9 | +0.4 | ||
Turnout | 39,248 | 72.3 | +0.2 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 16,903 | 38.7 | +0.3 | |
Conservative | Robert Ewart Henderson | 11,680 | 26.8 | −4.7 | |
SNP | Rob Gibson | 7,816 | 17.9 | +10.8 | |
Labour | David James Cameron | 7,258 | 16.6 | -6.4 | |
Majority | 5,223 | 11.9 | +5.0 | ||
Turnout | 43,657 | 76.1 | +3.8 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 13,128 | 32.4 | −6.3 | |
SNP | Donald Barr | 11,994 | 29.6 | +11.7 | |
Conservative | Robert Ewart Henderson | 8,922 | 22.0 | −4.8 | |
Labour | J.W.L. Cumming | 6,332 | 15.6 | −1.0 | |
Fine Gael (Scotland) | Uilleam Bell | 155 | 0.4 | New | |
Majority | 1,134 | 2.8 | −9.1 | ||
Turnout | 40,531 | 70.5 | −5.6 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Russell Johnston | 15,716 | 33.7 | +1.3 | |
Conservative | Richard Hunter Gordon | 11,559 | 24.8 | +2.8 | |
SNP | Donald Barr | 9,603 | 20.6 | −9.0 | |
Labour | Brian David Henderson Wilson | 9,586 | 20.6 | +5.0 | |
Fine Gael (Scotland) | Uilleam Bell | 112 | 0.2 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 4,157 | 8.9 | +6.1 | ||
Turnout | 46,576 | 74.4 | −4.1 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing |
Notes and references
- "'Inverness', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig 1972
- Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
- The Times, 20 November 1922
- The Times, 11 December 1923
- Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
- The Times, 3 June 1929
- Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
- Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
- Craig, F.W.S., ed. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949. Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. p. 419. ISBN 978-0-900178-01-6.
- Pennie, Ian D. (October 1989). "Obituaries: Desmond Nethersole-Thompson (1908-1989)". Ibis. 131 (4): 610–611. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1989.tb04797.x.
- The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1950.
- The Times' Guide to the House of Commons. 1955.
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 978-0-900178-06-1.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"