Leith Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Leith Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918. The constituency represented the parliamentary burghs of Leith, Musselburgh and Portobello.

Leith Burghs
Former District of burghs constituency
for the House of Commons
1832–1918
Number of membersOne
Replaced byLeith
Edinburgh East
Created fromEdinburgh[1] and Midlothian[2]

In 1918 Leith was included in Leith, while Musselburgh and Portobello were merged into Edinburgh East.

Members of Parliament
Election Member [3][4][5] Party
1832 John Murray Whig[6]
1839 by-election Andrew Rutherfurd Whig[6][7]
1851 by-election James Moncreiff Whig[8]
1859 Sir William Miller Liberal
1868 Robert Andrew Macfie Liberal
1874 Donald Robert Macgregor Liberal
1878 Andrew Grant Liberal
1885 William Jacks Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1886 William Ewart Gladstone Liberal
1886 Ronald Munro Ferguson Liberal
1914 George Welsh Currie Unionist
1918 constituency abolished

Election results
Decades:

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1832: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Murray Unopposed
Registered electors 1,624
Whig win (new seat)

Murray was appointed Lord Advocate, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 2 June 1834: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Murray 686 60.4
Conservative William Aitchison 449 39.6
Majority 237 20.8
Turnout 1,135 70.1
Registered electors 1,618
Whig hold
General election 1835: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Murray Unopposed
Registered electors 1,838
Whig hold

Murray was appointed Lord Advocate, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 8 May 1835: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Murray 727 63.2
Conservative David Milne 423 36.8
Majority 304 26.4
Turnout 1,150 62.6
Registered electors 1,838
Whig hold
General election 1837: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Murray Unopposed
Registered electors 2,171
Whig hold

Murray resigned after being appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice, becoming Lord Murray and causing a by-election.

By-election, 29 April 1839: Leith Burghs [4][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Andrew Rutherfurd Unopposed
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Andrew Rutherfurd Unopposed
Registered electors 1,732
Whig hold

Rutherfurd was appointed Lord Advocate, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 9 July 1846: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Andrew Rutherfurd Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1847: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Andrew Rutherfurd Unopposed
Registered electors 1,888
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

Rutherfurd resigned upon being appointed as a Senator of the College of Justice, becoming Lord Rutherfurd and causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 April 1851: Leith Burghs[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Moncreiff Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1852: Leith Burghs[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Moncreiff 643 61.2 N/A
Conservative Thomas Wingate Henderson[9] 407 38.8 New
Majority 236 22.4 N/A
Turnout 1,050 51.8 N/A
Registered electors 2,027
Whig hold Swing N/A

Moncreiff was appointed Lord Advocate, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 4 January 1853: Leith Burghs[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Moncreiff Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1857: Leith Burghs[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Moncreiff 821 53.9 −7.3
Whig William Miller[10] 701 46.1 N/A
Majority 120 7.8 −14.6
Turnout 1,522 77.1 +25.3
Registered electors 1,973
Whig hold Swing N/A
General election 1859: Leith Burghs[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Miller 904 54.8 +8.7
Liberal Robert Andrew Macfie 746 45.2 −8.7
Majority 158 9.6 +1.8
Turnout 1,650 77.1 0.0
Registered electors 2,139
Liberal hold Swing +8.7

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Miller Unopposed
Registered electors 2,672
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Leith Burghs [4][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Andrew Macfie 2,916 55.7 N/A
Liberal William Miller 2,319 44.3 N/A
Majority 597 11.4 N/A
Turnout 5,235 84.1 N/A
Registered electors 6,223
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Donald Robert Macgregor 4,489 69.8 +25.5
Liberal Robert Andrew Macfie 1,945 30.2 -25.5
Majority 2,544 39.6 +28.2
Turnout 6,434 78.0 -6.1
Registered electors 8,248
Liberal hold Swing

Macgregor's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 29 Jan 1878: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Grant 4,929 73.4 N/A
Conservative Charles Welch Tennant[12] 1,788 26.6 New
Majority 3,141 46.8 +7.2
Turnout 6,717 69.0 −9.0
Registered electors 9,739
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Leith Burghs [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Grant Unopposed
Liberal hold
Jacks
General election 1885: Leith Burghs [5][13][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Jacks 6,355 71.9 N/A
Conservative William David Thorburn 2,485 28.1 New
Majority 3,870 43.8 N/A
Turnout 8,840 75.0 N/A
Registered electors 11,779
Liberal hold
Gladstone
General election 1886: Leith Burghs [5][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Ewart Gladstone Unopposed
Liberal hold

Gladstone was also elected MP for Midlothian and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.

Ferguson
By-election, 20 Aug 1886: Leith Burghs [5][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 4,204 58.1 N/A
Independent Liberal Unionist Donald Robert Macgregor 1,528 21.1 New
Liberal Unionist William Jacks 1,499 20.7 New
Independent Liberal Unionist Henry Munster 3 0.1 New
Majority 2,676 37.0 N/A
Turnout 7,234 61.4 N/A
Registered electors 11,779
Liberal hold

Macgregor was supported by the local Conservative Association. Munster withdrew from the election after nominations had closed.

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: Leith Burghs [5][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 5,738 58.4 N/A
Liberal Unionist William Alexander Bell 4,095 41.6 N/A
Majority 1,643 16.8 N/A
Turnout 9,833 74.5 N/A
Registered electors 13,198
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Munro-Ferguson is appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 26 Mar 1894: Leith Burghs [5][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 5,823 55.4 −3.0
Liberal Unionist William Alexander Bell 4,692 44.6 +3.0
Majority 1,131 10.8 −6.0
Turnout 10,515 76.8 +2.3
Registered electors 13,685
Liberal hold Swing −3.0
General election 1895: Leith Burghs [5][13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 5,819 56.4 −2.0
Liberal Unionist John Wilson 4,494 43.6 +2.0
Majority 1,325 12.8 −4.0
Turnout 10,313 73.8 −0.7
Registered electors 13,982
Liberal hold Swing −2.0

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Leith Burghs [5][13][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 6,043 53.6 −2.8
Liberal Unionist Edward Theodore Salvesen 5,226 46.4 +2.8
Majority 817 7.2 -5.6
Turnout 11,269 72.8 -1.0
Registered electors 15,484
Liberal hold Swing −2.8
General election 1906: Leith Burghs [5][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 7,677 61.2 +7.6
Liberal Unionist Frank Cooper (Scottish politician) 4,865 38.8 −7.6
Majority 2,802 22.4 +15.2
Turnout 12,542 73.9 +1.1
Registered electors 16,974
Liberal hold Swing +7.6

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Leith Burghs [5][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 7,146 49.6 -11.6
Liberal Unionist Robert Cranston 4,540 31.5 -7.3
Labour William Walker 2,724 18.9 New
Majority 2,606 18.1 -4.3
Turnout 14,410 83.0 +9.1
Registered electors 17,351
Liberal hold Swing -2.1
Ferguson
General election December 1910: Leith Burghs [5][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ronald Munro Ferguson 7,069 57.2 +7.6
Liberal Unionist Frederick Alexander Macquisten 5,284 42.8 +11.3
Majority 1,785 14.4 +3.7
Turnout 12,353 68.7 -14.3
Registered electors
Liberal hold Swing +1.9
Currie
1914 Leith Burghs by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist George Welsh Currie 5,159 37.8 −5.0
Liberal Malcolm Smith 5,143 37.7 −19.5
Labour Joseph Nicholas Bell 3,346 24.5 New
Majority 16 0.1 N/A
Turnout 13,648 77.1 +8.4
Registered electors
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +7.2

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

See also

References
  1. Fisher, David R. "Edinburgh". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. Fisher, David R. "Edinburghshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  3. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
  4. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) |format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 554–555. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  5. Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 515. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  6. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 206–207. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. "Representation of Leith". Carlisle Journal. 27 April 1839. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Nairnshire Mirror, and General Advertiser". 12 April 1851. p. 4. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "The General Election". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. 17 April 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "Scottish Election Movements". Inverness Courier. 19 March 1857. p. 6. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. Debrett's House of Commons, 1870
  12. "Leith Nomination". Tyrone Constitution. 25 January 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 4 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  14. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1886
  15. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  16. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
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