Perthshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Perthshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1885, representing a seat for one Member of Parliament (MP).

Perthshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandPerthshire
1708–1885
Number of membersOne
Replaced byEastern Perthshire
Western Perthshire

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 Perthshire.

Boundaries

The constituency was created to cover the county of Perth, minus the burgh of Perth, which was a component of the Perth Burghs constituency. The Scottish Reform Act 1832 transferred from Perthshire to Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire the parishes of Tulliallan, Culross and Muckhart and the Perthshire portions of the parishes of Logie and Fossaway.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1885.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

As a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Perthshire constituency was divided to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire in 1885.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberPartyNotes
15 June 1708 Dougal Stewart Tory Also sat for Buteshire [6]
25 October 1710 Lord James Murray
10 February 1715 Lord James Murray Later 2nd Duke of Atholl
By-election, 31 December 1724 David Graeme
By-election, 28 April 1726 Mungo Haldane Previously MP for Stirlingshire 1715–22, and for Dunbartonshire 1722–25
12 October 1727 John Drummond
9 May 1734 Lord John Murray
21 April 1761 John Murray
By-election, 23 March 1764 David Graeme Diplomat and British Army general
By-election, 11 June 1773 James Murray of Strowan
By-election, 11 April 1794 Thomas Graham
19 May 1807 Lord James Murray Later 1st Baron Glenlyon
By-election, 19 March 1812 James Drummond Tory
By-election, 6 April 1824 Sir George Murray Tory[7]
29 December 1832 The Earl of Ormelie Whig[7] Later 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane
By-election, 5 May 1834 Sir George Murray Conservative[7]
17 January 1835 Hon. Fox Maule Whig[7]
4 August 1837 Viscount Stormont Conservative[7]
By-election, 9 March 1840 Henry Home-Drummond Conservative[7]
1846 Peelite[8]
16 July 1852 Sir William Stirling, Bt Conservative Changed name to Sir William Stirling-Maxwell in March 1866
23 November 1868 Charles Stuart Parker Liberal MP for Perth 1878–92
12 February 1874 Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, Bt Conservative
By-election, 4 February 1878 Henry Home-Drummond-Moray Conservative
5 April 1880 Sir Donald Currie Liberal subsequently MP for Western Perthshire
1885 constituency divided. See Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire

Election results

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Perthshire[7][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Murray Unopposed
Registered electors 239
Tory hold
General election 1831: Perthshire[7][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory George Murray Unopposed
Registered electors 239
Tory hold
General election 1832: Perthshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Campbell 1,666 60.4
Tory George Murray 1,093 39.6
Majority 573 20.8
Turnout 2,759 86.8
Registered electors 3,180
Whig gain from Tory

Campbell succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane and causing a by-election.

By-election, 5 May 1834: Perthshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory George Murray 1,464 53.6 +14.0
Whig Robert Graham 1,268 46.4 −14.0
Majority 196 7.2 N/A
Turnout 2,732 79.8 −7.0
Registered electors 3,425
Tory gain from Whig Swing +14.0
General election 1835: Perthshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Fox Maule 1,453 51.5 −8.9
Conservative George Murray 1,371 48.5 +8.9
Majority 82 3.0 −17.8
Turnout 2,824 76.6 −10.2
Registered electors 3,689
Whig hold Swing −8.9
General election 1837: Perthshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Murray 1,495 52.0 +3.5
Whig Fox Maule 1,379 48.0 −3.5
Majority 116 4.0 N/A
Turnout 2,874 64.6 −12.0
Registered electors 4,452
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +3.5

Elections in the 1840s

Murray succeeded to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl of Mansfield and causing a by-election.

By-election, 9 March 1840: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Home-Drummond 1,586 58.4 +6.4
Whig George Drummond Stewart[11] 1,128 41.6 −6.4
Majority 458 16.8 +12.8
Turnout 2,714 64.3 −0.3
Registered electors 4,224
Conservative hold Swing +6.4
General election 1841: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Home-Drummond Unopposed
Registered electors 4,224
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Henry Home-Drummond Unopposed
Registered electors 4,187
Peelite gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Stirling Unopposed
Registered electors 4,938
Conservative gain from Peelite
General election 1857: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Stirling Unopposed
Registered electors 3,415
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Stirling Unopposed
Registered electors 3,368
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Stirling Unopposed
Registered electors 3,448
Conservative hold
General election 1868: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Stuart Parker 2,046 53.7 New
Conservative William Stirling-Maxwell 1,767 46.3 N/A
Majority 279 7.4 N/A
Turnout 3,813 78.2 N/A
Registered electors 4,876
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Stirling-Maxwell 2,554 55.4 +9.1
Liberal Charles Stuart Parker 2,060 44.6 −9.1
Majority 494 10.8 N/A
Turnout 4,614 83.8 +5.6
Registered electors 5,505
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +9.1

Stirling-Maxwell's death caused a by-election.

1878 Perthshire by-election[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Home-Drummond-Moray 2,439 52.0 -3.4
Liberal Algernon Greville-Nugent[12] 2,255 48.0 +3.4
Majority 184 4.0 -6.8
Turnout 4,694 83.6 -0.2
Registered electors 5,613
Conservative hold Swing -3.4

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Perthshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Donald Currie 2,764 52.8 +8.2
Conservative Henry Home-Drummond-Moray 2,472 47.2 −8.2
Majority 292 5.6 N/A
Turnout 5,236 88.5 +4.7
Registered electors 5,918
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +8.2

Notes and references
  1. "Perthshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  2. "Perthshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. "Perthshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. "Perthshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. "Perthshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. Dougal Stewart was also returned for Buteshire at the general election in 1708 and appears to have been permitted to sit for both seats until his appointment as a Lord of Session on 7 Jun 1709. No writ for a fresh election appears to have been issued before the general election in 1710
  7. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 208–209. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google Books.
  8. "Perthshire". Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin review; and Forfar and Kincardineshire advertiser. 13 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. Fisher, David R. "Perthshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  10. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 599. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  11. "London Evening Standard". 4 March 1840. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "The Perthshire Election". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 26 January 1878. p. 4. Retrieved 15 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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