Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

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Ayrshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandAyrshire
1708–1868
Seats1
Created fromAyrshire
Replaced byNorth Ayrshire
South Ayrshire.

Ayrshire was a 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, when it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.

It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Creation[edit]

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

Boundaries[edit]

The Ayrshire constituency represented the county of Ayrshire, minus the parliamentary burghs of Ayr and Irvine, which were components of the Ayr Burghs constituency.

History[edit]

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire for the 1868 general election.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member Party
1708 Francis Montgomerie
1710 John Montgomerie
1713
1715
1722
1727 James Campbell Whig
1734
1741
1747 Patrick Craufurd
1754 James Mure-Campbell, later Earl of Loudoun
1761 Archibald Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton Whig
1768 David Kennedy, later Earl of Cassillis
1774 Sir Adam Fergusson
1780 Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton
1781 Sir Adam Fergusson
1784 Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton
1789 William McDowall
1790 Sir Adam Fergusson
1796 Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton
1796 William Fullarton Whig
1801
1802
1803 Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton
1806
1807 David Boyle
1811 Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton
1812
1818 James Montgomerie Tory[6]
1820
1826
1829 William Blair Tory[7]
1830
1831
1832 Richard Alexander Oswald Whig[7]
1835 John Dunlop Radical[8][9]
1837
1839 Viscount Kelburn, later Earl of Glasgow Conservative[7]
1841
1843 Alexander Haldane Oswald Conservative
1847
1852 James Hunter Blair Conservative
1854 Sir James Fergusson Conservative
1857 Lord Patrick Crichton-Stuart Whig[10][11][12]
1859 Liberal
1859 Sir James Fergusson Conservative
1865

Election results[edit]

Elections in the 1830s[edit]

General election 1830: Ayrshire[7][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Blair (Ayrshire MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 185
Tory hold
General election 1831: Ayrshire[7][13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Blair (Ayrshire MP) 73 67.0
Whig Richard Alexander Oswald 36 33.0
Majority 37 34.0
Turnout 109 58.9
Registered electors 185
Tory hold
General election 1832: Ayrshire[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Alexander Oswald 2,152 86.9 +53.9
Tory William Blair (Ayrshire MP) 324 13.1 −53.9
Majority 1,828 73.8 N/A
Turnout 2,476 78.6 +19.7
Registered electors 3,150
Whig gain from Tory Swing +53.9
General election 1835: Ayrshire[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Richard Alexander Oswald Unopposed
Registered electors 3,171
Whig hold

Oswald's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 3 July 1835: Ayrshire[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Radical John Dunlop 1,435 63.4
Conservative John Cathcart 829 36.6
Majority 606 26.8
Turnout 2,264 71.4
Registered electors 3,171
Radical gain from Whig
General election 1837: Ayrshire[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Radical John Dunlop 1,559 53.2
Conservative James Carr-Boyle 1,370 46.8
Majority 189 6.4
Turnout 2,929 73.5
Registered electors 3,985
Radical gain from Whig

Dunlop's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 1 May 1839: Ayrshire[7][14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Carr-Boyle 1,758 56.7 +9.9
Whig James Campbell 1,296 41.8 New
Chartist Hugh Craig[15] 46 1.5 New
Majority 462 14.9 N/A
Turnout 3,100 73.1 −0.4
Registered electors 4,242
Conservative gain from Radical

Elections in the 1840s[edit]

General election 1841: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Carr-Boyle Unopposed
Registered electors 4,274
Conservative gain from Radical

Carr-Boyle succeeded to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl of Glasgow and causing a by-election.

By-election, 3 August 1843: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Haldane Oswald Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Haldane Oswald Unopposed
Registered electors 4,305
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s[edit]

General election 1852: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Hunter-Blair 1,301 52.0 N/A
Peelite Edward Cardwell[16] 1,200 48.0 New
Majority 101 4.0 N/A
Turnout 2,501 65.4 N/A
Registered electors 3,823
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Blair's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 December 1854: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Fergusson 1,510 52.2 +0.2
Peelite Alexander Haldane Oswald 1,381 47.8 −0.2
Majority 129 4.4 +0.4
Turnout 2,891 75.6 +10.2
Registered electors 3,823
Conservative hold Swing +0.2
General election 1857: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Patrick Crichton-Stuart 1,663 53.3 New
Conservative James Fergusson 1,458 46.7 −5.3
Majority 205 6.6 N/A
Turnout 3,121 78.5 +13.1
Registered electors 3,976
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +5.3
General election 1859: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Patrick Crichton-Stuart Unopposed
Registered electors 3,939
Liberal hold

Crichton-Stuart's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 31 October 1859: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Fergusson 1,687 50.7 New
Liberal James Campbell[17] 1,641 49.3 N/A
Majority 46 1.4 N/A
Turnout 3,328 81.7 N/A
Registered electors 4,072
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s[edit]

General election 1865: Ayrshire[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 4,642
Conservative gain from Liberal

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ayrshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Ayrshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Ayrshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Ayrshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Ayrshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  6. ^ Jenkins, Terry. "MONTGOMERIE, James (1755-1829), of Wrighthill, Ayr". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 196. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  8. ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. p. 78. Retrieved 17 August 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Leicester Herald". 11 July 1835. p. 5. Retrieved 17 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ Smith, Henry Stooks (1841). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 196–197. Retrieved 1 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Churton, Edward (1836). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1836. p. 216. Retrieved 1 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Election Prospects". Morning Post. 22 June 1841. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 1 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ a b Jenkins, Terry. "Ayrshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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.
  15. ^ "Ayrshire Election". Yorkshire Gazette. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "Polls on Wednesday". Greenock Advertiser. 10 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ "Ayrshire County Election". Glasgow Herald. 27 October 1859. p. 2. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

See also[edit]

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