Elginshire and Nairnshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Elginshire and Nairnshire was a county constituency in Scotland. From 1832 to 1918, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

Elginshire and Nairnshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandElginshire and Nairnshire
1832–1918
Number of membersOne
Replaced byMoray & Nairn
Created fromElginshire
Nairnshire

Boundaries

The constituency was created in 1832 by the Scottish Reform Act 1832 by a merger of two former constituencies: Elginshire and Nairnshire. It extended to the counties of Elginshire and Nairnshire, with the exception of the burghs of Elgin, Nairn and Forres which were instead part of Inverness Burghs and Elgin Burghs.

It was replaced in 1918 by the new Moray and Nairn constituency, which included all of Elginshire and Nairnshire, including the burghs of Elgin, Nairn and Forres.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember [1]Party
1832 Francis Ogilvy-Grant Tory
1834 Conservative
1840 by-election Charles Cumming-Bruce Conservative
1868 James Ogilvy-Grant Conservative
1874 Alexander Duff Liberal
1879 by-election Sir George Macpherson-Grant Liberal
1886 Charles Henry Anderson Liberal
1889 by-election John Seymour Keay Liberal
1895 John Gordon Conservative
1906 Archibald Williamson Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Politics and history of the constituency

Prior to the 1832 Reform Act, Nairnshire was normally controlled by the Dukes of Argyll or Campbells, the number of voters varying between 15-30.[2] The Grants dominated Elginshire which had around 30 voters; both constituencies objected to the merger but without result.

The Act increased the electorate to about 650-700; after 1832, the seat was contested only once in 1841, returning a Conservative until the Liberals took the seat in 1874.

Elections

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1832: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Francis Ogilvy-Grant Unopposed
Registered electors 642
Tory win (new seat)
General election 1835: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Francis Ogilvy-Grant Unopposed
Registered electors 690
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Francis Ogilvy-Grant Unopposed
Registered electors 727
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

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

By-election, 25 April 1840: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1841: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce 372 68.3 N/A
Whig Alexander Duff[4] 173 31.7 N/A
Majority 199 36.5 N/A
Turnout 545 72.7 N/A
Registered electors 750
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 1847: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Registered electors 718
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Registered electors 683
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Registered electors 870
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Registered electors 946
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Cumming-Bruce Unopposed
Registered electors 863
Conservative hold
General election 1868: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative James Ogilvy-Grant Unopposed
Registered electors 1,580
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Alexander Duff 829 57.3 N/A
Conservative James Ogilvy-Grant 619 42.7 N/A
Majority 210 14.5 N/A
Turnout 1,448 85.5 N/A
Registered electors 1,693
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Duff succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Fife.

By-election, 18 Sep 1879: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Macpherson-Grant 959 57.8 +0.5
Conservative Hugh Brodie[6] 701 42.2 −0.5
Majority 258 15.5 +1.0
Turnout 1,660 88.1 +2.6
Registered electors 1,884
Liberal hold Swing +0.5

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Elginshire and Nairnshire[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Macpherson-Grant Unopposed
Registered electors 1,891
Liberal hold
General election 1885: Elginshire and Nairnshire [7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal George Macpherson-Grant 1,612 35.0 N/A
Conservative Hugh Fife Ashley Brodie 1,556 33.8 N/A
Independent Liberal Charles Henry Anderson 1,435 31.2 N/A
Majority 56 1.2 N/A
Turnout 4,603 79.4 N/A
Registered electors 5,796
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1886: Elginshire and Nairnshire [7][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Henry Anderson 1,991 51.5 +16.5
Liberal Unionist George Macpherson-Grant 1,872 48.5 +14.7
Majority 119 3.0 +1.8
Turnout 3,863 66.6 −12.8
Registered electors 5,796
Liberal hold Swing +0.9

Anderson's death caused a by-election.

1889 Elginshire and Nairnshire by-election [9][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Seymour Keay 2,573 55.7 +4.2
Liberal Unionist Charles Bowman Logan 2,044 44.3 −4.2
Majority 529 11.4 +8.4
Turnout 4,617 79.0 +12.4
Registered electors 5,844
Liberal hold Swing +4.2

Elections in the 1890s
Sir William Gull
General election 1892: Elginshire and Nairnshire [10][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Seymour Keay 2,523 56.1 +4.6
Liberal Unionist Cameron Gull 1,978 43.9 −4.6
Majority 545 12.2 +9.2
Turnout 4,501 77.2 +10.6
Registered electors 5,830
Liberal hold Swing +4.6
General election 1895: Elginshire and Nairnshire [11][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gordon 2,147 51.5 +7.6
Liberal John Seymour Keay 2,019 48.5 -7.6
Majority 128 3.0 N/A
Turnout 4,166 73.5 −3.7
Registered electors 5,669
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +7.6

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: Elginshire and Nairnshire [12][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative John Gordon 2,334 51.9 +0.4
Liberal Archibald Williamson 2,159 48.1 −0.4
Majority 175 3.8 +0.8
Turnout 4,493 75.2 +1.7
Registered electors 5,974
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
A. Williamson
General election 1906: Elginshire and Nairnshire [13][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Archibald Williamson 3,006 66.0 +17.9
Conservative Harry Hope 1,546 34.0 −17.9
Majority 1,460 32.0 N/A
Turnout 4,552 79.1 +3.9
Registered electors 5,757
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +17.9

Elections in the 1910s
General election Jan 1910: Elginshire and Nairnshire [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Archibald Williamson 2,917 62.7 -3.3
Conservative Ralph Glyn 1,734 37.3 +3.3
Majority 1,183 25.4 -6.6
Turnout 4,651 80.9 +1.8
Registered electors 5,748
Liberal hold Swing -3.3
General election Dec 1910: Elginshire and Nairnshire [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Archibald Williamson Unopposed
Liberal hold

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;

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References
  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
  2. Nairnshire. "The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  3. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)|format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  4. "The Evening Chronicle". 12 July 1841. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. Debrett's House of Commons, 1870.
  6. "Moray and Nairn Election". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 11 September 1879. p. 5. Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  8. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  9. David Marquand, Ramsay MacDonald, (London: Richard Cohen Books), 1977, p. 22.
  10. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  11. Whitaker's Almanack, 1900
  12. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  13. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  14. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
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