Scottish Westminster constituencies 1708 to 1832 explained
As a result of the 1707 union of the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England (including Wales) to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, within the newly formed Parliament of Great Britain, Scotland had 48 constituencies representing seats for 45 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons, normally located at the Palace of Westminster. (Westminster being the meeting place for the former Parliament of England).Scottish Westminster constituencies[1] were first used in the 1708 general election. Prior to that election Scotland was represented by MPs who were co-opted as commissioners of the former Parliament of Scotland.
In the Parliament of Great Britain, Scotland had 15 burgh constituencies and 33 county constituencies, with each representing a seat for one MP. The county constituencies included, however, three pairs of alternating constituencies, so that only one member of a pair was represented at any one time. Therefore, Scotland had more constituencies than seats. With the exception of Edinburgh, the burgh constituencies were districts of burghs.
1708 boundaries were used for all subsequent election of the Parliament of Great Britain.
In 1801 the Parliament of Ireland was merged with the Parliament of Great Britain to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom, also at Westminster. The first general election of the new parliament was the general election of 1802, and there was no change to the boundaries of any pre-existing Westminster constituency.
1802 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1806, 1807, 1812, 1818, 1820, 1826, 1830 and 1831.
For the 1832 general election, Scottish Westminster constituencies were redefined by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832.
Burgh constituencies
County constituencies
| Constituency | Contents |
|---|
| Aberdeenshire | County of Aberdeen except burghs of Aberdeen, Inverurie, and Kintore |
| Argyll | County of Argyll except burghs of Campbeltown and Inverary |
| Ayrshire | County of Ayr except burghs of Ayr and Irvine |
| Banffshire | County of Banff except burgh of Banff |
| Berwickshire | County of Berwick except burgh of Lauder |
Buteshire
Alternated with Caithness | County of Bute except burgh of Rothesay |
Caithness
Alternated with Buteshire | County of Caithness except burgh of Wick |
Clackmannanshire
Alternated with Kinross-shire | County of Clackmannan |
Cromartyshire
Alternated with Nairnshire | County of Cromarty |
| Dumbartonshire | County of Dumbarton except burgh of Dumbarton |
| Dumfriesshire | County of Dumfries except burghs of Dumfries, Annan, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar |
| Edinburghshire | County of Edinburgh except burgh of Edinburgh |
| Elginshire | County of Elgin except burghs of Elgin, Forres, and Cullen |
| Fife | County of Fife except burghs of Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Burntisland, Cupar, Crail, Dysart, Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Pittenweem, Kilrenny, and St Andrews |
| Forfarshire | County of Forfar except burghs of Dundee, Forfar, Montrose, Brechin, and Arbroath |
| Haddingtonshire | County of Haddington except burghs of Dunbar, Haddington, and North Berwick |
| Inverness-shire | County of Inverness except burgh of Inverness |
| Kincardineshire | County of Kincardine except burgh of Inverbervie |
Kinross-shire
Alternated with Clackmannanshire | County of Kinross |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | County of Kirkcudbright except burgh of Kirkcudbright |
| Lanarkshire | County of Lanark except burghs of Glasgow, Lanark, and Rutherglen |
| Linlithgowshire | County of Linlithgow except burghs of Linlithgow and Queensferry |
Nairnshire
Alternated with Cromartyshire | County of Nairn except burgh of Nairn |
| Orkney and Zetland | County of Orkney except burgh of Kirkwall
and county of Zetland |
| Peeblesshire | County of Peebles except burgh of Peebles |
| Perthshire | County of Perth except burghs of Culross and Perth |
| Renfrewshire | County of Renfrew except burgh of Renfrew |
| Ross-shire | County of Ross except burghs of Dingwall, Fortrose, and Tain |
| Roxburghshire | County of Roxburgh except burgh of Jedburgh |
| Selkirkshire | County of Selkirk except burgh of Selkirk |
| Stirlingshire | County of Stirling except burgh of Stirling |
| Sutherland | County of Sutherland except burgh of Dornoch |
| Wigtownshire | County of Wigtown except burghs of New Galloway, Stranraer, Wigtown, and Whithorn | |
Notes and References
- As set out in Section XII of the Union with Scotland Act, 1706
