Elgin Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Elgin Burghs
Elgin Burghs
Former district of burghs constituency; for the House of Commons
1708–1918
Seats	One
Created from	Banff, Cullen, Elgin, Inverurie and Kintore
Replaced by	Kincardine and Aberdeenshire East, Banffshire, Moray and Nairn and Kincardine and Aberdeenshire West,

Elgin Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. Until 1832, when Peterhead was added, the constituency comprised the parliamentary burghs of Elgin, Cullen, Banff, Inverurie and Kintore, lying in Elginshire (later known as Morayshire), Banffshire and Aberdeenshire.

Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland burgh constituencies of Elgin, Banff, Cullen, Inverurie and Kintore.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1918.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

In 1918, Elgin became part of Moray and Nairn, Banff and Cullen part of Banffshire, Inverurie and Kintore part of Central Aberdeenshire and Peterhead part of East Aberdeenshire.

Members of Parliament

	Member^[6]	Party
1708	Hon. Patrick Ogilvy
1710	Alexander Reid
1713	James Murray	Tory^[7]
1715	John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll	Whig
1722	William Fraser	Tory
1725	John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll
1727	William Steuart
1728	Patrick Campbell
1734	William Steuart
1741	Sir James Grant, Bt
1747	William Grant
1755	Sir Andrew Mitchell
1771	Thomas Lockhart
1774	Staats Long Morris
1784	William Adam
1790	Alexander Brodie
1802	Francis Ogilvy-Grant, later Earl of Seafield
1806	George Skene
1807	Archibald Colquhoun
1810	William Dundas	Tory
1812	Archibald Campbell	Tory
1812	Patrick Milne	Tory
1818	Robert Grant	Tory
1820	Archibald Farquharson	Whig
1826	Alexander Duff
1830	Alexander Duff	Tory^[8]
1831	Sir William Gordon-Cumming, Bt	Tory^[8]
1832	Sir Andrew Leith Hay	Whig^[8]^[9]^[10]
1838	Fox Maule, later Earl of Dalhousie	Whig^[8]
1841	Sir Andrew Leith Hay	Whig^[8]^[9]^[10]
1847	George Skene Duff	Whig
1857	M. E. Grant Duff	Whig^[11]
1859	M. E. Grant Duff	Liberal
1881 by-election	Alexander Asher	Liberal
1905 by-election	John Sutherland	Liberal
1918 by-election	Charles Barrie, later Baron Abertay	Liberal
1918	constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Elgin Burghs^[8]^[12]^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Tory	Alexander Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 84
	Tory hold

General election 1831: Elgin Burghs^[8]^[12]^[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Tory	William Gordon-Cumming	Unopposed
Registered electors			c. 84
	Tory hold

General election 1832: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	350	50.1
	Tory	Holt Mackenzie^[15]	225	32.2
	Whig	Alexander Morison^[16]	123	17.6
Majority			125	17.9
Turnout			698	89.9
Registered electors			776
	Whig gain from Tory

Hay was appointed as Clerk of the Ordnance, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 30 June 1834: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1835: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	384	59.3	−8.4
	Conservative	William Brodie^[17]	264	40.7	+8.5
Majority			120	18.6	+0.7
Turnout			648	79.8	−10.1
Registered electors			812
	Whig hold		Swing	+0.4

Hay was appointed as Clerk of the Ordnance, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 2 May 1835: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1837: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	Unopposed
Registered electors			858
	Whig hold

Hay resigned after being appointed as Governor of Bermuda, causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 February 1838: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	Fox Maule	Unopposed
	Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	311	51.2	*N/A*
	Conservative	Thomas Abercromby Duff^[18]	297	48.8	New
Majority			14	2.4	N/A
Turnout			608	70.9	N/A
Registered electors			857
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1847: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Skene Duff	242	41.7	*N/A*
	Conservative	Alexander Bannerman^[19]	192	33.0	−15.8
	Whig	Andrew Leith Hay	147	25.3	−25.9
Majority			50	8.7	+6.3
Turnout			581	67.4	−3.5
Registered electors			862
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	George Skene Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			988
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	George Skene Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			967
	Whig hold

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

By-election, 19 December 1857: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	M. E. Grant Duff	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1859: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	M. E. Grant Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			969
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	M. E. Grant Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,059
	Liberal hold

General election 1868: Elgin Burghs^[14]^[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	M. E. Grant Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			2,962
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	M. E. Grant Duff	Unopposed
Registered electors			3,501
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	M. E. Grant Duff	2,082	73.2	*N/A*
	Conservative	James Mackenzie Maclean	764	26.8	New
Majority			1,318	46.4	N/A
Turnout			2,846	74.8	N/A
Registered electors			3,806
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Duff resigned after being appointed Governor of Madras, causing a by-election.

By-election, 15 Jul 1881: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Asher was appointed as Solicitor General for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 27 Aug 1881: Elgin Burghs^[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1885: Elgin Burghs^[21]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Asher was re-appointed as Solicitor General for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 12 Feb 1886: Elgin Burghs^[21]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1886: Elgin Burghs^[21]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Elgin Burghs^[23]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	1,668	59.7	*N/A*
	Conservative	James Augustus Grant	1,127	40.3	New
Majority			541	19.4	N/A
Turnout			2,795	66.8	N/A
Registered electors			4,182
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Asher is appointed Solicitor General for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1892: Elgin Burghs^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1895: Elgin Burghs^[24]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	1,853	61.5	+1.8
	Liberal Unionist	Charles Thomas Gordon	1,161	38.5	−1.8
Majority			692	23.0	+3.6
Turnout			3,014	67.9	+1.1
Registered electors			4,440
	Liberal hold		Swing	+1.8

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Elgin Burghs^[24]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Asher	1,744	59.5	−2.0
	Conservative	John Moffatt	1,187	40.5	+2.0
Majority			557	19.0	−4.0
Turnout			2,931	64.6	−3.3
Registered electors			4,535
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.0

Elgin Burghs by-election, 1905^[25]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Sutherland	2,474	70.8	+11.3
	Conservative	Patrick Rose-Innes	1,021	29.2	−11.3
Majority			1,453	41.6	+22.6
Turnout			3,495	73.6	+9.0
Registered electors			4,748
	Liberal hold		Swing	+11.3

General election 1906: Elgin Burghs^[26]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Sutherland	2,742	77.7	+18.2
	Conservative	Evan N B Mackenzie	786	22.3	−18.2
Majority			1,956	55.4	+36.4
Turnout			3,528	72.5	+7.9
Registered electors			4,867
	Liberal hold		Swing	+18.2

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Elgin Burghs^[27]^[22]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Sutherland	3,031	71.6	−6.1
	Liberal Unionist	William George Black	1,201	28.4	+6.1
Majority			1,830	43.2	−12.2
Turnout			4,232	79.8	+7.3
	Liberal hold		Swing	-6.1

General election December 1910: Elgin Burghs^[27]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Sutherland	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

Elgin Burghs by-election, 1918^[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Barrie	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

References

^ "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1690–1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1715–1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1754–1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1790–1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1820–1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
^ Hayton, D; Cruickshanks, E; Handley, S (2002). "MURRAY, Hon. James (c.1690-1770)". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715. historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 201.
^ ^a ^b Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 114.
^ ^a ^b "Evening Mail". 30 June 1841. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Parliament Adjourned". Inverness Courier. 17 December 1857. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ ^a ^b Fisher, David R. "Elgin Burghs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1980). British Historical Facts 1760-1830. Basingstoke: Palgrave. p. 58. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-06465-3. ISBN 978-1-137-06465-3. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r 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.
^ "Domestic Intelligence". Fife Herald. 10 January 1833. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Page 3". Edinburgh Evening Courant. 31 December 1832. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Page 2". The Scotsman. 31 December 1834. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ Barrow, John Henry, ed. (1841). The Mirror of Parliament for the First Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland, in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria, Appointed to Meet August 19. and From Thence Continued Till October 7. 1841. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans; John Murray; and, J. Richards & Co. p. 277.
^ "The Elgin Burghs". John o'Groat Journal. 2 July 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ Debrett's House of Commons, 1870
^ ^a ^b ^c Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig
^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
^ ^a ^b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
^ The Times, 11 September 1905, p4
^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
^ ^a ^b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
^ The Times, 26 October 1918

[HOP1690-1] "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1690–1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[HOP1715-2] "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1715–1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[HOP1754-3] "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1754–1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[HOP1790-4] "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1790–1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[HOP1820-5] "Elgin Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1820–1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.

[6] Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)

[7] Hayton, D; Cruickshanks, E; Handley, S (2002). "MURRAY, Hon. James (c.1690-1770)". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715. historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 9 September 2023.

[stookssmith1842-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 201.

[churton-9] Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 114.

[eveningmail1841-10] "Evening Mail". 30 June 1841. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[11] "Parliament Adjourned". Inverness Courier. 17 December 1857. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[hop1820-1832-12] Fisher, David R. "Elgin Burghs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

[electoralfacts-13] Cook, Chris; Stevenson, John (1980). British Historical Facts 1760-1830. Basingstoke: Palgrave. p. 58. doi:10.1007/978-1-137-06465-3. ISBN 978-1-137-06465-3. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via Google Books.

[craig1832-14] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r 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] "Domestic Intelligence". Fife Herald. 10 January 1833. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[16] "Page 3". Edinburgh Evening Courant. 31 December 1832. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[17] "Page 2". The Scotsman. 31 December 1834. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[18] Barrow, John Henry, ed. (1841). The Mirror of Parliament for the First Session of the Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain and Ireland, in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Victoria, Appointed to Meet August 19. and From Thence Continued Till October 7. 1841. London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans; John Murray; and, J. Richards & Co. p. 277.

[19] "The Elgin Burghs". John o'Groat Journal. 2 July 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.

[20] Debrett's House of Commons, 1870

[ReferenceA-21] Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889

[ReferenceB-22] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j British Parliamentary Election Results 1885–1918, FWS Craig

[23] Whitaker's Almanack, 1893

[ReferenceC-24] Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901

[25] The Times, 11 September 1905, p4

[26] Whitaker's Almanack, 1907

[ReferenceD-27] Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916

[28] The Times, 26 October 1918

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