Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Ayrshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandAyrshire
17081868
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

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

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

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.

Members of Parliament

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
1820
1826
1829 William Blair Tory
1830
1831
1832 Richard Alexander Oswald Whig
1835 John Dunlop Radical
1837
1839 Viscount Kelburn, later Earl of Glasgow Conservative
1841
1843 Alexander Haldane Oswald Conservative
1847
1852 James Hunter Blair Conservative
1854 Sir James Fergusson Conservative
1857 Lord Patrick Crichton-Stuart Whig
1859 Liberal
1859 Sir James Fergusson Conservative
1865

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Blair (Ayrshire MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 185
Tory hold
General election 1831: Ayrshire
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
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
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
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
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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Carr-Boyle 1,758 56.7 +9.9
Whig James Campbell 1,296 41.8 New
Chartist Hugh Craig 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

General election 1841: Ayrshire
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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Haldane Oswald Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Haldane Oswald Unopposed
Registered electors 4,305
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Ayrshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Hunter-Blair 1,301 52.0 N/A
Peelite Edward Cardwell 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
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
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
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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Fergusson 1,687 50.7 New
Liberal James Campbell 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

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

This page was last updated at 2024-01-20 03:06 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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