Haddington Burghs
Former District of Burghs constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsHaddington, Dunbar, North Berwick, Lauder, Jedburgh
1708–1885
Seatsone
Created fromDunbar, Haddington, Jedburgh, Lauder, North Berwick
Replaced byBerwickshire, Haddingtonshire, Roxburghshire

Haddington Burghs was a Scottish district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (also at Westminster) from 1801 until 1885. 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 burgh constituencies of Haddington, Dunbar, Jedburgh, Lauder and North Berwick

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the Haddingtonshire burghs of Haddington, Dunbar, and North Berwick, the Berwickshire burgh of Lauder, and the Roxburghshire burgh of Jedburgh.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished for the 1885 general election.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

In 1885, Haddington, Dunbar, and North Berwick were merged into the county constituency of Haddingtonshire, Lauder was merged into the county constituency of Berwickshire, and Jedburgh was merged into the county constituency of Roxburghshire.

Members of Parliament

Year Member Party
1708 Sir David Dalrymple, 1st Baronet
1722 Sir James Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet
1734 James Fall
1742 Sir Hew Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet
1747 Andrew Fletcher
1761 Sir Hew Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet
1768 Patrick Warrender
1774 John Maitland
1780 Francis Charteris
1787 William Fullarton
1790 Thomas Maitland
1796 Robert Baird
1802 Thomas Maitland
1805 Sir John Hamilton-Dalrymple, 5th Baronet
1806 Henry Erskine Whig
1806 William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne Whig
1807 Sir George Warrender, 4th Baronet
1812 Thomas Maitland
1813 Anthony Maitland
1818 Dudley North Whig
1820 Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton, 4th Baronet
1826 Sir Adolphus Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet Tory[6]
May 1831 Robert Steuart Whig[6]
(Unseated on petition)
August 1831 Sir Adolphus Dalrymple, 2nd Baronet Tory[6]
1832 Robert Steuart Whig[6]
1841 James Maitland Balfour Conservative[6]
1847 Sir Henry Ferguson Davie Whig[7][8]
1859 Liberal
1878 Lord William Hay Liberal
1879 Sir David Wedderburn, 3rd Baronet Liberal
1882 Alexander Craig Sellar Liberal

Election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Haddington Burghs [6][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Adolphus Dalrymple Unopposed
Registered electors c. 99
Tory hold
General election 1831: Haddington Burghs [6][9][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Steuart 3 60.0
Tory Adolphus Dalrymple 2 40.0
Majority 1 20.0
Turnout 5 c. 5.1
Registered electors c. 99
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1832: Haddington Burghs [6][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Steuart Unopposed
Registered electors 545
Whig hold
General election 1835: Haddington Burghs [6][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Steuart Unopposed
Registered electors 601
Whig hold

Steuart was appointed as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 2 May 1835: Haddington Burghs [6][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Steuart Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1837: Haddington Burghs [6][11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Steuart 268 53.1
Conservative Thomas Buchan-Hepburn 237 46.9
Majority 31 6.2
Turnout 505 79.5
Registered electors 635
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maitland Balfour 273 50.8 +3.9
Whig Robert Steuart 264 49.2 −3.9
Majority 9 1.6 N/A
Turnout 537 82.6 +3.1
Registered electors 650
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +3.9
General election 1847: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 775
Whig gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Ferguson Davie 312 62.8 N/A
Conservative Archibald Campbell Swinton 185 37.2 New
Majority 127 25.6 N/A
Turnout 497 77.4 N/A
Registered electors 642
Whig hold Swing N/A
General election 1857: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 741
Whig hold
General election 1859: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 657
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 698
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Haddington Burghs [12][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 1,477
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Ferguson Davie Unopposed
Registered electors 1,753
Liberal hold

Davie resigned, causing a by-election.

1878 Haddington Burghs by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Hay 881 57.5 N/A
Conservative James Grant-Suttie 651 42.5 New
Majority 230 15.0 N/A
Turnout 1,532 83.3 N/A
Registered electors 1,840
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Hay succeeded to the peerage, becoming the 10th Marquess of Tweeddale.

1879 Haddington Burghs by-election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Wedderburn 921 56.0 N/A
Conservative John Macdonald 723 44.0 N/A
Majority 198 12.0 N/A
Turnout 1,644 89.1 N/A
Registered electors 1,846
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal David Wedderburn 1,019 62.7 N/A
Conservative James Flower Houston[13] 607 37.3 N/A
Majority 412 25.4 N/A
Turnout 1,626 85.8 N/A
Registered electors 1,896
Liberal hold Swing

Wedderburn resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 24 Aug 1882: Haddington Burghs [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alexander Craig Sellar 833 60.5 −2.2
Conservative Walter Scott Seton-Karr[14] 544 39.5 +2.2
Majority 289 21.0 −4.4
Turnout 1,377 74.9 −10.9
Registered electors 1,839
Liberal hold Swing −2.2

References

  1. ^ "Haddington Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Haddington Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Haddington Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Haddington Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Haddington Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 203. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  7. ^ Mair, Robert Henry, ed. (1872). Debrett's Illustrated House of Commons, and the Judicial Bench. London: Dean & Son. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Members Returned". Norfolk News. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ a b Escott, Margaret. "Haddington Burghs". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 549. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  12. ^ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1870
  13. ^ "Haddington". Jedburgh Gazette. 2 April 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ "The Haddington Burghs Election". Glasgow Herald. 18 August 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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