Stirlingshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandStirlingshire
1708–1918
SeatsOne
Replaced byClackmannan & Eastern Stirlingshire
Stirling & Clackmannan Western

Stirlingshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain and later of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by 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 Stirlingshire.

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] For the 1918 general election it was divided into Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire and Stirling and Clackmannan Western.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
1708 Henry Cunningham
1710 Sir Hugh Paterson
1715 Mungo Haldane
1722 John Graham
1727 Henry Cunningham
1734 Sir James Campbell
1741 Lord George Graham
1747 Lord Erskine
1747 James Campbell, later Livingstone
1768 Sir Thomas Dundas
1794 Robert Graham
1796 Sir George Elphinstone
1802 Charles Elphinstone Fleeming
1812 Sir Charles Edmonstone
1821 Henry Home-Drummond Tory[6]
1831 William Ramsay Tory[6]
1832 Charles Elphinstone Fleeming Whig[6][7]
1835 William Forbes Conservative[6][7]
1838 George Abercromby Whig[6][7]
1841 William Forbes Conservative[6][7]
1855 Peter Blackburn Conservative[7]
1865 John Erskine Liberal[7]
1874 Sir William Edmonstone Conservative[7]
1880 Joseph Cheney Bolton Liberal[7]
1892 William Jacks Liberal
1895 James McKillop Conservative
1906 Donald Mackenzie Smeaton Liberal
1910 William Chapple Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Decades:

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Stirlingshire[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Home-Drummond Unopposed
Registered electors 132
Tory hold
General election 1831: Stirlingshire[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Ramsay 45 54.9
Whig Charles Elphinstone Fleeming 37 45.1
Majority 8 9.8
Turnout 82 62.1
Registered electors 132
Tory hold
General election 1832: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Charles Elphinstone Fleeming 995 68.2 +23.1
Tory William Forbes 465 31.8 −23.1
Majority 530 36.4 N/A
Turnout 1,460 81.7 +19.6
Registered electors 1,787
Whig gain from Tory Swing +23.1
General election 1835: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Forbes 779 50.7 +18.9
Whig Charles Elphinstone Fleeming 759 49.3 −18.9
Majority 20 1.4 N/A
Turnout 1,538 79.0 −2.7
Registered electors 1,948
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +18.9
General election 1837: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Forbes 859 50.0 −0.7
Whig George Abercromby 858 50.0 +0.7
Majority 1 0.0 −1.4
Turnout 1,717 81.6 +2.6
Registered electors 2,105
Conservative hold Swing −0.7

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Forbes 1,019 53.2 +3.2
Whig Sir Michael Bruce, 7th Baronet 895 46.8 −3.2
Majority 124 6.4 +6.4
Turnout 1,914 82.4 +0.8
Registered electors 2,323
Conservative hold Swing +3.2
General election 1847: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Forbes Unopposed
Registered electors 2,398
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Forbes Unopposed
Registered electors 2,431
Conservative hold

Forbes' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 5 March 1855: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Blackburn Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Blackburn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,973
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 14 March 1859: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Blackburn Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter Blackburn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,900
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Erskine 726 51.2 New
Conservative Peter Blackburn 692 48.8 N/A
Majority 34 2.4 N/A
Turnout 1,418 73.0 N/A
Registered electors 1,943
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General election 1868: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Erskine Unopposed
Registered electors 2,751
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Stirlingshire[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Edmonstone 1,171 51.0 New
Liberal Sir William Cunningham Bruce, 9th Baronet 1,127 49.0 N/A
Majority 44 2.0 N/A
Turnout 2,298 81.0 N/A
Registered electors 2,837
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Stirlingshire [9][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Cheney Bolton 1,606 56.3 +7.3
Conservative William Edmonstone 1,246 43.7 −7.3
Majority 360 12.6 N/A
Turnout 2,852 85.7 +4.7
Registered electors 3,328
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +7.3
General election 1885: Stirlingshire [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Cheney Bolton 6,454 62.1 +5.8
Conservative Hugh Shaw-Stewart 3,938 37.9 −5.8
Majority 2,516 24.2 +11.6
Turnout 10,392 83.2 −2.5
Registered electors 12,486
Liberal hold Swing +5.8
Noel
General election 1886: Stirlingshire [10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Cheney Bolton 5,067 53.7 -8.4
Liberal Unionist Ernest Noel 4,360 46.3 +8.4
Majority 707 7.4 -16.8
Turnout 9,427 75.5 -7.7
Registered electors 12,486
Liberal hold Swing -8.4

Elections in the 1890s

Jacks
General election 1892: Stirlingshire [12][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Jacks 5,296 50.4 -3.3
Liberal Unionist Ernest Noel 4,550 43.3 -3.0
Scottish Trades Councils Robert Chisholm Robertson 663 6.3 New
Majority 746 7.1 -0.3
Turnout 10,509 80.1 +4.6
Registered electors 13,128
Liberal hold Swing -0.2
General election 1895: Stirlingshire [13][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James McKillop 5,916 51.9 +8.6
Liberal William Jacks 5,489 48.1 −2.3
Majority 427 3.8 N/A
Turnout 11,405 79.6 -0.5
Registered electors 14,329
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +5.5

Elections in the 1900s

Robertson
General election 1900: Stirlingshire [13][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James McKillop 6,325 51.2 -0.7
Liberal George Scott Robertson 6,023 48.8 +0.7
Majority 302 2.4 -1.4
Turnout 12,348 76.3 -3.3
Registered electors 16,179
Conservative hold Swing -0.7
General election 1906: Stirlingshire [14][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Donald Mackenzie Smeaton 9,475 62.0 +13.2
Conservative James Graham 5,806 38.0 -13.2
Majority 3,669 24.0 N/A
Turnout 15,281 80.7 +4.4
Registered electors 18,942
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.2

Elections in the 1910s

Chapple
General election January 1910: Stirlingshire [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Chapple 10,122 61.2 -0.8
Conservative Robert Horne 6,417 38.8 +0.8
Majority 3,705 22.4 -1.6
Turnout 16,539 82.1 +1.4
Registered electors 20,144
Liberal hold Swing -0.8
Horne
General election December 1910: Stirlingshire [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Chapple 9,183 58.6 -2.6
Conservative Robert Horne 6,487 41.4 +2.6
Majority 2,696 17.2 -5.2
Turnout 15,670 77.2 -4.9
Registered electors 20,294
Liberal hold Swing -2.6

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

References

  1. ^ "Stirlingshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Stirlingshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Stirlingshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Stirlingshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Stirlingshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 211–212. Retrieved 14 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v 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.
  8. ^ a b Jenkins, Terry. "Stirlingshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. ^ The Times
  10. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
  11. ^ a b c d e f Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  12. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  13. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  14. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  15. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  16. ^ Stirling Observer 21 Mar 1914

Sources

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