Wick Burghs
Former District of Burghs constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsCromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick
1832–1918
SeatsOne
Created fromCromartyshire and Tain Burghs
Replaced byCaithness and Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty

Wick Burghs, sometimes known as Northern Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

A similar constituency had been known as Tain Burghs from 1708 to 1832.

Boundaries

The constituency was a district of burghs representing the parliamentary burghs of Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick.[1] Apart from Cromarty, these burghs had been previously components of Tain Burghs.[2] In 1918 Dornoch and Wick were merged into Caithness and Sutherland, Kirkwall into Orkney and Shetland and Cromarty, Dingwall and Tain into Ross and Cromarty.[3][4] The first election in Wick Burghs was in 1832. The franchise was extended to wider groups of the population than under the old system of burgh councillors electing a burgh commissioner to participate in the election. From 1832 the votes from each burgh were added together to establish the result.

Members of Parliament

Election Member[5] Party
1832 constituency created
1832 James Loch Whig[6][7][8][9]
1852 Samuel Laing Radical[10]
1857 Lord John Hay Whig[11]
1859 Samuel Laing Liberal
1860 by-election William Keppel, Viscount Bury Liberal
1865 Samuel Laing Liberal
1868 George Loch Liberal
1872 by-election John Pender Liberal
1885 John Macdonald Cameron Liberal
1892 Sir John Pender Liberal Unionist
1896 by-election Thomas Hedderwick Liberal
1900 Sir Arthur Bignold Liberal Unionist
1910 Robert Munro Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Wick Burghs[12][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Loch Unopposed
Registered electors 366
Whig win (new seat)
General election 1835: Wick Burghs[12][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Loch Unopposed
Registered electors 571
Whig hold
General election 1837: Wick Burghs[12][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Loch Unopposed
Registered electors 680
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Wick Burghs[12][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Loch 270 58.8 N/A
Conservative George Dempster 189 41.2 New
Majority 81 17.6 N/A
Turnout 459 61.9 N/A
Registered electors 742
Whig hold Swing N/A
General election 1847: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Loch Unopposed
Registered electors 690
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Radical Samuel Laing 233 53.6 New
Whig James Loch 202 46.4 N/A
Majority 31 7.2 N/A
Turnout 435 62.2 N/A
Registered electors 699
Radical gain from Whig Swing N/A
General election 1857: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Hay 318 59.9 N/A
Whig Alexander Nesbitt Shaw[13] 213 40.1 N/A
Majority 105 19.8 N/A
Turnout 531 83.6 +21.4
Registered electors 635
Whig gain from Radical Swing N/A
General election 1859: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Laing Unopposed
Registered electors 657
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

Laing resigned after being appointed a member of the Council of India, causing a by-election.

By-election, 1 December 1860[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Keppel Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1865: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Samuel Laing Unopposed
Registered electors 793
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Wick Burghs[14][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Loch 851 57.3 N/A
Liberal Samuel Laing 635 42.7 N/A
Majority 216 14.6 N/A
Turnout 1,486 88.8 N/A
Registered electors 1,673
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s

Loch resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 28 Feb 1872: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Pender 704 58.6 N/A
Independent Liberal Robert Reid[15][16] 498 41.4 New
Majority 206 17.2 +2.6
Turnout 1,202 83.5 −5.3
Registered electors 1,439
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1874: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Pender 857 54.0 N/A
Liberal James Bryce[17] 730 46.0 N/A
Majority 127 8.0 −6.6
Turnout 1,587 88.5 −0.3
Registered electors 1,793
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Wick Burghs[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Pender Unopposed
Registered electors 1,754
Liberal hold
General election 1885: Wick Burghs[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Wick Radical Workingmen's Association John Macdonald Cameron 913 51.3 New
Liberal John Pender 868 48.7 N/A
Majority 45 2.6 N/A
Turnout 1,781 88.4 N/A
Registered electors 2,015
Wick Radical Workingmen's Association gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General election 1886: Wick Burghs[18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Macdonald Cameron 910 57.0 +8.3
Liberal Unionist John Denison-Pender[20] 686 43.0 New
Majority 224 14.0 N/A
Turnout 1,596 79.2 -9.2
Registered electors 2,015
Liberal gain from Wick Radical Workingmen's Association Swing N/A

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Wick Burghs[21][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Pender 952 53.6 +10.6
Liberal John Macdonald Cameron 825 46.4 −10.6
Majority 127 7.2 N/A
Turnout 1,777 80.5 +1.3
Registered electors 2,208
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +10.6
General election 1895: Wick Burghs[19][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist John Pender 913 50.7 -2.9
Liberal Thomas Hedderwick 889 49.3 +2.9
Majority 24 1.4 -5.8
Turnout 1,802 81.7 +1.2
Registered electors 2,205
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -2.9

Pender's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 2 Jun 1896: Wick Burghs[22][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Hedderwick 1,054 55.6 +6.3
Liberal Unionist William Charles Smith 842 44.4 -6.3
Majority 212 11.2 N/A
Turnout 1,896 83.3 +1.6
Registered electors 2,277
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +6.3

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Wick Burghs[19][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Arthur Bignold 1,154 52.6 +1.9
Liberal Thomas Hedderwick 1,041 47.4 −1.9
Majority 113 5.2 +3.8
Turnout 2,195 79.9 −1.8
Registered electors 2,746
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +1.9
General election 1906: Wick Burghs[23][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Arthur Bignold 1,362 51.8 -0.8
Liberal William Thomson 1,266 48.2 +0.8
Majority 96 3.6 -1.6
Turnout 2,628 91.0 +11.1
Registered electors 2,887
Liberal Unionist hold Swing -0.8

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Wick Burghs[24][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Munro 1,537 54.9 +6.7
Liberal Unionist Arthur Bignold 1,262 45.1 -6.7
Majority 275 9.8 N/A
Turnout 2,799 92.7 +1.7
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +6.7
General election December 1910: Wick Burghs[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Munro 1,515 53.7 -1.2
Liberal Unionist Arthur Bignold 1,304 46.3 +1.2
Majority 211 7.4 -2.4
Turnout 2,819 92.8 +0.1
Liberal hold Swing -1.2
Munro
1913 Wick Burghs by-election[24][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Munro 1,577 58.2 +4.5
Unionist A.G. Mackenzie 1,134 41.8 -4.5
Majority 443 16.4 +9.0
Turnout 2,711 87.6 -5.2
Liberal hold Swing +4.5

See also


Notes and references

  1. ^ For the burghs included see Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 and 1885-1918.
  2. ^ For the burghs included in Tain Burghs (and the pre-1832 franchise) see Namier and Brooke, The House of Commons, 1754-1790.
  3. ^ For the boundary changes in 1918 see Craig, Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972.
  4. ^ Representation of the People Act 1918, Ninth Schedule - Parliamentary Counties, Scotland
  5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)
  6. ^ a b c d e Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 212. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 146. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "The Chartist Conservative Creed". The Atlas. 17 July 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "The Forthcoming Scottish Elections". Fife Herald. 8 July 1852. p. 1. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ Searby, Peter (1997). A History of the University of Cambridge. Volume III: 1750-1870. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 116. ISBN 0-521-35060-3. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Banffshire Journal and General Advertiser". 7 April 1857. p. 5. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 550. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  13. ^ "Northern Burghs Election". John o'Groat Journal. 10 April 1857. p. 3. Retrieved 5 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1870
  15. ^ "Election Intelligence". Manchester Evening News. 6 February 1872. p. 2. Retrieved 23 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. ^ "Wick Burghs Election". Cork Constitution. 26 February 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 23 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ "To the Electors". The Inverness Courier. 12 February 1874. p. 1. Retrieved 23 January 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. p. 521. ISBN 9781349022984.
  20. ^ "The Political Contest". John O'Groat Journal. 30 June 1886. p. 4. Retrieved 14 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  22. ^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  23. ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  24. ^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916

Sources

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