Aberdeen (UK Parliament constituency)

Aberdeen
Former Burgh constituency for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland	Aberdeenshire
Major settlements	Aberdeen
1832–1885
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Aberdeen North Aberdeen South
Created from	Aberdeen Burghs

Aberdeen was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1885. It was represented by one Member of Parliament (MP), elected by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

As created in 1832, the constituency covered the burgh of Aberdeen, which was previously within the Aberdeen Burghs constituency. Together with Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen was one of two constituencies covering the county of Aberdeen.

The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the 1832 Act, were-

"From the Point, on the North-west of the Town, at which the Scatter Burn joins the River Don, down the River Don to the Point at which the same joins the Sea; thence along the Sea Shore to the Point at which the River Dee joins the Sea; thence up the River Dee to a Point which is distant One hundred Yards (measured along the River Dee) above the Bridge of Dee; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the March between the Parishes of Old Machar and Banchory Davenick crosses the Old-Dee-side Road; thence, Northward, along the March between the Parishes of Old Machar and Banchory Davenick, and Old Machar and Newhills, to the Point first described."^[1]

In 1885, the Aberdeen constituency was divided between Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1832	Alexander Bannerman	Whig ^1
	1847	Alexander Fordyce	Liberal ^1
	1852	George Thompson	Liberal ^1
	1857	William Henry Sykes	Liberal ^1
	1872 by-election	John Farley Leith	Liberal
	1880	John Webster	Liberal
	1885	Redistribution of Seats Act: constituency abolished

Note:-

• ¹ F. W. S. Craig, in his compilations of election results for Great Britain, classified Whig, Radical and similar candidates as Liberals from 1832. The name Liberal was gradually adopted as a description for the Whigs and politicians allied with them, before the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the 1859 general election.

Election results

General election 1880: Aberdeen [2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Webster	7,505
	Conservative	J.L. Shaw	3,139

General election 1868: Aberdeen [3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Col William Henry Sykes	unopposed

References

1. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, Schedule (M).
2. The Times, 29 April 1880
3. Debrett's House of Commons, 1870

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)