South Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South Ayrshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland Ayrshire
1868–1983
Number of members One
Replaced by Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley[1]

South Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1983, when it was abolished. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), elected by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 provided that the new South Ayrshire constituency was to consist of the District of Kyle and Carrick, consisting of the parishes of Auchinleck, Ayr, Ballantrae, Barr, Colmonell, Coylton, Craigie, Dailly, Dalmellington, Dalrymple, Dundonald, Galston, Girvan, Kirkmichael, Kirkoswald, Mauchline, Maybole, Monkton and Prestwick, Muirkirk, New Cumnock, Newton-on-Ayr, Ochiltree, Old Cumnock, Riccarton, St Quivox, Sorn, Stair, Straiton, Symington and Tarbolton.

From 1918 the constituency consisted of "The county districts of Ayr and Carrick, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except insofar as included in the Ayr District of Burghs."

Members of Parliament

Election Member[2] Party
1868 Sir David Wedderburn, Bt Liberal
1874 Claud Alexander Conservative
1885 Eugene Wason Liberal
1886 Greville Richard Vernon Liberal Unionist
1892 Eugene Wason Liberal
1895 Sir William Arrol Liberal Unionist
1906 Sir William Beale, Bt Liberal
1918 James Brown Labour
1931 James Orr MacAndrew Unionist
1935 James Brown Labour
1939 by-election Alexander Sloan Labour
1946 by-election Emrys Hughes Labour
1970 by-election Jim Sillars Labour
1976 Scottish Labour Party
1979 George Foulkes Labour Co-operative
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Election in the 1860s

General Election 1868: Ayrshire South[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Sir David Wedderburn 1,201
Conservative Claud Alexander 1,176
Majority n/a
Turnout n/a
Liberal win (new seat)

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: Ayrshire South[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Claud Alexander 1,830
Liberal Hon. North de Coigny Dalrymple-Hamilton 1,583
Majority
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing
General Election 1885: Ayrshire South[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Eugene Wason 7,357 55.3
Conservative Claud Alexander 5,447 44.7
Majority 1,411 10.6
Turnout 88.0
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
General Election 1886: Ayrshire South[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Hon. Greville Richard Vernon 6,123 50.0 +5.3
Liberal Eugene Wason 6,118 50.0 -5.3
Majority 5 0.0 10.6
Turnout 81.0
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +5.3

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Ayrshire South[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Eugene Wason 6,535 50.8 +0.8
Liberal Unionist Sir William Arrol 6,338 49.2 -0.8
Majority 197 1.6 1.6
Turnout 86.3 +5.3
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +0.8
General Election 1895: Ayrshire South[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir William Arrol 6,875 52.1 +2.9
Liberal Eugene Wason 6,325 47.9 -2.9
Majority 550 4.2 5.8
Turnout 85.4
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +2.9

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Ayrshire South[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Sir William Arrol 6,615 53.5 +1.4
Liberal Edward Alexander James Johnson-Ferguson 5,753 46.5 -1.4
Majority 862 7.0 +2.8
Turnout 77.6 -7.8
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +1.4
General Election 1906: Ayrshire South[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Phipson Beale 7,853 54.3
Conservative James J. Bell 6,611 45.7
Majority 1,242 8.6
Turnout 82.7
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing

Elections in the 1910s

General Election Jan 1910: Ayrshire South [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Phipson Beale 8,833 56.5
Conservative Thomas Walker McIntyre 6,793 43.5
Majority 2,040 13.0
Turnout
Liberal hold Swing
General Election Dec 1910: Ayrshire South [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Phipson Beale 8,715 56.0 -0.5
Conservative Thomas Walker McIntyre 6,835 44.0 +0.5
Majority 1,880 12.0 -1.0
Turnout 83.0
Liberal hold Swing -0.5

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General Election 1918: Ayrshire South[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Brown 6,358 37.3
Unionist
  • Brig-Gen. John B Pollok-McCall
 5,495 32.2
Liberal William Robertson 4,555 26.7
Independent Lt-Col. Hugh Robert Wallace 627 3.6
Majority 863 5.1
Turnout 17,035
Labour gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1920s

General Election 1922: Ayrshire South[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Brown 11,511 55.6
Unionist Sir William Reid 9,180 44.4
Majority 2,331 11.2
Turnout 20,691
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1923: Ayrshire South[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Brown 11,169
Unionist Sir Charles Fergusson 8,807
General Election 1924: Ayrshire South[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Brown 11,313
Unionist C.I.A. Dubs 11,136
General Election 1929: Ayrshire South[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Brown 16,981 58.1
Unionist C.I.A. Dubs 12,240 41.9
Majority 4,741 16.2
Turnout 29,221
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Ayrshire South[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist James Orr MacAndrew 16,657
Labour Rt Hon. James Brown 13,733
General Election 1935: Ayrshire South[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt Hon. James Brown 18,190
Unionist James Orr MacAndrew 13,396
By-election 1939: Ayrshire South[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alexander Sloan 17,908
Unionist Dr Catherine Gavin 12,986

Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1945: Ayrshire South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alexander Sloan 21,235 61.34
Unionist Robert Mathew 13,382 38.66
Majority 7,853 22.69
Turnout 75.17
Labour hold Swing
South Ayrshire by-election, 1946[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emrys Hughes 20,434 61.7 +0.4
Unionist Robert Mathew 13,382 40.3 -0.4
Turnout 33,816
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1959: Ayrshire South[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emrys Hughes 24,774
Unionist William Hill Hunter 14,105

Elections in the 1960s

General Election 1964: Ayrshire South [24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emrys Hughes 24,795 66.7 +3.0
Unionist William Hill Hunter 12,403 33.3 -3.0
Majority 12,403 33.4
Turnout 37,187 77.6
Labour hold Swing +3.0
General Election 1966: Ayrshire South [25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Emrys Hughes 23,495 67.2 +0.5
Conservative Christopher Graves 11,442 32.7 -0.5
Majority 12,053 34.5
Turnout 34,937
Labour hold Swing +0.5

Elections in the 1970s

South Ayrshire by-election, 1970
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Sillars 20,664 52.68 -14.57
Conservative Christopher Graves 9,778 24.93 -7.82
SNP Samuel H. Purdie 7,785 19.85 N/A
Turnout 39,227
Labour hold Swing
General Election 1970: Ayrshire South[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Sillars 23,910 61.80
Conservative Norman Simpson 11,675 30.18
SNP Samuel H. Purdie 3,102 8.02
Turnout 38,687 76.71
Majority 12,235 31.63
Labour hold Swing
General Election, February 1974: Ayrshire South[27]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Sillars 23,093 57.23 -4.57
Conservative R Colquhoun 10,643 26.39 -3.79
SNP Roger Mullin 6,612 16.39 +8.37
Turnout 40,438 79.45 +2.74
Majority 12,450 30.86 -0.77
Labour hold Swing -0.39
General Election, October 1974: Ayrshire South [28][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James Sillars 22,329 56.23 -1.00
SNP Roger Mullin 7,851 19.77 +3.38
Conservative J Armstrong 7,402 18.64 -7.75
Liberal R Mabon 2,130 5.36 N/A
Turnout 39,712 77.37 -2.08
Majority 14,478 36.46 +5.60
Labour hold Swing -2.19
General Election 1979: Ayrshire South [30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Foulkes 14,271 35.20 -21.03
SLP James Sillars 12,750 31.45 N/A
Conservative G Young 10,287 25.37 +6.73
SNP C Cameron 3,233 7.97 -11.80
Turnout 40,541 79.92 +2.55
Majority 1,521 3.75 -32.71
Labour hold Swing -26.24

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Ayrshire South', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 3)
  3. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons, 1870
  4. ↑ The Times, 29 April 1880
  5. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  6. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  7. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  8. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  9. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  10. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  11. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  12. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  13. ↑ Daily Record 14 Sep 1914
  14. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
  15. ↑ The Times, 17 November 1922
  16. ↑ The Times, 8 December 1923
  17. ↑ Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
  18. ↑ The Times, 1 june 1929
  19. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  20. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  21. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1944
  22. ↑ Scottish Conservative and Unionist Central Office, The Yearbook for Scotland (1967), p.86
  23. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1963
  24. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1964
  25. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1966
  26. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  27. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  28. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1977
  29. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results October 1974". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  30. ↑ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1979". Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
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