Inverness-shire (UK Parliament constituency)

Inverness-shire
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1708–1918
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Western Isles Inverness

Inverness-shire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1918.

There was also a burgh constituency called Inverness Burghs, 1708 to 1918, and a county constituency called Inverness, 1918 to 1983.

Boundaries

The Inverness-shire Member of Parliament (MP) represented, nominally, the county of Inverness minus the Inverness parliamentary burgh, which was represented as a component of Inverness District of Burghs. However, by 1892 the boundaries of the county had been redefined for all purposes except parliamentary representation, and it had become a local government area, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. 26 years were to elapse before a review of constituency boundaries took account of new local government boundaries. Results of the review were implemented under the Representation of the People Act 1918.

In 1918, the constituency was largely replaced by two new county constituencies. The Western Isles constituency was created to cover Outer Hebridean areas of the county of Inverness, as well as part of the county of Ross and Cromarty. The Inverness constituency was created to cover the rest of the county of Inverness, including the parliamentary burgh.^[1]

Members of Parliament

Elected		Member^[2]	Party
	1708	Alexander Grant
	1710	Alexander MacKenzie
	1715	John Forbes
	1722	Sir James Grant, Bt.
	1741	Norman Macleod, (1706–1772)
	1754	Pryse Campbell	Whig
	1761	Simon Fraser
	1782 by-election	Archibald Campbell Fraser
	1784	Lord William Gordon
	1790	Norman Macleod, (1754–1801)
	1796	John Simon Frederick Fraser
	1802	Charles Grant (senior)
	1818	Rt Hon. Charles Grant, later Baron Glenelg
	1828 by-election	Rt Hon. Charles Grant, later Baron Glenelg	Whig
	1835 by-election	Alexander William Chisholm	Conservative
	1838 by-election	Francis William Grant	Conservative
	1840 by-election	Henry James Baillie	Conservative
	1868	Donald Cameron	Conservative
	1885	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh	Independent Liberal/Crofters'
	1886 change	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh	Liberal Unionist /Crofters' Party
	1892	Donald MacGregor	Liberal/Crofters' Party
	1895	James Evan Bruce Baillie	Conservative
	1900	Sir John Alexander Dewar, Bt., later Baron Forteviot	Liberal
	1917 by-election	Thomas Brash Morison, who was subsequently MP for Inverness	Liberal
1918		constituency abolished

Election results

The original electorate for this constituency was limited to substantial landowners. The 40 shilling freehold qualification used for English county constituencies, which was not adjusted for inflation since it was first set in the 15th century, was significantly lower than the Scottish county qualification. In Scotland the qualification was land worth 40 shillings "of old extent", which prevented inflation lowering the real value of the property qualification required.^[3]

The county electorate, in Scotland, was significantly extended in 1832 and was further expanded in 1868 and 1885. The change, before and after 1832, can be seen by comparing the 32 votes cast at the contested election in 1802 with the 467 votes cast in 1832 (when the new registration system recorded a registered electorate of 669).

Unless otherwise indicated, the primary source for the results listed was Craig. Candidates identified by Craig as Conservatives, in the 1832-1835 Parliament, are listed as Tories. In elections before the formal creation of the Liberal Party, shortly after the 1859 general election, candidates identified by Craig as Liberals are classified as Whigs. There were no Radicals candidates in this seat, according to Stooks Smith. Craig's registered electorate and vote figures are sometimes different from those of Stooks Smith, but Craig's figures are used below. For details of the books of Craig and Stooks Smith, see the Reference section below.

The calculations of change in % vote and swing, for the 1835 general election result, relate the performance of the Conservative candidate to his achievements as the Tory candidate in the 1832 general election.

1800s – 1830s – 1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s

Elections in the 1800s

General Election 1802: Inverness-shire ^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Non Partisan	Charles Grant (senior)	15	46.9	N/A
	Non Partisan	Simon Fraser	11	34.4	N/A
	Non Partisan	Arthur Forbes	6	18.8	N/A
Majority			4	12.5	N/A
Turnout			32	N/A	N/A
	Non Partisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1832: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Rt Hon. Charles Grant	257	55.0	N/A
	Tory	John Norman McLeod	210	45.0	N/A
Majority			47	10.1	N/A
Turnout			467	69.8	N/A
Registered electors			669
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1835: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Rt Hon. Charles Grant	260	50.7	-4.3
	Conservative	John Norman McLeod	253	49.3	+4.3
Majority			7	1.4	-8.7
Turnout			513	71.5	+1.7
Registered electors			717
	Whig hold		Swing	+4.3 (W to C)

Appointment of Grant as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies and elevation to the peerage as the 1st Lord Glenelg

By-Election 15 May 1835: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander William Chisholm	268	52.8	+3.5
	Whig	James Murray Grant	240	47.2	-3.5
Majority			28	5.5	N/A
Turnout			508	70.9	-0.6
Registered electors			717
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+3.5 (W to C)

General Election 1837: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alexander William Chisholm	303	54.9	+2.1
	Whig	James Murray Grant	249	45.1	-2.1
Majority			54	9.8	+4.3
Turnout			552	73.3	+2.4
Registered electors			753
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.1 (W to C)

Resignation of Chisholm, in June 1838

By-Election 12 June 1838: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis William Grant	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1840s

Death of Grant

By-Election 31 March 1840: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1841: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			789
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1847: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			817
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			908
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1857: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			827
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1859: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			884
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1865: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Henry James Baillie	336	53.1	N/A
	Liberal	Sir George MacPherson Grant, Bt.	297	46.9	N/A
Majority			39	6.2	N/A
Turnout			633	72.1	N/A
Registered electors			878
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1868: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			1,661
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
Registered electors			1,724
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Appointment of Cameron as a Groom in Waiting to Her Majesty

By-Election 19 March 1874: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Donald Cameron	808	50.9	N/A
	Liberal	Sir George MacPherson Grant	779	49.1	N/A
Majority			29	1.8	N/A
Turnout			1,587	85.7	N/A
Registered electors			1,851
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1885: Inverness-shire ^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh	3,555	47.5	N/A
	Conservative	Reginald MacLeod of MacLeod	2,031	27.1	-23.8
	Liberal	Sir Kenneth Smith Mackenzie	1,897	25.4	-23.7
Majority			1,524	20.4	N/A
Turnout			7,483	80.2	-5.5
Registered electors			9,330
	Independent Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

Fraser-Mackintosh was also supported by the Highland Land League, as a Crofters' candidate.
At the General Election 1886 Charles Fraser-Mackintosh was returned unopposed as the Liberal Unionist Party candidate.^[5]

General Election 1886: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal Unionist gain from Independent Liberal		Swing	N/A

Fraser-Mackintosh retained the support of the Highland Land League, for this election, and was a Crofters' candidate as well as a Liberal Unionist.

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Donald MacGregor	3,035	52.9	N/A
	Liberal Unionist	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh	2,706	47.1	N/A
Majority			329	5.8	N/A
Turnout			5,741	67.7	N/A
Registered electors			8,480
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	N/A

Since the last election Fraser-Mackintosh had lost the support of the Highland Land League; which endorsed the Liberal nominee MacGregor as a Crofters' candidate.
Resignation of MacGregor'

By-Election 13 June 1895: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Evan Bruce Baillie	3,164	55.7	+8.6 (from LU)
	Liberal	D. Macrae	2,514	44.3	-8.6
Majority			650	11.4	N/A
Turnout			5,678	69.0	+1.3
Registered electors			8,229
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	+8.6 (L to C)

The Highland Land League supported Macrae in this election, so he was a Crofters' candidate as well as the Liberal nominee.

General Election 1895: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Evan Bruce Baillie	2,991	50.9	-4.8
	Liberal	Neil John Downie Kennedy	2,891	49.1	+4.8
Majority			100	1.8	-9.6
Turnout			5,882	71.5	+2.5
Registered electors			8,229
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.8 (L to C)

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Alexander Dewar	3,168	52.5	+3.4
	Conservative	Mackintosh of Mackintosh	2,867	47.5	-3.4
Majority			301	5.0	N/A
Turnout			6,035	66.6	-4.9
Registered electors			9,061
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.4 (L to C)

General Election 1906: Inverness-shire ^[6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Alexander Dewar	3,918	68.4	+15.9
	Conservative	L.H. Strain	1,810	31.6	-15.9
Majority			2,108	36.8	+31.8
Turnout			5,728	57.5	-9.1
Registered electors			9,957
	Liberal hold		Swing	-15.9 (L to C)

Elections in the 1910s

General Election January 1910: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir John Alexander Dewar	4,599	62.4	-6.0
	Conservative	Sir Reginald Macleod	2,774	37.6	+6.0
Majority			1,825	24.8	-12.0
Turnout			7,373	74.1	+16.6
Registered electors			9,951
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.0 (L to C)

General Election December 1910: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Sir John Alexander Dewar	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Creation of Dewar as the 1st Baron Forteviot

Thomas Morison

By-Election 2 January 1917: Inverness-shire
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Brash Morison	unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Constituency abolished (1918)

References

Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Reference Publications 1972)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1974)
The House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (HMSO 1964)
The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume I 1832-1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"

Notes

↑ Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972
↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "I"
↑ The House of Commons 1754-1790
↑ The Parliaments of England
1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907

Westminster constituencies of Scotland

1708 to 1832 1832 to 1868 1868 to 1885 1885 to 1918 1918 to 1950 1950 to 1955 1955 to 1974 1974 to 1983 1983 to 1997 1997 to 2005

Current constituencies (2005 to present)

Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Airdrie & Shotts Angus Argyll & Bute Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock Banff & Buchan Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross Central Ayrshire Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East Dumfries & Galloway Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale Dundee East Dundee West Dunfermline & West Fife East Dunbartonshire East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow East Lothian East Renfrewshire Edinburgh East Edinburgh North & Leith Edinburgh South Edinburgh South West Edinburgh West Falkirk Glasgow Central Glasgow East Glasgow North Glasgow North East Glasgow North West Glasgow South Glasgow South West Glenrothes Gordon Inverclyde Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Kilmarnock & Loudoun Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath Lanark & Hamilton East Linlithgow & East Falkirk Livingston Midlothian Moray Motherwell & Wishaw Na h-Eileanan an Iar North Ayrshire & Arran North East Fife Ochil & South Perthshire Orkney & Shetland Paisley & Renfrewshire North Paisley & Renfrewshire South Perth & North Perthshire Ross, Skye & Lochaber Rutherglen & Hamilton West Stirling West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine West Dunbartonshire

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