Haddingtonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Haddingtonshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1708–1918
Number of members One
Replaced by Berwick and Haddington
Created from Haddingtonshire

Haddingtonshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for 210 years from 1708-1918.

Boundaries

The constituency was created in 1708 and encompassed the county of Haddingtonshire, with the exception, until 1885, of three towns (Haddington, Dunbar and North Berwick) which formed part of the separate constituency of Haddington Burghs. In 1918, it was merged with the neighbouring Berwickshire constituency to form a new Berwick and Haddington constituency. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMember [1]Party
1708 John Cockburn
1741 Lord Charles Hay
1747 Sir Hew Dalrymple
1761 Andrew Fletcher
1768 Sir George Suttie
1777 William Hamilton Nisbet
1780 Hew Dalrymple
1786 John Hamilton
1795 Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton
1800 Charles Hope
1816 Sir James Suttie
1826 Lord John Hay
1831 James Balfour
1835 Robert Ferguson
1837 James Broun-Ramsay Conservative
1838 by-election Sir Thomas Buchan-Hepburn Conservative
1847 Francis Charteris (styled Lord Elcho from 1853) Conservative
1883 by-election Hugo Charteris Conservative
1885 Richard Haldane Liberal
1911 by-election John Deans Hope Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris Unopposed
Registered electors 716
Conservative hold

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

By-election, 11 January 1853: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1857: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris Unopposed
Registered electors 715
Conservative hold
General Election 1859: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris Unopposed
Registered electors 680
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1865: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris 285 64.2 N/A
Liberal George Hope[3] 159 35.8 N/A
Majority 126 28.4 N/A
Turnout 444 66.7
Registered electors 666
Conservative hold
General Election 1868: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris 405 54.4 −9.8
Liberal William Hay 340 45.6 +9.8
Majority 65 8.7 −19.7
Turnout 745 83.2 +16.5
Registered electors 895
Conservative hold Swing −9.8

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris Unopposed
Registered electors 924
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Francis Charteris 469 52.5 N/A
Liberal Thomas Buchanan[4] 425 47.5 N/A
Majority 44 4.9 N/A
Turnout 894 86.0 N/A
Registered electors 1,040
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Charteris is elevated to the peerage, becoming Earl of Wemyss and March, causing a by-election.

By-election, 7 Feb 1883: Haddingtonshire [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Hugo Charteris 492 55.2 +2.7
Liberal Robert Finlay[5] 400 44.8 −2.7
Majority 92 10.3 +5.4
Turnout 892 83.3 −2.7
Registered electors 1,071
Conservative hold Swing +2.7
General Election 1885: Haddingtonshire [6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 3,473 64.1 +16.6
Conservative Hugo Charteris 1,945 35.9 -16.6
Majority 1,528 28.2 N/A
Turnout 5,418 83.5 −2.5
Registered electors 6,487
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +16.6
General Election 1886: Haddingtonshire [6][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 2,677 61.0 -3.1
Liberal Unionist Philip Albert Myburgh 1,714 39.0 +3.1
Majority 963 22.0 -6.2
Turnout 4,391 67.7 −15.8
Registered electors 6,487
Liberal hold Swing -3.1

Elections in the 1890s

General Election 1892: Haddingtonshire [8][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 2,551 53.1 -7.9
Conservative Walter Hepburne-Scott 2,255 46.9 +7.9
Majority 296 6.2 -15.8
Turnout 4,806 75.7 +8.0
Registered electors 6,350
Liberal hold Swing -7.9
General Election 1895: Haddingtonshire [9][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 2,774 55.8 +2.7
Conservative Walter Hepburne-Scott 2,194 44.2 -2.7
Majority 580 11.6 +5.4
Turnout 4,968 78.6 +2.9
Registered electors 6,320
Liberal hold Swing +2.7

Elections in the 1900s

General Election 1900: Haddingtonshire [9][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 2,668 53.8 −2.0
Conservative John Kerr 2,290 46.2 +2.0
Majority 378 7.6 −4.0
Turnout 4,958 76.5 −2.1
Registered electors 6,484
Liberal hold Swing −2.0
General Election 1906: Haddingtonshire [10][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 3,469 60.2 +6.4
Liberal Unionist Gerard Craig-Sellar 2,289 39.8 −6.4
Majority 1,180 20.4 +12.8
Turnout 5,758 79.7 +3.2
Registered electors 7,224
Liberal hold Swing +6.4

Elections in the 1910s

Blyth
General Election Jan 1910: Haddingtonshire [11][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 3,771 55.5 −4.7
Conservative Benjamin Blyth 3,026 44.5 +4.7
Majority 745 11.0 −9.4
Turnout 6,797 85.4 +5.7
Registered electors 7,961
Liberal hold Swing −4.7
Haldane
General Election Dec 1910: Haddingtonshire [11][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Richard Haldane 3,845 54.9 −0.6
Conservative Benjamin Blyth 3,158 45.1 +0.6
Majority 687 9.8 −1.2
Turnout 7,003 85.6 +0.2
Registered electors 8,184
Liberal hold Swing −0.6
Hope
Haddingtonshire by-election, 1911[11][7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal John Deans Hope 3,652 53.4 -1.5
Conservative Benjamin Blyth 3,184 46.6 +1.5
Majority 468 6.8 -3.0
Turnout 6,836 83.5 −2.1
Registered electors 8,184
Liberal hold Swing -1.5

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;

References

  1. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 1)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book)|format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  3. ↑ "To the Electors of the County of Haddington". Caledonian Mercury. 15 July 1865. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ "The General Election". Edinburgh Evening News. 31 Mar 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 28 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "East Lothian Election". Shields Daily News. 31 Jan 1883. p. 4. Retrieved 28 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  8. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  9. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  10. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  11. 1 2 3 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
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