Buteshire and Caithness (UK Parliament constituencies)
Encyclopedia
Buteshire and Caithness were county constituencies 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 to 1918.
From 1708 to 1832 they were paired as alternating constituencies: one of the constituencies elected
a Member of Parliament (MP)
to one parliament, the other to the next. The areas which were covered by the two constituencies are quite remote from each other, Caithness in the northeast of Scotland
and Buteshire in the southwest.
From 1832 to 1918, they were separate constituencies, each represented by its own MP.
minus the parliamentary burgh of Rothesay
, which was a component of the Ayr Burghs
constituency, and the Caithness constituency covered the county of Caithness minus the parliamentary burgh of Wick, which was a component of the Tain Burghs
constituency.
When Buteshire and Caithness became separate constituencies, in 1832, Rothesay was merged into the Buteshire constituency. Wick retained its status as a parliamentary burgh and became a component of the Wick Burghs
constituency.
By 1892, Bute and Caithness had become a local government
counties
and, throughout Scotland, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
, county boundaries had been redefined for all purposes except parliamentary representation. 26 years were to elapse before constituency boundaries were redrawn, by the Representation of the People Act 1918
, to take account of new local government boundaries.
In 1918, the Bute and Northern Ayrshire
and Caithness and Sutherland
county constituencies were created.
The Bute and Northern Ayrshire constituency was created to cover the county of Bute and a northern portion of the county of Ayr. The rest of the county of Ayr was divided between three other constituencies, all entirely within the county: the county constituencies of South Ayrshire
and Kilmarnock
, and a remodelled Ayr Burghs.
The Caithness and Sutherland constituency was created to cover the county of Caithness and the county of Sutherland. The Wick Burghs constituency was abolished and two of its former components, Wick and Dornoch
, were merged into the new Caithness and Sutherland constituency.
in July 1886, he was returned unopposed at a by-election on 12 August.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
from 1801 to 1918.
From 1708 to 1832 they were paired as alternating constituencies: one of the constituencies elected
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
a Member of Parliament (MP)
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
to one parliament, the other to the next. The areas which were covered by the two constituencies are quite remote from each other, Caithness in the northeast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Buteshire in the southwest.
From 1832 to 1918, they were separate constituencies, each represented by its own MP.
Boundaries
From 1708 to 1832, the Buteshire constituency covered the county of ButeCounty of Bute
The County of Bute is one of the registration counties of Scotland. In 2001 its usually resident population was 13,720.-Local government county:...
minus the parliamentary burgh of Rothesay
Rothesay, Argyll and Bute
The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...
, which was a component of the Ayr Burghs
Ayr Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1950...
constituency, and the Caithness constituency covered the county of Caithness minus the parliamentary burgh of Wick, which was a component of the Tain Burghs
Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Tain Burghs, was a 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 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by one Member of Parliament .The first election in Tain Burghs was in 1708...
constituency.
When Buteshire and Caithness became separate constituencies, in 1832, Rothesay was merged into the Buteshire constituency. Wick retained its status as a parliamentary burgh and became a component of the Wick Burghs
Wick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
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...
constituency.
By 1892, Bute and Caithness had become a local government
Local government of Scotland
Local government in Scotland is organised through 32 unitary authorities designated as Councils which consist of councillors elected every four years by registered voters in each of the council areas....
counties
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
and, throughout Scotland, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government Act 1889 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the Act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland...
, county boundaries had been redefined for all purposes except parliamentary representation. 26 years were to elapse before constituency boundaries were redrawn, by the Representation of the People Act 1918
Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act...
, to take account of new local government boundaries.
In 1918, the Bute and Northern Ayrshire
Bute and Northern Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Bute and Northern Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-History:...
and Caithness and Sutherland
Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)
Caithness and Sutherland was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
county constituencies were created.
The Bute and Northern Ayrshire constituency was created to cover the county of Bute and a northern portion of the county of Ayr. The rest of the county of Ayr was divided between three other constituencies, all entirely within the county: the county constituencies of South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)
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...
and Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)
Kilmarnock was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, and a remodelled Ayr Burghs.
The Caithness and Sutherland constituency was created to cover the county of Caithness and the county of Sutherland. The Wick Burghs constituency was abolished and two of its former components, Wick and Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
, were merged into the new Caithness and Sutherland constituency.
Buteshire and Caithness MPs 1708 to 1832
- 1708 Dugald Stewart
- 1710 John Montgomerie
- 1710 Sir James Dunbar, 1st Baronet
- 1713 John CampbellJohn Campbell, 4th Duke of ArgyllGeneral John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll KT PC was a Scottish Whig politician in the 17th and 18th centuries.He was born to John Campbell, the third son of Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, and Elizabeth Elphinstone, daughter of John Elphinstone, 8th Lord Elphinstone...
(Buteshire MP), later Duke of Argyll - 1715 Sir Robert Gordon, 4th Baronet
- 1722 Patrick Campbell
- 1727 Sir Patrick Dunbar, 3rd Baronet (see Dunbar BaronetsDunbar BaronetsThere have been five Dunbar Baronetcies; the first four in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia, and the last in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. There is also a Hope-Dunbar Baronetcy of Baldoon....
) - 1734 Patrick Campbell
- 1741 Alexander Brodie
- 1747 James Stuart-MackenzieJames Stuart-MackenzieJames Stuart-Mackenzie was a Scottish politician.Born James Stuart, he was a younger son of James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Bute, and his wife Lady Anne, daughter of Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll. Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, was his elder brother...
- 1754 John ScottJohn Scott (general)John Scott of Balcomie was a Scottish politician and general. He became the MP for Caithness, Scotland in 1754. In 1772 he purchased Denmylne Castle in Fife.-Family:...
(Caithness MP) - 1761 James Stuart
- 1762 Henry Wauchope
- 1768 Viscount FortroseKenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of SeaforthKenneth Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Seaforth FRS was a British peer and politician and Chief of the Highland Clan Mackenzie.-Origins:...
- 1774 James StuartJames Stuart-Wortley-MackenzieJames Archibald Stuart, later Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie , British politician and soldier, was the second son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and his wife Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute....
- 1780 John Sinclair (Caithness)
- 1784 James StuartJames Stuart-Wortley-MackenzieJames Archibald Stuart, later Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie , British politician and soldier, was the second son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and his wife Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute....
- 1790 Sir John Sinclair (Caithness)
- 1796 Frederick Stuart
- 1802 Sir John Sinclair (Caithness)
- 1806 James Stuart-Wortley-MackenzieJames Stuart-Wortley-MackenzieJames Archibald Stuart, later Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie , British politician and soldier, was the second son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and his wife Mary Stuart, Countess of Bute....
- 1807 Sir John Sinclair (Caithness)
- 1811 George SinclairSir George Sinclair, 2nd Baronet-Life:George, eldest son of Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet of Ulbster, and Diana, only daughter of Alexander Macdonald, first lord Macdonald, was born in Edinburgh on 28 August 1790. His brothers John and William Sinclair and sister Catherine....
- 1812 John Marjoribanks
- 1818 George SinclairSir George Sinclair, 2nd Baronet-Life:George, eldest son of Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet of Ulbster, and Diana, only daughter of Alexander Macdonald, first lord Macdonald, was born in Edinburgh on 28 August 1790. His brothers John and William Sinclair and sister Catherine....
- 1820 Lord Patrick Crichton-StuartLord Patrick Crichton-StuartLord Patrick James Herbert Crichton-Stuart , known as the Hon. Patrick Stuart until 1817, was a British politician....
- 1826 James Sinclair
- 1830 Sir William Rae, 3rd Baronet (Buteshire MP)
- 1831 George SinclairSir George Sinclair, 2nd Baronet-Life:George, eldest son of Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet of Ulbster, and Diana, only daughter of Alexander Macdonald, first lord Macdonald, was born in Edinburgh on 28 August 1790. His brothers John and William Sinclair and sister Catherine....
Buteshire MPs 1832 to 1918
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Charles Stuart | ||
| 1833 | Sir William Rae | ||
| 1842 | James Archibald Stuart-Wortley | ||
| 1859 | David Mure David Mure, Lord Mure David Mure was a Scottish lawyer and Conservative Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1859 to 1865, when he became a judge.... |
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| 1865 | George Boyle George Boyle, 6th Earl of Glasgow George Frederick Boyle, 6th Earl of Glasgow was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of George Boyle, 4th Earl of Glasgow and Julia Sinclair, daughter of Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet.... |
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| 1865 | James Lamont James Lamont Sir James Lamont, 1st Baronet was a Scottish explorer, particularly known for his travels in the Arctic; he also travelled to Africa and the West Indies. He was a fellow of the Geological Society of London and the Royal Geographical Society... |
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| 1868 | Charles Dalrymple Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet , was a Scottish Conservative politician.Born Charles Fergusson, he was the second son of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet, and grandson of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, and his wife Jean, daughter of David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. Sir James... |
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| 1880 | Thomas Russell | ||
| 1880 | Charles Dalrymple Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet Sir Charles Dalrymple, 1st Baronet , was a Scottish Conservative politician.Born Charles Fergusson, he was the second son of Sir Charles Dalrymple Fergusson, 5th Baronet, and grandson of Sir James Fergusson, 4th Baronet, and his wife Jean, daughter of David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes. Sir James... |
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| 1885 | James Robertson James Robertson, Baron Robertson James Patrick Bannerman Robertson, Baron Robertson , was a Scottish judge and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 until 1891 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Robertson.... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1891 | Andrew Murray Andrew Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin Andrew Graham Murray, 1st Viscount Dunedin GCVO, PC, QC was a Scottish politician and judge. He served as Secretary for Scotland between 1903 and 1905, as Lord Justice General and Lord President of the Court of Session between 1905 and 1913 and as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary between 1913 and... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1905 | Norman Lamont Sir Norman Lamont, 2nd Baronet Sir Norman Lamont was a Scottish Liberal Party politician and a recognised authority on agriculture.-Family and education:Norman Lamont was the son of Sir James Lamont Bt and Adelaide, daughter of Sir George Denys Bt... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
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| 1910 | Sir Harry Hope | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
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| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
constituency abolished | ||
Election results
After James Robertson accepted office as Solicitor General for ScotlandSolicitor General for Scotland
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Crown and the Scottish Government on Scots Law...
in July 1886, he was returned unopposed at a by-election on 12 August.
Caithness MPs 1832 to 1918
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | George Sinclair | ||
| 1841 | George Traill George Traill George Traill was a Liberal Party politician in Scotland.He was the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland from 1830 until his defeat at the 1835 general election.... |
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| 1869 | Sir John Sinclair, Bt Sir John Sinclair, 3rd Baronet Sir John George Tollemache Sinclair, 3rd Baronet was a Scottish landowner and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1869 to 1885.... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
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| 1885 | Gavin Brown Clark | Crofters' Party Highland Land League The first Highland Land League emerged as a distinct political force in Scotland during the 1880s, with its power base in the country's Highlands and Islands. It was known also as the Highland Land Law Reform Association and the Crofters' Party... |
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| 1900 | Leicester Harmsworth Sir Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Leicester Harmsworth, 1st Baronet , was a British businessman and Liberal politician.-Background:... |
Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
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| 1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did... |
constituency abolished | ||