Inverness (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Inverness was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
from 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post
system of election.
There was also a county constituency called Inverness-shire
, 1708 to 1918, and a burgh constituency
called Inverness Burghs
, 1708 to 1918.
constituency. By 1918, however, county
boundaries were out of alignment with constituency boundaries.
In 1918, the Representation of the People Act 1918
created new constituency boundaries, taking account of new local government
boundaries, and the new constituency boundaries were first used in the 1918 general election.
The new Inverness constituency included the burgh of Inverness and was one of three constituencies covering the county or Inverness and the county of Ross and Cromarty. The other two were the Ross and Cromarty
constituency and the Western Isles constituency.
The Inverness constituency covered the county of Inverness minus Outer Hebridean
areas (the districts of Harris, North Uist
and South Uist
), which were covered by the Western Isles constituency. The same boundaries were used in every election from 1918 onwards.
In 1975, counties and burghs were abolished as local government areas, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
, and from 1975 until 1983, the Inverness constituency was entirely within the Highland local government region.
For the 1983 general election
, new boundaries defined three new constituencies to cover the region: Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
, Ross, Cromarty and Skye
and Caithness and Sutherland
. Each of the new constituencies covered a number of the districts of the region. The Caithness and Sutherland constituency carried forward the name of an older constituency.
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 1918 until 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
system of election.
There was also a county constituency called Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire (UK Parliament constituency)
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....
, 1708 to 1918, and a burgh constituency
Burgh constituency
A burgh constituency is a type of parliamentary constituency in Scotland. It is a constituency which is predominantly urban, and on this basis has been designated as a burgh constituency...
called Inverness Burghs
Inverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs 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 1918...
, 1708 to 1918.
Boundaries
The earlier Inverness-shire constituency covered, nominally, the county of Inverness minus the burgh of Inverness, which was a part of the Inverness BurghsInverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs 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 1918...
constituency. By 1918, however, county
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....
boundaries were out of alignment with constituency boundaries.
In 1918, 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...
created new constituency boundaries, taking account of new 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....
boundaries, and the new constituency boundaries were first used in the 1918 general election.
The new Inverness constituency included the burgh of Inverness and was one of three constituencies covering the county or Inverness and the county of Ross and Cromarty. The other two were the Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross and Cromarty was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1983. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system....
constituency and the Western Isles constituency.
The Inverness constituency covered the county of Inverness minus Outer Hebridean
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
areas (the districts of Harris, North Uist
North Uist
North Uist is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.-Geography:North Uist is the tenth largest Scottish island and the thirteenth largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of , slightly smaller than South Uist. North Uist is connected by causeways to Benbecula...
and South Uist
South Uist
South Uist is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,818. There is a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found. The...
), which were covered by the Western Isles constituency. The same boundaries were used in every election from 1918 onwards.
In 1975, counties and burghs were abolished as local government areas, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
, and from 1975 until 1983, the Inverness constituency was entirely within the Highland local government region.
For the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, new boundaries defined three new constituencies to cover the region: Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency)
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:...
, Ross, Cromarty and Skye
Ross, Cromarty and Skye (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross, Cromarty and Skye was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
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....
. Each of the new constituencies covered a number of the districts of the region. The Caithness and Sutherland constituency carried forward the name of an older constituency.
Members of Parliament
Election | Member | Party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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... |
Thomas Brash Morison Thomas Brash Morison Sir Thomas Brash Morison was a Scottish politician and judge.Morison was born in Edinburgh. He went to Edinburgh University where he obtained MA and LL.D degrees. He was called to the bar in Scotland in 1891 and then in England in 1899. He was knighted in 1906... |
Coalition Liberal | Previously MP for Inverness-shire Inverness-shire (UK Parliament constituency) 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.... |
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1922 by-election Inverness by-election, 1922 The Inverness by-election, 1922 was a by-election held on 16 March 1922 for the British House of Commons constituency of Inverness.The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting Coalition Liberal Member of Parliament Thomas Brash Morison, upon his appointment as a Senator of the... |
Sir Murdoch Macdonald Murdoch Macdonald Sir Murdoch Macdonald was a British politician.Born in Inverness, Macdonald was educated at Farraline Park Institution, Inverness.... |
Coalition Liberal | ||
1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John... |
National Liberal National Liberal Party (UK, 1922) The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:... |
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1922 United Kingdom general election, 1923 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***... |
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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1931 United Kingdom general election, 1931 The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the... |
National Liberal National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968... |
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1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five... |
Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Wing Commander Lord Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton OBE, DFC was a Scottish nobleman and politician.... |
Unionist | ||
1954 by-election Inverness by-election, 1954 The Inverness by-election, 1954 was a by-election held on 21 December 1954 for the British House of Commons constituency of Inverness.The by-election was caused by the resignation of the sitting Unionist Member of Parliament Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton, by his application for the Chiltern Hundreds... |
Neil McLean Neil McLean (politician) Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Loudon Desmond McLean DSO, known as Billy McLean , was a British Army intelligence officer and politician who led a celebrated Special Operations Executive operation in Albania during the Second World War, and later attempted to overthrow Communism in the country... |
Unionist | ||
1964 United Kingdom general election, 1964 The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power... |
Russell Johnston Russell Johnston, Baron Russell-Johnston David Russell Russell-Johnston, Baron Russell-Johnston, usually known as Russell Johnston, was a leading Scottish Liberal Democrat politician.-Early life:... |
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... |
Subsequently MP for Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber (UK Parliament constituency) Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-History:... |
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1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... |
constituency abolished |