Inverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Inverness Burghs was a district of burghs constituency

United Kingdom constituencies

In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

of the House of Commons 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...

(at Westminster

Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

) 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...

(also at Westminster) from 1801 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

There was also, 1708 to 1918, the 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....

constituency, which was, as its name implies, a county constituency.

Boundaries

As first used in the 1708 general election

British general election, 1708

The British general election, 1708 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 2nd Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...

Inverness Burghs consisted of four burgh

Burgh

A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...

s: Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

in the county of Inverness, Fortrose

Fortrose

Fortrose is a burgh in the Scottish Highlands, located on the Moray Firth, approximately ten kilometres north east of Inverness. The town is known for its ruined 13th century cathedral, and as the home of the Brahan Seer. In the Middle Ages it was the seat of the bishopric of Ross...

in the county of Ross, Forres

Forres

Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...

in the county of Elgin and Nairn

Nairn

Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness...

in the county of Nairn.

For the 1832 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1832

-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....

, as a result of the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, the boundaries of burghs for parliamentary election purposes ceased to be necessarily those for other purposes.

For the 1918 general election

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...

, as a result of 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...

, the component burghs of Inverness Burghs were merged into three different county constituencies: Inverness into the Inverness constituency

Inverness (UK Parliament constituency)

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 by the first-past-the-post system of election....

, Forres and Nairn into the Moray and Nairn constituency

Moray and Nairn (UK Parliament constituency)

Moray and Nairn was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983.It was formed by the amalgamation of the county constituency Elginshire and Nairnshire with the parliamentary burghs of Elgin, previously part of Elgin Burghs, and Nairn and...

and Fortrose into the Ross and Cromarty constituency

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....

. By this date, the county of Elgin had become the county of Moray

County of Moray

Moray is one of the registration counties of Scotland, bordering Nairnshire to the west, Inverness-shire to the south, and Banffshire to the east...

and the county of Ross had been merged with the county of Cromarty to form the county of Ross and Cromarty.

Members of Parliament

Elected		Member	Party
	1708	Alexander Duff
	1710	George Mackenzie
	1713	William Steuart William Steuart General Sir William Steuart , was a Scottish soldier, Commander-in-Chief of Queen Anne's Forces in Ireland and benefactor of Hanover Square, London.-Biography:...
	1722	Alexander Gordon
	1722 election petition	Duncan Forbes
	1737 by-election	Duncan Urquhart
	1741	Kenneth Mackenzie Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose Kenneth Mackenzie, Lord Fortrose was a British politician and Chief of the Highland Clan Mackenzie.-Origins:...
	1747	Alexander Brodie
	1754	John Campbell John Campbell of Cawdor John Campbell of Cawdor , was a British politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Pembrokeshire, Inverness Burghs and Corfe Castle.He was also the Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.-References:...
	1761	Sir Alexander Grant, Bt
	1768	Sir Hector Munro
	1802 United Kingdom general election, 1802 The United Kingdom general election, 1802 was the election to the 2nd Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...	Alexander Penrose Cumming-Gordon Sir Alexander Cumming-Gordon, 1st Baronet Sir Alexander Penrose Cumming-Gordon, 1st Baronet was a Scottish politician.Cumming-Gordon sat as Member of Parliament for Inverness Burghs from 1802 to 1803. In 1804 he was created a Baronet, of Altyre near Forres....
	1803 by-election	George Cumming
	1806 United Kingdom general election, 1806 The United Kingdom general election, 1806 was the election of members to the 3rd Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was the second general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....	Francis William Grant Francis Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield Francis William Ogilvy-Grant, 6th Earl of Seafield , known as Francis William Ogilvy-Grant until 1840, was a Scottish nobleman and Member of Parliament....
	1807 United Kingdom general election, 1807 The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....	Peter Baillie Peter Baillie Peter Baillie was a British West Indies merchant, and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1807 to 1811....
	1812 by-election	Charles Grant Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg Charles Grant, 1st Baron Glenelg PC FRS was a Scottish politician and colonial administrator.-Background and education:...
	1818 United Kingdom general election, 1818 The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...	George Cumming	Tory
	1826 United Kingdom general election, 1826 The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....	Robert Grant Robert Grant (MP) Sir Robert Grant GCH was a British lawyer and politician.He was born in India, the son of Charles Grant, chairman of the Directors of the Honourable East India Company, and younger brother of Charles Grant, later Lord Glenelg. Returning home with their father in 1790, the two brothers were entered...	Whig
	1830 United Kingdom general election, 1830 The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...	John Baillie	Tory
	1831 United Kingdom general election, 1831 The 1831 general election in the United Kingdom saw a landslide win by supporters of electoral reform, which was the major election issue. As a result it was the last unreformed election, as the Parliament which resulted ensured the passage of the Reform Act 1832. Polling was held from 28 April to...	Charles Lennox Cumming Bruce Charles Lennox Cumming Bruce Charles Lennox Cumming-Bruce , was a Scottish Conservative politician. He was the second son of Sir Alexander Cumming-Gordon, 1st Baronet, and in 1820 married Mary Elizabeth Bruce, the only daughter of James Bruce....	Tory
	1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832 -Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....	John Baillie	Tory
	1833 by-election	Charles Lennox Cumming Bruce Charles Lennox Cumming Bruce Charles Lennox Cumming-Bruce , was a Scottish Conservative politician. He was the second son of Sir Alexander Cumming-Gordon, 1st Baronet, and in 1820 married Mary Elizabeth Bruce, the only daughter of James Bruce....	Tory
	1835 United Kingdom general election, 1835 The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...		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...
	1837 United Kingdom general election, 1837 The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....	Roderick Macleod	Whig
	1840 by-election	James Morrison James Morrison (businessman) James Morrison was a British millionaire businessman and Member of Parliament.Alternatively he was born in 1790, probably at Middle Wallop, Hampshire, and died 30 October 1857 at Basildon, Berkshire possessed of property in England valued at between three and four million pounds,...	Whig
	1847 United Kingdom general election, 1847 -Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...	Alexander Matheson Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet Sir Alexander Matheson, 1st Baronet , was a Scottish businessman and long-standing Liberal Member of Parliament.Matheson was the nephew of Sir James Matheson, 1st Baronet, and a partner in the family firm of Jardine Matheson...	Whig
	1859 change		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...
	1868 United Kingdom general election, 1868 The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...	Aeneas William Mackintosh Aeneas William Mackintosh Aeneas William Mackintosh was a Scottish Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1874....	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...
	1874 United Kingdom general election, 1874 -Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...	Charles Fraser-Mackintosh Charles Fraser-Mackintosh Charles Fraser-Mackintosh was a Scottish lawyer, land developer, author and Liberal and Crofters Party politician. He was a significant champion of the Scottish Gaelic language in Victorian Britain.Fraser-Mackintosh was the son of Alexander Fraser, of Dochnalurg, Inverness and his wife Marjory...	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...
	1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918Representation of the People Act 1884Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	Robert Bannatyne Finlay	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...
	1886 change	Robert Bannatyne Finlay	Liberal Unionist Liberal Unionist Party The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
	1892 United Kingdom general election, 1892 The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...	Gilbert Beith Gilbert Beith Gilbert Beith was a Scottish merchant and Liberal politician.Beith was the son of the Rev. Alexander Beith, D.D., and brother of Ian Hay Beith, of Stirling...	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...
	1895 United Kingdom general election, 1895 The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...	Robert Bannatyne Finlay	Liberal Unionist
	1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 -Seats summary:-See also:MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:**-References:F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...	John Annan Bryce John Annan Bryce John Annan Bryce was a Scottish businessman and Liberal politician.-Background and family:He was the son of the politician James Bryce and his wife Margaret Young, daughter of James Young. His elder brother was the 1st Viscount Bryce. Bryce was educated at Balliol College, Oxford and graduated...	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...
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

The original electoral system for this constituency gave each of the four burghs one vote, with an additional casting vote (to break ties) for the burgh where the election was held. The place of election rotated amongst the burghs in successive Parliaments. The vote of a burgh was exercised by a burgh commissioner, who was elected by the burgh councillor

Councillor

A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...

s.

The first direct election in Inverness Burghs was in 1832. The votes from qualified electors, in each burgh, were added together to establish the result.

Unless otherwise indicated, the primary source for the results was Craig. Candidates identified by Craig as Conservatives, in the 1832-1835 Parliament, are listed as Tories. In results for elections before the formal creation of the Liberal Party, shortly after the 1859 general election, candidates identified by Craig as Liberals are divided into Whigs and Radicals following 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.

In terms of change in % votes and swing, the Conservative candidate in 1835 is related to his performance as the Tory candidate in the 1833 by-election. As there were two Tory candidates in 1832, no swing figure was calculated for the 1833 by-election.

1760s –
1830s –
1840s –
1850s –
1860s –
1870s –
1880s –
1890s –
1900s –
1910s

Elections in the 1760s

This is an example of a contested election, before the extension of the franchise in 1832. The election took place in Fortrose, so that burgh's commissioner had the casting vote which decided the election.

Elections in the 1830s

Death of Baillie in April 1833

Elections of the 1840s

Resignation of Macleod in March 1840

Elections of the 1850s

Note (1859): Shortly after the 1859 general election, the Whig Party was merged into the new Liberal Party. Matheson joined the new party.

Elections of the 1860s

Elections of the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

Note (1885): Craig classified McLaren as an Independent Liberal/Crofters'
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...

candidate.
Note (1886): Shortly before the 1886 general election, the Liberal Party split. Finlay joined the new Liberal Unionist Party.

Elections of the 1890s

Seat vacated on the appointment of Finlay as Solicitor General for England and Wales
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...

Elections of the 1900s

Note (1900): Change and swing figures are calculated from the 1895 general elewction.

Elections of the 1910s

Constituency abolished (1918)