North Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

North Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

North Ayrshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandAyrshire
1868–1918
SeatsOne
Created fromAyrshire
Replaced byBute and Northern Ayrshire and Kilmarnock

Boundaries

The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 provided that the new North Ayrshire constituency was to consist of the District of Cunningham, consisting of the parishes of Ardrossan, Dalry, Dreghorn, Fenwick, Irvine, Kilbirnie, Kilmarnock, Kilmaurs, Kilwinning, Largs, Loudoun, Stevenston, Stewarton, West Kilbride and Beith, and the parish of Dunlop so far as situated within the County of Ayr.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMemberParty
1868 William Finnie Liberal
1874 Roger Montgomerie Conservative
1880 Robert Cochran-Patrick Conservative
1885 Hugh Elliot Liberal
1886 Liberal Unionist
1892 Thomas Cochrane Liberal Unionist
1910 Andrew Anderson Liberal
1911 Duncan Campbell Unionist
1916 Aylmer Hunter-Weston Unionist
1918 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1868: North Ayrshire [1][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Finnie 1,397 51.4
Conservative Roger Montgomerie 1,322 48.6
Majority 75 2.8
Turnout 2,719 84.5
Registered electors 3,219
Liberal win (new seat)

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: North Ayrshire[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Roger Montgomerie 1,562 54.6 +6.0
Liberal William Finnie 1,301 45.4 −6.0
Majority 261 9.2 N/A
Turnout 2,863 84.0 −0.5
Registered electors 3,407
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +6.0

Elections in the 1880s
John Balfour
General election 1880: North Ayrshire [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Cochran-Patrick 1,636 50.9 −3.7
Liberal John Balfour 1,581 49.1 +3.7
Majority 55 1.8 −7.4
Turnout 3,217 88.3 +4.3
Registered electors 3,642
Conservative hold Swing −3.7
General election 1885: North Ayrshire [4][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hugh Elliot 5,700 54.6 +5.5
Conservative Robert Cochran-Patrick 4,740 45.4 −5.5
Majority 960 9.2 N/A
Turnout 10,440 83.8 −4.5
Registered electors 12,465
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +5.5
General election 1886: North Ayrshire [4] [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Hugh Elliot Unopposed
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1890s
Wedderburn
General election 1892: North Ayrshire [6][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Cochrane 5,346 52.2 N/A
Liberal William Wedderburn 4,898 47.8 New
Majority 448 4.4 N/A
Turnout 10,244 83.5 N/A
Registered electors 12,261
Liberal Unionist hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: North Ayrshire[7][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Cochrane 5,612 53.4 +1.2
Liberal William Robertson 4,902 46.6 −1.2
Majority 710 6.8 +2.4
Turnout 10,514 81.9 −1.6
Registered electors 12,837
Liberal Unionist hold Swing 1.2

Elections in the 1900s
General election 1900: North Ayrshire[7][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Cochrane 5,985 55.5 +2.1
Liberal A. Williamson 4,791 44.5 −2.1
Majority 1,194 11.0 +4.2
Turnout 10,776 78.9 −3.0
Registered electors 13,657
Liberal Unionist hold Swing +2.1
General election 1906: North Ayrshire[8][5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Unionist Thomas Cochrane 5,603 43.6 −11.9
Liberal Andrew Anderson 4,587 35.6 −8.9
Scottish Workers James Brown 2,683 20.8 New
Majority 1,106 8.0 −3.0
Turnout 12,873 82.5 +3.6
Registered electors 15,597
Liberal Unionist hold Swing −1.5

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: Ayrshire North[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Anderson 6,189 44.4 +8.8
Liberal Unionist Thomas Cochrane 5,951 42.7 −0.9
Labour James Brown 1,801 12.9 −7.9
Majority 238 1.7 N/A
Turnout 13,941 84.7 +2.2
Registered electors 16,453
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist Swing +3.5
General election December 1910: Ayrshire North[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Andrew Anderson 7,286 51.2 +6.8
Unionist Duncan Campbell 6,932 48.8 +6.1
Majority 354 2.4 +0.7
Turnout 14,218 85.3 +0.6
Registered electors 16,665
Liberal hold Swing +0.4
1911 North Ayrshire by-election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Duncan Campbell 7,318 50.9 +2.1
Liberal Andrew Anderson 7,047 49.1 −2.1
Majority 271 1.8 N/A
Turnout 14,365 84.9 −0.4
Registered electors 16,926
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +2.1

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 July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

Hunter-Weston
1916 North Ayrshire by-election[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Aylmer Hunter-Weston 7,149 84.6 +35.7
Peace by Negotiation Humphrey Chalmers* 1,300 15.4 New
Majority 5,849 69.2 N/A
Turnout 8,449 48.6 -36.7
Registered electors 17,385
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing N/A

*Chalmers was supported by the Union of Democratic Control and contested the 1918 general election as a Labour Party candidate.

See also

References
  1. Debrett's House of Commons, 1870
  2. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  3. The Times, 29 April 1880
  4. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
  5. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885–1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  6. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  7. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  8. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
  9. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
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