Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)

Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West.

Dundee
Former Burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsDundee
1832–1950
Seats1832–1868: One
1868–1950: Two
Created fromForfarshire[1]
Replaced byDundee East
Dundee West

From 1832 to 1868 it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system, and from 1868 until its abolition for the 1950 general election it elected two MPs using the bloc vote system.

Politics and history of the constituency

Winston Churchill became Member of Parliament for Dundee in a by-election of 1908 soon after losing his Manchester North West seat and retained the seat until 1922.

In 1906, the explorer Ernest Shackleton unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for the Liberal Unionist Party.[2]

From its creation in 1832 the seat did not return a Conservative member until 1931 when Florence Horsbrugh was elected.[3] Originally a Liberal stronghold, the seat was one of the first in Scotland to return a Labour candidate, Alexander Wilkie, who was elected in 1906.[4]

At the 1918 general election both Churchill, still then a Liberal, and Wilkie were supported by the local Unionists, as well as their own party organisations.[5] From 1923 onwards the Conservatives/Unionists and Liberals each ran only one candidate in the constituency. This was part of an unofficial agreement between the two parties at a local level, with the understanding being that their supporters would give their other vote to the other party's candidate.[6]

Boundaries

The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, were-

"From the Point, on the East of the Town, at which the Shore of the Firth of Tay would be cut by a straight Line to be drawn from the Tower (in Fife) of Mr. Dalgleish of Scotscraig to the Point at which the Stobsmuir Road is joined by the old Road by Stobsmuir and Clepington and the old Craigie Road, in a straight Line to the said Point at which the Stobsmuir Road is joined by the old Road by Stobsmuir and Clepington and the old Craigie Road; thence, Westward, along the old Road by Stobsmuir and Clepington to the Point called Kings Cross, at which the several Boundaries of the Parishes of Dundee, Strathmartin, and Liff meet; thence in a straight Line to a Point on the Liff Road which is distant Twelve hundred Yards (measured along the Liff Road) to the West of the Point at which the Newtyle Road leaves the same; thence in a straight Line drawn due South to the Shore of the Firth of Tay; thence along the Shore of the Firth of Tay to the Point first described."[7]

Members of Parliament
Election Party Member Party Member
1832 Whig[8] George Kinloch 1 seat
until 1868
1833 by-election Whig[8][9] Sir Henry Parnell
1841 Whig[8][10] George Duncan
1857 Whig[11][12] Sir John Ogilvy
1859 Liberal
1868 Liberal George Armitstead
1873 by-election James Yeaman
1874 Liberal Edward Jenkins
1880 Liberal George Armitstead Liberal Frank Henderson
1885 Liberal Charles Lacaita Edmund Robertson
1888 by-election Liberal Joseph Bottomley Firth
1889 by-election John Leng
1906 Labour Alexander Wilkie
1908 by-election Liberal Winston Churchill
1922 Labour E. D. Morel Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour
1924 by-election Labour Thomas Johnston
1929 Labour Michael Marcus
1931 Unionist Florence Horsbrugh Liberal Dingle Foot
1945 Labour John Strachey Labour Thomas Cook
1950 Constituency divided. See Dundee East and Dundee West

Election results 1832-1868

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1832: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig George Kinloch 852 59.0
Whig David Charles Guthrie 593 41.0
Majority 259 18.0
Turnout 1,445 89.1
Registered electors 1,622
Whig win (new seat)

Kinloch's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 April 1833: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Henry Parnell Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1835: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Henry Parnell Unopposed
Registered electors 1,751
Whig hold

Parnell was appointed as Paymaster-General of the Land Forces and Treasurer of the Navy, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 6 May 1835: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Henry Parnell Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1837: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Henry Parnell 633 62.4
Conservative John Gladstone 381 37.6
Majority 252 24.8
Turnout 1,014 45.8
Registered electors 2,214
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Dundee[13][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Duncan 577 56.5 −5.9
Radical John Benjamin Smith[14] 445 43.5 New
Majority 132 13.0 −11.8
Turnout 1,022 37.3 −8.5
Registered electors 2,739
Whig hold Swing −5.9
General election 1847: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Duncan Unopposed
Registered electors 2,635
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig George Duncan Unopposed
Registered electors 3,190
Whig hold
General election 1857: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Ogilvy 1,092 56.3 N/A
Radical George Armitstead[15] 847 43.7 New
Majority 245 12.6 N/A
Turnout 1,939 82.8 N/A
Registered electors 2,343
Whig hold Swing N/A
General election 1859: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Ogilvy Unopposed
Registered electors 2,317
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Ogilvy Unopposed
Registered electors 3,039
Liberal hold

Seat increased to two members

General election 1868: Dundee (2 seats)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Armitstead 7,738 36.8 N/A
Liberal John Ogilvy 7,661 36.4 N/A
Liberal James Alexander Guthrie[16] 3,548 16.9 N/A
Liberal Harry Warren Scott[17] 2,085 9.9 N/A
Majority 4,113 19.5 N/A
Turnout 10,516 (est) 71.1 (est) N/A
Registered electors 14,798
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal win (new seat)

Election results 1873-1918

Elections in the 1870s

Armitstead resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 7 Aug 1873: Dundee[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Yeaman 5,297 51.0 N/A
Liberal Edward Jenkins 4,010 38.6 N/A
Liberal James Fitzjames Stephen 1,086 10.4 N/A
Majority 1,287 12.4 −7.1
Turnout 10,393 62.4 −8.7
Registered electors 16,652
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1874: Dundee (2 seats)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Yeaman 6,595 33.2 −3.6
Liberal Edward Jenkins 6,048 30.5 N/A
Liberal John Ogilvy 4,401 22.2 −14.2
Liberal John Meiklejohn 2,231 11.2 N/A
Conservative John Austin Lake Gloag[18] 573 2.9 New
Majority 1,647 8.3 −11.2
Turnout 10,211 (est) 57.3 (est) −13.8
Registered electors 17,814
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Dundee (2 seats)[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Armitstead 9,168 43.8 N/A
Liberal Frank Henderson 6,750 32.3 N/A
Conservative James Yeaman 4,993 23.9 +21.0
Majority 1,757 8.4 +0.1
Turnout 14,161 (est) 97.2 (est) +39.9
Registered electors 14,566
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1885: Dundee (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Charles Lacaita 8,261 30.7 −13.1
Liberal Edmund Robertson 7,187 26.7 −5.6
Independent Liberal Alexander Hay Moncur 6,279 23.4 N/A
Conservative Edward Jenkins 5,149 19.2 −4.7
Majority 908 3.3 −5.1
Turnout 14,623 83.9 −13.3 (est)
Liberal hold Swing −4.2
Liberal hold Swing −0.5
General election 1886: Dundee (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edmund Robertson 8,236 35.3 +8.6
Liberal Charles Lacaita 8,216 35.2 +4.5
Liberal Unionist Brinsley de Courcy Nixon 3,545 15.2 -4.0
Liberal Unionist Henry Daly 3,346 14.3 N/A
Majority 4,671 20.0 +16.7
Turnout 11,893 68.3 -15.6
Registered electors 17,420
Liberal hold Swing +6.3
Liberal hold Swing +4.3

Lacita's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 16 Feb 1888: Dundee[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Bottomley Firth 7,856 65.1 −5.4
Liberal Unionist Henry Daly 4,217 34.9 +5.4
Majority 3,639 30.2 +10.2
Turnout 12,073 72.7 +4.4
Registered electors 16,613
Liberal hold Swing −5.4

Firth's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 25 Sep 1889: Dundee [19][20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Leng Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1890s
Leng
General election 1892: Dundee (2 seats) [19][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Leng 8,484 30.5 −4.7
Liberal Edmund Robertson 8,191 29.5 −5.8
Conservative William Dalgleish 5,659 20.4 +5.2
Liberal Unionist William Charles Smith (politician) 5,066 18.3 +4.0
Scottish Labour James MacDonald 354 1.3 New
Majority 2,532 9.1 −10.9
Turnout 14,025 (est) 77.0 +8.7
Registered electors 18,214
Liberal hold Swing −5.0
Liberal hold Swing −5.5

Robertson is appointed Civil Lord of the Admiralty, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1892: Dundee (1 seat)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edmund Robertson Unopposed
Liberal hold
Robertson
General election 1895: Dundee (2 seats) [19][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edmund Robertson 7,602 29.0 −0.5
Liberal John Leng 7,592 28.9 −1.6
Liberal Unionist William Charles Smith (politician) 5,390 20.6 +2.3
Conservative Edward Jenkins 4,318 16.5 −3.9
Ind. Labour Party James MacDonald 1,313 5.0 +3.7
Majority 2,202 8.3 −0.8
Turnout 13,490 (est) 74.9 −2.1
Registered electors 18,011
Liberal hold Swing −1.4
Liberal hold Swing +1.2

Elections in the 1900s
Robertson
General election 1900: Dundee (2 seats) [19][22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edmund Robertson 7,777 30.2 +1.2
Liberal John Leng 7,650 29.7 +0.8
Conservative Alexander Duncan Smith 5,181 20.1 +3.6
Liberal Unionist J.E. Graham 5,152 20.0 −0.6
Majority 2,469 9.6 +1.3
Turnout 25,760 69.5 −5.4
Registered electors 18,655
Liberal hold Swing −1.2
Liberal hold Swing −1.4
Wilkie
Shackleton
General election 1906: Dundee (2 seats)[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Edmund Robertson 9,276 31.7 +1.5
Labour Repr. Cmte. Alexander Wilkie 6,833 23.3 New
Liberal Sir Henry Robson 6,122 20.9 −8.8
Liberal Unionist Ernest Shackleton 3,865 13.2 −6.8
Conservative Alexander Duncan Smith 3,183 10.9 −9.2
Turnout 29,279 81.9 +12.4
Registered electors 19,492
Majority 5,411 18.5 +8.9
Liberal hold Swing +4.2
Majority 711 2.4 N/A
Labour Repr. Cmte. gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Stuart

1908 Dundee by-election[19][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Winston Churchill 7,079 43.9 −8.7
Liberal Unionist George Washington Baxter, 1st Baronet 4,370 27.1 −3.0
Labour G. H. Stuart-Bunning 4,014 24.9 +1.6
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 655 4.1 New
Majority 2,709 16.8 −1.7
Turnout 16,138 84.6 +2.7
Registered electors 19,041
Liberal hold Swing −2.9

Elections in the 1910s
Churchill

General election January 1910: Dundee (2 seats) [24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Winston Churchill 10,747 34.1 −18.5[n 1]
Labour Alexander Wilkie 10,365 32.9 +9.6
Conservative John Hall Seymour Lloyd 4,552 14.4 +3.5
Liberal Unionist James Glass 4,339 13.8 +0.6
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 1,512 4.8 New
Turnout 31,515 86.1 +4.2
Registered electors 19,374
Majority 6,195 19.7 +1.2
Liberal hold
Majority 5,813 18.5 +16.1
Labour hold
  1. Compared to combined Liberal vote at 1906 election

General election December 1910: Dundee (2 seats) [24][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Winston Churchill 9,240 30.1 −4.0
Labour Alexander Wilkie 8,957 29.3 −3.6
Liberal Unionist George Washington Baxter, 1st Baronet 5,685 18.6 +4.8
Conservative John Hall Seymour Lloyd 4,914 16.0 +1.6
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 1,825 6.0 +1.2
Turnout 30,621 84.1 −2.0
Registered electors 19,118
Majority 3,555 11.5 −8.2
Liberal hold
Majority 3,272 10.7 −7.8
Labour hold

1917 Dundee by-election[26][25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Winston Churchill 7,302 78.2 +58.1
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 2,036 21.8 +15.8
Majority 5,266 56.4 +44.9
Turnout 9,338 42.5 −41.6
Registered electors 21,953
Liberal hold Swing +21.2

General election 1918: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Liberal Winston Churchill 25,788 37.5 +7.4
Labour Alexander Wilkie 24,822 36.1 +6.8
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 10,423 15.1 +9.1
Labour James Sunney Brown 7,769 11.3 N/A
Turnout 68,802 46.6 −37.5
Majority 15,365 22.4 +10.9
Liberal hold
Majority 14,399 21.0 +10.3
Labour hold
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

In 1918 Wilkie and Churchill were officially supported by the Dundee Unionist Party Association in addition to their own party organisations.[27]

Election results 1922-1945

Elections in the 1920s
Pilkington

General election 1922: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 32,578 27.6 +12.5
Labour E. D. Morel 30,292 25.6 -10.5
National Liberal David Johnstone MacDonald 22,244 18.8 N/A
National Liberal Winston Churchill 20,466 17.3 -20.2
Liberal Robert Pilkington 6,681 5.7 N/A
Communist Willie Gallacher 5,906 5.0 New
Majority 10,334 8.8 N/A
Majority 8,048 6.8 -14.2
Turnout 118,167 80.5 +33.9
Scottish Prohibition gain from National Liberal Swing
Labour hold Swing
Gallacher
General election 1923: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 25,753 25.1 -2.5
Labour E. D. Morel 23,345 22.7 -2.9
Liberal John Pratt 23,031 22.4 +16.7
Unionist Frederick William Wallace 20,253 19.7 New
Communist Willie Gallacher 10,380 10.1 +5.1
Majority 2,722 2.7 -6.1
Majority 314 0.3 -6.5
Turnout 102,762 72.5 -8.0
Scottish Prohibition hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Morel
General election 1924: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. D. Morel 32,846 26.5 +3.8
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 29,193 23.5 -1.6
Unionist Frederick William Wallace 28,118 22.7 +3.0
Liberal Andrew Rae Duncan 25,566 20.6 -1.8
Communist Bob Stewart 8,340 6.7 -3.4
Majority 4,728 3.8 +3.5
Majority 1,075 0.8 -1.9
Turnout 124,063 83.8 +11.3
Labour hold Swing
Scottish Prohibition hold Swing
1924 Dundee by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Johnston 22,973 69.2 +42.7
Liberal Ernest Simon 10,234 30.8 +10.2
Majority 12,739 38.4 +34.6
Turnout 33,207 42.4 -41.4
Labour hold Swing
Henderson-Stewart
General election 1929: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 50,073 29.2 +5.7
Labour Michael Marcus 47,602 27.7 +1.2
Liberal James Henderson-Stewart 33,890 19.8 -0.8
Unionist Frederick William Wallace 33,868 19.7 -3.0
Communist Bob Stewart 6,160 3.6 -3.1
Majority 16,183 9.4 +8.6
Majority 13,712 7.9 +4.1
Turnout 171,593 82.5 -1.3
Scottish Prohibition hold Swing
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Dingle Foot 52,048 29.6 +9.8
Unionist Florence Horsbrugh 48,556 27.7 +10.0
Labour Michael Marcus 32,573 18.6 -9.1
Scottish Prohibition Edwin Scrymgeour 32,229 18.3 -10.9
Communist Bob Stewart 10,264 5.8 +2.2
Majority 19,475 11.0 N/A
Majority 15,983 9.1 N/A
Turnout 175,670 84.8 +2.3
Liberal gain from Labour Swing
Unionist gain from Scottish Prohibition Swing
General election 1935: Dundee (2 seats) [28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Florence Horsbrugh 50,542 26.8 -0.9
Liberal Dingle Foot 49,632 26.4 -3.2
Labour Michael Marcus 44,457 23.6 +5.0
Labour Robert Gibson 43,747 23.2 N/A
Majority 6,085 3.2 -5.9
Majority 5,175 2.8 -8.2
Turnout 188,378 84.7 -0.1
Unionist hold Swing
Liberal hold Swing

Elections in the 1940s
Strachey
General election 1945: Dundee (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Thomas Cook 48,804 28.6 +5.0
Labour John Strachey 48,393 28.4 +5.2
Liberal Dingle Foot 33,230 19.5 -6.9
Unionist Florence Horsbrugh 32,309 18.9 -7.9
SNP Arthur Donaldson 7,775 4.56 New
Majority 15,163 8.9 N/A
Majority 16,495 9.7 N/A
Turnout 170,511 79.2 -5.5
Labour gain from Liberal Swing
Labour gain from Unionist Swing

Sources

References
  1. Escott, Margaret. "Forfarshire (Angus)". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. Morrell, Margot; Stephanie Capparell (2003). Shackleton's Way. Nicholas Brealey. p. 32. ISBN 1-85788-318-7.
  3. Baxter, Kenneth (2009). "Florence Gertrude Horsbrugh The Conservative Party's forgotten first lady" (PDF). Conservative History Journal (8): 21. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  4. "Tracing the development of Red Scotland". Archives, Records and Artefacts at the University of Dundee. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  5. Baxter, Kenneth; Kenefick William (2011). "Labour Politics and the Dundee Working Class c 1895-1936". In Jim Tomlinson and Christopher A. Whatley (ed.). Jute No More. Dundee: Dundee University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-84586-090-5.
  6. Baxter, Kenneth (2009). "Florence Gertrude Horsbrugh The Conservative Party's forgotten first lady" (PDF). Conservative History Journal (8): 21–22. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  7. Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, Schedule (M).
  8. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 199–200. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  9. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. p. 176. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  10. "General Election". Morning Post. 5 July 1841. p. 2. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. McIntosh, Iain D. "Sir John Ogilvy, 9th Baronet of Inverquharity". Provincial Grand Lodge of Forfarshire. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  12. Hawkins, Angus (2015). Victorian Political Culture: 'Habits of Heart & Mind'. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-19-872848-1. LCCN 2014951692. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  13. 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.
  14. "Northern Warder and General Advertiser for the Counties of Fife, Perth and Forfar". 29 June 1841. p. 1. Retrieved 14 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Representation of Dundee". Dundee Courier. 25 March 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "An Argument for the Ballot". Dundee Courier. 9 November 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. "Nomination of Mr Harry Scott". Northern Warder and General Advertiser for the Counties of Fife, Perth and Forfar. 20 November 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. "Our Local Elections". Dundee Courier. 29 January 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 29 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  20. Hazel, John (1977). John W. Hazel's Book of Records. Dundee: D Winter & Son. p. 48.
  21. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
  22. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  23. "Winston Churchill heads the poll for Dundee", The Evening Post, 20 January 1910
  24. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
  25. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
  26. The Times, 31 July 1917
  27. Baxter, Kenneth; Kenefick William (2011). "Labour Politics and the Dundee Working Class c 1895-1936". In Jim Tomlinson and Christopher A. Whatley (ed.). Jute No More. Dundee: Dundee University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-84586-090-5.
  28. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
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