Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Renfrewshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 until 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885.

Renfrewshire
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandRenfrewshire
1708–1885
SeatsOne
Replaced byRenfrewshire East
Renfrewshire West

Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Renfrewshire.

Boundaries

The constituency covered the county of Renfrewshire, minus the parliamentary burgh of Renfrew throughout the 1708 to 1885 period, and minus the parliamentary burgh of Port Glasgow and the Paisley and Greenock constituencies from 1832 to 1885.

The burgh of Renfrew was a component of Glasgow Burghs until 1832, when it became a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. Port Glasgow became a parliamentary burgh in 1832, and another component of Kilmarnock Burghs.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1885.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

In 1885 the Renfrewshire constituency area was divided into two new constituencies: Renfrewshire Eastern and Renfrewshire Western.

Members of Parliament
Election Member Party
1708 Sir John Shaw Whig
1710 Sir Robert Pollock
1722 Thomas Cochrane
1727 Sir John Shaw Whig
1734 Alexander Cunninghame
1742 by-election William Mure
1761 Patrick Craufurd
1768 William McDowall
1774 John Craufurd
1780 John Shaw-Stewart
1783 by-election William McDowall
1786 by-election John Shaw-Stewart
1796 Boyd Alexander
1802 William McDowall
1810 by-election Archibald Speirs
1818 John Maxwell Whig[6]
1830 Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 6th Baronet Whig[7]
1837 by-election George Houstoun Conservative[7]
1841 Patrick Maxwell Stewart Whig[7][8]
1846 by-election William Mure Conservative
1855 by-election Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet Conservative
1865 Archibald Alexander Speirs Liberal
1869 by-election Henry Bruce Liberal
1873 by-election Archibald Campbell Conservative
1874 William Mure Liberal
1880 by-election Alexander Crum Liberal

Election results

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: Renfrewshire[7][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Michael Shaw-Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 143
Whig hold
General election 1831: Renfrewshire[7][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Michael Shaw-Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 143
Whig hold
General election 1832: Renfrewshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Michael Shaw-Stewart 700 62.9
Radical Robert Cunninghame Bontine[11] 412 37.1
Majority 288 25.8
Turnout 1,112 82.6
Registered electors 1,347
Whig hold
General election 1835: Renfrewshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Michael Shaw-Stewart 528 43.3 −19.6
Conservative George Houstoun 460 37.8 New
Radical William Dixon 230 18.9 −18.2
Majority 68 5.5 −20.3
Turnout 1,218 82.3 −0.3
Registered electors 1,480
Whig hold Swing −0.7

Shaw-Stewart's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 January 1837: Renfrewshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Houstoun 811 56.0 +18.2
Whig John Maxwell 637 44.0 +0.7
Majority 174 12.0 N/A
Turnout 1,448 73.2 −9.1
Registered electors 1,979
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +8.8
General election 1837: Renfrewshire[7][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Houstoun 821 53.8 +16.0
Whig Houston Stewart 704 46.2 +2.9
Majority 117 7.6 N/A
Turnout 1,525 77.1 −5.2
Registered electors 1,979
Conservative gain from Whig Swing +6.6

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Patrick Maxwell Stewart 959 50.4 +4.2
Conservative William Mure 945 49.6 −4.2
Majority 14 0.8 N/A
Turnout 1,904 83.2 +6.1
Registered electors 2,289
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +4.2

Stewart's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 9 December 1846: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Mure Unopposed
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1847: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Mure Unopposed
Registered electors 2,306
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Mure Unopposed
Registered electors 2,450
Conservative hold

Mure resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 May 1855: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Shaw-Stewart Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Shaw-Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 2,649
Conservative hold
General election 1859: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Shaw-Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 2,877
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Archibald Alexander Speirs 938 52.9 New
Conservative Michael Shaw-Stewart 836 47.1 N/A
Majority 102 5.8 N/A
Turnout 1,774 77.9 N/A
Registered electors 2,276
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General election 1868: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Archibald Alexander Speirs Unopposed
Registered electors 3,571
Liberal hold

Speirs' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 25 January 1869: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Henry Bruce Unopposed
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

Bruce was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Aberdare and causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 Sep 1873: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Archibald Campbell 1,855 52.5 New
Liberal William Mure 1,677 47.5 N/A
Majority 178 5.0 N/A
Turnout 3,532 80.5 N/A
Registered electors 4,385
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General election 1874: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Mure 1,991 51.1 N/A
Conservative Archibald Campbell 1,903 48.9 N/A
Majority 88 2.2 N/A
Turnout 3,894 85.2 N/A
Registered electors 4,572
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Mure 2,815 54.6 +3.5
Conservative Archibald Campbell 2,341 45.4 −3.5
Majority 474 9.2 +7.0
Turnout 5,156 85.4 +0.2
Registered electors 6,038
Liberal hold Swing +3.5

Mure's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 Nov 1880: Renfrewshire[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alexander Crum Unopposed
Liberal hold

References
  1. "Renfrewshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  2. "Renfrewshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  3. "Renfrewshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  4. "Renfrewshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  5. "Renfrewshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  6. Jenkins, Terry. "MAXWELL, John (1791-1865), of Pollok House, Renfrew and 10 Duke Street, St. James's, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  7. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 209–210. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via Google Books.
  8. "Election Proceedings". Fife Herald. 15 July 1841. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. Jenkins, Terry. "Renfrewshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  10. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. pp. 600–601. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
  11. "Page 4". Fife Herald. 27 December 1832. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources
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