Kirkcudbright Stewartry (UK Parliament constituency)

Kirkcudbright Stewartry
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright
1708–1918
Seats One
Created from Kirkcudbrightshire
Replaced by Galloway

Kirkcudbright Stewartry, later known as Kirkcudbright or Kirkcudbrightshire, was a Scottish 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. It was represented by one Member of Parliament (MP).

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 Kirkcudbright Stewartry. The first election in the stewartry was in 1708. In 1707–08, members of the 1702-1707 Parliament of Scotland were co-opted to serve in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain. See Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, for further details.

Boundaries

The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright was a Scottish stewartry (later considered to be a county and sometimes called Kirkcudbrightshire), which had been represented by two commissioners in the former Parliament of Scotland. The constituency included the whole stewartry, except for the Royal burghs of Kirkcudbright (which formed part of the Dumfries Burghs constituency) and New Galloway (which between 1708 and 1885 was included in the Wigtown Burghs district). In 1918 the area was combined with Wigtownshire to form the Galloway constituency.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1918.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party
25 June 1708 John Stewart
17 February 1715 Alexander Murray
14 September 1727 Patrick Heron
22 May 1741 Basil Hamilton
31 December 1742 John Maxwell
30 July 1747 John Ross Mackye
19 April 1768 James Murray
2 November 1774 William Stewart
9 October 1780 Peter Johnston
6 April 1781 John Gordon
6 February 1782 Peter Johnston
16 August 1786 Alexander Stewart
23 March 1795 Patrick Heron Whig
10 May 1803 Montgomery Granville John Stewart Conservative
2 November 1812 James Dunlop
1826 Robert Cutlar Fergusson Whig
1838 Alexander Murray Whig
1845 Thomas Maitland Whig
1850 John Mackie Whig
1857 James Mackie Whig
1859 Liberal
1868 Wellwood Herries Maxwell Liberal
1874 John Maitland Liberal
1880 John Heron-Maxwell Liberal
1885 Sir Mark MacTaggart-Stewart Conservative
1906 Gilbert McMicking Liberal
Jan 1910 Sir Mark MacTaggart-Stewart Conservative
Dec 1910 Gilbert McMicking Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

Decades:
Galloway constituencies election results

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 161
Whig hold
General election 1831: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 161
Whig hold
General election 1832: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 1,059
Whig hold

Fergusson was appointed Judge-Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 3 July 1834: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1835: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 1,079
Whig hold

Fergusson was appointed Judge-Advocate General of the Armed Forces, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 2 May 1835: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1837: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Robert Cutlar Fergusson Unopposed
Registered electors 1,119
Whig hold

Fergusson's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 31 December 1838: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Alexander Murray Unopposed
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Alexander Murray 672 73.0 N/A
Conservative Thomas Maxwell 249 27.0 New
Majority 423 46.0 N/A
Turnout 921 69.1 N/A
Registered electors 1,326
Whig hold Swing N/A

Murray's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 20 August 1845: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Maitland 486 58.6 −14.4
Conservative James McDouall 344 41.4 +14.4
Majority 142 17.2 −28.8
Turnout 830 61.5 −7.6
Registered electors 1,349
Whig hold Swing −14.4

Maitland was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 17 July 1846: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Maitland Unopposed
Whig hold
General Election 1847: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Maitland Unopposed
Registered electors 1,351
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

Maitland resigned after being appointed a senator of the College of Justice, becoming Lord Dundrennan and causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 February 1850: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Mackie Unopposed
Whig hold
General election 1852: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Mackie Unopposed
Registered electors 1,326
Whig hold
General election 1857: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Mackie 365 52.4 N/A
Independent Whig George Maxwell 332 47.6 New
Majority 33 4.8 N/A
Turnout 697 53.1 N/A
Registered electors 1,312
Whig hold Swing N/A
General election 1859: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Mackie Unopposed
Registered electors 1,573
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Mackie Unopposed
Registered electors 1,353
Liberal hold

Mackie's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 30 January 1868: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wellwood Herries Maxwell Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Wellwood Herries Maxwell 932 57.0 N/A
Liberal Robert Hannay 703 43.0 N/A
Majority 229 14.0 N/A
Turnout 1,635 84.3 N/A
Registered electors 1,940
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Maitland 835 50.1 N/A
Conservative Horatio Granville Murray Stewart 831 49.9 New
Majority 4 0.2 −13.8
Turnout 1,666 83.5 −0.8
Registered electors 1,996
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Heron-Maxwell 982 50.5 +0.4
Conservative Horatio Granville Murray Stewart 961 49.5 −0.4
Majority 21 1.0 +0.8
Turnout 1,943 88.2 +4.7
Registered electors 2,204
Liberal hold Swing +0.4
General election 1885: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,526 50.3 +0.8
Liberal Alexander Young 2,492 49.7 −0.8
Majority 34 0.6 N/A
Turnout 5,018 87.7 −0.5
Registered electors 5,720
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +0.8
General election 1886: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,471 50.7 +0.4
Liberal Alexander Young 2,406 49.3 -0.4
Majority 65 1.4 +0.8
Turnout 4,877 85.3 -2.4
Registered electors 5,720
Conservative hold Swing +0.4

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Stewart 2,485 50.3 -0.4
Liberal Alexander Young 2,454 49.7 +0.4
Majority 31 0.6 -0.8
Turnout 4,939 86.6 +1.3
Registered electors 5,700
Conservative hold Swing -0.4
General election 1895: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,664 51.6 +1.3
Liberal John Archibald Duncan 2,494 48.4 -1.3
Majority 170 3.2 +2.6
Turnout 5,158 88.3 +1.7
Registered electors 5,842
Conservative hold Swing +1.3

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,784 56.1 +4.5
Liberal Robert Hippisley Cox 2,181 43.9 −4.5
Majority 603 12.2 +9.0
Turnout 4,965 84.9 −3.4
Registered electors 5,846
Conservative hold Swing +4.5
McMicking
General election 1906: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gilbert McMicking 2,715 52.9 +9.0
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,418 47.1 −9.0
Majority 297 5.8 N/A
Turnout 5,133 88.1 +3.2
Registered electors 5,829
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +9.0

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark MacTaggart-Stewart 2,661 50.4 +3.3
Liberal Gilbert McMicking 2,620 49.6 -3.3
Majority 41 0.8 N/A
Turnout 5,281 89.8 +1.7
Registered electors 5,963
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.3
General election December 1910: Kirkcudbrightshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Gilbert McMicking 2,817 51.8 +2.2
Conservative Ronald McNeill 2,625 48.2 -2.2
Majority 192 3.6 N/A
Turnout 5,442 91.3 +1.5
Registered electors 5,963
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +2.2

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;