Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

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Fife
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsFife
1708–1885
SeatsOne
Created fromFife
Replaced byEast Fife
West Fife

Fife was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1885, when it was divided into East Fife and West Fife.

Creation[edit]

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

History[edit]

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

Boundaries[edit]

The constituency covered the county of Fife.

Members of Parliament[edit]

Election Member Party Notes
1708 Patrick Moncreiff
1709 Sir Robert Anstruther
1710 Sir Alexander Erskine
1715 Sir John Anstruther, 1st Baronet
1741 David Scott
1747 James Oswald
1754 James St Clair
1763 James Wemyss
1768 John Scott
1776 James Townsend Oswald
1779 Robert Skene
1780 John Henderson 5th Baronet from 1781
1780 Robert Skene
1787 William Wemyss
1796 Sir William Erskine, Bt British Army officer, died insane
1806 Robert Ferguson
1807 William Wemyss
1820 James Erskine Wemyss Whig[6][7]
1831 James Lindsay Tory[6]
1832 James Erskine Wemyss Whig[6][7]
1847 John Fergus Whig[8][6]
1859 James Hay Erskine Wemyss Liberal
1864 Sir Robert Anstruther, 5th Baronet Liberal
1880 Robert Preston Bruce Liberal

Election results[edit]

Elections in the 1830s[edit]

General election 1830: Fife[6][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Erskine Wemyss Unopposed
Registered electors 239
Whig hold
General election 1831: Fife[6][9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory James Lindsay (1793-1855) 85 55.6
Whig James Erskine Wemyss 68 44.4
Majority 17 11.2
Turnout 153 64.0
Registered electors 239
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1832: Fife[6][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Erskine Wemyss Unopposed
Registered electors 2,185
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1835: Fife[6][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Erskine Wemyss 1,051 64.3
Conservative James Lindsay (1793-1855) 584 35.7
Majority 467 28.6
Turnout 1,635 70.8
Registered electors 2,309
Whig hold
General election 1837: Fife[6][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Erskine Wemyss 1,086 65.7 +1.4
Conservative James Bruce 567 34.3 −1.4
Majority 519 31.4 +2.8
Turnout 1,653 60.8 −10.0
Registered electors 2,720
Whig hold Swing +1.4

Elections in the 1840s[edit]

General election 1841: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Erskine Wemyss Unopposed
Registered electors 2,967
Whig hold
General election 1847: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Fergus 834 52.1 N/A
Conservative John Balfour[11] 768 47.9 New
Majority 66 4.2 N/A
Turnout 1,602 65.6 N/A
Registered electors 2,444
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s[edit]

General election 1852: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Fergus Unopposed
Registered electors 3,211
Whig hold
General election 1857: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Fergus Unopposed
Registered electors 3,389
Whig hold
General election 1859: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James Hay Erskine Wemyss 1,087 56.1 N/A
Conservative Robert St Clair-Erskine 850 43.9 New
Majority 237 12.2 N/A
Turnout 1,937 47.8 N/A
Registered electors 4,056
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s[edit]

Wemyss's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 19 April 1864: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Anstruther Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1865: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Anstruther Unopposed
Registered electors 2,725
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Anstruther 1,837 62.0 N/A
Liberal John Boyd Kinnear 1,127 38.0 N/A
Majority 710 24.0 N/A
Turnout 2,964 70.5 N/A
Registered electors 4,206
Liberal hold Swing 'N/A

Elections in the 1870s[edit]

General election 1874: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Anstruther 1,859 60.2 −1.8
Conservative Frederick William Hamilton[12] 1,230 39.8 New
Majority 629 20.4 −3.6
Turnout 3,089 70.9 +0.4
Registered electors 4,358
Liberal hold Swing 'N/A

Elections in the 1880s[edit]

General election 1880: Fife[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Preston Bruce 2,421 63.8 +3.6
Conservative James Townsend Oswald[13] 1,373 36.2 −3.6
Majority 1,048 27.6 +7.2
Turnout 3,794 79.6 +8.7
Registered electors 4,767
Liberal hold Swing +3.6

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Fifeshire". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Fifeshire". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Fifeshire". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Fifeshire". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Fifeshire". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 202, 205. Retrieved 11 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. p. 232. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Greenock Advertiser". 6 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 11 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ a b Escott, Margaret. "Fifeshire". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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.
  11. ^ "To the Electors of the County of Fife". Fife Herald. 29 July 1847. p. 1. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "General Hamilton's Meetings". Fife Herald. 12 February 1874. p. 2. Retrieved 30 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ^ "Representation of Fife". Fifeshire Advertiser. 10 April 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 20 December 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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