Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801–1918
Edinburghshire (also known as Midlothian ) was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain (at Westminster ) from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (also at Westminster) from 1801 to 1918.
It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The seat is most famous as the location of William Ewart Gladstone 's upset victory in the Midlothian Campaign of 1880, regarded as the birth of the modern political campaign in the United Kingdom. After Gladstone's victory it became the first non-English constituency to be represented by a serving prime minister .
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 Edinburghshire .
Boundaries [ edit ] As first used, in the 1708 general election of the Parliament of Great Britain, the constituency covered the county of Edinburgh , except the burgh of Edinburgh , which was covered by the Edinburgh burgh constituency . 1708 boundaries were used also for all subsequent elections of that parliament.
In 1801 the Parliament of Ireland was merged with the Parliament of Great Britain to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The first general election of the new parliament was the general election of 1802 . There was no change to the boundaries of any pre-existing Westminster constituency, and 1802 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1806 , 1807 , 1812 , 1818 , 1820 , 1826 , 1830 and 1831 .
For the 1832 general election , as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1832 , the constituency was redefined. The boundaries of counties and burghs for parliamentary purposes ceased to be necessarily those for other purposes, but nominally the Edinburghshire constituency consisted of the county of Edinburgh minus the burghs of Edinburgh, Leith , Portobello , and Musselburgh . Edinburgh was again covered by the Edinburgh constituency, and Leith, Portobello and Musselburgh were covered by the Leith Burghs constituency.
1832 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1835 , 1837 , 1841 , 1847 , 1852 , 1857 , 1859 , 1865 , 1874 , 1880 , 1886 , 1892 , 1895 , 1900 , 1906 , January 1910 and December 1910 .
For the 1918 general election , as a result of the Representation of the People Act 1918 , the area of the Edinburghshire constituency was mostly divided between the Midlothian and Peebles Northern and Peebles and Southern Midlothian constituencies. By this date, the county of Edinburgh had been renamed as the county of Midlothian .
The Midlothian and Peebles Northern constituency consisted of the Calder and Suburban districts and part of the Lasswade district of the county of Midlothian, and the Peebles and Southern constituency consisted of the county of Peebles , the Gala Water district and part of the Lasswade district of county of Midlothian, and the burghs of Bonnyrigg , Lasswade , and Penicuik in county of Midlothian.[1]
The rest of the county of Midlothian was covered by the Edinburgh Central , Edinburgh East , Edinburgh North , Edinburgh South , Edinburgh West and Leith constituencies.[1]
History [ edit ] The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system. There were 56 voters in 1708, 68 in 1710,[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] 1832 general election and replaced for the 1918 general election .
Members of Parliament [ edit ] Election results [ edit ] Ramsay resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds , causing a by-election.
Hope's death caused a by-election.
Gladstone's appointment as Prime Minister , First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer required a by-election.
Gladstone Gladstone's appointment as Prime Minister , First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer required a by-election.
Wauchope Gladstone's appointment as Prime Minister , First Lord of the Treasury and Lord Privy Seal required a by-election.
Gibson-Carmichael Dalmeny Elibank Shaw Notes and references [ edit ]
^ a b Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 ISBN 0-900178-09-4 ), F. W. S. Craig , 1972^ "Edinburghshire (Midlothian)" . History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019 .^ "Edinburghshire (Midlothian)" . History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019 .^ "Edinburghshire (Midlothian)" . History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019 .^ "Edinburghshire (Midlothian)" . History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019 .^ "Edinburghshire (Midlothian)" . History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019 .^ a b c d e f g h i j Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830 ^ Cookson, J. E. (April 2004). "The Edinburgh and Glasgow Duke of Wellington Statues: Early Nineteenth-Century Unionist Nationalism as a Tory Project". The Scottish Historical Review . 83 (215): 23–40. doi :10.3366/shr.2004.83.1.23 . JSTOR 25529753 . ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838 ^ "Evening Mail" . Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive .^ "Electoral Decisions" Northern Star and Leeds General Advertiser . 10 July 1841. p. 24. Retrieved 2 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive .^ a b Fisher, David R. "Edinburghshire" . The History of Parliament . Retrieved 8 May 2020 . ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 ^ Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1870
^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918 . London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984 ^ a b Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
^ a b Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
^ a b c Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 2)
Aberdeen North Aberdeen South Airdrie & Shotts Angus Argyll & Bute Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock Banff & Buchan Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross Central Ayrshire Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East Dumfries & Galloway Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale Dundee East Dundee West Dunfermline & West Fife East Dunbartonshire East Kilbride, Strathaven & Lesmahagow East Lothian East Renfrewshire Edinburgh East Edinburgh North & Leith Edinburgh South Edinburgh South West Edinburgh West Falkirk Glasgow Central Glasgow East Glasgow North Glasgow North East Glasgow North West Glasgow South Glasgow South West Glenrothes Gordon Inverclyde Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey Kilmarnock & Loudoun Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath Lanark & Hamilton East Linlithgow & East Falkirk Livingston Midlothian Moray Motherwell & Wishaw Na h-Eileanan an Iar North Ayrshire & Arran North East Fife Ochil & South Perthshire Orkney & Shetland Paisley & Renfrewshire North Paisley & Renfrewshire South Perth & North Perthshire Ross, Skye & Lochaber Rutherglen & Hamilton West Stirling West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine West Dunbartonshire
