Haddingtonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Haddingtonshire was a Scottish county constituency represented in the House of Commons of Great Britain and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1708 to 1918.

Haddingtonshire
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1708–1918
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Berwick and Haddington
Created from	Haddingtonshire

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 Haddingtonshire.

Boundaries

The constituency encompassed the county of Haddingtonshire, with the exception, until 1885, of three towns (Haddington, Dunbar and North Berwick) which formed part of the separate constituency of Haddington Burghs.

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished for the 1918 general election.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] In 1918, it was merged with the neighbouring Berwickshire constituency to form a new Berwick and Haddington constituency.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member [6]	Party
	1708	John Cockburn
	1741	Lord Charles Hay
	1747	Sir Hew Dalrymple
	1761	Andrew Fletcher
	1768	Sir George Suttie
	1777	William Hamilton Nisbet
	1780	Hew Dalrymple
	1786	John Hamilton
	1795	Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton
	1800	Charles Hope
	1816	Sir James Suttie
	1826	Lord John Hay	Tory[7]
	1831	James Balfour	Tory[7]
	1834		Conservative[7]
	1835	Robert Ferguson	Whig[7]
	1837	James Broun-Ramsay	Conservative[7]
	1838 by-election	Sir Thomas Buchan-Hepburn	Conservative[7]
	1847	Francis Charteris (styled Lord Elcho from 1853)	Conservative
	1883 by-election	Hugo Charteris	Conservative
	1885	Richard Haldane	Liberal
	1911 by-election	John Deans Hope	Liberal
	1918	constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Haddingtonshire [7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Tory	John Hay	42	56.8
	Whig	Sir George Grant-Suttie, 5th Baronet	32	43.2
Majority			10	13.6
Turnout			74	67.9
Registered electors			109
	Tory hold

General election 1831: Haddingtonshire [7][8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	James Balfour	40	78.4	+21.6
	Whig	David Baird	11	21.6	−21.6
Majority			29	56.8	+43.2
Turnout			51	46.8	−21.1
Registered electors			109
	Tory hold		Swing	+21.6

General election 1832: Haddingtonshire [7][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	James Balfour	271	53.9	−24.5
	Whig	David Baird	232	46.1	+24.5
Majority			39	7.8	−49.0
Turnout			503	81.5	+34.7
Registered electors			617
	Tory hold		Swing	−24.5

General election 1835: Haddingtonshire [7][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Ferguson	268	53.7	+7.6
	Conservative	John Thomas Hope	231	46.3	−7.6
Majority			37	7.4	N/A
Turnout			499	76.9	−4.6
Registered electors			649
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	+7.6

General election 1837: Haddingtonshire [7][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	James Broun-Ramsay	299	59.0	+12.7
	Whig	Robert Ferguson	208	41.0	−12.7
Majority			91	18.0	+10.6
Turnout			507	70.6	−6.3
Registered electors			718
	Conservative gain from Whig		Swing	+12.7

Broun-Ramsay succeeded to the peerage, becoming 10th Earl of Dalhousie and causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 April 1838: Haddingtonshire [9][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Conservative	Thomas Buchan-Hepburn	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas Buchan-Hepburn	Unopposed
Registered electors			740
	Conservative hold

General election 1847: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	271	66.6	N/A
	Whig	David Baird[10]	136	33.4	New
Majority			135	33.2	N/A
Turnout			407	58.6	N/A
Registered electors			694
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	Unopposed
Registered electors			716
	Conservative hold

Charteris was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 11 January 1853: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	Unopposed
	Conservative hold

General election 1857: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	Unopposed
Registered electors			715
	Conservative hold

General election 1859: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	Unopposed
Registered electors			680
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	285	64.2	N/A
	Liberal	George Hope[11]	159	35.8	New
Majority			126	28.4	N/A
Turnout			444	66.7	N/A
Registered electors			666
	Conservative hold

General election 1868: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	405	54.4	−9.8
	Liberal	William Hay	340	45.6	+9.8
Majority			65	8.8	−19.6
Turnout			745	83.2	+16.5
Registered electors			895
	Conservative hold		Swing	−9.8

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	Unopposed
Registered electors			924
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Francis Charteris	469	52.5	N/A
	Liberal	Thomas Buchanan[12]	425	47.5	N/A
Majority			44	5.0	N/A
Turnout			894	86.0	N/A
Registered electors			1,040
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Charteris is elevated to the peerage, becoming Earl of Wemyss and March, causing a by-election.

By-election, 7 Feb 1883: Haddingtonshire [9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugo Charteris	492	55.2	+2.7
	Liberal	Robert Finlay[13]	400	44.8	−2.7
Majority			92	10.4	+5.4
Turnout			892	83.3	−2.7
Registered electors			1,071
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.7

General election 1885: Haddingtonshire [14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	3,473	64.1	+16.6
	Conservative	Hugo Charteris	1,945	35.9	-16.6
Majority			1,528	28.2	N/A
Turnout			5,418	83.5	−2.5
Registered electors			6,487
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+16.6

General election 1886: Haddingtonshire [14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	2,677	61.0	-3.1
	Liberal Unionist	Philip Albert Myburgh	1,714	39.0	+3.1
Majority			963	22.0	-6.2
Turnout			4,391	67.7	−15.8
Registered electors			6,487
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.1

Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Haddingtonshire [16][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	2,551	53.1	-7.9
	Conservative	Walter Hepburne-Scott, 8th Lord Polwarth	2,255	46.9	+7.9
Majority			296	6.2	-15.8
Turnout			4,806	75.7	+8.0
Registered electors			6,350
	Liberal hold		Swing	-7.9

General election 1895: Haddingtonshire [17][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	2,774	55.8	+2.7
	Conservative	Walter Hepburne-Scott, 9th Lord Polwarth	2,194	44.2	-2.7
Majority			580	11.6	+5.4
Turnout			4,968	78.6	+2.9
Registered electors			6,320
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.7

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Haddingtonshire [17][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	2,668	53.8	−2.0
	Conservative	John Kerr	2,290	46.2	+2.0
Majority			378	7.6	−4.0
Turnout			4,958	76.5	−2.1
Registered electors			6,484
	Liberal hold		Swing	−2.0

General election 1906: Haddingtonshire [18][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	3,469	60.2	+6.4
	Liberal Unionist	Gerard Craig-Sellar	2,289	39.8	−6.4
Majority			1,180	20.4	+12.8
Turnout			5,758	79.7	+3.2
Registered electors			7,224
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.4

Elections in the 1910s

Blyth

General election Jan 1910: Haddingtonshire [19][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	3,771	55.5	−4.7
	Conservative	Benjamin Blyth	3,026	44.5	+4.7
Majority			745	11.0	−9.4
Turnout			6,797	85.4	+5.7
Registered electors			7,961
	Liberal hold		Swing	−4.7

Haldane

General election Dec 1910: Haddingtonshire [19][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Richard Haldane	3,845	54.9	−0.6
	Conservative	Benjamin Blyth	3,158	45.1	+0.6
Majority			687	9.8	−1.2
Turnout			7,003	85.6	+0.2
Registered electors			8,184
	Liberal hold		Swing	−0.6

Hope

1911 Haddingtonshire by-election[19][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Hope	3,652	53.4	-1.5
	Conservative	Benjamin Blyth	3,184	46.6	+1.5
Majority			468	6.8	-3.0
Turnout			6,836	83.5	−2.1
Registered electors			8,184
	Liberal hold		Swing	-1.5

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 the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: John Hope
• Unionist: Hugh Macmillan

References

1. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
2. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
3. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
4. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
5. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 9 June 2019.
6. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "H" (part 1)
7. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 203. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Google Books.
8. Fisher, David R. "Haddingtonshire (East Lothian)". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
9. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (e-book) |format= requires |url= (help) (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
10. "State of Polls at the Close". Newcastle Journal. 14 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. "To the Electors of the County of Haddington". Caledonian Mercury. 15 July 1865. p. 1. Retrieved 15 February 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. "The General Election". Edinburgh Evening News. 31 Mar 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 28 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
13. "East Lothian Election". Shields Daily News. 31 Jan 1883. p. 4. Retrieved 28 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1889
15. Craig, FWS, ed. (1974). British Parliamentary Election Results: 1885-1918. London: Macmillan Press. ISBN 9781349022984.
16. Whitaker's Almanack, 1893
17. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
18. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
19. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916