The Kilmarnock Burghs by-election was a Parliamentary by-election held on 26 September 1911. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system. The constituency consisted of five parliamentary burghs: Kilmarnock in the county of Ayr, Dumbarton in the county of Dumbarton, Rutherglen in the county of Lanark and Renfrew and Port Glasgow in the county of Renfrew.
Adam Rolland Rainy had been Liberal MP for Kilmarnock Burghs since gaining the seat from the Conservatives in 1906. He died on 26 August 1911 at the youthful age of 49, causing the by-election.
Dr Rainy's Liberal victory in 1906 coincided with the landslide win for his party across the UK. However, when the Liberals lost ground in January 1910, Rainy managed to increase his majority. That comfortable win was confirmed 11 months later;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Adam Rolland Rainy | 8,657 | 60.9 | -0.2 | |
| Conservative | James Buyers Black | 5,569 | 39.1 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 3,088 | 21.8 | -0.4 | ||
| Turnout | 14,226 | 86.4 | |||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -0.2 | |||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Will Gladstone | 6,923 | 48.3 | -12.6 | |
| Conservative | John Rees | 4,637 | 32.4 | -6.7 | |
| Labour | Thomas McKerrell | 2,761 | 19.3 | New | |
| Majority | 2,286 | 15.9 | -5.9 | ||
| Turnout | 14,321 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -3.0 | |||
Rees was to get elected at the 1912 Nottingham East by-election. A General Election was due to take place by the end of 1915. By the autumn of 1914, the following candidates had been adopted to contest that election.
Due to the outbreak of war, the election never took place. In 1915 while serving in France, Gladstone was Killed in action. This resulted in the 1915 Kilmarnock Burghs by-election in which the Liberal Alexander Shaw was returned unopposed. McKerrell did not stand for parliament again.
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