List of constituencies in the Parliament of Scotland at the time of the Union

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List of constituencies in the Parliament of Scotland at the time of the Union is a list of the constituencies of the Parliament of Scotland (the Estates of Scotland) during the period shortly before the Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. The unicameral Estates of Scotland existed from medieval times until 1707.

Contents

The Commissioners for the burghs (the "Third Estate") and shires and stewartries (sometimes called the "Fourth Estate", or classified as a subgroup within the "Second Estate") were elected, but on a very restrictive franchise. Commissioner was the title for ordinary, representative members of the parliament (junior peers were called Lords of Parliament; and senior peers, representatives of the monarch, and certain members of the clergy also sat in parliament).

The Scottish ministers (the Privy Council of Scotland), were not answerable to the Estates of Scotland but to the Scots monarch (which, after the Union of Crowns in 1603, usually meant de facto to the Privy Council of England, which had the opportunity to advise a king or queen resident in London). The Parliament of Scotland was abolished when it merged with the Parliament of England to create the new Parliament of Great Britain, in 1707 under the Acts of Union.

Constituencies

The representation of the burghs and those of the shires and stewartries, by the time of the Union, consisted of 154 Commissioners elected from 99 constituencies.

An election was not held immediately after the Union because the establishment feared a possible landslide victory for the anti-Union Commissioners. Instead 45 Commissioners were hand-picked to represent the whole country (see Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain) as the first MPs from Scotland. 43 of these hand-picked representatives were pro-Union.

From 1708, there were 45 single member constituencies of the Parliament of Great Britain. These constituencies remained unchanged until 1832. All the burghs were grouped into 4- or 5-member districts, apart from Edinburgh. Three pairs of shires were represented in alternate Parliaments.

The names given in the 'Shire or Stewartry' column in the list below were those for the shires and stewartries used in the Parliamentary returns for the Estates of Scotland which met on 6 May 1703, as reported in 1878 (this reporting date is important to note, as the names used are the anglicised ones introduced by the Victorians, and not the names given to the subdivisions of Scotland extant in 1703). In some cases the form of the name is unusual and not consistent with the version commonly accepted. In others the name changed after the Union.

The names used for UK constituencies are those used in The History of Parliament 1754–1790. These may not be exactly the same as those applied in the first half of the 18th century.

Scottish Burghs, Shires and Stewartries

SP ConstituencyShire or StewartryCommissionersConstituency after the union
Aberdeen Aberdeenshire 1Part of Aberdeen Burghs
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire 4 Aberdeenshire
Annan Dumfries & Annandale 1Part of Dumfries Burghs
Anstruther Easter Fifeshire 1Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs
Anstruther Wester Fifeshire 1Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs
Arbroath Forfarshire 1Part of Aberdeen Burghs
Argyllshire Argyllshire 3 Argyllshire
Ayr Ayrshire 1Part of Ayr Burghs
Ayrshire Ayrshire 3 Ayrshire
Banff Banffshire 1Part of Elgin Burghs
Banffshire Banffshire 2 Banffshire
Berwickshire Berwickshire 4 Berwickshire
Brechin Forfarshire 1Part of Aberdeen Burghs
Burntisland Fifeshire 1Part of Dysart Burghs
Buteshire Buteshire 2 Buteshire
Caithness-shire Caithness-shire 2 Caithness
Campbeltown Argyllshire 1Part of Ayr Burghs
Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire 1 Clackmannanshire
Crail Fifeshire 1Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs
Cromartyshire Cromartyshire 2 Cromartyshire
Cullen Banffshire 1Part of Elgin Burghs
Culross Perthshire 1Part of Stirling Burghs
Cupar Fifeshire 1Part of Perth Burghs
Dingwall Ross-shire 1Part of Tain Burghs
Dornoch Sutherlandshire 1Part of Tain Burghs
Dumbarton Dunbartonshire 1Part of Glasgow Burghs
Dumfries Dumfries & Annandale 1Part of Dumfries Burghs
Dumfries & Annandale Dumfries & Annandale 4 Dumfriesshire
Dunbar Haddingtonshire 1Part of Haddington Burghs
Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire 2 Dunbartonshire
Dundee Forfarshire 1Part of Perth Burghs
Dunfermline Fifeshire 1Part of Stirling Burghs
Dysart Fifeshire 1Part of Dysart Burghs
Edinburgh Edinburghshire 2 Edinburgh
Edinburghshire Edinburghshire 4 Edinburghshire
Elgin Elgin & Forresshire 1Part of Elgin Burghs
Elgin & Forresshire Elgin & Forresshire 2 Elginshire
Fifeshire Fifeshire 4 Fifeshire
Forfar Forfarshire 1Part of Perth Burghs
Forfarshire Forfarshire 4 Forfarshire
Forres Elgin & Forresshire 1Part of Inverness Burghs
Fortrose Ross-shire 1Part of Inverness Burghs
Glasgow Lanarkshire 1Part of Glasgow Burghs
Haddington Haddingtonshire 1Part of Haddington Burghs
Haddingtonshire Haddingtonshire 4 Haddingtonshire
Inverbervie Kincardineshire 1Part of Aberdeen Burghs
Inveraray Argyllshire 1Part of Ayr Burghs
Inverkeithing Fifeshire 1Part of Stirling Burghs
Inverness Inverness-shire 1Part of Inverness Burghs
Inverness-shire Inverness-shire 2 Inverness-shire
Inverurie Aberdeenshire 1Part of Elgin Burghs
Irvine Ayrshire 1Part of Ayr Burghs
Jedburgh Roxburghshire 1Part of Haddington Burghs
Kilrenny Fifeshire 1Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs
Kincardineshire Kincardineshire 2 Kincardineshire
Kinghorn Fifeshire 1Part of Dysart Burghs
Kinross-shire Kinross-shire 1 Kinross-shire
Kintore Aberdeenshire 1Part of Elgin Burghs
Kirkcaldy Fifeshire 1Part of Dysart Burghs
Kirkcudbright Burgh Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 1Part of Dumfries Burghs
Kirkcudbright Stewartry Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 2 Kirkcudbright Stewartry
Kirkwall Orkney 1Part of Tain Burghs
Lanark Lanarkshire 1Part of Linlithgow Burghs
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire 4 Lanarkshire
Lauder Berwickshire 1Part of Haddington Burghs
Linlithgow Linlithgowshire 1Part of Linlithgow Burghs
Linlithgowshire Linlithgowshire 2 Linlithgowshire
Lochmaben Dumfries & Annandale 1Part of Dumfries Burghs
Montrose Forfarshire 1Part of Aberdeen Burghs
Nairn Nairnshire 1Part of Inverness Burghs
Nairnshire Nairnshire 2 Nairnshire
New Galloway Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 1Part of Wigtown Burghs
North Berwick Haddingtonshire 1Part of Haddington Burghs
Orkney & Zetland Orkney & Zetland 2 Orkney & Shetland
Peebles Peeblesshire 1Part of Linlithgow Burghs
Peeblesshire Peeblesshire 2 Peeblesshire
Perth Perthshire 1Part of Perth Burghs
Perthshire Perthshire 4 Perthshire
Pittenweem Fifeshire 1Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs
Queensferry Linlithgowshire 1Part of Stirling Burghs
Renfrew Renfrewshire 1Part of Glasgow Burghs
Renfrewshire Renfrewshire 3 Renfrewshire
Ross-shire Ross-shire 2 Ross-shire
Rothesay Buteshire 1Part of Ayr Burghs
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire 4 Roxburghshire
Rutherglen Lanarkshire 1Part of Glasgow Burghs
St Andrews Fifeshire 1Part of Perth Burghs
Sanquhar Dumfries & Annandale 1Part of Dumfries Burghs
Selkirk Selkirkshire 1Part of Linlithgow Burghs
Selkirkshire Selkirkshire 2 Selkirkshire
Stirling Stirlingshire 1Part of Stirling Burghs
Stirlingshire Stirlingshire 3 Stirlingshire
Stranraer Wigtownshire 1Part of Wigtown Burghs
Sutherlandshire Sutherlandshire 1 Sutherland
Tain Ross-shire 1Part of Tain Burghs
Whithorn Wigtownshire 1Part of Wigtown Burghs
Wick Caithness-shire 1Part of Tain Burghs
Wigtown Wigtownshire 1Part of Wigtown Burghs
Wigtownshire Wigtownshire 2 Wigtownshire

Analysis of Scottish constituencies, 1703 and 1708

Key to categories in the following tables: BC - Burgh constituencies, SC - Shire and Stewartry constituencies, Total C - Total constituencies, BMP - Burgh Members of Parliament, SMP - Shire and Stewartry Members of Parliament.

Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type of constituency

YearBCSCTotal CBMPSMPTotal MPs
17036633996787154
1708153045153045

Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and number of seats

YearBCx1BCx2SCx1SCx2SCx3SCx4Total CTotal MPs
170365131641099154
1708150300004545

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References

See also