Perth (UK Parliament constituency)

Perth
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of Scotland Perth and Kinross
1997–2005
Number of members One
Replaced by Ochil & South Perthshire
Perth & North Perthshire
Created from Perth and Kinross
1918–1950
Number of members One
Type of constituency County constituency
Replaced by Perth and East Perthshire
1832–1918
Number of members One
Type of constituency Burgh constituency
Created from Perthshire
Perth Burghs

Perth was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918, 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005. From 1832 to 1918 it was a burgh constituency. From 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005, it was a county constituency. During each of the three periods it elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries

Boundaries 1832 to 1918

As created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, and first used in the 1832 general election, the constituency included the burgh of Perth and was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth. The other was the Perthshire constituency (except that five detached parishes of the county were within the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency[1]).

The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, were-

"From the North-western Corner of the North Inch, on the Right Bank of the River Tay, in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Mill Lead at the Boot of Balhousie; thence in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Glasgow Road over the Scouring Burn; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Water Reservoir of the Dept; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Friarton Pier on the River Tay; thence across the River Tay (passing to the South of the Friarton Island) to the Point at which the same is met by the Boundary of the respective Parishes of Kinfauns and Kinnoul; thence, Northward, along the Boundary of the Parish of Kinfauns to the Point at which the several Boundaries of the Properties of Kinfauns, Kinnoul, and Barnhill meet; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of Lord Kinnoul's Lodge, at the Gate of Approach to Kinnoul Hill; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of the Enclosure of the Lunatic Asylum; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Annatty Burn crosses the Blairgowrie Road; thence down the Annatty Burn to the Point at which the same joins the River Tay; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described."[2]

Prior to the 1832 general election, the county (including the detached parishes) had been covered by the Perthshire constituency and Perth Burghs. Perth Burghs consisted of the burgh of Perth and burghs in the county of Fife and the county of Forfar.

The 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used also in the general elections of 1835, 1837, 1841, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1874 and 1880.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the Perthshire constituency to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire. There was no change to the boundaries of the Perth constituency.[1] Therefore the 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used again in the general elections of 1885, 1886, 1892, 1895, 1900, 1906, January 1910 and December 1910.

Boundaries 1918 to 1950

By 1918 county boundaries had been redefined under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and, in creating new constituency boundaries, the Representation of the People Act 1918 took account of new local government boundaries. The Perth constituency became one of two county constituencies covering the county of Perth and the county of Kinross, and was first used as such in the 1818 general election. The other constituency was Kinross and West Perthshire.

The Perth constituency was defined as consisting of the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Perth, and Rattray in the county of Perth and the Blairgowrie and Perth districts of the county,[1] and the same boundaries were used for the general elections of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945.

For the 1950 general election the constituency was replaced by the Perth and East Perthshire constituency, which was defined by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 to have exactly the same boundaries as the former Perth constituency.[1]

1997 to 2005

For the 1997 general election Perth was recreated, and was a constituency entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, which had been established the year before, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994.[3] The council area was otherwise covered by North Tayside to the north, which also covered part of the Angus council area, Angus to the east, which also covered part of the Angus council area and part of the Dundee City council area, and Ochil to the south, which also covered the Clackmannanshire council area and part of the Stirling council area.

The same boundaries were used for the 2001 general election.

For the 2005 general election, the Perth constituency was largely replaced by Ochil and South Perthshire, covering the Clackmannanshire council area and a southern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area. Perth and North Perthshire was created to cover the rest of the Perth and Kinross council area.[4]

Constituency profile

Members of Parliament

MPs 1832–1918

Election Member[5][6][7] Party
1832 Laurence Oliphant Liberal
1837 Arthur Kinnaird Liberal
1839 by-election David Greig Liberal
1841 Hon. Fox Maule Liberal
1852 by-election Arthur Kinnaird Liberal
1878 by-election Charles Stuart Parker Liberal
1892 William Whitelaw Conservative
1895 Robert Wallace Liberal
1907 by-election Sir Robert Pullar Liberal
1910 (January) Alexander Frederick Whyte Liberal
1918 constituency abolished

MPs 1918–1950

Election Member[5][8] Party Notes
1918 William Young Coalition Liberal Previously MP for East Perthshire
1922 Noel Skelton Unionist
1923 Robert Macgregor Mitchell Liberal
1924 Noel Skelton Unionist From 1931, MP for the Combined Scottish Universities
1931 Lord Scone Unionist Later 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield
1935 by-election Francis Norie-Miller National Liberal
1935 Sir Thomas Hunter Unionist
1945 Alan Gomme-Duncan Unionist Subsequently MP for Perth and East Perthshire
1950 constituency abolished

.

MPs 1997–2005

Election Member[5] Party Notes
1997 Roseanna Cunningham Scottish National Party previously MP for Perth and Kinross
2001 Annabelle Ewing Scottish National Party daughter of Winnie Ewing
2005 constituency abolished

Election results

1832 to 1918

At the General Election 1868 Hon. Arthur Kinnaird was returned unopposed.[9]

General Election 1885: Perth [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Stuart Parker 1,652
Conservative John Chisholm 1,099
Liberal Alexander Macdougall junior 967
General Election 1886: Perth [10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Charles Stuart Parker 1,573
Liberal Unionist William Fowler 1,120
General Election 1892: Perth [11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative William Whitelaw 1,398
Liberal Charles Stuart Parker 1,171
Independent James Woollen 907
Robert Wallace
General Election 1895: Perth [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Robert Wallace 2,137
Conservative William Whitelaw 1,763
General Election 1900: Perth [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Robert Wallace 2,1371
Conservative William Whitelaw 1,827
General Election 1906: Perth [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Robert Wallace KC 2,875 60.6
Conservative Samuel Chapman 1,867 39.4
General Election Jan 1910: Perth [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Alexander Frederick Whyte 2,841
Conservative Samuel Chapman 2,103
General Election Dec 1910: Perth [14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Alexander Frederick Whyte 2,852
Conservative Lieut-Col Charles Edward Drummond Telfer-Smollett 1,878

1918 to 1950

William Young
General Election 1918: Perth [15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal unopposed n/a n/a
Liberal hold Swing n/a
General Election 1922: Perth [16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Archibald Noel Skelton 11,387 46.3 n/a
Liberal William Henderson 5,874 23.9 n/a
Labour William Westwood 4,651 18.9 n/a
National Liberal William Robert Gourlay 2,689 10.9 n/a
Majority 5,513 22.4 n/a
Turnout 71.1 n/a
Unionist gain from National Liberal Swing n/a
General Election 1923: Perth [18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Robert Macgregor Mitchell 12,655
Unionist Archibald Noel Skelton 11,134
Majority
Turnout
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing
General Election 1924: Perth [19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Archibald Noel Skelton 13,022 49.4
Liberal Robert MacGregor Mitchell 7,998 30.4
Labour Cameron Roberts 5,316 20.2
Majority 5,024 19.0
Turnout 75.3
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing
General Election 1929: Perth [20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Archibald Noel Skelton 14,229 40.4 -9.0
Liberal Francis Norie-Miller 12,699 36.1 +5.7
Labour Helen E Gault 8,291 23.5 +3.3
Majority 1,530 4.3
Turnout 76.7 +1.4
Unionist hold Swing -7.4

1930s

General Election 1931: Perth [21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Lord Scone 19,254 50.2
Liberal Francis Norie-Miller 15,396 40.1
Labour Mrs Helen E Gault 3,705 9.7
Majority 3,858 10.1
Turnout 38,355 81.4
Unionist hold Swing
Perth by-election, 1935 [22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal National Francis Norie-Miller 17,516 68.7
Labour Adam Storey McKinlay 7,984 31.3
Majority 9,532
Turnout
Liberal National gain from Unionist Swing
General Election 1935: Perth [23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Thomas Hunter 23,011 73.7
Labour Robert Gunn 8,209 26.3
Majority 14,802 47.4
Turnout 31,220 64.1
Unionist gain from Liberal National Swing

1940s

General Election 1945 : Perth
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Unionist Alan Gomme Gomme-Duncan 22,484 63.1 -10.6
Labour William Hughes 11,617 32.6 +6.3
SNP James Blair Brown 1,547 4.3 n/a
Majority 10,867 30.5 +16.9
Turnout 65.7 +1.6
Unionist hold Swing -8.5

1997 to 2005

General Election 1997: Perth[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Roseanna Cunningham 16,209 36.4
Conservative John Godfrey 13,068 29.3
Labour Douglas Alexander 11,036 24.8
Liberal Democrat Chic Brodie 3,583 8.0
Referendum Robert McAuley 366 0.8 N/A
UKIP Matthew Henderson 289 0.6 N/A
Majority 3,141 7.1
Turnout 44,551 73.9
SNP hold Swing
General Election 2001: Perth
Party Candidate Votes % ±
SNP Annabelle Ewing 11,237 29.7 −6.7
Conservative Liz Smith 11,189 29.6 +0.3
Labour Marion Dingwall 9,638 25.5 +0.7
Liberal Democrat Vicki Harris 4,853 12.8 +4.8
Scottish Socialist Frank Byrne 899 2.4 N/A
Majority 48 0.1
Turnout 37,816 61.5 −12.4
SNP hold Swing

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 4 Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig 1972
  2. ↑ Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, Schedule (M).
  3. ↑ Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994, Office of Public Sector Information website
  4. ↑ 5th Periodical Report, Boundary Commission for Scotland website, retrieved 10 August 2007
  5. 1 2 3 Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
  6. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 558–559. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  7. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1974]. British parliamentary election results 1885–1918 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 518. ISBN 0-900178-27-2.
  8. ↑ Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 643. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  9. ↑ Debrett's House of Commons, 1870
  10. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench 1889
  11. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1893
  12. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
  13. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1907
  14. 1 2 Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench 1916
  15. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack 1920
  16. ↑ The Times, 17 November 1922
  17. ↑ British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
  18. ↑ The Times, 8 December 1923
  19. ↑ Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
  20. ↑ Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanac, 1927
  21. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  22. ↑ The Times, 18 April 1935
  23. ↑ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  24. ↑ VOTE 2001, BBC
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