Edinburgh (UK Parliament constituency)

Edinburgh
Former Burgh constituency for the House of Commons
Major settlements	Edinburgh
1708–1885
Number of members	1808–1832: One 1832–1885: Two
Replaced by	Edinburgh Central Edinburgh South Edinburgh East Edinburgh West
Created from	Edinburgh

Edinburgh was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1885. Originally a single member constituency, representation was increased to two members in 1832. It was abolished in 1885, being split into Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh East and Edinburgh West.

Boundaries

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

"From a Point on the Road from Leith to Queensferry which is distant Four hundred Yards (measured along such Road) to the West of the Point at which the same meets the Inverleith Road at the House called Golden Acre, in a straight Line to the North-western Corner of the Enclosure of John Watsons Institution; thence in a straight Line to the Second Stone Bridge, marked No. 2, on the Union Canal; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Western Wall of the Enclosure of the Lunatic Asylum at Morningside meets the Jordan or Pow Burn; thence down the Jordan or Pow Burn to a Point which is distant One hundred and fifty Yards (measured along such Burn) below the Arch over the same on the Carlisle Road; thence in a straight Line to the Summit of Arthur's Seat, thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Feeder enters the Western Side of Lochend Loch; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which Pilrig Street joins Leith Walk; thence along Pilrig Street and the Bonnington Road to the Point at which the latter meets the Road from Leith to Queensferry; thence along the Road from Leith to Queensferry to the Point first described."^[1]

Members of Parliament

MPs 1708–1832

Election		Member	Party
	1708	Sir Samuel MacClellan
	1709 by-election	Sir Patrick Johnston
	1713	Sir James Stewart	Whig
	1715	Sir George Warrender
	1721 by-election	John Campbell
	1734	Patrick Lindsay
	1741	Archibald Stewart
	1747	James Ker
	1754	William Alexander
	1761	George Lind
	1762 by-election	James Coutts
	1768	Sir Lawrence Dundas	Whig
	1780	William Miller
	1781	Sir Lawrence Dundas	Whig
	1781 by-election	James Hunter Blair
	1784 by-election	Sir Adam Fergusson
	1790	Henry Dundas	Tory
	1803 by-election	Charles Hope	Tory
	1805 by-election	George Abercromby	Whig
	1806	Sir Patrick Murray
	1812 by-election	William Dundas	Tory
	1831	Robert Adam Dundas	Tory

MPs 1832–1885

Under the Representation of the People Act 1832, Edinburgh's representation was increased to two members.

Election	1st Member		1st Party	2nd Member		2nd Party
1832		Francis Jeffrey	Liberal		James Abercromby, later Baron Dunfermline	Liberal
1834 by-election		Sir John Campbell, later Baron Campbell	Liberal
1839 by-election					Thomas Babington Macaulay, later Baron Macaulay	Liberal
1841		Sir William Gibson Craig	Liberal
1847					Charles Cowan	Radical
1852		Thomas Babington Macaulay	Liberal
1856 by-election		Adam Black	Liberal
1859 by-election					James Moncreiff, later Baron Moncreiff	Liberal
1865		Duncan McLaren	Liberal
1868					John Miller	Liberal
1874					James Cowan	Liberal
1880
January 1881 by-election		John McLaren	Liberal
August 1881 by-election		Thomas Buchanan	Liberal
1882 by-election					Samuel Danks Waddy	Liberal
1885	constituency divided: see Central, East, South and West divisions

Election results

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Elections in the 1880s

Edinburgh by-election, 1882
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Samuel Danks Waddy	8,455	52.3
	Liberal		7,718	47.7
Majority			737	4.6	N/A
Turnout			16,173	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing

Edinburgh by-election, August 1881
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Thomas Buchanan	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Edinburgh by-election, January 1881
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John McLaren, Lord McLaren	11,390
	Liberal		3,940
Majority			7,450		N/A
Turnout			15,330	N/A	N/A
	Liberal hold		Swing

General Election 1880: Edinburgh[2][3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan McLaren	17,807
	Liberal	James Cowan	17,301
	Conservative	John Macdonald, Lord Kingsburgh	5,651

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: Edinburgh[2][3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan McLaren	11,431
	Liberal	James Cowan	8,749
	Liberal	John Miller	6,218
	Conservative	John Macdonald, Lord Kingsburgh	5,713

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1868: Edinburgh [4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan McLaren	unopposed
	Liberal	John Miller	unopposed

General Election 1865: Edinburgh[2][3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Duncan McLaren	4,354
	Liberal	James Moncreiff	4,148
	Liberal	Adam Black	3,797
	Liberal	John Miller	3,723

Elections in the 1850s

Edinburgh by-election, 1859[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Moncreiff	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

General Election 1859: Edinburgh[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Adam Black	unopposed
	Radical	Charles Cowan	unopposed

General Election 1857: Edinburgh[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Adam Black	unopposed
	Radical	Charles Cowan	unopposed

Edinburgh by-election, 1856[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Adam Black	2,429
	Whig		1,786

General Election 1852: Edinburgh[3][5][6]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	1,872
	Radical	Charles Cowan	1,754
	Radical	Lord Provost Duncan McLaren	1,559
	Conservative	Mr Bruce	1,065
	Independent Liberal	Mr Campbell of Monzie	625

Elections in the 1840s

Edinburgh by-election, 1847[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Charles Cowan	unopposed
	Radical hold		Swing

General Election 1847: Edinburgh[3][7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Radical	Charles Cowan	2,063
	Whig	William Gibson-Craig	1,854
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	1,477
	Conservative	Peter Blackburn	980

Edinburgh by-election, 15 July 1846[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	1,735
	Whig		832

Edinburgh by-election, 13 July 1846[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Gibson-Craig	unopposed
	Whig hold		Swing

General Election 1841: Edinburgh[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	unopposed
	Whig	William Gibson-Craig	unopposed

Edinburgh by-election, 1840[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	unopposed
	Whig hold		Swing

Elections in the 1830s

Edinburgh by-election, 1839[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Thomas Babington Macaulay	unopposed
	Whig hold		Swing

General Election 1837: Edinburgh[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	James Abercromby	unopposed
	Whig	John Campbell	unopposed

Edinburgh by-election, 1835[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Campbell	unopposed
	Whig hold		Swing

General Election 1835: Edinburgh[3][8][9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	James Abercromby	2,963	32.4
	Whig	John Campbell	2,858	31.3
	Conservative	James Broun-Ramsay	1,716	18.8
	Conservative	John Learmonth	1,608	17.6

Edinburgh by-election, 23 June 1834[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	James Abercromby	unopposed
	Whig hold		Swing

Edinburgh by-election, 2 June 1834[3][10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	John Campbell	1,932	50.7
	Conservative	John Learmonth	1,402	36.8
	Radical	James Aytoun	480	12.6
	Whig hold		Swing

General Election 1832: Edinburgh[3][11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Francis Jeffrey	4,035	42.9
	Whig	James Abercromby	3,850	40.9
	Tory	Forbes Blair	1,519	16.2
	Radical	James Aytoun	withdrew in fabour of Jeffrey & Abercromby

General Election 1831: Edinburgh[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Robert Adam Dundas	17
	Whig	Francis Jeffrey	14
	Tory	William Allan of Glen	2

General Election 1830: Edinburgh[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	William Dundas	unopposed

Elections in the 1820s

General Election 1826: Edinburgh[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	William Dundas	unopposed

General Election 1820: Edinburgh[12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	William Dundas	25
	Whig	James Maitland	3

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)

See also

• Politics of Edinburgh

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Cambridge University	Constituency represented by the Speaker 1835 – 1839	Succeeded by Hampshire North

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