Dysart Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Dysart Burghs
Former District of burghs constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlements Burntisland, Dysart, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy
1708–1832
Number of members One
Replaced by Kirkcaldy Burghs
Created from Burntisland, Dysart, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy

Dysart Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (also at Westminster) from 1801 to 1832. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries

The constituency consisted of the burghs of Burntisland, Dysart, Kinghorn and Kirkcaldy, all in the county of Fife. It had just four voters, the commissioners elected by the four burgh councils. The place of election rotated between the burghs and the host burgh had a casting vote if there was a tie.

For the 1832 general election, under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, the constituency was renamed Kirkcaldy Burghs, the boundaries of the burghs for parliamentary purposes ceased to be those for other purposes, and the voting system was changed.

Members of Parliament

First Elected Name [1] Party Notes
26 May 1708 Hon. John Sinclair Disqualified
16 Jan 1710 James Abercrombie By-election
31 Oct 1710 James Oswald Died 1716
17 Feb 1715 William Kerr
14 Apr 1722 James St Clair Double return with Thomas Leslie. Declared elected 27 Oct. 1722.
20 May 1734 Hon. Thomas Leslie
02 Jun 1741 James Oswald (1715–1769)
23 Jul 1747 James St Clair
11 May 1754 James Oswald (1715–1769)
11 Apr 1768 James Townsend Oswald
01 Nov 1774 John Johnstone
03 Oct 1780 Sir John Henderson
26 Apr 1784 Sir Charles Preston, Bt
12 Jul 1790 Hon. Charles Hope
21 Jun 1796 Sir James St Clair-Erskine Became the 2nd Earl of Rosslyn
04 Mar 1805 Sir Robert Dallas By-election
25 Nov 1806 Sir Ronald Crauford Ferguson Whig
12 Aug 1830 Lord Loughborough Tory Later the 3rd Earl of Rosslyn
26 May 1831 Robert Ferguson Whig (re-elected for Kirkcaldy Burghs in 1832)

Elections

The first election in Dysart Burghs was in 1708. In 1707–08, members of the 1702–1707 Parliament of Scotland were co-opted to serve in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain. See Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain for further details.

The most populous of the burghs was Kirkcaldy. The Oswald family became the dominant force in Kirkcaldy politics in the 18th century.

The second largest burgh was Dysart, controlled by the St. Clair interest.

Burntisland and Kinghorn were smaller. The votes from these burghs seem to have been available to the highest bidder.

The combined Oswald and St. Clair influence often decided who was to be elected, but in 1774 a rich outsider bribed his way into Parliament, to the surprise of the incumbent J.T. Oswald.

The most prominent political figure, during the time he represented the constituency, was the second James Oswald. He was seen as a reliable man of business and held a number of junior ministerial offices. At one point he was even being thought of as a possible Chancellor of the Exchequer, but being Scottish counted against Oswald. The Prime Minister, the Earl of Bute was extremely unpopular with English opinion in the early 1760s, so promoting another Scot was thought too risky.

Sir James St.Clair-Erskine (MP 1796–1805) was more important later in his career when in 1834–35, as 2nd Earl of Rosslyn, he served as Lord President of the Council.

Note: Stooks Smith refers to a by-election in December 1709, won by Patterson but does not mention Abercromby. Leigh Rayment's site does not mention Patterson, but has James Abercromby as MP from 16 January 1710. Possibly there was an undocumented contested election.

References

  1. ↑ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
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