Roxburgh and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Roxburgh and Selkirk
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
19181955
Number of members One
Replaced by Roxburgh, Selkirk & Peebles
Created from Roxburghshire
Peebles and Selkirk

Roxburgh and Selkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1918 to 1955. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918, and first used in the 1918 general election, to cover the counties of Roxburgh and Selkirk.

At least nominally, the counties had been covered previously by the Roxburghshire and Peebles and Selkirk constituencies.

For the 1955 general election, as a result of the First Periodical Review of the Boundary Commission, the Roxburgh and Selkirk constituency was abolished and the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles constituency was created, covering the counties of Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles.

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party Notes
1918 Robert Munro, later Baron Alness Coalition Liberal
1922 Sir Thomas Henderson National Liberal
1923 Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith Unionist later Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry
1935 Lord William Walter Montagu Douglas Scott Unionist
1950 Archibald James Florence Macdonald Liberal
1951 Charles Edward McArthur Donaldson Unionist subsequently MP for Roxburgh, Selkirk & Peebles
1955 constituency abolished: see Roxburgh, Selkirk & Peebles

Election results

Robert Munro
General Election 1918: Roxburgh & Selkirk [1] Electorate 33,604
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Liberal Rt Hon. Robert Munro 13,043 n/a
Labour Thomas Hamilton 5,574 n/a
Majority n/a
Turnout n/a
Coalition Liberal win

Elections in the 1920s

Sir H. Grant
General Election 1922: Roxburgh & Selkirk [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Liberal Sir Thomas Henderson 10,356 51.7
Liberal Sir Alfred Hamilton Grant 9,698 48.3 n/a
Majority 658 3.4
Turnout 20,054 60.9
National Liberal hold Swing n/a
General Election 1923: Roxburgh & Selkirk [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Earl of Dalkeith 11,258 43.1 n/a
Liberal Sir Thomas Henderson 8,046 30.8 n/a
Labour George Dallas 6,811 26.1 n/a
Majority 3,212 12.3 n/a
Turnout 26,115 78.2 +17.3
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing n/a
George Dallas
General Election 1924: Roxburgh & Selkirk [4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Earl of Dalkeith 12,684 45.8
Liberal John M. Wylie 7,737 27.9
Labour George Dallas 7,266 26.2
Majority 4,947 17.9
Turnout 27,687
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1929: Roxburgh & Selkirk [5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Earl of Dalkeith 13,510 38.0 -7.8
Liberal Arthur Robert McDougal 12,232 34.4 +6.5
Labour Robert Gibson 9,803 27.6 +1.4
Majority 1,278 3.6 -14.3
Turnout 35,545 78.5
Unionist hold Swing -7.2

Elections in the 1930s

General Election 1931: Roxburgh & Selkirk[6] Electorate 45,975
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Earl of Dalkeith 21,394 55.1 +17.1
Liberal David E. Keir 17,420 44.9 +10.5
Majority 3,974 10.2 +6.6
Turnout 38,814 84.4 +5.9
Unionist hold Swing
General Election 1935: Roxburgh & Selkirk [7] Electorate 47,037
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Lord William Walter Montagu Douglas Scott 18,342 50.0 -5.1
Liberal Arthur Robert McDougal 12,264 33.4 -11.5
Labour James Alexander Cuthburt Thomson 6,099 16.6 n/a
Majority 6,078 16.6
Turnout 36,705 78.0
Unionist hold Swing +3.2

Elections in the 1940s

A General election was due to take place before the end of 1940, but was postponed due to the Second World War. By 1939, the following candidates had been selected to contest this constituency;

General Election 1945: Roxburgh & Selkirk Electorate 47,407
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Lt-Col. Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott MC 13,232 37.9 -12.1
Liberal Archibald James Florence Macdonald 11,604 33.2 -0.2
Labour LP Thomas 10,107 28.9 +12.3
Majority 1,628 4.7
Turnout 73.7
Unionist hold Swing -6.0

Elections in the 1950s

General Election 1950 Electorate 47,430
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Archibald James Florence Macdonald 15,347 39.4 +6.2
Unionist Lord William Montagu Douglas Scott 14,191 36.4 -1.5
Labour LP Thomas 9,413 24.2 -4.7
Majority 1,156 3.0 -1.7
Turnout 82.1 +8.4
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +3.9
General Election 1951 Electorate 47,614
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Edward McArthur Donaldson 16,438 40.6 +4.2
Liberal Archibald James Florence Macdonald 15,609 38.6 -0.8
Labour Thomas White 8,395 20.8 -3.4
Majority 829 2.0 5.0
Turnout 84.9 +2.8
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing +2.5

References

  1. Whitaker's Almanack, 1920
  2. The Times, 17 November 1922
  3. The Times, 8 December 1923
  4. Oliver & Boyd's Edinburgh Almanack, 1927
  5. The Times, 1 June 1929
  6. Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
  7. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939

Sources