The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 redefined the boundaries of Scottish constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (at Westminster), and the new boundaries were first used in the 1868 general election.
For the same general election, boundaries in England were redefined by the Representation of the People Act 1867 and there was, effectively, a transfer of seven parliamentary seats from England to Scotland.
1868 boundaries were used also in the general elections of 1874 and 1880.
As a result of the legislation, Scotland had 22 burgh constituencies, 32 county constituencies and two university constituencies. Except for Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow, each Scottish constituency represented a seat for one Member of Parliament (MP). Edinburgh and Dundee represented two seats each, and Glasgow represented three seats. Therefore, Scotland was entitled to 60 MPs.
15 of the burgh constituencies were districts of burghs.
The constituencies related nominally to counties and burghs, but boundaries for parliamentary purposes were not necessarily those for other purposes.
For the 1885 general election, new boundaries were defined by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
Burgh Constituencies
ConstituencyNominal Contents Aberdeen In county of Aberdeen: burgh of Aberdeen Ayr District In county of Ayr: burghs of Ayr and Irvine In county of Argyll: burghs of Campbeltown, Inverary, and Oban Dumfries District In county of Dumfries: burghs of Annan, Dumfries, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar In county of Kirkcudbright: burgh of Kirkcudbright Dundee In county of Forfar: burgh of Dundee Elected two MPs Edinburgh Elected two MPs In county of Edinburgh: burgh of Edinburgh Elgin District In county of Aberdeen: burghs of Inverurie, Kintore, and Peterhead In county of Banff: burgh of Banff In county of Elgin: burghs of Elgin and Cullen Falkirk District In county of Lanark: burghs of Airdrie, Hamilton, and Lanark In county of Linlithgow: burgh of Linlithgow In county of Stirling: burgh of Falkirk Glasgow Elected three MPs In county of Lanark: burgh of Glasgow Greenock In county of Renfrew: burgh of Greenock Haddington District In county of Berwick: burgh of Lauder In county of Haddington burghs of Dunbar, Haddington, and North Berwick In county of Roxburgh: burgh of Jedburgh Hawick District In county of Roxburgh: burgh of Hawick In county of Selkirk: burghs of Galashiels and Selkirk Inverness District In county of Elgin: burgh of Forres In county of Inverness: burgh of Inverness In county of Nairn: burgh of Nairn In county of Ross: burgh of Fortrose Kilmarnock District In county of Ayr: burgh of Kilmarnock In county of Dumbarton: burgh of Dumbarton In county of Lanark: burgh of Rutherglen In county of Renfrew: burghs of Port Glasgow and Renfrew Kirkcaldy District In county of Fife: burghs of Burntisland, Dysart, Kinghorn, and Kirkcaldy Leith District In county of Edinburgh: burghs of Leith, Portobello and Musselburgh Montrose District In county of Forfar: burghs of Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar, and Montrose In county of Kincardine: burgh of Inverbervie Paisley In county of Renfrew: burgh of Paisley Perth In county of Perth: burgh of Perth St Andrews District In county of Fife: burghs of Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Crail, Cupar, Pittenweem, Kilrenny, and St Andrews Stirling District In county of Fife: burghs of Dunfermline and Inverkeithing In county of Linlithgow: burgh of South Queensferry In county of Perth: burgh of Culross In county of Stirling: burgh of Stirling Wick District In county of Caithness: burgh of Wick In county of Cromarty: burgh of Cromarty In county of Orkney: burgh of Kirkwall In county of Sutherland: burgh of Dornoch In county of Ross: burghs of Dingwall and Tain Wigtown District In county of Wigtown: burghs of New Galloway, Stranraer, Wigtown, and Whithorn
County constituencies
Parliamentary countyNominal contentsConstituency or constituencies Aberdeen County of Aberdeen except burghs of Aberdeen, Inverurie, Kintore, and Peterhead East Aberdeenshire West Aberdeenshire Argyll County of Argyll except burghs of Campbeltown, Inverary, and Oban Argyll Ayr County of Ayr except burghs of Ayr, Irvine, and Kilmarnock North Ayrshire South Ayrshire Banff County of Banff except burgh of Banff Banffshire Berwick County of Berwick except burgh of Lauder Berwickshire Bute County of Bute Buteshire Caithness County of Caithness except burgh of Wick Caithness Clackmannan and Kinross County of Clackmannan and county of Kinross Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire Dumbarton County of Dumbarton except burgh of Dumbarton Dumbartonshire Dumfries County of Dumfries except burghs of Annan, Dumfries, Lochmaben, and Sanquhar Dumfriesshire Edinburgh County of Edinburgh except burghs of Edinburgh, Leith, Portobello and Musselburgh Edinburghshire Elgin and Nairn County of Elgin except burghs of Elgin, Forres, and Cullen and county of Nairn except burgh of Nairn Elginshire and Nairnshire Fife County of Fife except burghs of Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Burntisland, Crail, Cupar, Dunfermline, Dysart, Inverkeithing, Kilrenny, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Pittenweem, and St Andrews Fife Forfar County of Forfar except burghs of Arbroath, Brechin, Dundee, Forfar, and Montrose Forfarshire Haddington County of Haddington except burghs of Dunbar, Haddington, and North Berwick Haddingtonshire Inverness County of Inverness except burgh of Inverness Inverness-shire Kincardine County of Kincardine except burgh of Inverbervie Kincardineshire Kirkcudbright County of Kirkcudbright except burgh of Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbrightshire Lanark County of Lanark except burghs of Airdrie, Glasgow, Hamilton, Rutherglen, and Lanark North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Linlithgow County of Linlithgow except burghs of Linlithgow and South Queensferry Linlithgowshire Orkney and Zetland County of Orkney except burgh of Kirkwall and county of Zetland Orkney and Zetland Peebles and Selkirk County of Peebles and county of Selkirk except burghs of Galashiels and Selkirk Peebles and Selkirk Perth County of Perth except burghs of Culross and Perth Perthshire Renfrew County of Renfrew except burghs of Greenock, Paisley, Port Glasgow, and Renfrew and county of Selkirk except burghs of Galashiels and Selkirk Renfrewshire Ross and Cromarty County of Ross except burghs of Dingwall, Fortrose, and Tain county of Cromarty except burgh of Cromarty Ross and Cromarty Roxburgh County of Roxburgh except burghs of Hawick and Jedburgh Roxburghshire Stirling County of Stirling except burghs of Falkirk and Stirling Stirlingshire Sutherland County of Sutherland except burgh of Dornoch Sutherland Wigtown County of Wigtown except burghs of New Galloway, Stranraer, Wigtown, and Whithorn Wigtownshire
University constituencies
ConstituencyContents Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen
See also List of UK constituencies