Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (also Westminster) from 1801 to 1950.

Creation The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Dunbartonshire .

History The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system until the seat was split in 1950.

It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries

The constituency was created to cover the county of Dumbarton (later Dunbarton) minus any parliamentary burgh or part thereof within the county. From 1832 to 1918, however, under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the boundaries of counties and burghs for purposes of parliamentary representation were not necessarily those for other purposes.

The Representation of the People Act 1918 brought constituency boundaries generally into alignment with local government boundaries established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and subsequent related legislation, but there were later changes to local government boundaries which were not reflected in new constituency boundaries until 1950, the same year that the Dunbartonshire constituency was abolished, under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949.

For the period 1832 to 1918 boundary details below are nominal, and for the period 1918 to 1950 they are those applicable in 1918.

For the 1708 (first) general election and every subsequent election of the Parliament of Great Britain the Dumbartonshire constituency consisted of the county of Dumbarton minus the burgh of Dumbarton, which was a component of the Clyde Burghs constituency.

In 1801 the Parliament of Great Britain was merged with the Parliament of Ireland to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Dumbartonshire constituency retained its boundaries as a constituency of the Parliament of Great Britain for the 1802 (first) general election of the new parliament and for the general elections of 1806, 1807, 1812, 1818, 1820, 1826, 1830 and 1831.

Nominally, the constituency had the same boundaries for the 1832 general election, but the burgh of Dumbarton was now a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. 1832 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to December 1910.

For the 1918 general election the constituency was defined as covering the county of Dunbarton minus the burghs of Dumbarton and Clydebank, which comprised Dumbarton Burghs. 1918 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to 1945.Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (), F. W. S. Craig, 1972

For the 1950 general election new constituency boundaries divided the county of Dunbarton between the East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire constituencies, both entirely within the county.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1708–1832 Election Member Party1708John Campbell1710171317151722 Mungo Haldane1725 John Campbell1727John Campbell, later Duke of ArgyllWhig17341741174717541761Archibald EdmonstoneTory176817741780 Lord Frederick Campbell1781George Elphinstone17841790 Archibald Edmonstone Tory1796 William Bontine1797 Alexander Smollett1799Sir James Colquhoun, 3rd Bt180118021806 Henry Glassford1806 Charles Edmonstone Tory1807 Henry Glassford1810Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun1812181818201821John Buchanan1826 John Campbell Tory1830Lord Montagu GrahamTory1831

MPs 1832–1950 Election Member Party 1832 John Campbell Colquhoun Whig 1835 Alexander Dennistoun Whig 1837 Sir James Colquhoun, 4th Bt Whig 1841 Alexander Smollett Conservative184718521857 1859 Patrick Smollett Conservative1865 1868 Archibald Orr-Ewing Conservative1874188018851886 1892 John Sinclair Liberal 1895 Alexander Wylie Conservative1900 1906 J. D. White Liberal1910 (January) 1910 (December) Arthur Acland Allen Liberal 1918 William Raeburn Coalition Conservative 1922 Conservative 1923 William Martin Labour 1924 David Fleming Conservative 1926 by-election John Thom Conservative 1929 Willie Brooke Labour 1931 John Thom Conservative 1932 by-election Archibald Cochrane Conservative1935 1936 by-election Thomas Cassells Labour 1941 by-election Adam McKinlay Labour1945 1950 constituency divided: see East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire

Election results Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1860s

A petition was lodged in this election, against Stirling, but was later withdrawn after he decided not to defend his claim to the seat, allowing Smollett to be declared duly elected.

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

Notes and references