Perthshire was a Scottish county 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 the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, representing during that time a seat for one Member of Parliament (MP).
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 Perthshire.
Boundaries
The constituency was created to cover the county of Perth, minus the burgh of Perth, which was a component of the Perth Burghs constituency. The Scottish Reform Act 1832 transferred from Perthshire to Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire the parishes of Tulliallan, Culross and Muckhart and the Perthshire portions of the parishes of Logie and Fossaway.
History The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1885.
As a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the Perthshire constituency was divided to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire in 1885.
Members of Parliament Election Member Party Notes 15 June 1708 Dougal Stewart Tory Also sat for ButeshireDougal Stewart was also returned for Buteshire at the general election in 1708 and appears to have been permitted to sit for both seats until his appointment as a Lord of Session on 7 Jun 1709. No writ for a fresh election appears to have been issued before the general election in 1710 25 October 1710 Lord James Murray 10 February 1715 Lord James Murray Later 2nd Duke of Atholl By-election, 31 December 1724 David Graeme By-election, 28 April 1726 Mungo Haldane Previously MP for Stirlingshire 1715–22, and for Dunbartonshire 1722–25 12 October 1727 John Drummond 9 May 1734 Lord John Murray 21 April 1761 John Murray By-election, 23 March 1764 David Graeme Diplomat and British Army general By-election, 11 June 1773 James Murray of Strowan By-election, 11 April 1794 Thomas Graham 19 May 1807 Lord James Murray Later 1st Baron Glenlyon By-election, 19 March 1812 James Drummond Tory By-election, 6 April 1824 Sir George Murray Tory 29 December 1832 The Earl of Ormelie Whig Later 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane By-election, 5 May 1834 Sir George Murray Conservative 17 January 1835 Hon. Fox Maule Whig 4 August 1837 Viscount Stormont Conservative By-election, 9 March 1840 Henry Home-Drummond Conservative 1846 Peelite 16 July 1852 Sir William Stirling, Bt Conservative Changed name to Sir William Stirling-Maxwell in March 1866 23 November 1868 Charles Stuart Parker Liberal MP for Perth 1878–92 12 February 1874 Sir William Stirling-Maxwell, Bt Conservative By-election, 4 February 1878 Henry Home-Drummond-Moray Conservative 5 April 1880 Sir Donald Currie Liberal subsequently MP for Western Perthshire 1885constituency divided. See Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire
Election results Elections in the 1830s
Campbell succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s Murray succeeded to the peerage, becoming 4th Earl of Mansfield and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s
Stirling-Maxwell's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Notes and references