Renfrewshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 until 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885.

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 Renfrewshire.

Boundaries The constituency covered the county of Renfrewshire, minus the parliamentary burgh of Renfrew throughout the 1708 to 1885 period, and minus the parliamentary burgh of Port Glasgow and the Paisley and Greenock constituencies from 1832 to 1885.

The burgh of Renfrew was a component of Glasgow Burghs until 1832, when it became a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. Port Glasgow became a parliamentary burgh in 1832, and another component of Kilmarnock Burghs.

History The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1885.

In 1885 the Renfrewshire constituency area was divided into two new constituencies: Renfrewshire Eastern and Renfrewshire Western.

Members of Parliament ElectionMember Party 1708 Sir John Shaw Whig 1710 Sir Robert Pollock 1722 Thomas Cochrane 1727 Sir John Shaw Whig 1734 Alexander Cunninghame 1742 by-election William Mure 1761 Patrick Craufurd 1768 William McDowall 1774 John Craufurd 1780 John Shaw-Stewart 1783 by-election William McDowall 1786 by-election John Shaw-Stewart 1796 Boyd Alexander 1802 William McDowall 1810 by-election Archibald Speirs 1818 John Maxwell Whig 1830 Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 6th Baronet Whig1837 by-election George Houstoun Conservative 1841 Patrick Maxwell Stewart Whig1846 by-election William Mure Conservative 1855 by-election Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet Conservative 1865 Archibald Alexander Speirs Liberal 1869 by-election Henry Bruce Liberal 1873 by-election Archibald Campbell Conservative 1874 William Mure Liberal 1880 by-election Alexander Crum Liberal

Election results Elections in the 1830s

Shaw-Stewart's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s

Stewart's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Mure resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

Speirs' death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1870s Bruce was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Aberdare and causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1880s

Mure's death caused a by-election.

References

Sources History of Parliament - constituencies