Scottish Westminster constituencies 1868 to 1885

Overview
1708 to 1832
1832 to 1868
1868 to 1885
1885 to 1918
1918 to 1950
1950 to 1955
1955 to 1974
1974 to 1983
1983 to 1997
1997 to 2005
2005 to 2024
since 2024

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

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Constituency Nominal 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

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Parliamentary county Nominal contents Constituency 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

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Constituency Contents
Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities Universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews
Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen