Orkney and Shetland is a constituency

United Kingdom constituencies

In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...

 of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

. It elects one Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In the Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...

, Orkney

Orkney (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Orkney is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

 and Shetland

Shetland (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Shetland is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...

 are separate constituencies.

The constituency was historically known as Orkney and Zetland - an alternative name for Shetland.

Boundaries

The constituency is made up of the two island groups Orkney, and Shetland. A constituency of this name has existed continuously since 1708. However before 1918 the town of Kirkwall

Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...

 (the capital of Orkney) formed part of the Northern Burghs

Northern Burghs

Northern Burghs may refer to:* Tain Burghs , a constituency of the Parliament of Great Britain, 1708 to 1801, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 1801 to 1832...

 constituency.

Uniquely, the constituencies boundaries are protected by legislation, as rule 3A of the Boundary Commission rules states: "A constituency which includes the Orkney Islands or the Shetland Islands shall not include the whole or any part of a local government area other than the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands." This rule was added in 1999 as part of the Scotland Act 1998

Scotland Act 1998

The Scotland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the Act which established the devolved Scottish Parliament.The Act will be amended by the Scotland Bill 2011, if and when it receives royal assent.-History:...

, which established the Scottish parliament

Member of Parliament

The constituency has elected only Liberal and Liberal Democrat MPs since 1950, the longest run of any British Parliamentary Constituency. In each general election from 1955

United Kingdom general election, 1955

The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...

 until 1979

United Kingdom general election, 1979

The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...

, in 1987

United Kingdom general election, 1987

The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...

, and again in 2010 it was the safest Liberal seat in Britain.

Year		Member	Party
	1707 British general election, 1707 The British general election, 1707 was not an election as such, but the co-option of members of former Parliaments to serve in the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the Acts of Union 1707 which merged the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland...	Sir Alexander Douglas
	1713 British general election, 1713 The British general election, 1713 produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had lead a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, but had increasingly struggled to deal with the...	George Douglas George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton , styled The Honourable George Douglas between 1681 and 1730, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
	1715 British general election, 1715 The British general election of 1715 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...	James Moodie
	1722 British general election, 1722 The British general election of 1722 elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This event took place following the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was fiercely fought, with contests taking place...	George Douglas George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton , styled The Honourable George Douglas between 1681 and 1730, was a British peer and politician.-Background:...
	1730	Robert Douglas Robert Douglas Robert Douglas may refer to:*Robert Douglas , minister in the Church of Scotland*Robert Douglas, Count of Skenninge, , Scottish-born field-marshal in the Swedish army*Robert Douglas , , Scottish prelate...
	1747 British general election, 1747 The British general election, 1747 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henry Pelham's Whig government increase its majority and...	John Halyburton
	1754 British general election, 1754 The British general election, 1754 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707....	James Douglas Sir James Douglas, 1st Baronet Admiral Sir James Douglas, 1st Baronet naval officer and Commodore of Newfoundland.-Naval career:Douglas became a captain in the Royal Navy in 1744 In 1745 commanded the HMS Mermaid at Louisbourg and in 1746 he commanded the HMS Vigilante at Louisbourg. In 1746 was appointed Commodore of...
	1768 British general election, 1768 The British general election, 1768 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Summary of the Constituencies:...	Thomas Dundas
	1771	Thomas Dundas Thomas Dundas (British Army officer) Major-General Thomas Dundas was a British military officer and Governor of Guadeloupe.-Military Service:Born the son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask, Dundas was educated at Edinburgh High School and entered the army in 1766, rising to Major of the 65th Foot...
	1780 British general election, 1780 The British general election, 1780 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 15th Parliament of Great Britain to be held after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707...	Robert Baikie
	1781	Thomas Dundas Thomas Dundas (British Army officer) Major-General Thomas Dundas was a British military officer and Governor of Guadeloupe.-Military Service:Born the son of Thomas Dundas of Fingask, Dundas was educated at Edinburgh High School and entered the army in 1766, rising to Major of the 65th Foot...
	1790 British general election, 1790 The British general election, 1790 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 17th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707.-Political Situation:...	John Balfour John Balfour (MP) John Balfour was a Scottish politician and a civil servant in the East India Company with connections to the Orcadian island of Shapinsay.-Background:...
	1796 British general election, 1796 The British general election, 1796 returned members to serve in the 18th and last House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain to be held before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...	Robert Honyman
	1806 United Kingdom general election, 1806 The United Kingdom general election, 1806 was the election of members to the 3rd Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was the second general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....	Robert Honyman
	1807 United Kingdom general election, 1807 The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....	Malcolm Laing Malcolm Laing Malcolm Laing was a Scottish historian born to Robert Laing and Barbara Blaw at the paternal estate of Strynzia in Orkney, Scotland...
	1812 United Kingdom general election, 1812 The election to the 5th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1812 was the fourth general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....	Richard Bempde Johnstone Honyman
	1818 United Kingdom general election, 1818 The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...	George Heneage Lawrence Dundas
	1820 United Kingdom general election, 1820 The 1820 UK general election, held shortly after the Radical War in Scotland and the Cato Street Conspiracy. In this atmosphere, the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool were able to win a substantial majority over the Whigs....	John Balfour John Balfour (MP) John Balfour was a Scottish politician and a civil servant in the East India Company with connections to the Orcadian island of Shapinsay.-Background:...
	1826 United Kingdom general election, 1826 The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....	George Heneage Lawrence Dundas
	1830 United Kingdom general election, 1830 The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...	George Traill George Traill George Traill was a Liberal Party politician in Scotland.He was the Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland from 1830 until his defeat at the 1835 general election....	Whig
	1835 United Kingdom general election, 1835 The 1835 United Kingdom general election was called when Parliament was dissolved on 29 December 1834. Polling took place between 6 January and 6 February 1835, and the results saw Robert Peel's Conservatives make large gains from their low of the 1832 election, but the Whigs maintained a large...	Thomas Balfour Thomas Balfour Thomas Balfour ) was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1835 to 1837.Balfour was the son of William Balfour of Elwick, Orkney. He became an advocate in 1831 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 16 March 1834.Balfour was elected Member of Parliament...	Tory Tory Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
	1837 United Kingdom general election, 1837 The 1837 United Kingdom general election saw Robert Peel's Conservatives close further on the position of the Whigs, who won their fourth election of the decade....	Frederick Dundas Frederick Dundas -Background:Dundas was the son of the Hon. Charles Dundas, Member of Parliament for Malton, younger son of Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas. His mother was Lady Caroline, daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans.-Political career:...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1847 United Kingdom general election, 1847 -Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...	Arthur Anderson Arthur Anderson (businessman) Arthur Anderson was a Scottish businessman and Liberal politician. He was co-founder of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company .-Career:...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1852 United Kingdom general election, 1852 The July 1852 United Kingdom general election was a watershed election in the formation of the modern political parties of Britain. Following 1852, the Tory/Conservative party became, more completely, the party of the rural aristocracy, while the Whig/Liberal party became the party of the rising...	Frederick Dundas Frederick Dundas -Background:Dundas was the son of the Hon. Charles Dundas, Member of Parliament for Malton, younger son of Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas. His mother was Lady Caroline, daughter of Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans.-Political career:...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1873	Samuel Laing Samuel Laing (science writer) Samuel Laing, , was a British railway administrator, politician, and influential writer on science and religion during the Victorian era.He was born at Edinburgh on the 12th of December 1810...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	Leonard Lyell Leonard Lyell, 1st Baron Lyell Leonard Lyell, 1st Baron Lyell Bt was a Scottish Liberal politician.The eldest son of Colonel Henry Lyell and Katherine Horner, he was a nephew of Sir Charles Lyell, 1st Baronet, the geologist....	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1900 United Kingdom general election, 1900 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...	Cathcart Wason Cathcart Wason Cathcart Wason , generally known as Cathcart Wason, was a Scottish farmer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in two countries: first in New Zealand and then in Scotland, after the failure of his colonial ventures...	Liberal Unionist
	1902		Independent Liberal
	1906 United Kingdom general election, 1906 -Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...		Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1918 United Kingdom general election, 1918 The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...		Coalition Liberal
	1921 Orkney and Shetland by-election, 1921 The Orkney and Shetland by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Orkney and Shetland on 17 May 1921.-Vacancy:...	Malcolm Smith Malcolm Smith (Scottish politician) Sir Malcolm Smith was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.Smith was born and brought up in a crofting family in Shetland but moved to the port of Leith as a young man...	Coalition Liberal
	1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...	Robert Hamilton Robert William Hamilton Sir Robert William Hamilton was a Scottish Liberal Party politician.Hamilton was Principal Judge and Chief Justice of the East Africa Protectorate from 1905 to 1920 and was Chairman of the Civil Service Commission in 1918....	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1935 United Kingdom general election, 1935 The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...	Basil Neven-Spence Basil Neven-Spence Sir Basil Hamilton Hebden Neven-Spence was a Scottish Unionist Party politician and military physician....	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
	1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...	Jo Grimond	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...	Jim Wallace Jim Wallace The Rt. Hon. James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, PC, QC , is a British politician, currently a life peer in the House of Lords and the Advocate General for Scotland...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
	1988		Liberal Democrat
	2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...	Alistair Carmichael Alistair Carmichael Alexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael is a Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Scottish seat of Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.-Early life:...	Liberal Democrat

Elections in the 2010s

Elections in the 2000s

Elections in the 1990s

Elections in the 1980s

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1920s

Elections in the 1910s

Elections in the 1900s

Elections in the 1890s

Elections in the 1880s

Elections in the 1870s

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1850s

Elections in the 1840s

Elections in the 1830s

Sources

• BBC Vote 2001
• BBC Election 2005
• Guardian Unlimited Politics
• UK General Elections since 1832
• http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/ (Election results from 1950 to the present)
• F. W. S. Craig
  F. W. S. Craig
  Frederick Walter Scott Craig was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party...
  
  , British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 - 1949
• F. W. S. Craig
  F. W. S. Craig
  Frederick Walter Scott Craig was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party...
  
  , British Parliamentary Election Results 1885 - 1918
• F. W. S. Craig
  F. W. S. Craig
  Frederick Walter Scott Craig was a Scottish psephologist and compiler of the standard reference books covering United Kingdom Parliamentary election results. He originally worked in public relations, compiling election results in his spare time which were published by the Scottish Unionist Party...
  
  , British Parliamentary Election Results 1832 - 1885