The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 48) was an Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It carried on from the Representation of the People Act 1867, and created seven additional Scottish seats in the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 at the expense of seven English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 borough constituencies, which were disenfranchised.

Two University constituencies were created; Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities

Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities (UK Parliament constituency)

Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities was a university constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918. It was merged with the Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities constituency to form the Combined Scottish Universities...

 and Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities

Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities (UK Parliament constituency)

Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities, in Scotland, was a university constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918...

. These each returned one member to Parliament. Two burgh constituencies received an additional member; these were Glasgow

Glasgow (UK Parliament constituency)

Glasgow was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It returned two Member of Parliament until 1868, and then three from 1868 to 1885...

 (raised to 3 members) and Dundee

Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)

Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....

 (raised to 2). A third burgh constituency, Hawick Burghs

Hawick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Hawick Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 until 1918. It consisted of the Roxburghshire burgh of Hawick and the Selkirkshire burghs of Galashiels and Selkirk....

, was newly created, receiving one member. Three county constituencies each received one additional member, and were split in half accordingly; these were Lanarkshire

Lanarkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Lanarkshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 to 1868. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...

, Ayrshire

Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868, when it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire....

 and Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868...

.

This totaled eight new seats, and accordingly the county constituencies of Selkirkshire

Selkirkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Selkirkshire was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868, when it was combined with Peeblesshire to form Peebles and Selkirk...

 and Peeblesshire

Peeblesshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Peeblesshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1868. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.-Boundaries:...

 were merged to form Peebles and Selkirk

Peebles and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)

Peebles and Selkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post voting system.- Boundaries :...

, returning one member, for a net increase of seven seats.

This was offset by the disenfranchisement of Arundel, Ashburton, Dartmouth, Honiton, Lyme Regis, Thetford and Wells, all English borough constituencies, leaving the overall number of seats in the House unchanged.