Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Tain Burghs, was a 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 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by one Member of Parliament
(MP).
The first election in Tain Burghs was in 1708. In 1707-08, members of the 1702-1707 Parliament of Scotland
were co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of Great Britain
. See Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
, for further details.
created to represent the Royal burghs of Dingwall
, Dornoch
, Kirkwall
, Tain and Wick
, which had all been separately represented with one commissioner each in the former Parliament of Scotland
.
In 1832 Cromarty
was added to the district and it was renamed Wick Burghs
.
The first Member of Parliament (MP), for the five Burghs, was elected at Tain in 1708. Lord Strathnaver
was the eldest son of a Scottish peer. He would not have been eligible to be elected to the Parliament of Scotland. It was disputed that Strathnaver was eligible to be elected to the Parliament of Great Britain, as the representative of a Scottish seat.
On 3 December 1708, the House of Commons decided the issue, as at that time the House judged the eligibility of its members itself rather than leaving the issue to be decided by a Judge.
After the House called in counsel, the election petitions and representations in writing were read out and the lawyers put forward arguments for their clients. After counsel had withdrawn a question was formulated and put to a vote.
The proposition the House voted on was "that the eldest sons of the Peers of Scotland were capable by the Laws of Scotland at the time of the Union, to elect or be elected as Commissioners for the Shire
or Boroughs [sic, see Burgh
s] to the Parliament of Scotland; and therefore by the Treaty of Union are capable to elect, or be elected to represent any Shire or Borough [sic] in Scotland, to sit in the House of Commons of Great Britain".
The House rejected the motion and so declared that Lord Strathnaver was ineligible to be elected an MP for Tain Burghs.
The most prominent English political figure, to represent a Scottish constituency in the 18th century, was Charles James Fox
. In the 1784 general election, Fox sought re-election for the Westminster
constituency. Political opponents challenged Fox's election. As Westminster had the largest electorate of any English borough, the scrutiny of votes (to check that each voter had been legally qualified to participate in the election) was thought likely to take a long time. To avoid Fox being out of Parliament, until the Westminster election petition was decided, a Scottish friend arranged for him to become member for Tain Burghs.
It took until 1786 for Fox to be confirmed as a duly elected MP for Westminster. Fox then chose to represent his English constituency and the Scottish one became vacant.
s.
The primary source for the results was Stooks Smith with additional information from the History of Parliament series. For details of the books used, see the Reference section below.
The reference to some candidates as Non Partisan does not, necessarily, mean that they did not have a party allegiance. It means that the sources consulted did not specify a party allegiance.
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 Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
from 1708 to 1801 and 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...
from 1801 to 1832, sometimes known as Northern Burghs. It was represented by 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).
The first election in Tain Burghs was in 1708. In 1707-08, members of the 1702-1707 Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
were co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
. See Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain
Scottish representatives to the House of Commons of the 1st Parliament of Great Britain were not elected but co-opted in 1707 from the Commissioners of the last Parliament of Scotland.-Legal background to the composition of the 1st Parliament:...
, for further details.
Boundaries
The constituency was a district of burghsDistrict of burghs (UK Parliament)
The Act of Union 1707 and pre-Union Scottish legislation provided for 14 Members of Parliament from Scotland to be elected from districts of burghs. All the parliamentary burghs were assigned to a district, except for Edinburgh which had an MP to itself...
created to represent the Royal burghs of Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Dornoch
Dornoch
Dornoch is a town and seaside resort, and former Royal burgh in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray Firth to the east...
, 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...
, Tain and Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
, which had all been separately represented with one commissioner each in the former Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
.
In 1832 Cromarty
Cromarty
The Royal Burgh of Cromarty is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland.-History:It was previously the county town of the former county of Cromartyshire...
was added to the district and it was renamed Wick Burghs
Wick Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Wick Burghs, sometimes known as Northern Burghs, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918...
.
History
The constituency was enfranchised, as part of the arrangements for representing Scotland in the united Parliament, under the terms of the Act of Union 1707.The first Member of Parliament (MP), for the five Burghs, was elected at Tain in 1708. Lord Strathnaver
William Gordon, Lord Strathnaver
William Gordon , known by the courtesy title of Lord Strathnaver from 4 March 1703, was a Member of Parliament in Great Britain in 1708. In 1719, the family name was changed to Sutherland, when his father was recognised as the Chief of Clan Sutherland.Lord Strathnaver was the eldest son of John...
was the eldest son of a Scottish peer. He would not have been eligible to be elected to the Parliament of Scotland. It was disputed that Strathnaver was eligible to be elected to the Parliament of Great Britain, as the representative of a Scottish seat.
On 3 December 1708, the House of Commons decided the issue, as at that time the House judged the eligibility of its members itself rather than leaving the issue to be decided by a Judge.
After the House called in counsel, the election petitions and representations in writing were read out and the lawyers put forward arguments for their clients. After counsel had withdrawn a question was formulated and put to a vote.
The proposition the House voted on was "that the eldest sons of the Peers of Scotland were capable by the Laws of Scotland at the time of the Union, to elect or be elected as Commissioners for the Shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
or Boroughs [sic, see Burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s] to the Parliament of Scotland; and therefore by the Treaty of Union are capable to elect, or be elected to represent any Shire or Borough [sic] in Scotland, to sit in the House of Commons of Great Britain".
The House rejected the motion and so declared that Lord Strathnaver was ineligible to be elected an MP for Tain Burghs.
The most prominent English political figure, to represent a Scottish constituency in the 18th century, was Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
. In the 1784 general election, Fox sought re-election for the Westminster
Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Westminster was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of England to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain 1707-1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. It returned two members to 1885 and one thereafter....
constituency. Political opponents challenged Fox's election. As Westminster had the largest electorate of any English borough, the scrutiny of votes (to check that each voter had been legally qualified to participate in the election) was thought likely to take a long time. To avoid Fox being out of Parliament, until the Westminster election petition was decided, a Scottish friend arranged for him to become member for Tain Burghs.
It took until 1786 for Fox to be confirmed as a duly elected MP for Westminster. Fox then chose to represent his English constituency and the Scottish one became vacant.
Members of Parliament
| Elected | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1708 British general election, 1708 The British general election, 1708 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 2nd 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:... |
Lord Strathnaver William Gordon, Lord Strathnaver William Gordon , known by the courtesy title of Lord Strathnaver from 4 March 1703, was a Member of Parliament in Great Britain in 1708. In 1719, the family name was changed to Sutherland, when his father was recognised as the Chief of Clan Sutherland.Lord Strathnaver was the eldest son of John... |
||
| 1709 by-election | Robert Douglas | ||
| 1710 British general election, 1710 The British general election, 1710 produced a landslide victory for the Tory party in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell and the collapse of the previous Whig government lead by Godolphin and the Whig junto... |
Sir Robert Munro, Bt | Whig | |
| 1741 British general election, 1741 The British general election, 1741 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707... |
Charles Erskine | ||
| 1742 by-election | Robert Craigie Robert Craigie Robert Craigie was a Scottish politician and judge. He was baptised on March 4, 1688 and died on 10 March 1760.On 2 April 1742 he was elected Member of Parliament for the Tain Burghs constituency in northern Scotland... |
||
| 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... |
Sir Harry Munro, Bt | Whig | |
| 1761 British general election, 1761 The British general election, 1761 returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707... |
John Scott | ||
| 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:... |
Hon. Alexander Mackay | ||
| 1773 by-election | James Grant | ||
| 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... |
Charles Ross | Whig (Foxite Foxite The term Foxite generally refers to an 18th or 19th century British Whig politician who adhered to the ideals and political beliefs of Charles James Fox, the 18th century member of parliament and leader of the Whig party.... ) |
|
| 1784 British general election, 1784 The British general election of 1784 resulted in William Pitt the Younger securing an overall majority of about 120 in the House of Commons of Great Britain, having previously had to survive in a House which was dominated by his opponents.-Background:... |
Charles James Fox Charles James Fox Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger... |
Whig (Foxite Foxite The term Foxite generally refers to an 18th or 19th century British Whig politician who adhered to the ideals and political beliefs of Charles James Fox, the 18th century member of parliament and leader of the Whig party.... ) |
|
| 1786 by-election | George Ross | Whig (Foxite Foxite The term Foxite generally refers to an 18th or 19th century British Whig politician who adhered to the ideals and political beliefs of Charles James Fox, the 18th century member of parliament and leader of the Whig party.... ) |
|
| 1786 by-election | Sir Charles Lockhart-Ross, Bt | Tory (Pittite) | |
| 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... |
William Dundas William Dundas William Dundas was a Scottish politician.The son of Robert Dundas, Lord Arniston, the younger, he became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1788... |
Tory | |
| 1802 United Kingdom general election, 1802 The United Kingdom general election, 1802 was the election to the 2nd Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland... |
John Villiers John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon John Charles Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon PC , styled The Honourable until 1824, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.... |
||
| 1805 by-election | James MacDonald Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet Sir James Macdonald, 2nd Baronet was a British politician. He sat in the House of Commons between 1805 and 1832.... |
||
| 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.... |
John Randoll Mackenzie | ||
| 1808 by-election | William Henry Fremantle William Henry Fremantle Sir William Henry Fremantle GCH, PC was a British courtier and politician. He served as Treasurer of the Household from 1826 to 1837.-Background:... |
||
| 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.... |
Sir Hugh Innes, Bt | Tory | |
| 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... |
James Loch James Loch James Loch was a Scottish estate commissioner and later a Member of Parliament.-Early life:Loch was born near Edinburgh in 1780. After his father's death in 1788, he lived on the Blair Adam estate with his uncle.... |
Whig | |
| 1832 United Kingdom general election, 1832 -Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807.... |
constituency abolished | ||
Elections
The electoral system for this constituency gave each of the five burghs one vote, with an additional casting vote (to break ties) for the burgh where the election was held. The place of election rotated amongst the burghs in successive Parliaments. The vote of a burgh was exercised by a burgh commissioner, who was elected by the burgh councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s.
The primary source for the results was Stooks Smith with additional information from the History of Parliament series. For details of the books used, see the Reference section below.
The reference to some candidates as Non Partisan does not, necessarily, mean that they did not have a party allegiance. It means that the sources consulted did not specify a party allegiance.
1710s – 1720s – 1730s – 1740s – 1750s – 1760s – 1770s – 1780s – 1790s – 1800s – 1810s – 1820s – 1830s |
Elections of the 1700s
- 1708 (3 December): Strathnaver declared ineligible as the eldest son of a Peer of Scotland
Elections of the 1710s
Elections of the 1720s
Elections of the 1730s
Elections of the 1740s
- Election declared void
Elections of the 1750s
Elections of the 1760s
Elections of the 1770s
- 1773 (February): Resignation of Mackay
Elections of the 1780s
- 1786 (March): Fox chose to represent WestminsterWestminster (UK Parliament constituency)Westminster was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of England to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain 1707-1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. It returned two members to 1885 and one thereafter....
, where he had been declared duly elected in the 1784 general election, after an election petition and a prolonged scrutiny of votes
- 1786 (7 April): Ross died
Elections of the 1790s
- November 1797: Dundas appointed a Commissioner for the Affairs of India
Elections of the 1800s
- July 1804: Villiers appointed Chief Prothonotary Common Pleas of the County Palatine of Lancaster
- 1805: Villiers resigned
- Mackenzie resigned to stand for SutherlandSutherland (UK Parliament constituency)Sutherland was a 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 to 1918. It represented essentially the traditional county of Sutherland, electing one Member of Parliament...
Elections of the 1810s
Elections of the 1820s
Elections of the 1830s
- Constituency expanded and re-named in the 1832 redistribution