Perth (UK Parliament constituency)

Perth was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918, 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005. From 1832 to 1918 it was a burgh constituency. From 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005, it was a county constituency. During each of the three periods it elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

Boundaries

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Perth
Type = Burgh
Year = 1832
Abolition = 1918

1832 to 1918

As created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, and first used in the 1832 general election, the constituency included the burgh of Perth and was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth. The other was the Perthshire constituency (except that five detached parishes of the county were within the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency"Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972" (ISBN 0-900178-09-4), F. W. S. Craig 1972] ).

Prior to the 1832 general election, the county (including the detached parishes) had been covered by the Perthshire constituency and Perth Burghs. Perth Burghs consisted of the burgh of Perth and burghs in the county of Fife and the county of Forfar.

The 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used also in the general elections of 1835, 1837, 1841, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1874 and 1880.

The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the Perthshire constituency to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire. There was no change to the boundaries of the Perth constituency. Therefore the 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used again in the general elections of 1885, 1886, 1892, 1895, 1900, 1906, January 1910 and December 1910.

1918 to 1950

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Perth
Type = County
Year = 1918
Abolition = 1950

By 1918 county boundaries had been redefined under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and, in creating new constituency boundaries, the Representation of the People Act 1918 took account of new local government boundaries. The Perth constituency became one of two county counstituencies covering the county of Perth and the county of Kinross, and was first used as such in the 1818 general election. The other constituency was Kinross and West Perthshire.

The Perth constituency was defined as consisting of the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Perth, and Rattray in the county of Perth and the Blairgowrie and Perth districts of the county, and the same boundaries were used for the general elections of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945.

For the 1950 general election the constituency was replaced by the Perth and East Perthshire constituency, which was defined by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 to have exactly the same boundaries as the former Perth constituency.

1997 to 2005

UK former constituency infobox
Name = Perth
Type = County
Year = 1997
Abolition = 2005

For the 1997 general election Perth was recreated,and was a constituency entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, which had been established the year before, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1994/Ukpga_19940039_en_1.htm "Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994", Office of Public Sector Information website] ] The council area was otherwise covered by North Tayside to the north, which also covered part of the Angus council area, Angus to the east, which also covered part of the Angus council area and part of the Dundee City council area, and Ochil to the south, which also covered the Clackmannanshire council area and part of the Stirling council area.

The same boundaries were used for the 2001 general election.

For the 2005 general election, the Perth constituency was largely replaced by Ochil and South Perthshire, covering the Clackmannanshire council area and a southern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area. Perth and North Perthshire was created to cover the rest of the Perth and Kinross council area. [ [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ "5th Periodical Report", Boundary Commission for Scotland website] , retrieved 10 August 2007]

Member of Parliament

1832 to 1918

*1832 Laurence Oliphant
*1837 Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, later Baron Kinnaird
*1839 David Greig
*1841 Fox Maule, later Earl of Dalhousie
*1852 Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, later Baron Kinnaird
*1878 Charles Stuart Parker
*1892 William Whitelaw
*1895 Robert Wallace
*1907 Sir Robert Pullar
*1910 Alexander Frederick Whyte Liberal

1918 to 1950

*1918 William Young
*1922 Noel Skelton Unionist
*1923 Robert Macgregor Mitchell
*1924 Noel Skelton Unionist
*1931 Lord Scone Conservative
*1935 Francis Norie-Miller Liberal
*1935 Sir Thomas Hunter
*1945 Alan Gomme-Duncan, subsequently MP for Perth and East Perthshire

1997 to 2005

*1997 Roseanna Cunningham, Scottish National Party, previously MP for Perth and Kinross
*2001 Annabelle Ewing, Scottish National Party

Election results

1832 to 1918

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Charles Stuart Parker
votes = 1,652
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = John Chisholm
votes = 1,099
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Alexander Macdougall junior
votes = 967
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Charles Stuart Parker
votes = 1,573
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Unionist Party
candidate = William Fowler
votes = 1,120
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Robert Wallace KC
votes = 2,875
percentage = 60.6
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Samuel Chapman
votes = 1,867
percentage = 39.4
change =

1918 to 1950

Election box candidate with party link
party = Coalition Liberal
candidate = William Young
votes = unopposed
percentage =
change =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Lord Scone
votes = 19,254
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Party (UK)
candidate = Francis Norie-Miller
votes = 15,396
percentage =
change = Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Mrs H. Gault
votes = 3,705
percentage =
change =

1997 to 2005

Election box begin
title=General Election 2001: PerthElection box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Annabelle Ewing
votes = 11,237
percentage = 29.7
change = −6.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Liz Smith
votes = 11,189
percentage = 29.6
change = +0.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Labour Party (UK)
candidate = Marion Dingwall
votes = 9,638
percentage = 25.5
change = +0.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Liberal Democrats (UK)
candidate = Vicki Harris
votes = 4,853
percentage = 12.8
change = +4.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Frank Byrne
votes = 899
percentage = 2.4
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 48
percentage = 0.1
change = Election box turnout
votes = 37,816
percentage = 61.5
change = −12.4Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish National Party
swing =

See also

Notes and references