Tain Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

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).

Tain Burghs
Former district of Burghs constituency for the House of Commons
Major settlements	Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain, Wick
1708–1832
Seats	One
Created from	Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain, Wick
Replaced by	Wick Burghs

Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland burgh constituencies of Tain, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall and Wick which had all been separately represented with one commissioner each in the former Parliament of Scotland. 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.

Boundaries

The constituency was a district of burghs representing the Royal burghs of Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick.

In 1832 the constituency was replaced by Wick Burghs and Cromarty was added to the district.^[1]

History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished for the 1832 general election.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

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 After counsel had withdrawn a question was formulated and put to a vote.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 Burghs] 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

Members of Parliament

Elected		Member	Party
	1708	Lord Strathnaver
	1709 by-election	Robert Douglas
	1710	Sir Robert Munro, Bt	Whig
	1741	Charles Erskine
	1742 by-election	Robert Craigie
	1747	Sir Harry Munro, Bt	Whig
	1761	John Scott
	1768	Hon. Alexander Mackay
	1773 by-election	James Grant
	1780	Charles Ross	Whig (Foxite)
	1784	Charles James Fox	Whig (Foxite)
	1786 by-election	George Ross	Whig (Foxite)
	1786 by-election	Sir Charles Lockhart-Ross, Bt	Tory (Pittite)
	1796	William Dundas	Tory
	1802	John Villiers
	1805 by-election	James MacDonald
	1806	John Randoll Mackenzie
	1808 by-election	William Fremantle
	1812	Sir Hugh Innes, Bt	Tory
	1830	James Loch	Whig
	1832	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 councillors.

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

General election 26 May 1708: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Lord Strathnaver	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan gain from new seat		Swing	N/A

• 1708 (3 December): Strathnaver declared ineligible as the eldest son of a Peer of Scotland

By-Election 5 May 1709: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Douglas[9]	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1710s

General election 27 October 1710: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Nonpartisan		Swing	N/A

General election 1713: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1715: Tain Burghs (election at Wick)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1720s

General election 1722: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Elected	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Robert Gordon	Defeated	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1727: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1730s

General election 1734: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Robert Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1740s

General election 28 May 1741: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Charles Erskine	Elected	N/A	N/A
	Whig	Robert Munro	Defeated	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

• Election declared void

By-Election 2 April 1742: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Robert Craigie	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

General election 22 July 1747: Tain Burghs (election at Wick)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Harry Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Nonpartisan		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1750s

General election 9 May 1754: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Harry Munro	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1760s

General election 20 April 1761: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Scott	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan gain from Whig		Swing	N/A

General election 11 April 1768: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	Alexander Mackay	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1770s

• 1773 (February): Resignation of Mackay

By-Election 26 April 1773: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	James Grant	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

General election 31 October 1774: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	James Grant	3 Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall	60.0	N/A
	Nonpartisan	Adam Fergusson	2 Tain, Wick	40.0	N/A
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1780s

General election 2 October 1780: Tain Burghs (election at Wick)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles Ross	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Nonpartisan		Swing	N/A

General election 26 April 1784: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Charles James Fox	3 Dingwall, Kirkwall, Tain	60.0	N/A
	Tory	John Sinclair	2 Dornoch, Wick	40.0	N/A
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

• 1786 (March): Fox chose to represent Westminster, where he had been declared duly elected in the 1784 general election, after an election petition and a prolonged scrutiny of votes

By-Election 15 March 1786: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	George Ross	3 Dingwall, Kirkwall, Tain	60.0	N/A
	Tory	James Riddell	2 Dornoch, Wick	40.0	N/A
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

• 1786 (7 April): Ross died

By-Election 30 June 1786: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Lockhart-Ross	3 Dornoch, Tain, Wick	60.0	+20.0
	Whig	Charles Ross	2 Dingwall, Kirkwall	40.0	−20.0
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing	+20.0 (W to T)

Elections of the 1790s

General election 12 July 1790: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Charles Lockhart-Ross	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

General election 20 June 1796: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Dundas	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

• November 1797: Dundas appointed a Commissioner for the Affairs of India

By-Election 1797: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Dundas	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1800s

General election 30 July 1802: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Villiers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

By-Election 1804: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Villiers	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

• July 1804: Villiers appointed Chief Prothonotary Common Pleas of the County Palatine of Lancaster
• 1805: Villiers resigned

By-Election 26 June 1805: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	James MacDonald	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

General election 24 November 1806: Tain Burghs (election at Wick)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Mackenzie (MP)	3	60.0	N/A
	Nonpartisan	John Sinclair[10]	2	40.0	N/A
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1807: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	John Mackenzie (MP)	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

• Mackenzie resigned to stand for Sutherland

By-Election 7 May 1808: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nonpartisan	William Fremantle	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Nonpartisan hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1810s

General election 30 October 1812: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hugh Innes	3	60.0	New
	Nonpartisan	Charles Lockhart-Ross	2	40.0	N/A
Majority			1	20.0	N/A
Turnout			5	100.0	N/A
	Tory gain from Nonpartisan		Swing	N/A

General election 1818: Tain Burghs (election at Dingwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hugh Innes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1820s

General election 1820: Tain Burghs (election at Dornoch)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hugh Innes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

General election 1826: Tain Burghs (election at Wick)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Hugh Innes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Tory hold		Swing	N/A

Elections of the 1830s

General election 23 August 1830: Tain Burghs (election at Kirkwall)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	James Loch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig gain from Tory		Swing	N/A

General election 1831: Tain Burghs (election at Tain)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	James Loch	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Whig hold		Swing	N/A

• Constituency expanded and re-named in the 1832 redistribution

See also

Notes

1. British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885
2. "Tain Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
3. "Tain Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
4. "Tain Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1754-1790). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
5. "Tain Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1790-1820). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
6. "Tain Burghs". History of Parliament Online (1820-1832). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
7. The Parliaments of England has a footnote about the 1708 election dispute
8. House of Commons 1754-1790
9. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/constituencies/tain-%28northern%29-burghs
10. It is presumed that the John Sinclair, who unsuccessfully contested this constituency in 1806, was the politician who served in the House of Commons in the previous and subsequent Parliaments. There were, however, three other contemporary baronets of the same name.

References

• British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
• History of Parliament: House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and James Brooke (Sidgwick & Jackson 1964)
• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (first edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "T" (part 1)