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. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.
Wick Burghs | |
---|---|
Former District of Burghs constituency for the House of Commons | |
Major settlements | Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick |
1832–1918 | |
Seats | One |
Created from | Cromartyshire and Tain Burghs |
Replaced by | Caithness and Sutherland and Ross and Cromarty |
A similar constituency had been known as Tain Burghs from 1708 to 1832.
The constituency was a district of burghs representing the parliamentary burghs of Cromarty, Dingwall, Dornoch, Kirkwall, Tain and Wick.[1] Apart from Cromarty, these burghs had been previously components of Tain Burghs.[2] In 1918 Dornoch and Wick were merged into Caithness and Sutherland, Kirkwall into Orkney and Shetland and Cromarty, Dingwall and Tain into Ross and Cromarty.[3][4] The first election in Wick Burghs was in 1832. The franchise was extended to wider groups of the population than under the old system of burgh councillors electing a burgh commissioner to participate in the election. From 1832 the votes from each burgh were added together to establish the result.
Election | Member[5] | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
1832 | constituency created | ||
1832 | James Loch | Whig[6][7][8][9] | |
1852 | Samuel Laing | Radical[10] | |
1857 | Lord John Hay | Whig[11] | |
1859 | Samuel Laing | Liberal | |
1860 by-election | William Keppel, Viscount Bury | Liberal | |
1865 | Samuel Laing | Liberal | |
1868 | George Loch | Liberal | |
1872 by-election | John Pender | Liberal | |
1885 | John Macdonald Cameron | Liberal | |
1892 | Sir John Pender | Liberal Unionist | |
1896 by-election | Thomas Hedderwick | Liberal | |
1900 | Sir Arthur Bignold | Liberal Unionist | |
1910 | Robert Munro | Liberal | |
1918 | constituency abolished |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Loch | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 366 | ||||
Whig win (new seat) |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Loch | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 571 | ||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Loch | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 680 | ||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Loch | 270 | 58.8 | N/A | |
Conservative | George Dempster | 189 | 41.2 | New | |
Majority | 81 | 17.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 459 | 61.9 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 742 | ||||
Whig hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Loch | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 690 | ||||
Whig hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | Samuel Laing | 233 | 53.6 | New | |
Whig | James Loch | 202 | 46.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 31 | 7.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 435 | 62.2 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 699 | ||||
Radical gain from Whig | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Hay | 318 | 59.9 | N/A | |
Whig | Alexander Nesbitt Shaw[13] | 213 | 40.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 105 | 19.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 531 | 83.6 | +21.4 | ||
Registered electors | 635 | ||||
Whig gain from Radical | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Samuel Laing | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 657 | ||||
Liberal hold |
Laing resigned after being appointed a member of the Council of India, causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | William Keppel | Unopposed | |||
Liberal hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Samuel Laing | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 793 | ||||
Liberal hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | George Loch | 851 | 57.3 | N/A | |
Liberal | Samuel Laing | 635 | 42.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 216 | 14.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,486 | 88.8 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 1,673 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Loch resigned, causing a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Pender | 704 | 58.6 | N/A | |
Independent Liberal | Robert Reid[15][16] | 498 | 41.4 | New | |
Majority | 206 | 17.2 | +2.6 | ||
Turnout | 1,202 | 83.5 | −5.3 | ||
Registered electors | 1,439 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Pender | 857 | 54.0 | N/A | |
Liberal | James Bryce[17] | 730 | 46.0 | N/A | |
Majority | 127 | 8.0 | −6.6 | ||
Turnout | 1,587 | 88.5 | −0.3 | ||
Registered electors | 1,793 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Pender | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 1,754 | ||||
Liberal hold |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wick Radical Workingmen's Association | John Macdonald Cameron | 913 | 51.3 | New | |
Liberal | John Pender | 868 | 48.7 | N/A | |
Majority | 45 | 2.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,781 | 88.4 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 2,015 | ||||
Wick Radical Workingmen's Association gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Macdonald Cameron | 910 | 57.0 | +8.3 | |
Liberal Unionist | John Denison-Pender[20] | 686 | 43.0 | New | |
Majority | 224 | 14.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,596 | 79.2 | -9.2 | ||
Registered electors | 2,015 | ||||
Liberal gain from Wick Radical Workingmen's Association | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Unionist | John Pender | 952 | 53.6 | +10.6 | |
Liberal | John Macdonald Cameron | 825 | 46.4 | −10.6 | |
Majority | 127 | 7.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,777 | 80.5 | +1.3 | ||
Registered electors | 2,208 | ||||
Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Unionist | John Pender | 913 | 50.7 | -2.9 | |
Liberal | Thomas Hedderwick | 889 | 49.3 | +2.9 | |
Majority | 24 | 1.4 | -5.8 | ||
Turnout | 1,802 | 81.7 | +1.2 | ||
Registered electors | 2,205 | ||||
Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -2.9 |
Pender's resignation caused a by-election.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Thomas Hedderwick | 1,054 | 55.6 | +6.3 | |
Liberal Unionist | William Charles Smith | 842 | 44.4 | -6.3 | |
Majority | 212 | 11.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 1,896 | 83.3 | +1.6 | ||
Registered electors | 2,277 | ||||
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +6.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Unionist | Arthur Bignold | 1,154 | 52.6 | +1.9 | |
Liberal | Thomas Hedderwick | 1,041 | 47.4 | −1.9 | |
Majority | 113 | 5.2 | +3.8 | ||
Turnout | 2,195 | 79.9 | −1.8 | ||
Registered electors | 2,746 | ||||
Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | +1.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Unionist | Arthur Bignold | 1,362 | 51.8 | -0.8 | |
Liberal | William Thomson | 1,266 | 48.2 | +0.8 | |
Majority | 96 | 3.6 | -1.6 | ||
Turnout | 2,628 | 91.0 | +11.1 | ||
Registered electors | 2,887 | ||||
Liberal Unionist hold | Swing | -0.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Munro | 1,537 | 54.9 | +6.7 | |
Liberal Unionist | Arthur Bignold | 1,262 | 45.1 | -6.7 | |
Majority | 275 | 9.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 2,799 | 92.7 | +1.7 | ||
Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist | Swing | +6.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Munro | 1,515 | 53.7 | -1.2 | |
Liberal Unionist | Arthur Bignold | 1,304 | 46.3 | +1.2 | |
Majority | 211 | 7.4 | -2.4 | ||
Turnout | 2,819 | 92.8 | +0.1 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | -1.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Robert Munro | 1,577 | 58.2 | +4.5 | |
Unionist | A.G. Mackenzie | 1,134 | 41.8 | -4.5 | |
Majority | 443 | 16.4 | +9.0 | ||
Turnout | 2,711 | 87.6 | -5.2 | ||
Liberal hold | Swing | +4.5 |