# Elginshire and Nairnshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Elginshire and Nairnshire was a county constituency in Scotland. From 1832 to 1918, it returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.

## Boundaries

The constituency was created in 1832 by the Scottish Reform Act 1832 by a merger of two former constituencies: Elginshire and Nairnshire. It extended to the counties of Elginshire and Nairnshire, with the exception of the burghs of Elgin, Nairn and Forres which were instead part of Inverness Burghs and Elgin Burghs.
It was replaced in 1918 by the new Moray and Nairn constituency, which included all of Elginshire and Nairnshire, including the burghs of Elgin, Nairn and Forres.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1832 | Francis Ogilvy-Grant | Tory |
| | 1834 | Francis Ogilvy-Grant | Conservative |
| | 1840 by-election | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Conservative |
| | 1868 | James Ogilvy-Grant | Conservative |
| | 1874 | Alexander Duff | Liberal |
| | 1879 by-election | Sir George Macpherson-Grant | Liberal |
| | 1886 | Charles Henry Anderson | Liberal |
| | 1889 by-election | John Seymour Keay | Liberal |
| | 1895 | John Gordon | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Archibald Williamson | Liberal |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Politics and history of the constituency

Prior to the Scottish Reform Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 65), Nairnshire was normally controlled by the Dukes of Argyll or Campbells, the number of voters varying between 15 and 30. The Grants dominated Elginshire which had around 30 voters; both constituencies objected to the merger but without result.
The act increased the electorate to about 650–700; after 1832, the seat was contested only once in 1841, returning a Conservative until the Liberals took the seat in 1874.

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Francis Ogilvy-Grant | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 642 | |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Francis Ogilvy-Grant | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 690 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1837: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Francis Ogilvy-Grant | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 727 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

Ogilvy-Grant resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 25 April 1840: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1841: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | 372 | 68.3 | N/A |
| | Whig | Alexander Duff | 173 | 31.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 199 | 36.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 545 | 72.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 750 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1847: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 718 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 683 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 870 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 946 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Cumming-Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 863 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Ogilvy-Grant | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,580 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alexander Duff | 829 | 57.3 | New |
| | Conservative | James Ogilvy-Grant | 619 | 42.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 210 | 14.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,448 | 85.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,693 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
Duff succeeded to the peerage, becoming Earl of Fife.
By-election, 18 Sep 1879: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Macpherson-Grant | 959 | 57.8 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | Hugh Brodie | 701 | 42.2 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 258 | 15.6 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,660 | 88.1 | +2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,884 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Macpherson-Grant | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,891 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1885: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Macpherson-Grant | 1,612 | 35.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Hugh Fife Ashley Brodie | 1,556 | 33.8 | New |
| | Independent Liberal | Charles Henry Anderson | 1,435 | 31.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,603 | 79.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,796 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1886: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Henry Anderson | 1,991 | 51.5 | +16.5 |
| | Liberal Unionist | George Macpherson-Grant | 1,872 | 48.5 | +14.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 119 | 3.0 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,863 | 66.6 | −12.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,796 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
Anderson's death caused a by-election.
1889 Elginshire and Nairnshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Seymour Keay | 2,573 | 55.7 | +4.2 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Bowman Logan | 2,044 | 44.3 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 529 | 11.4 | +8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,617 | 79.0 | +12.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,844 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Seymour Keay | 2,523 | 56.1 | +4.6 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Cameron Gull | 1,978 | 43.9 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 545 | 12.2 | +9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,501 | 77.2 | +10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,830 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +4.6 | |
General election 1895: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Gordon | 2,147 | 51.5 | +7.6 |
| | Liberal | John Seymour Keay | 2,019 | 48.5 | −7.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 128 | 3.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,166 | 73.5 | −3.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,669 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.6 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Gordon | 2,334 | 51.9 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | Archibald Williamson | 2,159 | 48.1 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 175 | 3.8 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,493 | 75.2 | +1.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,974 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
General election 1906: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Williamson | 3,006 | 66.0 | +17.9 |
| | Conservative | Harry Hope | 1,546 | 34.0 | −17.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,460 | 32.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,552 | 79.1 | +3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,757 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +17.9 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Williamson | 2,917 | 62.7 | −3.3 |
| | Conservative | Ralph Glyn | 1,734 | 37.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,183 | 25.4 | −6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,651 | 80.9 | +1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,748 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -3.3 | |
General election December 1910: Elginshire and Nairnshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Williamson | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Liberal: Archibald Williamson
* Unionist: