# Kilmarnock Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

Kilmarnock Burghs was a district of burghs 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.
Kilmarnock county constituency was created when the district of burghs constituency was abolished.

## Boundaries

The constituency consisted of five parliamentary burghs: Kilmarnock in the county of Ayr, Dumbarton in the county of Dumbarton, Rutherglen in the county of Lanark and Renfrew and Port Glasgow in the county of Renfrew.
The Kilmarnock burgh was previously within the Ayrshire constituency and Port Glasgow was previously within the Renfrewshire constituency. Dumbarton, Rutherglen and Renfrew were transferred from Glasgow Burghs.
In 1918 the burgh of Kilmarnock was merged into the then new Kilmarnock county constituency, which included areas previously within North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. The new Kilmarnock constituency consisted of "The county district of Kilmarnock, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except in so far as included in the Ayr District of Burghs." The burgh of Dumbarton was transferred to Dumbarton Burghs, the burgh of Port Glasgow was merged into West Renfrewshire, the burgh of Renfrew into East Renfrewshire and the burgh of Rutherglen into the Rutherglen constituency.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1832 | John Dunlop | Whig |
| | 1835 | John Bowring | Radical |
| | 1837 | John Campbell Colquhoun | Conservative |
| | 1841 | Alexander Johnston | Whig |
| | May 1844 by-election | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Whig |
| | 1859 | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Liberal |
| | Feb 1874 | James Fortescue Harrison | Liberal |
| | 1880 | John Dick Peddie | Liberal |
| | 1885 | Peter Sturrock | Conservative |
| | 1886 | Stephen Williamson | Liberal |
| | 1895 | John McAusland Denny | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Adam Rolland Rainy | Liberal |
| | 1911 by-election | Will Gladstone | Liberal |
| | 1915 by-election | Alexander Shaw | Liberal |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished: see Kilmarnock | constituency abolished: see Kilmarnock |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1832: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Dunlop | 535 | 50.3 |
| | Whig | James Campbell | 528 | 49.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7 | 0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,063 | 92.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,155 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
General election 1835: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Radical | John Bowring | 520 | 54.8 | N/A |
| | Whig | John Dunlop | 276 | 29.1 | −21.2 |
| | Conservative | Robert Downie | 153 | 16.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 244 | 25.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 949 | 75.3 | −16.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,261 | | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1837: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Campbell Colquhoun | 509 | 53.7 | +37.6 |
| | Radical | John Bowring | 438 | 46.3 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 71 | 7.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 947 | 65.3 | −10.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,451 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | +23.1 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Alexander Johnston | 490 | 50.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Campbell Colquhoun | 479 | 49.4 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 969 | 76.8 | +11.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,262 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
Johnston's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 29 May 1844: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | 389 | 44.9 | −5.7 |
| | Conservative | Henry Thoby Prinsep | 379 | 43.8 | −5.6 |
| | Chartist | Henry Vincent | 98 | 11.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10 | 1.1 | −0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 866 | 67.2 | −9.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,289 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −0.1 | |
General election 1847: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,243 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | 558 | 64.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | James Archibald Campbell | 302 | 35.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 256 | 29.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 860 | 62.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,380 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 7 April 1855: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Pleydell-Bouverie was appointed President of the Poor Law Board, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 16 August 1855: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1857: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,414 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1859: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,449 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,645 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1868: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | 2,892 | 57.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Edwin Chadwick | 1,148 | 22.8 | N/A |
| | Independent Liberal | Robert Thomson | 999 | 19.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,744 | 34.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,039 | 77.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,531 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Fortescue Harrison | 3,316 | 52.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Edward Pleydell-Bouverie | 3,019 | 47.7 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 297 | 4.6 | −30.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,335 | 79.0 | +1.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,020 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Dick Peddie | 3,320 | 49.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | John Neilson Cuthbertson | 2,005 | 29.9 | New |
| | Independent Liberal | Robert Malcolm Kerr | 1,384 | 20.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,315 | 19.6 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,709 | 87.1 | +8.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,700 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1885: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Sturrock | 3,645 | 40.2 | +10.3 |
| | Liberal | John Dick Peddie | 3,513 | 38.7 | −10.8 |
| | Independent Liberal | John Dalrymple | 1,862 | 20.5 | −0.1 |
| | Ind. Conservative | John Steven Storr | 55 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 132 | 1.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,075 | 86.6 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,475 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +11.6 | |
General election 1886: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Stephen Williamson | 4,664 | 55.2 | +16.5 |
| | Conservative | Peter Sturrock | 3,870 | 44.8 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 884 | 10.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,444 | 80.6 | −6.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,475 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.0 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Stephen Williamson | 5,110 | 54.1 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | Charles Dickson | 4,335 | 45.9 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 775 | 8.2 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,445 | 84.2 | +3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,216 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -1.1 | |
General election 1895: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Denny | 5,432 | 51.8 | +5.9 |
| | Liberal | Stephen Williamson | 5,051 | 48.2 | −5.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 381 | 3.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,483 | 87.2 | +3.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,027 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Denny | 6,076 | 51.6 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal | Adam Rainy | 5,692 | 48.4 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 384 | 3.2 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,768 | 86.4 | −0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,621 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.2 | |
General election 1906: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Adam Rainy | 8,268 | 59.0 | +10.6 |
| | Conservative | Thomas W McIntyre | 5,743 | 41.0 | −10.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,525 | 18.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,011 | 87.4 | +1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,024 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.6 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Adam Rainy | 8,937 | 61.1 | +2.1 |
| | Conservative | John James Bell | 5,701 | 38.9 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,236 | 22.2 | +4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,638 | 88.9 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.1 | |
General election December 1910: Kilmarnock Burghs :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Adam Rainy | 8,657 | 60.9 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | James Buyers Black | 5,569 | 39.1 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,088 | 21.8 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,226 | 86.4 | −2.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
Kilmarnock Burghs by-election, 1911 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Will Gladstone | 6,923 | 48.3 | −12.6 |
| | Conservative | John Rees | 4,637 | 32.4 | −6.7 |
| | Labour | Thomas McKerrell | 2,761 | 19.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,286 | 15.9 | −5.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,321 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -3.0 | |
Kilmarnock Burghs by-election, 1915 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alexander Shaw | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |