# Aberdeen and Kincardine Central (UK Parliament constituency)

Aberdeen and Kincardine Central, also known as Central Aberdeenshire, was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

## History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918 and first used in the 1918 general election. It was abolished in 1950. For most of its existence, this was a Unionist seat.

## Boundaries

Aberdeen and Kincardine Central was entirely within the county of Aberdeen and was one of six constituencies covering that county, the county of city of Aberdeen and the county of Kincardine. The rest of the county of Aberdeen was covered by the county constituencies of Aberdeen and Kincardine East, which was also entirely within that county, and Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire, which covered the county of Kincardine minus burghs covered by Montrose Burghs, and part of the county of Aberdeen. The county of city of Aberdeen was covered by the burgh constituencies of Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South, which were both entirely within the county of city area. Aberdeen and Kincardine Central consisted of the burghs of Ellon, Huntly, Inverurie, Kintore and Oldmeldrum, and the districts of Aberdeen, Ellon, Garioch and Huntly.
The same boundaries were used in the 1922 general election, the 1923 general election, the 1924 general election, the 1929 general election, the 1931 general election, the 1935 general election and the 1945 general election.
Prior to the 1918 boundary reforms, the county of Aberdeen had been covered, nominally, by the four constituencies of East Aberdeenshire, West Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen North, and Aberdeen South, and the county of Kincardine had been covered, nominally, by the Kincardineshire constituency. This arrangement dated from 1885, however, and predated both the redefinition of counties as local government areas, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, and the creation of the county of city of Aberdeen in 1900. 1918 constituency boundaries took account of new local government boundaries.
New constituency boundaries were drawn for the 1950 general election. Aberdeen and Kincardine Central was abolished and its area was divided between the new constituency of North Angus and Mearns and a new West Aberdeenshire. North Angus and Mearns was created to cover the county of Kincardine and part of the county of Angus. The new West Aberdeenshire was entirely within the county of Aberdeen, but boundaries differed from those of the earlier constituency of that name. The county of Aberdeen was then otherwise covered by East Aberdeenshire, and the county of city of Aberdeen was again covered by Aberdeen North and Aberdeen South.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Alexander Theodore Gordon | Coalition Conservative |
| 1919 by-election | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | Liberal |
| 1924 | Sir Robert Smith | Unionist |
| 1945 | Henry Spence | Unionist |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | Alexander Theodore Gordon | 6,546 | 52.6 | |
| | Liberal | John Henderson | 5,908 | 47.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 638 | 5.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,454 | 47.3 | |
| | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) | Unionist win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
1919 Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire Central by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 4,950 | 37.5 | −9.9 |
| C | Unionist | Leybourne Francis Watson Davidson | 4,764 | 36.1 | −16.5 |
| | Labour | Joseph Forbes Duncan | 3,482 | 26.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 186 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,196 | 50.1 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +3.3 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 9,779 | 60.1 | +22.6 |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 6,481 | 39.9 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,298 | 20.2 | +18.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,260 | 56.9 | +6.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +9.4 | |
General election 1923: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 9,818 | 53.6 | −6.5 |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 8,507 | 46.4 | +6.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,311 | 7.2 | −13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,325 | 64.7 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -6.5 | |
General election 1924: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 9,130 | 44.4 | −2.0 |
| | Liberal | Murdoch McKenzie Wood | 7,639 | 37.2 | −16.4 |
| | Labour | J. Newman | 3,791 | 18.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,491 | 7.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,560 | 71.7 | +7.0 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.2 | |
General election 1929: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 10,773 | 43.6 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal | Frederick Martin | 9,540 | 38.7 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Arthur Fraser Macintosh | 4,357 | 17.7 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,233 | 4.9 | −2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,670 | 63.0 | −8.7 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -1.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 16,501 | 56.4 | +12.8 |
| | Liberal | Reginald Berkeley | 12,758 | 43.6 | +4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,743 | 12.8 | +7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,259 | 76.8 | +14.8 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +3.9 | |
General election 1935: Aberdeen and Kincardine Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Robert Smith | 14,697 | 55.0 | −1.4 |
| | Labour | Gordon Stott | 6,128 | 22.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Russell Thomas | 5,873 | 22.0 | −21.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,569 | 32.1 | +19.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,698 | 66.8 | −10.0 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +10.1 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General Election 1939–40
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist: Robert Smith
* Liberal: Ivor Davies
General election 1945: Aberdeenshire Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Henry Spence | 15,702 | 52.3 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | D.S. Hay | 7,997 | 26.6 | +3.7 |
| | Liberal | Ivor Davies | 6,348 | 21.1 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,705 | 25.7 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,047 | 68.6 | −2.2 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -3.2 | |