# Perth (UK Parliament constituency)

Perth was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1918, 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005. From 1832 to 1918 it was a burgh constituency. From 1918 to 1950, and 1997 to 2005, it was a county constituency. During each of the three periods it elected one Member of Parliament (MP).

## Boundaries
### Boundaries 1832 to 1918

As created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, and first used in the 1832 general election, the constituency included the burgh of Perth and was one of two constituencies covering the county of Perth. The other was the Perthshire constituency (except that five detached parishes of the county were within the Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire constituency).
The boundaries of the constituency, as set out in the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, were-
    "From the North-western Corner of the North Inch, on the Right Bank of the River Tay, in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Mill Lead at the Boot of Balhousie; thence in a straight Line to the Bridge on the Glasgow Road over the Scouring Burn; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Water Reservoir of the Dept; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner of the Friarton Pier on the River Tay; thence across the River Tay (passing to the South of the Friarton Island) to the Point at which the same is met by the Boundary of the respective Parishes of Kinfauns and Kinnoul; thence, Northward, along the Boundary of the Parish of Kinfauns to the Point at which the several Boundaries of the Properties of Kinfauns, Kinnoul, and Barnhill meet; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of Lord Kinnoul's Lodge, at the Gate of Approach to Kinnoul Hill; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of the Enclosure of the Lunatic Asylum; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Annatty Burn crosses the Blairgowrie Road; thence down the Annatty Burn to the Point at which the same joins the River Tay; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described."
Prior to the 1832 general election, the county (including the detached parishes) had been covered by the Perthshire constituency and Perth Burghs. Perth Burghs consisted of the burgh of Perth and burghs in the county of Fife and the county of Forfar.
The 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used also in the general elections of 1835, 1837, 1841, 1847, 1852, 1857, 1859, 1865, 1868, 1874 and 1880.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the Perthshire constituency to create Eastern Perthshire and Western Perthshire. There was no change to the boundaries of the Perth constituency. Therefore, the 1832 boundaries of the Perth constituency were used again in the general elections of 1885, 1886, 1892, 1895, 1900, 1906, January 1910 and December 1910.

### Boundaries 1918 to 1950

By 1918 county boundaries had been redefined under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and, in creating new constituency boundaries, the Representation of the People Act 1918 took account of new local government boundaries. The Perth constituency became one of two county constituencies covering the county of Perth and the county of Kinross, and was first used as such in the 1918 general election. The other constituency was Kinross and West Perthshire.
The Perth constituency was defined as consisting of the burghs of Abernethy, Alyth, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Perth, and Rattray in the county of Perth and the Blairgowrie and Perth districts of the county, and the same boundaries were used for the general elections of 1922, 1923, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935 and 1945.
For the 1950 general election the constituency was replaced by the Perth and East Perthshire constituency, which was defined by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949 to have exactly the same boundaries as the former Perth constituency.

### 1997 to 2005

For the 1997 general election Perth was recreated, and was a constituency entirely within the Perth and Kinross council area, which had been established the year before, under the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. The council area was otherwise covered by North Tayside to the north, which also covered part of the Angus council area, Angus to the east, which also covered part of the Angus council area and part of the Dundee City council area, and Ochil to the south, which also covered the Clackmannanshire council area and part of the Stirling council area.
The same boundaries were used for the 2001 general election.
For the 2005 general election, the Perth constituency was largely replaced by Ochil and South Perthshire, covering the Clackmannanshire council area and a southern portion of the Perth and Kinross council area. Perth and North Perthshire was created to cover the rest of the Perth and Kinross council area.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1832–1918

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1832 | Laurence Oliphant | Whig |
| 1837 | Arthur Kinnaird | Whig |
| 1839 by-election | David Greig | Whig |
| 1841 | Hon. Fox Maule | Whig |
| 1852 by-election | Arthur Kinnaird | Whig |
| 1859 | Arthur Kinnaird | Liberal |
| 1878 by-election | Charles Stuart Parker | Liberal |
| 1885 | Charles Stuart Parker | Independent Liberal |
| 1886 | Charles Stuart Parker | Liberal |
| 1892 | William Whitelaw | Conservative |
| 1895 | Robert Wallace | Liberal |
| 1907 by-election | Sir Robert Pullar | Liberal |
| 1910 (January) | Frederick Whyte | Liberal |
| 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

### MPs 1918–1950

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1918 | William Young | Coalition Liberal | Previously MP for East Perthshire |
| 1922 | Noel Skelton | Unionist |
| 1923 | Robert Macgregor Mitchell | Liberal |
| 1924 | Noel Skelton | Unionist | From 1931, MP for the Combined Scottish Universities |
| 1931 | Mungo Murray | Unionist | Later 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield |
| 1935 by-election | Francis Norie-Miller | National Liberal |
| 1935 | Sir Thomas Hunter | Unionist |
| 1945 | Alan Gomme-Duncan | Unionist | Subsequently, MP for Perth and East Perthshire |
| 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

### MPs 1997–2005

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| 1997 | Roseanna Cunningham | Scottish National Party | previously MP for Perth and Kinross |
| 2001 | Annabelle Ewing | Scottish National Party | daughter of Winnie Ewing |
| 2005 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results
### 1832 to 1918

General Election 1832: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Laurence Oliphant | 458 | 69.1 |
| | Whig | Patrick Crichton-Stuart | 205 | 30.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 253 | 38.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 663 | 85.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 780 | |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
General Election 1835: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Laurence Oliphant | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 874 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General Election 1837: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Arthur Kinnaird | 355 | 65.4 |
| | Conservative | Patrick Murray Threipland | 188 | 34.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 167 | 30.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 543 | 60.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 900 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Kinnaird's resignation caused a by-election.
By-election, 19 August 1839: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | David Greig (MP) | 9 | 100.0 | N/A |
| | Whig | Laurence Oliphant | 0 | 0.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9 | 100.0 | +69.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9 | c. 1.0 | c. −59.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 900 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |
General Election 1841: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Fox Maule | 356 | 61.1 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | William Fechney Black | 227 | 38.9 | +4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 129 | 22.2 | −8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 583 | 53.9 | −6.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,082 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −4.3 | |
Maule was appointed Secretary at War, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 11 July 1846: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Fox Maule | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General Election 1847: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Fox Maule | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,030 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Maule was appointed President of the Board of Control, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 9 February 1852: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Fox Maule | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Maule succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Panmure and causing a by-election.
By-election, 15 May 1852: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Arthur Kinnaird | 325 | 59.1 | N/A |
| | Radical | Charles Gilpin | 225 | 40.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 100 | 18.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 550 | 53.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,034 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1852: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Arthur Kinnaird | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,034 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1857: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Arthur Kinnaird | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 947 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1859: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Kinnaird | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 966 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1865: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Kinnaird | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 982 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1868: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Kinnaird | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,801 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election 1874: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Kinnaird | 1,648 | 63.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Charles Scott | 940 | 36.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 708 | 27.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,588 | 67.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,863 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
Kinnaird succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Kinnaird.
By-election, 29 Jan 1878: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Stuart Parker | 2,206 | 72.1 | +8.4 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Mackie | 855 | 27.9 | −8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,351 | 44.2 | +16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,061 | 72.5 | +5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,224 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
General election 1880: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Stuart Parker | 2,315 | 74.9 | +11.2 |
| | Conservative | David Robertson Williamson | 774 | 25.1 | −11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,541 | 49.8 | +22.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,089 | 77.2 | +10.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,000 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +11.2 | |
General election 1885: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Liberal | Charles Stuart Parker | 1,652 | 44.4 | −30.5 |
| | Conservative | John Chisholm | 1,099 | 29.6 | +4.5 |
| | Liberal | Alexander Macdougall junior | 967 | 26.0 | −48.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 553 | 14.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,718 | 85.1 | +7.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,369 | | |
| | Independent Liberal gain from Liberal | Independent Liberal gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1886: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Charles Stuart Parker | 1,573 | 58.4 | +32.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | William Fowler | 1,120 | 41.6 | +12.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 453 | 16.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,693 | 61.6 | −23.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,369 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Independent Liberal | Liberal gain from Independent Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1892: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Whitelaw | 1,398 | 40.2 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | Charles Stuart Parker | 1,171 | 33.7 | −24.7 |
| | Perth Liberal and Radical Association | James Woollen | 907 | 26.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 227 | 6.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,476 | 81.3 | +19.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,274 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +11.7 | |
General election 1895: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Wallace | 2,137 | 54.8 | +21.1 |
| | Conservative | William Whitelaw | 1,763 | 45.2 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 374 | 9.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,900 | 87.5 | +6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,456 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.1 | |
General election 1900: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Wallace | 2,171 | 54.3 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | William Whitelaw | 1,827 | 45.7 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 344 | 8.6 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,998 | 82.0 | −5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,873 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −0.5 | |
General election 1906: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Wallace | 2,875 | 60.6 | +6.3 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Chapman | 1,867 | 39.4 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,008 | 21.2 | +12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,742 | 87.8 | +5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,398 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +6.3 | |
By-election, Perth 1907 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Pullar | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
General election January 1910: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick Whyte | 2,841 | 57.5 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Chapman | 2,103 | 42.5 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 738 | 15.0 | −6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,944 | 91.0 | +3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,433 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | −3.1 | |
General election December 1910: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Frederick Whyte | 2,852 | 60.3 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative | Charles Telfer-Smollett | 1,878 | 39.7 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 974 | 20.6 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,730 | 85.8 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 5,514 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.8 | |

### 1918 to 1950

General election 1918: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Liberal | William Young | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||
General election 1922: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Noel Skelton | 11,387 | 46.3 | New |
| | Liberal | William Henderson | 5,874 | 23.9 | N/A |
| | Labour | William Westwood | 4,651 | 18.9 | New |
| | National Liberal | William Robert Gourlay | 2,689 | 10.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,513 | 22.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,601 | 71.1 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,590 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1923: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert MacGregor Mitchell | 12,655 | 53.2 | +29.3 |
| | Unionist | Noel Skelton | 11,134 | 46.8 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,521 | 6.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,789 | 68.7 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,635 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Unionist | Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | +14.4 | |
General election 1924: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Noel Skelton | 13,022 | 49.4 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal | Robert MacGregor Mitchell | 7,998 | 30.4 | −22.8 |
| | Labour | Cameron Roberts | 5,316 | 20.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,024 | 19.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,336 | 75.3 | +6.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,992 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.7 | |
General election 1929: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Noel Skelton | 14,229 | 40.4 | −9.0 |
| | Liberal | Francis Norie-Miller | 12,699 | 36.1 | +5.7 |
| | Labour | Helen E Gault | 8,291 | 23.5 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,530 | 4.3 | −14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,219 | 76.7 | +1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 45,923 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −7.4 | |

### 1930s

General election 1931: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Mungo Murray | 19,254 | 50.2 | +9.8 |
| | Liberal | Francis Norie-Miller | 15,396 | 40.1 | +4.0 |
| | Labour | Helen E Gault | 3,705 | 9.7 | −14.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,858 | 10.1 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,355 | 81.4 | +4.7 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
1935 Perth by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Francis Norie-Miller | 17,516 | 68.7 | +18.5 |
| | Labour | Adam McKinlay | 7,984 | 31.3 | +21.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,532 | 37.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,500 | | |
| | National Liberal gain from Unionist | National Liberal gain from Unionist | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Thomas Hunter | 23,011 | 73.7 | +23.5 |
| | Labour | Robert Gunn | 8,209 | 26.3 | +16.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,802 | 47.4 | +37.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,220 | 64.1 | −17.3 |
| | Unionist gain from National Liberal | Unionist gain from National Liberal | Swing | | |

### 1940s

General election 1945: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Alan Gomme-Duncan | 22,484 | 63.1 | −10.6 |
| | Labour | William Hughes | 11,617 | 32.6 | +6.3 |
| | SNP | James Blair Brown | 1,547 | 4.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,867 | 30.5 | −16.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,648 | 65.7 | +1.6 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | -8.5 | |

### 1997 to 2005

General election 1997: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Roseanna Cunningham | 16,209 | 36.4 | |
| | Conservative | John Godfrey | 13,068 | 29.3 | |
| | Labour | Douglas Alexander | 11,036 | 24.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Chic Brodie | 3,583 | 8.0 | |
| | Referendum | Robert McAuley | 366 | 0.8 | |
| | UKIP | Matthew Henderson | 289 | 0.6 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,141 | 7.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,551 | 73.9 | |
| | SNP win (new seat) | SNP win (new seat) | SNP win (new seat) | SNP win (new seat) | SNP win (new seat) |
General election 2001: Perth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SNP | Annabelle Ewing | 11,237 | 29.7 | −6.7 |
| | Conservative | Liz Smith | 11,189 | 29.6 | +0.3 |
| | Labour | Marion Dingwall | 9,638 | 25.5 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Vicki Harris | 4,853 | 12.8 | +4.8 |
| | Scottish Socialist | Frank Byrne | 899 | 2.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 0.1 | −7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,816 | 61.5 | −12.4 |
| | SNP hold | SNP hold | Swing | -7.0 | |