# Renfrewshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Renfrewshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 until 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885.

## Creation

The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union, 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Renfrewshire.

## Boundaries

The constituency covered the county of Renfrewshire, minus the parliamentary burgh of Renfrew throughout the 1708 to 1885 period, and minus the parliamentary burgh of Port Glasgow and the Paisley and Greenock constituencies from 1832 to 1885.
The burgh of Renfrew was a component of Glasgow Burghs until 1832, when it became a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. Port Glasgow became a parliamentary burgh in 1832, and another component of Kilmarnock Burghs.

## History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1885.
In 1885 the Renfrewshire constituency area was divided into two new constituencies: Renfrewshire Eastern and Renfrewshire Western.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1708 | Sir John Shaw | Whig |
| 1710 | Sir Robert Pollock | |
| 1722 | Thomas Cochrane | |
| 1727 | Sir John Shaw | Whig |
| 1734 | Alexander Cunninghame | |
| 1742 by-election | William Mure | |
| 1761 | Patrick Craufurd | |
| 1768 | William McDowall | |
| 1774 | John Craufurd | |
| 1780 | John Shaw-Stewart | |
| 1783 by-election | William McDowall | |
| 1786 by-election | John Shaw-Stewart | |
| 1796 | Boyd Alexander | |
| 1802 | William McDowall | |
| 1810 by-election | Archibald Speirs | |
| 1818 | John Maxwell | Whig |
| 1830 | Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 6th Baronet | Whig |
| 1837 by-election | George Houstoun | Conservative |
| 1841 | Patrick Maxwell Stewart | Whig |
| 1846 by-election | William Mure | Conservative |
| 1855 by-election | Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet | Conservative |
| 1865 | Archibald Alexander Speirs | Liberal |
| 1869 by-election | Henry Bruce | Liberal |
| 1873 by-election | Archibald Campbell | Conservative |
| 1874 | William Mure | Liberal |
| 1880 by-election | Alexander Crum | Liberal |

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

General election 1830: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Michael Shaw-Stewart | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 143 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1831: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Michael Shaw-Stewart | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 143 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Michael Shaw-Stewart | 700 | 62.9 |
| | Radical | Robert Cunninghame Bontine | 412 | 37.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 288 | 25.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,112 | 82.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,347 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1835: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Michael Shaw-Stewart | 528 | 43.3 | −19.6 |
| | Conservative | George Houstoun | 460 | 37.8 | New |
| | Radical | William Dixon | 230 | 18.9 | −18.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 68 | 5.5 | −20.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,218 | 82.3 | −0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,480 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | −0.7 | |
Shaw-Stewart's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 30 January 1837: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Houstoun | 811 | 56.0 | +18.2 |
| | Whig | John Maxwell | 637 | 44.0 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 174 | 12.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,448 | 73.2 | −9.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,979 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +8.8 | |
General election 1837: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Houstoun | 821 | 53.8 | +16.0 |
| | Whig | Houston Stewart | 704 | 46.2 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 117 | 7.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,525 | 77.1 | −5.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,979 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +6.6 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Patrick Maxwell Stewart | 959 | 50.4 | +4.2 |
| | Conservative | William Mure | 945 | 49.6 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,904 | 83.2 | +6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,289 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.2 | |
Stewart's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 9 December 1846: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Mure | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1847: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Mure | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,306 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Mure | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,450 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Mure resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 14 May 1855: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Shaw-Stewart | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Shaw-Stewart | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,649 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Michael Shaw-Stewart | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,877 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Alexander Speirs | 938 | 52.9 | New |
| | Conservative | Michael Shaw-Stewart | 836 | 47.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 102 | 5.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,774 | 77.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,276 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Alexander Speirs | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,571 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Speirs' death caused a by-election.
By-election, 25 January 1869: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Henry Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

Bruce was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Aberdare and causing a by-election.
By-election, 13 Sep 1873: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Campbell | 1,855 | 52.5 | New |
| | Liberal | William Mure | 1,677 | 47.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 178 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,532 | 80.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,385 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1874: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Mure | 1,991 | 51.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Archibald Campbell | 1,903 | 48.9 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 88 | 2.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,894 | 85.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,572 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Mure | 2,815 | 54.6 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | Archibald Campbell | 2,341 | 45.4 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 474 | 9.2 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,156 | 85.4 | +0.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 6,038 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.5 | |
Mure's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 30 Nov 1880: Renfrewshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alexander Crum | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |