# Stirlingshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Stirlingshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain and later of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1708 until 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

## 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 Stirlingshire.

## History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until the seat was abolished in 1918.
For the 1918 general election it was divided into Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire and Stirling and Clackmannan Western.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1708 | Henry Cunningham | |
| | 1710 | Sir Hugh Paterson | |
| | 1715 | Mungo Haldane | |
| | 1722 | John Graham | |
| | 1727 | Henry Cunningham | |
| | 1734 | Sir James Campbell | |
| | 1741 | Lord George Graham | |
| | 1747 | Lord Erskine | |
| | 1747 | James Campbell, later Livingstone | |
| | 1768 | Sir Thomas Dundas | |
| | 1794 | Robert Graham | |
| | 1796 | Sir George Elphinstone | |
| | 1802 | Charles Elphinstone Fleeming | |
| | 1812 | Sir Charles Edmonstone | |
| | 1821 | Henry Home-Drummond | Tory |
| | 1831 | William Ramsay | Tory |
| | 1832 | Charles Elphinstone Fleeming | Whig |
| | 1835 | William Forbes | Conservative |
| | 1838 | George Abercromby | Whig |
| | 1841 | William Forbes | Conservative |
| | 1855 | Peter Blackburn | Conservative |
| | 1865 | John Erskine | Liberal |
| | 1874 | Sir William Edmonstone | Conservative |
| | 1880 | Joseph Cheney Bolton | Liberal |
| | 1892 | William Jacks | Liberal |
| | 1895 | James McKillop | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Donald Mackenzie Smeaton | Liberal |
| | 1910 | William Chapple | Liberal |
| 1918 | 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Henry Home-Drummond | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 132 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1831: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | William Ramsay | 45 | 54.9 |
| | Whig | Charles Elphinstone Fleeming | 37 | 45.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8 | 9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 82 | 62.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 132 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1832: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Charles Elphinstone Fleeming | 995 | 68.2 | +23.1 |
| | Tory | William Forbes | 465 | 31.8 | −23.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 530 | 36.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,460 | 81.7 | +19.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,787 | | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +23.1 | |
General election 1835: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Forbes | 779 | 50.7 | +18.9 |
| | Whig | Charles Elphinstone Fleeming | 759 | 49.3 | −18.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,538 | 79.0 | −2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,948 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +18.9 | |
General election 1837: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Forbes | 859 | 50.0 | −0.7 |
| | Whig | George Abercromby | 858 | 50.0 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.0 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,717 | 81.6 | +2.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,105 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.7 | |
* After scrutiny, Forbes' election was declared void and Abercromby was declared elected

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Forbes | 1,019 | 53.2 | +3.2 |
| | Whig | Sir Michael Bruce, 7th Baronet | 895 | 46.8 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 124 | 6.4 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,914 | 82.4 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,323 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.2 | |
General election 1847: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Forbes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,398 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Forbes | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,431 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Forbes' death caused a by-election.
By-election, 5 March 1855: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Blackburn | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Blackburn | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,973 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Blackburn was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 14 March 1859: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Blackburn | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Blackburn | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,900 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Erskine | 726 | 51.2 | New |
| | Conservative | Peter Blackburn | 692 | 48.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,418 | 73.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,943 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Erskine | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,751 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Edmonstone | 1,171 | 51.0 | New |
| | Liberal | Sir William Cunningham Bruce, 9th Baronet | 1,127 | 49.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 | 2.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,298 | 81.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,837 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Cheney Bolton | 1,606 | 56.3 | +7.3 |
| | Conservative | William Edmonstone | 1,246 | 43.7 | −7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 360 | 12.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,852 | 85.7 | +4.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,328 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.3 | |
General election 1885: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Cheney Bolton | 6,454 | 62.1 | +5.8 |
| | Conservative | Hugh Shaw-Stewart | 3,938 | 37.9 | −5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,516 | 24.2 | +11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,392 | 83.2 | −2.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,486 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +5.8 | |
General election 1886: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Joseph Cheney Bolton | 5,067 | 53.7 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ernest Noel | 4,360 | 46.3 | +8.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 707 | 7.4 | −16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,427 | 75.5 | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,486 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -8.4 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Jacks | 5,296 | 50.4 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Ernest Noel | 4,550 | 43.3 | −3.0 |
| | Scottish Trades Councils | Robert Chisholm Robertson | 663 | 6.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 746 | 7.1 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,509 | 80.1 | +4.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,128 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -0.2 | |
General election 1895: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James McKillop | 5,916 | 51.9 | +8.6 |
| | Liberal | William Jacks | 5,489 | 48.1 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 427 | 3.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,405 | 79.6 | −0.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,329 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.5 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James McKillop | 6,325 | 51.2 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal | George Scott Robertson | 6,023 | 48.8 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 302 | 2.4 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,348 | 76.3 | −3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,179 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.7 | |
General election 1906: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Donald Mackenzie Smeaton | 9,475 | 62.0 | +13.2 |
| | Conservative | James Graham | 5,806 | 38.0 | −13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,669 | 24.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,281 | 80.7 | +4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 18,942 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.2 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Chapple | 10,122 | 61.2 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | Robert Horne | 6,417 | 38.8 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,705 | 22.4 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,539 | 82.1 | +1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,144 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
General election December 1910: Stirlingshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Chapple | 9,183 | 58.6 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | Robert Horne | 6,487 | 41.4 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,696 | 17.2 | −5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,670 | 77.2 | −4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 20,294 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.6 | |
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: William Chapple
* Unionist: Andrew B. King