# Caithness and Sutherland (UK Parliament constituency)

Caithness and Sutherland was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1997. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
The constituency was created by merging the constituencies of Caithness and Sutherland and the Dornoch and Wick components of the Wick Burghs constituency.
In 1997 the constituency was superseded by the creation of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which merged Caithness and Sutherland and the Easter Ross area of Ross, Cromarty and Skye.
Caithness and Sutherland was geographically one of the largest constituencies in the United Kingdom, as well as the most northerly constituency on the mainland (only the island constituency of Orkney and Shetland was further north).

## 1918 constituency reform

The creation of Caithness and Sutherland as a single constituency was a part of a package of boundary reform also affecting many other parts of the United Kingdom. The reform was the first since the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and its main aim was to make constituencies more equal in terms of the sizes of their electorates.

## Local government areas
### 1918 to 1975

When created the constituency covered the county of Caithness and the county of Sutherland, including the burghs of Dornoch, Thurso and Wick.

### 1975 to 1983

In 1975 counties and burghs were abolished and the constituency became an area within the Highland region. The region included two new local government districts, called Caithness and Sutherland. The Caithness district was entirely within the constituency. The Sutherland district had a small area, the Kincardine electoral division, within the Ross and Cromarty constituency.

### 1983 to 1996

Constituency boundaries were redrawn in 1983, and the Caithness and Sutherland constituency was enlarged to cover the whole of the Sutherland district.

### 1996 to 1997

In 1996 the districts were abolished and the Highland region became a unitary council area. Throughout the remainder of the life of the constituency the Highland Council had area committees representing the areas of the former districts.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1918 | Sir Leicester Harmsworth | Coalition Liberal |
| 1922 | Sir Archibald Sinclair | National Liberal |
| 1923 | Sir Archibald Sinclair | Liberal |
| 1945 | Eric Gandar Dower | Conservative |
| 1950 | Sir David Robertson | Conservative |
| 1959 | Sir David Robertson | Independent Conservative |
| 1964 | George Mackie | Liberal |
| 1966 | Robert Maclennan | Labour |
| 1981 | Robert Maclennan | SDP |
| 1988 | Robert Maclennan | Liberal Democrats |
| 1997 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |
At the time of the 1918 general election, Sir Leicester Harmsworth had been MP for the constituency of Caithness since the 1900 general election.
In the general election of 1997, Robert Maclennan was elected MP for the then new constituency of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, a seat he held until retiring from parliament at the 2001 general election.

## Election results
### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | National Liberal | Leicester Harmsworth | 6,769 | 62.6 | |
| | Liberal | Francis John Robertson | 4,036 | 37.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,733 | 25.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,785 | | |
| | National Liberal win (new seat) | National Liberal win (new seat) | National Liberal win (new seat) | National Liberal win (new seat) | National Liberal win (new seat) |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | National Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | 7,715 | 57.1 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | Leicester Harmsworth | 5,803 | 42.9 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,912 | 14.2 | −11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,518 | 60.1 | |
| | National Liberal hold | National Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1924: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1929: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | 13,462 | 73.9 | N/A |
| | Unionist | James Duncan | 3,041 | 16.7 | New |
| | Independent Labour | Charles G Oman | 1,711 | 9.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,421 | 57.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,214 | 66.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1935: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | 12,071 | 72.32 | N/A |
| | National | William Bruce | 4,621 | 27.68 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 7,650 | 44.64 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,692 | 60.06 | N/A |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Eric Gandar Dower | 5,564 | 33.5 | New |
| | Labour | Robert Ian Aonas MacInnes | 5,558 | 33.4 | New |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | 5,503 | 33.1 | −39.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 0.04 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,625 | 64.2 | +4.1 |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | David Robertson | 6,969 | 36.0 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal | Archibald Sinclair | 6,700 | 34.6 | +1.5 |
| | Labour | Alasdair MacArthur | 5,676 | 29.3 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 269 | 1.4 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,021 | 76.6 | +12.4 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election 1951: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | David Robertson | 9,814 | 49.2 | +13.2 |
| | Labour | Richard Murray | 6,799 | 34.1 | +4.8 |
| | Liberal | Peter J M McEwan | 3,299 | 16.6 | −18.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,015 | 15.14 | +14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,912 | 73.26 | +3.3 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +4.2 | |
General election 1955: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | David Robertson | 10,453 | 56.5 | +7.3 |
| | Labour | Hugh F Sutherland | 5,364 | 29.0 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal | John Stuart Mowat | 2,674 | 14.5 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,089 | 27.5 | +12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,491 | 69.5 | −3.8 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +6.1 | |
General election 1959: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Ind. Unionist | David Robertson | 12,163 | 65.3 | +8.8 |
| | Labour | Ronald Murray | 6,438 | 34.6 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,725 | 30.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,601 | 69.6 | +0.1 |
| | Ind. Unionist gain from Unionist | Ind. Unionist gain from Unionist | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | George Mackie | 7,894 | 36.1 | New |
| | Labour | John B Urquhart | 6,619 | 30.2 | −4.4 |
| | Unionist | Patrick Maitland | 4,550 | 20.8 | New |
| | Ind. Unionist | John M Young | 2,795 | 12.7 | −52.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,275 | 5.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,858 | 80.1 | +11.5 |
| | Liberal gain from Ind. Unionist | Liberal gain from Ind. Unionist | Swing | | |
General election 1966: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Maclennan | 8,308 | 39.1 | +8.9 |
| | Liberal | George Mackie | 8,244 | 38.8 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | Hamish Watt | 4,662 | 21.9 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 64 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,214 | 79.2 | −0.9 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.1 | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Maclennan | 8,768 | 36.7 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal | George Mackie | 6,063 | 25.4 | −13.4 |
| | Conservative | John M Young | 5,334 | 22.3 | +0.4 |
| | SNP | Donald G. Barr | 3,690 | 15.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,705 | 11.3 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,855 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
General election February 1974: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Maclennan | 8,574 | 36.2 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | Michael R Burnett | 6,222 | 26.2 | +0.8 |
| | Conservative | G Susan Bell | 5,104 | 21.5 | −0.8 |
| | SNP | Eric Alexander Sutherland | 3,814 | 16.1 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,352 | 10.0 | −1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,714 | 83.0 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.7 | |
General election October 1974: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Maclennan | 7,941 | 35.3 | −0.9 |
| | SNP | Eric Alexander Sutherland | 5,381 | 23.9 | +7.8 |
| | Liberal | Michael R Burnett | 4,949 | 22.0 | −4.2 |
| | Conservative | Albert McQuarrie | 4,240 | 18.8 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,560 | 11.4 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,511 | 78.1 | −4.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −4.3 | |
General election 1979: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Maclennan | 9,613 | 41.5 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard H. Wardrop | 7,074 | 30.5 | +11.7 |
| | SNP | Robin R. Shaw | 6,487 | 28.0 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,539 | 11.0 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,714 | 78.4 | +0.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −2.7 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1983: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDP | Robert Maclennan | 12,119 | 52.0 | +10.5 |
| | Conservative | Alistair M. Scouller | 5,276 | 22.7 | −7.8 |
| | Labour | Danny Carrigan | 3,325 | 14.3 | −27.2 |
| | SNP | Jim Ingram | 2,568 | 11.0 | −17.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,843 | 29.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,288 | 75.4 | −3.0 |
| | SDP gain from Labour | SDP gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1987: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | SDP | Robert Maclennan | 12,338 | 53.7 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | Robert Hamilton | 3,844 | 16.7 | −6.0 |
| | Labour | Allan Byron | 3,437 | 14.9 | +0.6 |
| | SNP | Archibal MacGregor | 2,371 | 10.3 | −0.7 |
| | Independent Liberal | William Mowat | 686 | 2.9 | New |
| | Green | Bernard Planterose | 333 | 1.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,494 | 37.0 | +7.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 23,009 | 73.6 | −1.8 |
| | SDP hold | SDP hold | Swing | +3.8 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1992: Caithness and Sutherland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Robert Maclennan | 10,032 | 45.1 | −8.6 |
| | Conservative | George Bruce | 4,667 | 20.9 | +4.2 |
| | SNP | Kerr MacGregor | 4,049 | 18.2 | +7.9 |
| | Labour | Michael F. Coyne | 3,483 | 15.6 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,365 | 24.2 | −12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,231 | 72.5 | −1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | −6.4 | |