# Dunbartonshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Dunbartonshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain (at Westminster) from 1708 to 1801 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (also Westminster) from 1801 to 1950.

## 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 Dunbartonshire .

## History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system until the seat was split in 1950.
It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

## Boundaries

The constituency was created to cover the county of Dumbarton (later Dunbarton) minus any parliamentary burgh or part thereof within the county. From 1832 to 1918, however, under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1832, the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the boundaries of counties and burghs for purposes of parliamentary representation were not necessarily those for other purposes.
The Representation of the People Act 1918 brought constituency boundaries generally into alignment with local government boundaries established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and subsequent related legislation, but there were later changes to local government boundaries which were not reflected in new constituency boundaries until 1950, the same year that the Dunbartonshire constituency was abolished, under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949.
For the period 1832 to 1918 boundary details below are nominal, and for the period 1918 to 1950 they are those applicable in 1918.
For the 1708 (first) general election and every subsequent election of the Parliament of Great Britain the Dumbartonshire constituency consisted of the county of Dumbarton minus the burgh of Dumbarton, which was a component of the Clyde Burghs constituency.
In 1801 the Parliament of Great Britain was merged with the Parliament of Ireland to form the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Dumbartonshire constituency retained its boundaries as a constituency of the Parliament of Great Britain for the 1802 (first) general election of the new parliament and for the general elections of 1806, 1807, 1812, 1818, 1820, 1826, 1830 and 1831.
Nominally, the constituency had the same boundaries for the 1832 general election, but the burgh of Dumbarton was now a component of Kilmarnock Burghs. 1832 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to December 1910.
For the 1918 general election the constituency was defined as covering the county of Dunbarton minus the burghs of Dumbarton and Clydebank, which comprised Dumbarton Burghs. 1918 boundaries were used also in all general elections up to 1945.
For the 1950 general election new constituency boundaries divided the county of Dunbarton between the East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire constituencies, both entirely within the county.

## Members of Parliament
### MPs 1708–1832

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1708 | John Campbell | |
| 1710 | John Campbell | |
| 1713 | John Campbell | |
| 1715 | John Campbell | |
| 1722 | Mungo Haldane | |
| 1725 | John Campbell | |
| 1727 | John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll | Whig |
| 1734 | John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll | Whig |
| 1741 | John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll | Whig |
| 1747 | John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll | Whig |
| 1754 | John Campbell, later Duke of Argyll | Whig |
| 1761 | Archibald Edmonstone | Tory |
| 1768 | Archibald Edmonstone | Tory |
| 1774 | Archibald Edmonstone | Tory |
| 1780 | Lord Frederick Campbell | |
| 1781 | George Elphinstone | |
| 1784 | George Elphinstone | |
| 1790 | Archibald Edmonstone | Tory |
| 1796 | William Bontine | |
| 1797 | Alexander Smollett | |
| 1799 | Sir James Colquhoun, 3rd Bt | |
| 1801 | Sir James Colquhoun, 3rd Bt | |
| 1802 | Sir James Colquhoun, 3rd Bt | |
| 1806 | Henry Glassford | |
| 1806 | Charles Edmonstone | Tory |
| 1807 | Henry Glassford | |
| 1810 | Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun | |
| 1812 | Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun | |
| 1818 | Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun | |
| 1820 | Archibald Campbell-Colquhoun | |
| 1821 | John Buchanan | |
| 1826 | John Campbell | Tory |
| 1830 | Lord Montagu Graham | Tory |
| 1831 | Lord Montagu Graham | Tory |

### MPs 1832–1950

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1832 | John Campbell Colquhoun | Whig |
| | 1835 | Alexander Dennistoun | Whig |
| | 1837 | Sir James Colquhoun, 4th Bt | Whig |
| | 1841 | Alexander Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1847 | Alexander Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1852 | Alexander Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1857 | Alexander Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1859 | Patrick Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1865 | Patrick Smollett | Conservative |
| | 1868 | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Conservative |
| | 1874 | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Conservative |
| | 1880 | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Conservative |
| | 1885 | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Conservative |
| | 1886 | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Conservative |
| | 1892 | John Sinclair | Liberal |
| | 1895 | Alexander Wylie | Conservative |
| | 1900 | Alexander Wylie | Conservative |
| | 1906 | J. D. White | Liberal |
| | 1910 (January) | J. D. White | Liberal |
| | 1910 (December) | Arthur Acland Allen | Liberal |
| | 1918 | William Raeburn | Coalition Conservative |
| | 1922 | William Raeburn | Conservative |
| | 1923 | William Martin | Labour |
| | 1924 | David Fleming | Conservative |
| | 1926 by-election | John Thom | Conservative |
| | 1929 | Willie Brooke | Labour |
| | 1931 | John Thom | Conservative |
| | 1932 by-election | Archibald Cochrane | Conservative |
| | 1935 | Archibald Cochrane | Conservative |
| | 1936 by-election | Thomas Cassells | Labour |
| | 1941 by-election | Adam McKinlay | Labour |
| | 1945 | Adam McKinlay | Labour |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency divided: see East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire | constituency divided: see East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire |

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

General election 1830: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Montagu Graham | 31 | 50.8 |
| | Whig | John Campbell Colquhoun | 30 | 49.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 61 | 84.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 72 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1831: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Montagu Graham | 28 | 54.9 | +4.1 |
| | Whig | John Campbell Colquhoun | 23 | 45.1 | −4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 9.8 | +8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51 | 70.8 | −13.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 72 | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | +4.1 | |
General election 1832: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Campbell Colquhoun | 422 | 52.9 | +3.7 |
| | Whig | James Colquhoun | 375 | 47.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 47 | 5.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 797 | 86.0 | +15.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 927 | | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +3.7 | |
General election 1835: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Alexander Dennistoun | 436 | 52.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | 399 | 47.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 4.4 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 835 | 83.6 | −2.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 999 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1837: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | James Colquhoun | 452 | 52.4 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | 411 | 47.6 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 41 | 4.8 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 863 | 75.8 | −7.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,139 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +0.2 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,212 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1847: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | 536 | 64.6 | N/A |
| | Whig | Thomas Campbell Robertson | 294 | 35.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 242 | 29.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 830 | 64.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,288 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,314 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Smollett | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,348 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Patrick Smollett | 490 | 55.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Cunninghame Bontine | 399 | 44.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 91 | 10.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 889 | 64.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,379 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Patrick Smollett | 574 | 50.0 | −5.1 |
| | Liberal | James Stirling | 574 | 50.0 | +5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 0 | 0.0 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,148 | 71.9 | +7.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,597 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −5.1 | |
A petition was lodged in this election, against Stirling, but was later withdrawn after he decided not to defend his claim to the seat, allowing Smollett to be declared duly elected.
General election 1868: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Orr-Ewing | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,156 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Orr-Ewing | 995 | 51.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John William Burns | 942 | 48.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 53 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,937 | 85.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,265 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Orr-Ewing | 1,333 | 50.2 | −1.2 |
| | Liberal | John William Burns | 1,324 | 49.8 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9 | 0.4 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,657 | 89.3 | +3.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,976 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.2 | |
General election 1885: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Orr-Ewing | 4,514 | 50.9 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal | Robert Reid | 4,357 | 48.1 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 157 | 1.8 | +1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,871 | 88.2 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,063 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.7 | |
General election 1886: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Archibald Orr-Ewing | 4,249 | 50.2 | −0.7 |
| | Liberal | Ronald Munro Ferguson | 4,217 | 49.8 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32 | 0.4 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,466 | 84.1 | −4.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,063 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.7 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Sinclair | 5,249 | 51.4 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative | Alexander Wylie | 4,956 | 48.6 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 293 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,205 | 86.6 | +2.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,789 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election 1895: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Wylie | 5,375 | 50.2 | +1.6 |
| | Liberal | John Sinclair | 5,342 | 49.8 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,717 | 87.2 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,292 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +1.6 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Wylie | 6,083 | 53.0 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal | P.R. Buchanan | 5,393 | 47.0 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 690 | 6.0 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,476 | 83.6 | −3.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,731 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 | |
General election 1906: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. D. White | 7,404 | 51.6 | +4.6 |
| | Conservative | Henry Brock | 6,937 | 48.4 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 467 | 3.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,341 | 87.8 | +4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 16,335 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.6 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. D. White | 8,640 | 53.2 | +1.6 |
| | Conservative | Henry Brock | 7,607 | 46.8 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,033 | 6.4 | +3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,247 | 88.3 | +0.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +1.6 | |
General election December 1910: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Arthur Acland Allen | 8,579 | 54.1 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | William T. Shaw | 7,267 | 45.9 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,312 | 8.2 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,846 | 84.5 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +0.9 | |
General election 1918: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| C | Unionist | William Raeburn | 12,765 | 55.8 | +9.9 |
| | Labour | William Martin | 7,072 | 30.9 | New |
| | Liberal | Arthur Acland Allen | 3,048 | 13.3 | −40.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,693 | 24.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,885 | 66.8 | −17.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 34,284 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +25.4 | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Raeburn | 13,407 | 50.4 | −5.4 |
| | Labour | William Martin | 13,216 | 49.6 | +18.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 191 | 0.8 | −24.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,623 | 69.0 | +2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,559 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −12.1 | |
General election 1923: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Martin | 11,705 | 43.0 | −6.6 |
| | Unionist | David Fleming | 9,802 | 36.0 | −14.4 |
| | Liberal | Stanley Holmes | 5,726 | 21.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,903 | 7.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,233 | 70.7 | +1.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,539 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +3.9 | |
General election 1924: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | David Fleming | 16,223 | 55.8 | +19.8 |
| | Labour | William Martin | 12,872 | 44.2 | +1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,351 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,095 | 75.6 | +4.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,469 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |
1926 Dunbartonshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Thom | 12,680 | 48.0 | −7.8 |
| | Labour | William Martin | 11,610 | 43.9 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | William Reid | 2,146 | 8.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,070 | 4.1 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,436 | 75.0 | −0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 35,239 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −3.8 | |
General election 1929: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Brooke | 18,153 | 45.7 | +1.5 |
| | Unionist | John Thom | 16,576 | 41.6 | −14.2 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Maule Guthrie | 5,071 | 12.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,577 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,800 | 81.0 | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,113 | | |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +7.9 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | John Thom | 28,762 | 63.6 | +22.0 |
| | Labour | Willie Brooke | 16,474 | 36.4 | −9.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,288 | 27.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,236 | 82.8 | +1.8 |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | +15.6 | |
1932 Dunbartonshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Archibald Cochrane | 16,749 | 43.5 | −20.1 |
| | Labour | Tom Johnston | 13,704 | 35.6 | −0.8 |
| | National (Scotland) | Robert Gray | 5,178 | 13.4 | New |
| | Communist | Hughie McIntyre | 2,870 | 7.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,045 | 7.9 | −19.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,501 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Archibald Cochrane | 24,776 | 50.3 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Thomas Cassells | 20,679 | 41.9 | +6.3 |
| | SNP | Robert Gray | 3,841 | 7.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,097 | 8.4 | +0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,296 | 80.5 | −2.3 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
1936 Dunbartonshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Cassells | 20,187 | 48.1 | +6.2 |
| | Unionist | Arthur Paterson Duffes | 19,203 | 45.7 | −4.6 |
| | SNP | Robert Gray | 2,599 | 6.2 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 984 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,989 | 68.6 | −11.9 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +5.4 | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1941 Dunbartonshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Adam McKinlay | 21,900 | 85.0 | +36.9 |
| | Communist | Malcolm MacEwen | 3,862 | 15.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,038 | 70.0 | +67.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,762 | 38.7 | −29.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1945: Dunbartonshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Adam McKinlay | 28,383 | 50.7 | +8.8 |
| | Unionist | Robert Allan | 27,636 | 49.3 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 747 | 1.4 | −7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,019 | 71.7 | −8.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |