# Peebles and Southern Midlothian (UK Parliament constituency)

Peebles and Southern Midlothian was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1918 to 1950. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

## Boundaries

The Peebles and Southern Midlothian constituency was described in the Representation of the People Act 1918 as comprising:
    The county of Peebles with all the burghs situated therein, and the Gala Water and Lasswade County Districts of Midlothian (except that part of the latter district which is included in the Northern Division) with all burghs situated therein except the burghs of Leith and Musselburgh.
Until 1918 the area of the constituency was, at least nominally, partly within the Peebles and Selkirk constituency and partly within the Midlothian constituency.
When the constituency was abolished in 1950 the Midlothian and Peeblesshire constituency was created.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1918 | Sir Donald Maclean Previously MP for Peebles and Selkirk | Liberal |
| | 1922 | Joseph Westwood | Labour |
| | 1923 | Joseph Westwood | Labour |
| | 1924 | Joseph Westwood | Labour |
| | 1929 | Joseph Westwood | Labour |
| | 1931 | Archibald Maule Ramsay Interned under Defence Regulation 18B in 1940 on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathiser | Unionist |
| | 1935 | Archibald Maule Ramsay Interned under Defence Regulation 18B in 1940 on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathiser | Unionist |
| | 1945 | David Pryde Subsequently member for Midlothian and Peebles | Labour |
| 1950 | 1950 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

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

General election 1918: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Donald Maclean | 7,429 | 60.6 | |
| | Labour | James Gold | 4,830 | 39.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,599 | 21.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,259 | 52.6 | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Westwood | 6,394 | 36.0 | −3.4 |
| | Unionist | Archibald Crawford | 5,992 | 33.7 | New |
| | Liberal | Donald Maclean | 5,377 | 30.3 | −30.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 402 | 2.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 17,723 | 75.7 | +23.1 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election 1923: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Westwood | 7,882 | 43.0 | +7.0 |
| | Unionist | Archibald Crawford | 6,203 | 33.8 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal | William Mitchell | 4,245 | 23.2 | −7.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,679 | 9.2 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,330 | 76.9 | +1.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.4 | |
General election 1924: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Westwood | 7,797 | 40.8 | −2.2 |
| | Unionist | Charles Baillie-Hamilton | 6,723 | 35.3 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal | William Mitchell | 4,550 | 23.9 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,074 | 5.5 | −3.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,070 | 78.8 | +1.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.8 | |
General election 1929: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Westwood | 11,161 | 45.5 | +4.7 |
| | Unionist | Hylton Murray-Philipson | 7,736 | 31.5 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal | James McGowan | 5,648 | 23.0 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,425 | 14.0 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,545 | 75.7 | −3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Archibald Maule Ramsay | 17,435 | 65.5 | +34.0 |
| | Labour | Joseph Westwood | 9,185 | 34.5 | −11.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,250 | 31.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,620 | 79.7 | +4.0 |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: Peebles and Southern Midlothian :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Archibald Maule Ramsay | 13,671 | 52.8 | −12.7 |
| | Labour | David Pryde | 12,209 | 47.2 | +12.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,462 | 5.6 | −25.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,880 | 74.9 | −4.8 |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | | |
General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;
* Unionist:
* Labour: David Pryde

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Peebles and Southern Midlothian Electorate 37,844 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Pryde | 15,546 | 55.7 | +8.5 |
| | Unionist | James Latham McDiarmid Clyde | 9,050 | 32.4 | −20.4 |
| | Liberal | Leonard Gellatly | 3,299 | 11.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,496 | 23.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 27,895 | 73.7 | −1.2 |
| | Labour gain from Unionist | Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | | |