# South Lanarkshire (UK Parliament constituency)

South Lanarkshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1868 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

## Boundaries

The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 provided that the South Lanarkshire constituency was to consist of the parishes of Biggar, Cambusnethan, Carluke, Carmichael, Carnwath, Carstairs, Covington and Thankerton, Crawford, Crawfordjohn, Dalserf, Dolphinton, Douglas, Dunsyre, Lanark, Lesmahagow, Libberton, Pitinain, Shotts, Stonehouse, Walston, Wandell and Lamington, Wiston and Roberton, and so much of the parishes of Culter and Moffat as is situated in the County of Lanark.
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 provided that the constituency was to consist of:
   the parishes of Biggar, Carluke, Carmichael, Carnwath, Carstairs, Covington and Thankerton, Crawford, Crawfordjohn, Culter, Dolphinton, Douglas, Dunsyre, Lamington and Wandel, Lanark, Lesmahagow, Liberton, Pettinain, Symington, Walston, Wiston and Roberton, Moffat, Avondale, Stonehouse, Glasford, and East Kilbride; so much of the parish of Cathcart as adjoins East Kilbride, and so much of the parish of Kirkpatrick-Juxta as may be in the county of Lanark.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1868 | John Hamilton | Liberal |
| | 1874 | Sir Windham Carmichael-Anstruther | Conservative |
| | 1880 | John Hamilton | Liberal |
| | 1886 | James Hozier | Conservative |
| | 1906 | Walter Menzies | Liberal |
| | 1913 b-e | Hon. William Watson | Unionist |
| 1918 | 1918 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Hamilton | 1,328 | 54.5 | |
| | Conservative | Sir Norman Macdonald Lockhart, 4th Baronet | 1,107 | 45.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 221 | 9.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,435 | 84.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 2,871 | | |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Windham Carmichael-Anstruther | 1,347 | 50.4 | +4.9 |
| | Liberal | John Hamilton | 1,326 | 49.6 | −4.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 21 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,673 | 83.2 | −1.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,214 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +4.9 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Hamilton | 1,808 | 55.8 | +6.2 |
| | Conservative | Windham Carmichael-Anstruther | 1,430 | 44.2 | −6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 378 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,238 | 88.3 | +5.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,666 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.2 | |
General election 1885: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Hamilton | 4,583 | 58.5 | +2.7 |
| | Conservative | James Hozier | 3,245 | 41.5 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,338 | 17.0 | +5.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,828 | 87.2 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,981 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +2.7 | |
General election 1886: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hozier | 3,577 | 50.1 | +8.6 |
| | Liberal | John Hamilton | 3,559 | 49.9 | −8.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,136 | 79.5 | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,981 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +8.6 | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hozier | 4,032 | 52.4 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Hedderwick | 3,664 | 47.6 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 368 | 4.8 | +4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,696 | 87.3 | +7.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,818 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +2.3 | |
General election 1895: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hozier | 4,053 | 51.5 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal | Robert Lambie | 3,823 | 48.5 | +0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 230 | 3.0 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,876 | 86.2 | −1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,136 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hozier | 3,968 | 53.0 | +1.5 |
| | Liberal | Walter Menzies | 3,516 | 47.0 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 452 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,484 | 81.9 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,134 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.5 | |
General election 1906: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Menzies | 4,816 | 57.6 | +10.6 |
| | Conservative | James Dennistoun Mitchell | 3,541 | 42.4 | −10.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,275 | 15.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,357 | 84.0 | +2.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,950 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +10.6 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Menzies | 5,346 | 59.0 | +1.4 |
| | Conservative | James Dennistoun Mitchell | 3,715 | 41.0 | −1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,631 | 18.0 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,061 | 85.3 | +1.3 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | | |
General election December 1910: South Lanarkshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Walter Menzies | 5,160 | 56.6 | −2.4 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Charles Mackinnon Douglas | 3,963 | 43.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,187 | 13.2 | −4.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,123 | 84.8 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -2.4 | |
1913 South Lanarkshire by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | William Watson | 4,257 | 42.8 | −0.6 |
| | Liberal | George Morton (QC) | 4,006 | 40.3 | −16.3 |
| | Labour | Thomas Gibb | 1,674 | 16.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 251 | 2.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,937 | | |
| | Unionist gain from Liberal | Unionist gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.8 | |
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;
* Unionist: William Watson
* Liberal: George Morton (QC)
* Labour: