# Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868, when it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.
It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using 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 Ayrshire.

## Boundaries

The Ayrshire constituency represented the county of Ayrshire, minus the parliamentary burghs of Ayr and Irvine, which were components of the Ayr Burghs constituency.

## History

The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire for the 1868 general election.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1708 | Francis Montgomerie | |
| 1710 | John Montgomerie | |
| 1713 | John Montgomerie | |
| 1715 | John Montgomerie | |
| 1722 | John Montgomerie | |
| 1727 | James Campbell | Whig |
| 1734 | James Campbell | Whig |
| 1741 | James Campbell | Whig |
| 1747 | Patrick Craufurd | |
| 1754 | James Mure-Campbell, later Earl of Loudoun | |
| 1761 | Archibald Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton | Whig |
| 1768 | David Kennedy, later Earl of Cassillis | |
| 1774 | Sir Adam Fergusson | |
| 1780 | Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton | |
| 1781 | Sir Adam Fergusson | |
| 1784 | Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton | |
| 1789 | William McDowall | |
| 1790 | Sir Adam Fergusson | |
| 1796 | Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton | |
| 1796 | William Fullarton | Whig |
| 1801 | William Fullarton | Whig |
| 1802 | William Fullarton | Whig |
| 1803 | Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton | |
| 1806 | Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton | |
| 1807 | David Boyle | |
| 1811 | Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton | |
| 1812 | Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton | |
| 1818 | James Montgomerie | Tory |
| 1820 | James Montgomerie | Tory |
| 1826 | James Montgomerie | Tory |
| 1829 | William Blair | Tory |
| 1830 | William Blair | Tory |
| 1831 | William Blair | Tory |
| 1832 | Richard Alexander Oswald | Whig |
| 1835 | John Dunlop | Radical |
| 1837 | John Dunlop | Radical |
| 1839 | Viscount Kelburn, later Earl of Glasgow | Conservative |
| 1841 | Viscount Kelburn, later Earl of Glasgow | Conservative |
| 1843 | Alexander Haldane Oswald | Conservative |
| 1847 | Alexander Haldane Oswald | Conservative |
| 1852 | James Hunter Blair | Conservative |
| 1854 | Sir James Fergusson | Conservative |
| 1857 | Lord Patrick Crichton-Stuart | Whig |
| 1859 | Lord Patrick Crichton-Stuart | Liberal |
| 1859 | Sir James Fergusson | Conservative |
| 1865 | Sir James Fergusson | Conservative |

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

General election 1830: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | William Blair (Ayrshire MP) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 185 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1831: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | William Blair (Ayrshire MP) | 73 | 67.0 |
| | Whig | Richard Alexander Oswald | 36 | 33.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 34.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 109 | 58.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 185 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1832: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Alexander Oswald | 2,152 | 86.9 | +53.9 |
| | Tory | William Blair (Ayrshire MP) | 324 | 13.1 | −53.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,828 | 73.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,476 | 78.6 | +19.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,150 | | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +53.9 | |
General election 1835: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Richard Alexander Oswald | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,171 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
Oswald's resignation caused a by-election.
By-election, 3 July 1835: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Radical | John Dunlop | 1,435 | 63.4 |
| | Conservative | John Cathcart | 829 | 36.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 606 | 26.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,264 | 71.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,171 | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig |
General election 1837: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Radical | John Dunlop | 1,559 | 53.2 |
| | Conservative | James Carr-Boyle | 1,370 | 46.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 189 | 6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,929 | 73.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,985 | |
| | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig | Radical gain from Whig |
Dunlop's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 1 May 1839: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Carr-Boyle | 1,758 | 56.7 | +9.9 |
| | Whig | James Campbell | 1,296 | 41.8 | N/A |
| | Chartist | Hugh Craig | 46 | 1.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 462 | 14.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,100 | 73.1 | −0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,242 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Carr-Boyle | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,274 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical | Conservative gain from Radical |
Carr-Boyle succeeded to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl of Glasgow and causing a by-election.
By-election, 3 August 1843: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Haldane Oswald | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alexander Haldane Oswald | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,305 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Hunter-Blair | 1,301 | 52.0 | N/A |
| | Peelite | Edward Cardwell | 1,200 | 48.0 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 101 | 4.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,501 | 65.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,823 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
Blair's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 30 December 1854: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Fergusson | 1,510 | 52.2 | +0.2 |
| | Peelite | Alexander Haldane Oswald | 1,381 | 47.8 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 129 | 4.4 | +0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,891 | 75.6 | +10.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,823 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.2 | |
General election 1857: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Patrick Crichton-Stuart | 1,663 | 53.3 | New |
| | Conservative | James Fergusson | 1,458 | 46.7 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 205 | 6.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,121 | 78.5 | +13.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,976 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.3 | |
General election 1859: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Patrick Crichton-Stuart | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 3,939 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Crichton-Stuart's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 31 October 1859: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Fergusson | 1,687 | 50.7 | New |
| | Liberal | James Campbell | 1,641 | 49.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 46 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,328 | 81.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,072 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Ayrshire :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Fergusson | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 4,642 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal |