Edinburgh North (UK Parliament constituency)

This article is about the pre-1983 constituency. For the similarly named post-1997 constituency, see Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency).

Edinburgh North
Former burgh constituency
for the House of Commons
Major settlementsEdinburgh
1918–1983
SeatsOne
Created fromEdinburgh Central, Edinburgh West and Leith Burghs
Replaced byEdinburgh Central, Edinburgh Leith, Edinburgh East and Edinburgh West[1]

Edinburgh North was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The Broughton, Calton, St. Andrew's and St. Stephen's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[2]

1950–1955: The Broughton, Calton and St. Andrew's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[3]

1955–1974: The Broughton, Calton and St. Andrew's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh, and part of the St. Bernard's ward.[4]

1974–1983: The Broughton, Calton, St. Andrew's and St. Bernard's wards of the county of the city of Edinburgh.[5]

Members of Parliament

Year Member[6] Party
1918 James Avon Clyde Unionist
1920 by-election Patrick Ford Unionist
1923 Peter Raffan Liberal
1924 Sir Patrick Ford Unionist
1935 Alexander Erskine-Hill Unionist
1945 George Willis Labour
1950 James Latham Clyde Unionist
1955 by-election William Milligan Unionist
1960 by-election Lord Dalkeith Unionist
1965 Conservative
1973 by-election Alexander Fletcher Conservative
1983 constituency abolished

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Edinburgh North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
C Unionist Rt Hon. James Avon Clyde 11,879 63.0
Liberal James Johnston 6,986 37.0
Majority 4,893 26.0
Turnout 18,865 53.0
Unionist win
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s

Runciman
1920 Edinburgh North by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Patrick Johnstone Ford 9,944 44.8 −18.2
Liberal Rt Hon. Walter Runciman 8,469 38.1 +1.1
Labour David Graham Pole 3,808 17.1 New
Majority 1,475 6.7 −19.3
Turnout 22,221 62.3 +9.3
Unionist hold Swing -9.7
General election 1922: Edinburgh North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Patrick Johnstone Ford 14,805 61.8 +17.0
Liberal P. H. Allan 9,165 38.2 +0.1
Majority 5,640 23.6 +16.9
Turnout 23,970
Unionist hold Swing +8.4
General election 1923: Edinburgh North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Peter Wilson Raffan 13,744 55.7 +17.5
Unionist Patrick Johnstone Ford 10,909 44.3 −17.5
Majority 2,835 11.4 N/A
Turnout 24,653 66.3
Liberal gain from Unionist Swing +17.5
Stewart
General election 1924: Edinburgh North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Patrick Johnstone Ford 14,461 49.3 +5.0
Labour Eleanor Stewart 8,192 27.9 New
Liberal Peter Wilson Raffan 6,669 22.7 −33.0
Majority 6,269 21.4 N/A
Turnout 29,322 78.0 +11.7
Unionist gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General election 1929: Edinburgh North[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Patrick Johnstone Ford 13,993 39.7 −9.6
Labour Eleanor Stewart 11,340 32.2 +4.3
Liberal William Mitchell 9,877 28.1 +5.4
Majority 2,653 7.5 −13.9
Turnout 35,210 73.8 −4.2
Unionist hold Swing -6.9

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Edinburgh North[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Sir Patrick Johnstone Ford 26,361 75.03 +35.3
Labour Robert Gibson 8,771 24.97 −7.2
Majority 17,590 50.06 +42.5
Turnout 35,132 74.38 +0.60
Registered electors 47,234
Unionist hold Swing +19.05
Chrystal Macmillan
General election 1935: Edinburgh North[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Alexander Galloway Erskine Erskine-Hill 20,776 66.53 −8.50
Labour Gerald Walker Crawford 8,654 27.71 +2.74
Liberal Jessie Chrystal Macmillan 1,798 5.76 New
Majority 12,122 38.82 −11.26
Turnout 31,228 66.75 −7.63
Registered electors 46,786
Unionist hold Swing -5.62

Elections in the 1940s

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 from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1945: Edinburgh North[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eustace George Willis 12,825 45.10 +17.39
Unionist Sir Alexander Galloway Erskine Erskine-Hill 12,270 43.14 −23.39
Liberal Charles Hampton Johnston 3,344 11.76 +6.00
Majority 555 1.96 N/A
Turnout 28,439 64.75 −2.00
Registered electors 43,921
Labour gain from Unionist Swing +20.39

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Edinburgh North[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist James Latham McDiarmid Clyde 17,826 51.21 +8.07
Labour Eustace George Willis 13,683 39.31 −5.79
Liberal Iain Padruig Crawford 3,303 9.49 −2.27
Majority 4,143 11.90 N/A
Turnout 34,812 78.71 +13.96
Registered electors 44,226
Unionist gain from Labour Swing +6.93
General election 1951: Edinburgh North[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist James Latham McDiarmid Clyde 20,836 58.79 +7.58
Labour Eustace George Willis 14,604 41.21 +1.90
Majority 6,232 17.58 +5.68
Turnout 35,440 80.01 +1.30
Registered electors 44,294
Unionist hold Swing +2.84
1955 Edinburgh North by-election[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 11,413 59.41 +0.62
Labour George Scott 7,799 40.59 −0.62
Majority 3,614 18.82 +1.24
Turnout 19,212
Unionist hold Swing
General election 1955: Edinburgh North[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 20,425 61.73 +2.94
Labour George Scott 12,664 38.27 −2.94
Majority 7,761 23.46 +5.88
Turnout 33,089 72.01 −8.00
Registered electors 45,952
Unionist hold Swing +2.94
General election 1959: Edinburgh North[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist William Rankine Milligan 19,991 64.02 +2.29
Labour George Gordon Stott 11,235 35.98 −2.29
Majority 8,756 28.04 +4.59
Turnout 31,226 73.87 +1.86
Registered electors 42,270
Unionist hold Swing +2.29

Elections in the 1960s

1960 Edinburgh North by-election[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith 12,109 54.20 −9.82
Labour Ronald King Murray 6,775 30.32 −5.66
Liberal Richard McPake 3,458 15.50 New
Majority 5,334 23.87 −4.17
Turnout 22,342 53.10 −20.77
Unionist hold Swing -2.05
General election 1964: Edinburgh North[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith 17,094 58.23 −5.79
Labour Alexander D Reid 12,264 41.77 +5.79
Majority 4,830 16.46 −11.58
Turnout 29,358 73.60 −0.27
Registered electors 39,888
Unionist hold Swing -5.79
General election 1966: Edinburgh North[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Lord Dalkeith 13,765 50.30 −7.93
Labour Walter S Dalgleish 10,730 39.21 −2.56
Liberal Lawrence W Oliver 2,871 10.49 New
Majority 3,035 11.09 −5.36
Turnout 27,366 73.85 +0.25
Registered electors 37,056
Conservative hold Swing -2.69

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Edinburgh North[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Walter Francis John Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith 13,005 52.85 +2.55
Labour Robert Finlayson Cook 9,127 37.09 −2.12
Liberal C Alistair Dow 2,475 10.06 −0.43
Majority 3,878 15.76 +4.67
Turnout 24,607 70.05 −3.80
Registered electors 35,128
Conservative hold Swing +2.34
1973 Edinburgh North by-election[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander MacPherson Fletcher 7,208 38.69 −14.16
Labour Robert Cairns 4,467 23.98 −13.11
SNP William Cuthbertson Wolfe 3,526 19.11 New
Liberal Ronald Guild 3,431 18.42 +8.36
Majority 2,741 14.71 −1.05
Turnout 18,632
Conservative hold Swing
General election February 1974: Edinburgh North[21][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander MacPherson Fletcher 16,417 45.78 −7.07
Labour Robert Cairns 9,404 26.23 −10.86
Liberal Ronald Harrower Guild 5,487 15.30 +5.24
SNP James Lynch 4,550 12.69 N/A
Majority 7,013 19.56 +3.80
Turnout 35,858 76.40 +6.35
Registered electors 46,936
Conservative hold Swing +1.90
General election October 1974: Edinburgh North[22][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander MacPherson Fletcher 12,856 39.34 −6.44
Labour Martin John O'Neill 8,465 25.90 −0.32
SNP James Lynch 7,681 23.50 +10.82
Liberal Murdoch MacDonald 3,677 11.25 −4.05
Majority 4,391 13.44 −6.12
Turnout 32,679 69.21 −7.19
Registered electors 47,215
Conservative hold Swing -3.06
General election 1979: Edinburgh North[23][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander MacPherson Fletcher 14,170 43.59 +4.25
Labour Neil Lindsay 9,773 30.06 +4.16
Liberal Ronald Harrower Guild 5,045 15.52 +4.27
SNP Donald Neil MacCormick 3,521 10.83 −12.67
Majority 4,397 13.53 +0.09
Turnout 32,509 71.76 +2.55
Registered electors 45,303
Conservative hold Swing +0.04

References

  1. ^ a b c d "'Edinburgh North', Feb 1974 - May 1983". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Retrieved 22 March 2016.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ Fraser, Hugh (1918). The Representation of the People Act, 1918: with explanatory notes. London: Sweet and Maxwell.
  3. ^ "Representation of the People Act 1948: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1948 c. 65 (sch. 1), retrieved 23 July 2023
  4. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) (Edinburgh North and Edinburgh West) Order 1955. SI 1955/28". Statutory Instruments 1955. Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1956. pp. 2194–2195.
  5. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1970/1680, retrieved 23 July 2023
  6. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  8. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1931". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1935". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  10. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1945". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  11. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1950". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  12. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1951". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  13. ^ British Parliament by-election: 1955
  14. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1955". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  15. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1959". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  16. ^ The Times, 20 May 1960
  17. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1964". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  18. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1966". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  19. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1970". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  20. ^ "1973 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  21. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results February 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  22. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results October 1974". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  23. ^ Kimber, Richard. "UK General Election results 1979". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2016.