The Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 48) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It carried on from the Representation of the People Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 102), and created seven additional Scottish seats in the House of Commons at the expense of seven English borough constituencies, which were disenfranchised.
Two University constituencies were created; Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities and Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities. These each returned one member to Parliament.Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 9. Two burgh constituencies received an additional member; these were Glasgow (raised to 3 members) and Dundee (raised to 2).Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 9. A third burgh constituency, Hawick Burghs, was newly created, receiving one member.Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 10. Three county constituencies each received one additional member, and were split in half accordingly; these were Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire.Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 9.
This totalled eight new seats, and accordingly the county constituencies of Selkirkshire and Peeblesshire were merged to form Peebles and Selkirk, returning one member, for a net increase of seven seats.Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 10.
This was offset by the disenfranchisement of Arundel, Ashburton, Dartmouth, Honiton, Lyme Regis, Thetford and Wells, all English borough constituencies, leaving the overall number of seats in the House unchanged.Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, section 43.
Subsequent developments Section 3 of the act was repealed by section 175(1) of, and the ninth schedule to, the Representation of the People Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 68), which came into force on 3 April 150.
See also Reform Acts Representation of the People Act
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References
Bibliography Paterson (ed). The Practical Statutes of the Session 1868. Horace Cox. London. 1868. Page 135 Lawson, William. Notes of Decisions Under the Representation of the People Acts and the Registration Acts, 1885–1893, Inclusive. Alex Thom & Co. Dublin. Stevens and Sons. London. 1894. Pages 149 and 164. "Registration Cases" (1868) 6 Scottish Law Reporter 28 to 53 and 98 to 107. See also other volumes of these reports. (1908) 124 The Law Times 123 Moore's Almanack improved: or Will's farmer's and countryman's calendar for the year 1869
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