The Act of Union 1707 and pre-Union Scottish legislation provided for 14 Members of Parliament (MPs) from Scotland to be elected from districts of burghs. All the parliamentary burghs (burghs represented in the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland) were assigned to a district, except for Edinburgh which had an MP to itself. The burghs in a district were not necessarily adjacent or even close together.
Until 1832, the self-elected Council of each burgh in a district elected a commissioner, who had one vote for the MP. The commissioner from the Returning Burgh (which function rotated amongst the burghs in successive elections) had an additional casting vote if the numbers were equal. Burgh councils had small memberships, with the result that the combined electorate for all 14 constituencies in 1831 was no more than 1,270.
The Scottish Reform Act 1832 amended the composition of the districts, and the boundaries of a burgh for parliamentary purposes ceased to be necessarily those of the burgh for other purposes. The franchise was extended, and votes from all the burghs were added together.
There were further changes to the number and the composition of the districts under the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act 1868, Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and Representation of the People Act 1918.
The district of burghs system was eventually discontinued by the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1949, but the term Burghs continued in use in the names of some constituencies until 1974.Boundaries of Parliamentary Constituencies 1885-1972 (), F. W. S. Craig, 1972
The idea of parliamentary burghs continues to this day, in the form of burgh constituencies, which are distinct from county constituencies. This distinction is significant in terms of the expenses allowed to election candidates.
List of districts and burghs Period District Burgh County 1708–1832Aberdeen Burghs Aberdeen Aberdeenshire 1708–1832 Arbroath Forfarshire 1708–1832 Inverbervie Kincardineshire 1708–1832 Brechin Forfarshire 1708–1832 Montrose Forfarshire 1708–1832Anstruther Easter Burghs Anstruther Easter Fife 1708–1832 Anstruther Wester Fife 1708–1832 Crail Fife 1708–1832 Kilrenny Fife 1708–1832 Pittenweem Fife 1708–1950Ayr Burghs Ayr Ayrshire 1708–1918 Campbeltown Argyllshire 1708–1918 Inverary Argyllshire 1708–1950 Irvine Ayrshire 1708–1832 Rothesay Buteshire 1832–1918 Oban Argyllshire 1918–1950 Ardrossan Ayrshire 1918–1950 Prestwick Ayrshire 1918–1950 Saltcoats Ayrshire 1918–1950 Troon Ayrshire 1918–1950Dumbarton Burghs Dumbarton Dunbartonshire 1918–1950 Clydebank Dunbartonshire 1708–1918Dumfries Burghs Dumfries Dumfriesshire 1708–1918 Annan Dumfriesshire 1708–1918 Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbrightshire 1708–1918 Lochmaben Dumfriesshire 1708–1918 Sanquhar Dumfriesshire 1918–1950Dunfermline Burghs Dunfermline Fife 1918–1950 Cowdenbeath Fife 1918–1950 Inverkeithing Fife 1918–1950 Lochgelly Fife 1708–1832Dysart Burghs Dysart Fife 1708–1832 Burntisland Fife 1708–1832 Kinghorn Fife 1708–1832 Kirkcaldy Fife 1708–1918Elgin Burghs Elgin Elginshire 1708–1918 Banff Banffshire 1708–1918 Cullen Banffshire 1708–1918 Inverurie Aberdeenshire 1708–1918 Kintore Aberdeenshire 1832–1918 Peterhead Aberdeenshire 1832–1918Falkirk Burghs Falkirk Stirlingshire 1832–1918 Airdrie Lanarkshire 1832–1918 Hamilton Lanarkshire 1832–1918 Lanark Lanarkshire 1832–1918 Linlithgow Linlithgowshire 1708–1832Glasgow Burghs Glasgow Lanarkshire 1708–1832 Dumbarton Dunbartonshire 1708–1832 Renfrew Renfrewshire 1708–1832 Rutherglen Lanarkshire 1708–1885Haddington Burghs Haddington Haddingtonshire 1708–1885 Dunbar Haddingtonshire 1708–1885 Jedburgh Roxburghshire 1708–1885 Lauder Berwickshire 1708–1885 North Berwick Haddingtonshire 1868–1918Hawick Burghs Hawick Roxburghshire 1868–1918 Galashiels Selkirkshire 1868–1918 Selkirk Selkirkshire 1708–1918Inverness Burghs Inverness Inverness-shire 1708–1918 Forres Elginshire 1708–1918 Fortrose Ross-shire 1708–1918 Nairn Nairnshire 1832–1918Kilmarnock Burghs Kilmarnock Ayrshire 1832–1918 Dumbarton Dunbartonshire 1832–1918 Port Glasgow Renfrewshire 1832–1918 Renfrew Renfrewshire 1832–1918 Rutherglen Lanarkshire 1832–1950Kirkcaldy Burghs Kirkcaldy Fife 1832–1950 Burntisland Fife 1832–1950 Dysart Fife 1832–1950 Kinghorn Fife 1918–1950 Buckhaven Fife 1918–1950 Methil and Innerleven Fife 1832–1918Leith Burghs Leith Edinburghshire 1832–1918 Musselburgh Edinburghshire 1832–1918 Portobello Edinburghshire 1708–1832Linlithgow Burghs Linlithgow Linlithgowshire 1708–1832 Lanark Lanarkshire 1708–1832 Peebles Peeblesshire 1708–1832 Selkirk Selkirkshire 1832–1950Montrose Burghs Montrose Forfarshire 1832–1950 Arbroath Forfarshire 1832–1950 Brechin Forfarshire 1832–1950 Forfar Forfarshire 1832–1950 Inverbervie Aberdeenshire 1708–1832Perth Burghs Perth Perthshire 1708–1832 Cupar Fife 1708–1832 Dundee Forfarshire 1708–1832 Forfar Forfarshire 1708–1832 St Andrews Fife 1832–1918St Andrews Burghs St Andrews Fife 1832–1918 Anstruther Easter Fife 1832–1918 Anstruther Wester Fife 1832–1918 Crail Fife 1832–1918 Cupar Fife 1832–1918 Kilrenny Fife 1832–1918 Pittenweem Fife 1918–1950Stirling and Falkirk Burghs Stirling Stirlingshire 1918–1950 Falkirk Stirlingshire 1918–1950 Grangemouth Stirlingshire 1708–1918Stirling Burghs Stirling Stirlingshire 1708–1918 Culross Perthshire 1708–1918 Dunfermline Fife 1708–1918 Inverkeithing Fife 1708–1832 Queensferry Linlithgowshire 1832–1918 South Queensferry Linlithgowshire 1708–1832Tain Burghs Tain Ross-shire 1708–1832 Dingwall Ross-shire 1708–1832 Dornoch Sutherland 1708–1832 Kirkwall Orkney 1708–1832 Wick Caithness 1832–1918Wick Burghs Wick Caithness 1832–1918 Cromarty Cromartyshire 1832–1918 Dingwall Ross-shire 1832–1918 Dornoch Sutherland 1832–1918 Kirkwall Orkney 1832–1918 Tain Ross-shire 1708–1885Wigtown Burghs Wigtown Wigtownshire 1708–1885 Stranraer Wigtownshire 1708–1885 New Galloway Kirkcudbrightshire 1708–1885 Whithorn Wigtownshire
Summary of districts and burghs by period 1708-1832 (14 Districts) (65 Burghs) Aberdeen Burghs (5) Anstruther Easter Burghs (5) Ayr Burghs (5) Dumfries Burghs (5) Dysart Burghs (4) Elgin Burghs (5) Glasgow Burghs (4) Haddington Burghs (5) Inverness Burghs (4) Linlithgow Burghs (4) Perth Burghs (5) Stirling Burghs (5) Tain Burghs (5) Wigtown Burghs (4) 1832-1868 (14 Districts) (69 Burghs) Ayr Burghs (5) Dumfries Burghs (5) Elgin Burghs (6) Falkirk Burghs (5) Haddington Burghs (5) Inverness Burghs (4) Kilmarnock Burghs (5) Kirkcaldy Burghs (4) Leith Burghs (3) Montrose Burghs (5) St Andrews Burghs (7) Stirling Burghs (5) Wick Burghs (6) Wigtown Burghs (4) 1868-1885 (15 Districts) (72 Burghs) Ayr Burghs (5) Dumfries Burghs (5) Elgin Burghs (6) Falkirk Burghs (5) Haddington Burghs (5) Inverness Burghs (4) Hawick Burghs (3) Kilmarnock Burghs (5) Kirkcaldy Burghs (4) Leith Burghs (3) Montrose Burghs (5) St Andrews Burghs (7) Stirling Burghs (5) Wick Burghs (6) Wigtown Burghs (4) 1885-1918 (13 Districts) (62 Burghs) Ayr Burghs (5) Dumfries Burghs (5) Elgin Burghs (6) Falkirk Burghs (5) Hawick Burghs (3) Inverness Burghs (4) Kilmarnock Burghs (5) Kirkcaldy Burghs (4) Leith Burghs (3) Montrose Burghs (5) St Andrews Burghs (7) Stirling Burghs (5) Wick Burghs (6) 1918-1950 (6 Districts) (26 Burghs) Ayr Burghs (6) Dumbarton Burghs (2) Dunfermline Burghs (4) Kirkcaldy Burghs (6) Montrose Burghs (5) Stirling & Falkirk Burghs (3)
See also
Burgh constituency List of burghs in Scotland
Notes and references