List of constituencies in the Parliament of Scotland at the time of the Union is a list of the constituencies of the Parliament of Scotland (the Estates of Scotland) during the period shortly before the Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. The unicameral Estates of Scotland existed from medieval times until 1707.
The Commissioners for the burghs (the "Third Estate") and shires and stewartries (sometimes called the "Fourth Estate", or classified as a subgroup within the "Second Estate") were elected, but on a very restrictive franchise. Commissioner was the title for ordinary, representative members of the parliament (junior peers were called Lords of Parliament; and senior peers, representatives of the monarch, and certain members of the clergy also sat in parliament).
The Scottish ministers (the Privy Council of Scotland), were not answerable to the Estates of Scotland but to the Scots monarch (which, after the Union of Crowns in 1603, usually meant de facto to the Privy Council of England, which had the opportunity to advise a king or queen resident in London). The Parliament of Scotland was abolished when it merged with the Parliament of England to create the new Parliament of Great Britain, in 1707 under the Acts of Union.
Constituencies The representation of the burghs and those of the shires and stewartries, by the time of the Union, consisted of 154 Commissioners elected from 99 constituencies.
An election was not held immediately after the Union because the establishment feared a possible landslide victory for the anti-Union Commissioners. Instead 45 Commissioners were hand-picked to represent the whole country (see Scottish representatives to the first Parliament of Great Britain) as the first MPs from Scotland. 43 of these hand-picked representatives were pro-Union.
From 1708, there were 45 single member constituencies of the Parliament of Great Britain. These constituencies remained unchanged until 1832. All the burghs were grouped into 4- or 5-member districts, apart from Edinburgh. Three pairs of shires were represented in alternate Parliaments.
The names given in the 'Shire or Stewartry' column in the list below were those for the shires and stewartries used in the Parliamentary returns for the Estates of Scotland which met on 6 May 1703, as reported in 1878 (this reporting date is important to note, as the names used are the anglicised ones introduced by the Victorians, and not the names given to the subdivisions of Scotland extant in 1703). In some cases the form of the name is unusual and not consistent with the version commonly accepted. In others the name changed after the Union.
The names used for UK constituencies are those used in The History of Parliament 1754–1790. These may not be exactly the same as those applied in the first half of the 18th century.
Scottish Burghs, Shires and Stewartries SP Constituency Shire or Stewartry Commissioners Constituency after the union Aberdeen Aberdeenshire 1 Part of Aberdeen Burghs Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire 4 Aberdeenshire Annan Dumfries & Annandale 1 Part of Dumfries Burghs Anstruther Easter Fifeshire 1 Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs Anstruther Wester Fifeshire 1 Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs Arbroath Forfarshire 1 Part of Aberdeen Burghs Argyllshire Argyllshire 3 Argyllshire Ayr Ayrshire 1 Part of Ayr Burghs Ayrshire Ayrshire 3 Ayrshire Banff Banffshire 1 Part of Elgin Burghs Banffshire Banffshire 2 Banffshire Berwickshire Berwickshire 4 Berwickshire Brechin Forfarshire 1 Part of Aberdeen Burghs Burntisland Fifeshire 1 Part of Dysart Burghs Buteshire Buteshire 2 Buteshire Caithness-shire Caithness-shire 2 Caithness Campbeltown Argyllshire 1 Part of Ayr Burghs Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire 1 Clackmannanshire Crail Fifeshire 1 Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs Cromartyshire Cromartyshire 2 Cromartyshire Cullen Banffshire 1 Part of Elgin Burghs Culross Perthshire 1 Part of Stirling Burghs Cupar Fifeshire 1 Part of Perth Burghs Dingwall Ross-shire 1 Part of Tain Burghs Dornoch Sutherlandshire 1 Part of Tain Burghs Dumbarton Dunbartonshire 1 Part of Glasgow Burghs Dumbartonshire Dunbartonshire 2 Dunbartonshire Dumfries Dumfries & Annandale 1 Part of Dumfries Burghs Dumfriesshire Dumfries & Annandale 4 Dumfriesshire Dunbar Haddingtonshire 1 Part of Haddington Burghs Dundee Forfarshire 1 Part of Perth Burghs Dunfermline Fifeshire 1 Part of Stirling Burghs Dysart Fifeshire 1 Part of Dysart Burghs Edinburgh Edinburghshire 2 Edinburgh Edinburghshire Edinburghshire 4 Edinburghshire Elgin Elgin & Forresshire 1 Part of Elgin Burghs Elgin & Forresshire Elgin & Forresshire 2 Elginshire Fifeshire Fifeshire 4 Fifeshire Forfar Forfarshire 1 Part of Perth Burghs Forfarshire Forfarshire 4 Forfarshire Forres Elgin & Forresshire 1 Part of Inverness Burghs Fortrose Ross-shire 1 Part of Inverness Burghs Glasgow Lanarkshire 1 Part of Glasgow Burghs Haddington Haddingtonshire 1 Part of Haddington Burghs Haddingtonshire Haddingtonshire 4 Haddingtonshire Inveraray Argyllshire 1 Part of Ayr Burghs Inverbervie Kincardineshire 1 Part of Aberdeen Burghs Inverkeithing Fifeshire 1 Part of Stirling Burghs Inverness Inverness-shire 1 Part of Inverness Burghs Inverness-shire Inverness-shire 2 Inverness-shire Inverurie Aberdeenshire 1 Part of Elgin Burghs Irvine Ayrshire 1 Part of Ayr Burghs Jedburgh Roxburghshire 1 Part of Haddington Burghs Kilrenny Fifeshire 1 Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs Kincardineshire Kincardineshire 2 Kincardineshire Kinghorn Fifeshire 1 Part of Dysart Burghs Kinross-shire Kinross-shire 1 Kinross-shire Kintore Aberdeenshire 1 Part of Elgin Burghs Kirkcaldy Fifeshire 1 Part of Dysart Burghs Kirkcudbright Burgh Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 1 Part of Dumfries Burghs Kirkcudbright Stewartry Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 2 Kirkcudbright Stewartry Kirkwall Orkney 1 Part of Tain Burghs Lanark Lanarkshire 1 Part of Linlithgow Burghs Lanarkshire Lanarkshire 4 Lanarkshire Lauder Berwickshire 1 Part of Haddington Burghs Linlithgow Linlithgowshire 1 Part of Linlithgow Burghs Linlithgowshire Linlithgowshire 2 Linlithgowshire Lochmaben Dumfries & Annandale 1 Part of Dumfries Burghs Montrose Forfarshire 1 Part of Aberdeen Burghs Nairn Nairnshire 1 Part of Inverness Burghs Nairnshire Nairnshire 2 Nairnshire New Galloway Stewartry of Kirkcudbright 1 Part of Wigtown Burghs North Berwick Haddingtonshire 1 Part of Haddington Burghs Orkney & Shetland Orkney & Zetland 2 Orkney & Shetland Peebles Peeblesshire 1 Part of Linlithgow Burghs Peeblesshire Peeblesshire 2 Peeblesshire Perth Perthshire 1 Part of Perth Burghs Perthshire Perthshire 4 Perthshire Pittenweem Fifeshire 1 Part of Anstruther Easter Burghs Queensferry Linlithgowshire 1 Part of Stirling Burghs Renfrew Renfrewshire 1 Part of Glasgow Burghs Renfrewshire Renfrewshire 3 Renfrewshire Ross-shire Ross-shire 2 Ross-shire Rothesay Buteshire 1 Part of Ayr Burghs Roxburghshire Roxburghshire 4 Roxburghshire Rutherglen Lanarkshire 1 Part of Glasgow Burghs St Andrews Fifeshire 1 Part of Perth Burghs Sanquhar Dumfries & Annandale 1 Part of Dumfries Burghs Selkirk Selkirkshire 1 Part of Linlithgow Burghs Selkirkshire Selkirkshire 2 Selkirkshire Stirling Stirlingshire 1 Part of Stirling Burghs Stirlingshire Stirlingshire 3 Stirlingshire Stranraer Wigtownshire 1 Part of Wigtown Burghs Sutherlandshire Sutherlandshire 1 Sutherland Tain Ross-shire 1 Part of Tain Burghs Whithorn Wigtownshire 1 Part of Wigtown Burghs Wick Caithness-shire 1 Part of Tain Burghs Wigtown Wigtownshire 1 Part of Wigtown Burghs Wigtownshire Wigtownshire 2 Wigtownshire
Analysis of Scottish constituencies, 1703 and 1708 Key to categories in the following tables: BC - Burgh constituencies, SC - Shire and Stewartry constituencies, Total C - Total constituencies, BMP - Burgh Members of Parliament, SMP - Shire and Stewartry Members of Parliament.
Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type of constituency
Year BC SC Total C BMP SMP Total MPs 1703 66 33 99 67 87 154 1708 15 30 45 15 30 45
Table 1: Constituencies and MPs, by type and number of seats
Year BCx1 BCx2 SCx1 SCx2 SCx3 SCx4 Total C Total MPs1703651316410991541708150300004545
References Return of the name of every member of the lower house of Parliament of England, Scotland and Ireland, with names of constituency represented, and dates of return from 1213 to 1874 H.C. 1878 History of Parliament: House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (Sidgwick & Jackson 1964)
See also List of UK Parliament constituencies in Scotland from 1707 Parliament of Scotland 1st Parliament of Great Britain 2nd Parliament of Great Britain District of burghs (UK Parliament) Lord High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland