Dunfermline Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)
Appearance
Dunfermline Burghs | |
---|---|
Former burgh constituency for the House of Commons | |
Major settlements | Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing, and Lochgelly |
1950–1974 | |
Seats | One |
Replaced by | Dunfermline |
1918–1950 | |
Seats | One |
Type of constituency | District of Burghs constituency |
Created from | West Fife |
Dunfermline Burghs was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) using the first-past-the-post voting system.
From 1918 to 1950 it was also, officially, a district of burghs constituency.
There was also a Dunfermline county constituency from 1974 to 1983.
Boundaries
[edit]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
As defined in 1918 the constituency covered the parliamentary burghs of Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing, and Lochgelly. Prior to the constituency's creation, the burghs of Dunfermline and Inverkeithing had been represented as components of Stirling Burghs, while Cowdenbeath and Lochgelly were within the county constituency of West Fife.
Members of Parliament
[edit]Election | Member[1] | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1918 | John Wallace | Coalition Liberal | ||
1922 | William Watson | Labour | ||
1931 | John Wallace | Liberal National | Knighted January 1935[2] | |
1935 | William Watson | Labour | ||
1950 | James Clunie | Labour | ||
1959 | Alan Thompson | Labour | ||
1964 | Adam Hunter | Labour | Subsequently, MP for Dunfermline | |
Feb 1974 | constituency abolished: see Dunfermline |
Election results
[edit]Elections in the 1910s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | Liberal | John Wallace | 6,886 | 44.6 | |
Independent Labour | William McLean Watson[3] | 5,076 | 32.8 | ||
Independent Democrat | Arthur Ponsonby[4] | 3,491 | 22.6 | ||
Majority | 1,810 | 11.8 | |||
Turnout | 15,453 | 55.2 | |||
Liberal win (new seat) | |||||
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. |
Elections in the 1920s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 11,652 | 50.4 | +17.6 | |
National Liberal | John Wallace | 11,451 | 49.6 | +5.0 | |
Majority | 201 | 0.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 23,102 | 77.5 | +22.3 | ||
Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | +6.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 12,606 | 53.6 | +3.2 | |
Liberal | John Wallace | 10,931 | 46.4 | −3.2 | |
Majority | 1,675 | 7.2 | +6.4 | ||
Turnout | 23,537 | 77.7 | +0.2 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | 3.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 13,887 | 57.9 | +4.3 | |
Liberal | Francis John Robertson | 10,118 | 42.1 | −4.3 | |
Majority | 3,769 | 15.8 | +8.6 | ||
Turnout | 24,005 | 78.7 | +1.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 15,288 | 58.5 | +0.6 | |
Unionist | Allan Beaton | 9,146 | 35.0 | New | |
Communist | Jack Leckie | 1,712 | 6.5 | New | |
Majority | 6,132 | 23.5 | +7.7 | ||
Turnout | 26,146 | 74.1 | −4.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | N/A |
Elections in the 1930s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Liberal | John Wallace | 16,863 | 57.9 | +22.9 | |
Labour | William McLean Watson | 12,247 | 42.1 | −16.4 | |
Majority | 4,616 | 15.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 29,110 | 80.2 | +6.1 | ||
National Liberal gain from Labour | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 16,271 | 52.3 | +10.2 | |
National Liberal | John Wallace | 14,848 | 47.7 | −10.2 | |
Majority | 1,423 | 4.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 31,119 | 81.6 | +1.4 | ||
Labour gain from National Liberal | Swing | 10.2 |
Elections in the 1940s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | William McLean Watson | 22,021 | 64.7 | +12.4 | |
National Liberal | James Henderson | 12,028 | 35.3 | −12.4 | |
Majority | 9,993 | 29.4 | +24.8 | ||
Turnout | 34,049 | 73.0 | −8.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | 12.4 |
Elections in the 1950s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | James Clunie | 23,641 | 61.2 | −3.5 | |
National Liberal | James Stuart Kerr | 14,967 | 38.8 | +3.5 | |
Majority | 8,674 | 22.4 | −7.0 | ||
Turnout | 38,608 | 83.9 | +10.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | James Clunie | 24,547 | 61.1 | −0.1 | |
National Liberal | James Stuart Kerr | 15,657 | 38.9 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 8,890 | 22.2 | −0.2 | ||
Turnout | 40,204 | 85.5 | +1.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | James Clunie | 22,146 | 60.1 | −1.0 | |
National Liberal | Charlotte R McNee | 14,170 | 39.9 | +1.0 | |
Majority | 8,674 | 21.2 | −1.0 | ||
Turnout | 36,316 | 83.9 | −1.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Alan Thompson | 23,478 | 61.4 | +1.3 | |
National Liberal | Archie Elliott | 14,744 | 38.6 | −1.3 | |
Majority | 8,734 | 22.8 | +1.6 | ||
Turnout | 38,222 | 82.9 | −1.0 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1960s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Adam Hunter | 22,468 | 61.6 | +0.2 | |
National Liberal | Ian Kirkwood | 14,033 | 38.4 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 8,435 | 23.2 | +0.4 | ||
Turnout | 36,501 | 77.2 | −5.7 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Adam Hunter | 20,709 | 58.4 | −3.2 | |
Conservative | Ian Kirkwood | 9,446 | 26.6 | −11.8 | |
SNP | James A Cook | 5,304 | 15.0 | New | |
Majority | 11,263 | 31.8 | +8.6 | ||
Turnout | 35,459 | 76.3 | −0.9 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Elections in the 1970s
[edit]Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Adam Hunter | 21,532 | 57.1 | −1.3 | |
Conservative | Ian Kirkwood | 12,086 | 32.0 | +5.4 | |
SNP | James A Cook | 3,657 | 9.7 | −5.3 | |
Communist | John Neilson | 462 | 1.22 | New | |
Majority | 9,446 | 25.1 | −6.7 | ||
Turnout | 37,737 | 74.0 | −2.3 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
References
[edit]- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 4)
- ^ "London Gazette Issue 34119 published on the 28 December 1934". p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
- ^ Watson was the nominee of the Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan Miners' Association (Craig, op cit, p. 579)
- ^ Ponsonby had previously been the Liberal MP for Stirling Burghs)
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1934
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
- Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.