Peebles and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)

Peebles and Selkirk
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1868–1918
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Peebles and Southern Midlothian Roxburgh and Selkirk
Created from	Peeblesshire Selkirkshire

Peebles and Selkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1868 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

Boundaries

The name relates the constituency to the counties of Peebles and Selkirk.

From 1708 to 1868 the counties had been covered, at least nominally, by the Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire constituencies.

When the Peebles and Selkirk constituency was abolished in 1918, the Peebles and Southern Midlothian and Roxburgh and Selkirk constituencies were created.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[1]	Party	Notes
	1868	Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery, Bt		Previously MP for Peeblesshire
	1880	Charles Clow Tennant	Liberal
	1886	Sir Walter Thorburn	Liberal Unionist Party
	1906	Alexander Murray, Master of Elibank	Liberal
	Jan. 1910	William Younger	Liberal
	Dec. 1910	Sir Donald Maclean	Liberal	Subsequently, MP for Peebles and Southern Midlothian
1918		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1885: Peebles and Selkirk ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Sir Charles Clow Tennant	1,746	62.7
	Conservative	Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery	1,038	37.3
Majority			708	25.4
Turnout				85.7
	Liberal hold		Swing

General Election 1886: Peebles and Selkirk ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,375	50.9	+13.6
	Liberal	Sir Charles Clow Tennant	1,325	49.1	-13.6
Majority			50	1.8	+27.2
Turnout				83.1	-2.6
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+13.6

Elections in the 1890s

Carmichael

General Election 1892: Peebles and Selkirk ^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,603	54.0	+3.1
	Liberal	Sir Thomas David Gibson-Carmichael	1,367	46.0	-3.1
Majority			236	8.0	+6.2
Turnout				87.4	+4.3
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+3.1

General Election 1895: Peebles and Selkirk ^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Sir Walter Thorburn	1,563	50.9	-3.1
	Liberal	Alexander Murray, The Master of Elibank	1,509	49.1	+3.1
Majority			54	1.8	-6.2
Turnout				87.7	+0.3
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	-3.1

Elections in the 1900s

Edward Tennant

General Election 1900: Peebles and Selkirk ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal Unionist	Sir Walter Thorburn	1,598	53.5	+2.6
	Liberal	Edward Priaulx Tennant	1,387	46.5	-2.6
Majority			211	7.0	+5.2
Turnout				82.8	-4.9
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+2.6

Alexander Murray

General Election 1906: Peebles and Selkirk ^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Alexander Murray, The Master of Elibank	1,955	55.8	+9.3
	Liberal Unionist	Sir Walter Thorburn	1,549	44.2	-9.3
Majority			406	11.6	18.6
Turnout				91.5	+8.7
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+9.3

Elections in the 1910s

William Younger

General Election Jan 1910: Peebles and Selkirk ^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	William Younger	1,941	52.8	-3.0
	Liberal Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	1,735	47.2	+3.0
Majority			206	5.6	-6.0
Turnout				91.2	-0.3
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.0

Donald Maclean

General Election Dec 1910: Peebles and Selkirk ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Donald Maclean	1,965	52.7	-0.1
	Liberal Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	1,764	47.3	+0.1
Majority			201	5.4	-0.2
Turnout				90.8	-0.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.1

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Donald Maclean
• Unionist: John Buchan

References

1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
2. Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
3. Debrett's House of Commons and Judicial Bench, 1889
4. Whitaker's Almanack, 1892
5. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
6. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1901
7. Whitaker's Almanack, 1907
8. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916
9. Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1916