Renfrewshire was a
county constituency
In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons.
Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constitue ...
of the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
of the
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...
from 1708 until 1801 and of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
from 1801 to 1885.
Creation
The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the
Acts of Union, 1707
The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...
and replaced the former
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...
shire constituency of
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...
.
Boundaries
The constituency covered the
county of Renfrewshire, minus the
parliamentary burgh
In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons.
Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constitue ...
of
Renfrew
Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's form ...
throughout the 1708 to 1885 period, and minus the parliamentary burgh of
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most rece ...
and the
Paisley and
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowland ...
constituencies from 1832 to 1885.
The burgh of Renfrew was a component of
Glasgow Burghs until 1832, when it became a component of
Kilmarnock Burghs. Port Glasgow became a parliamentary burgh in 1832, and another component of Kilmarnock Burghs.
History
The constituency elected one
Member of Parliament (MP)
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members often ...
by the
first past the post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
system until the seat was abolished in 1885.
In 1885 the Renfrewshire constituency area was divided into two new constituencies:
Renfrewshire Eastern and
Renfrewshire Western.
Members of Parliament
Election results
Elections in the 1830s
Shaw-Stewart's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Stewart's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s
Mure resigned by accepting the office of
Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Speirs' death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Bruce was elevated to the peerage, becoming Lord Aberdare and causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
Mure's death caused a by-election.
References
History of Parliament - constituencies*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Renfrewshire (Uk Parliament Constituency)
Historic parliamentary constituencies in Scotland (Westminster)
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1708
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885
Politics of Renfrewshire