Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1868, when it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.

It elected one Member of Parliament (MP), using the first-past-the-post voting system.

Creation The British parliamentary constituency was created in 1708 following the Acts of Union 1707 and replaced the former Parliament of Scotland shire constituency of Ayrshire.

Boundaries The Ayrshire constituency represented the county of Ayrshire, minus the parliamentary burghs of Ayr and Irvine, which were components of the Ayr Burghs constituency.

History The constituency elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system until it was divided into North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire for the 1868 general election.

Members of Parliament Election Member Party1708 Francis Montgomerie 1710 John Montgomerie 1713171517221727 James Campbell Whig173417411747 Patrick Craufurd 1754 James Mure-Campbell, later Earl of Loudoun 1761 Archibald Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton Whig1768 David Kennedy, later Earl of Cassillis 1774 Sir Adam Fergusson 1780 Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton 1781Sir Adam Fergusson1784 Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton 1789William McDowall1790 Sir Adam Fergusson1796Hugh Montgomerie, later Earl of Eglinton 1796 William Fullarton Whig180118021803 Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton 18061807 David Boyle 1811 Sir Hew Dalrymple-Hamilton 18121818 James Montgomerie Tory182018261829 William Blair Tory183018311832 Richard Alexander Oswald Whig1835 John Dunlop Radical18371839 Viscount Kelburn, later Earl of Glasgow Conservative18411843 Alexander Haldane Oswald Conservative18471852 James Hunter Blair Conservative1854Sir James FergussonConservative1857 Lord Patrick Crichton-Stuart Whig1859Liberal1859 Sir James Fergusson Conservative1865

Election results Elections in the 1830s

Oswald's resignation caused a by-election.

Dunlop's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1840s

Carr-Boyle succeeded to the peerage, becoming 5th Earl of Glasgow and causing a by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

Blair's death caused a by-election.

Crichton-Stuart's death caused a by-election.

Elections in the 1860s

References

See also Former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies