Bute and Northern Ayrshire (UK Parliament constituency)

Bute and Northern Ayrshire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

History

The constituency was formed by combining Buteshire (which historically included the islands of Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae) with part of North Ayrshire. The rest of Ayrshire North was merged into Kilmarnock.

In 1918 the constituency consisted of "The county of Bute, inclusive of all burghs, situated therein, and the county district of Northern Ayr, inclusive of all burghs situated therein except insofar as included in the Ayr District of Burghs".

In 1950 some of the constituency was transferred to the then new constituency of Central Ayrshire.

In 1983, Bute and Northern Ayrshire was divided between Argyll and Bute and Cunninghame North.

Boundaries

1918–1950: The county of Bute, and the county district of Northern Ayr, inclusive of all burghs therein except in so far as included in the Ayr District of Burghs.

1950–1955: The county of Bute, the burghs of Ardrossan, Largs, and Saltcoats, and the district of Saltcoats.

1955–1983: The county of Bute, the burghs of Ardrossan, Largs, Saltcoats, and Stevenston, and the district of Saltcoats.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1918	Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1935	Sir Charles MacAndrew	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1959	Sir Fitzroy Maclean	Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Feb 1974	John Corrie	Conservative
1983		constituency abolished: see Argyll and Bute & Cunninghame North

Election results

Elections in the 1910s

File:Aylmer Hunter-Weston.jpg

Hunter-Weston

Template:Election box winning candidate with party link coalition 1918Template:Election box end 1918

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1918: Bute & Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Smith	5,848	28.5
		Hugh Fraser Campbell	2,059	10.0
Majority			6,790	33.0
Turnout			20,545	55.3
Registered electors			37,158
	win (new seat)

General election 1922: Bute & Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Template:Replace	60.6
		John Paton	9,323	39.4
Majority			5,045	21.2
Turnout			23,691	59.5
Registered electors			39,817
	hold		Swing	−5.9

General election 1923: Bute & Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Template:Replace	55.6
		Peter Campbell Stephen	9,855	44.4
Majority			2,465	11.2
Turnout			22,175	55.9
Registered electors			39,685
	hold		Swing	−5.0

General election 1924: Bute & Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Template:Replace	61.7
		Peter Campbell Stephen	10,075	38.3
Majority			6,128	23.4
Turnout			26,278	65.6
Registered electors			40,076
	hold		Swing	+6.1

General election 1929: Bute and Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Template:Replace	56.2
		Alexander Sloan	14,294	43.8
Majority			4,037	12.4
Turnout			32,625	65.2
Registered electors			50,032
	hold		Swing	−5.5

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bute and Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Aylmer Hunter-Weston	Template:Replace	70.5
		Alexander Sloan	10,227	29.5
Majority			14,240	41.0
Turnout			34,694	67.9
Registered electors			51,095
	hold		Swing

General election 1935: Bute and Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles MacAndrew	Template:Replace	62.6
		Maurice Shinwell	13,358	37.4
Majority			9,033	25.2
Turnout			35,749	66.6
Registered electors			53,682
	hold		Swing

General Election 1939–40: Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place from 1939 and by the end of this year, the following candidates had been selected;

• Unionist: Charles MacAndrew
• Labour:

Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: Bute and Northern Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles MacAndrew	Template:Replace	53.0
		John Wheatley	19,209	47.0
Majority			2,443	6.0
Turnout			40,861	68.5
Registered electors			59,657
	hold		Swing	−9.6

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles MacAndrew	Template:Replace	64.2
		G Aitken	12,243	35.7
Majority			9,776	28.5
Turnout			34,262
	hold		Swing

General election 1951: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles MacAndrew	Template:Replace	64.2
		Dickson Mabon	12,492	35.8
Majority			9,869	28.4
Turnout			34,853
	hold		Swing

General election 1955: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Charles MacAndrew	Template:Replace	64.5
		David Lambie	11,183	35.5
Majority			9,155	29.0
Turnout			31,521
	hold		Swing

General election 1959: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fitzroy Maclean	Template:Replace	62.4
		David Lambie	12,218	37.6
Majority			8,052	24.8
Turnout			32,488
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fitzroy Maclean	Template:Replace	49.8
		David Lambie	11,934	36.0
		Richard J. Gammon	4,671	14.1
Majority			4,563	13.8
Turnout			33,102
	hold		Swing

General election 1966: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fitzroy Maclean	Template:Replace	48.7
		David Lambie	13,482	40.7
		Robert P. Cochrane	3,539	10.7
Majority			2,656	8.0
Turnout			33,159	76.0
	hold		Swing	−2.8

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Fitzroy Maclean	Template:Replace	53.6
		Hugh G. Millar	12,459	35.4
		Peggy Macrae	3,852	10.9
Majority			6,394	18.2
Turnout			35,164	73.0
	hold		Swing	+5.1

General election February 1974: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Corrie	Template:Replace	45.7
		Raymond D. Donnelly	10,436	27.8
		John A. Murphy	6,104	16.3
		R. Stevenson	3,832	10.2
Majority			6,730	17.9
Turnout			37,538	77.0
	hold		Swing

General election October 1974: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Corrie	Template:Replace	38.9
		J.N. Carson	10,093	28.9
		John A. Murphy	9,055	25.9
		R. Stevenson	2,224	6.4
Majority			3,506	10.0
Turnout			34,971	71.3
	hold		Swing

General election 1979: Bute and North Ayrshire

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		John Corrie	Template:Replace	45.7
		M.G. Smith	13,004	34.3
		M. Brown	5,272	13.9
		P. Giffney	2,280	6.0
Majority			4,313	11.4
Turnout			37,873	75.8
	hold		Swing

See also

• Former United Kingdom Parliament constituencies