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Dysart Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)

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Dysart Burghs was a Burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain 1708-1800 and of the United Kingdomn from 1801. It existed from 1708 to 1832, when it was replaced by Kirkcaldy Burghs

Dysart Burghs was a constituency comprised of several different towns in Fife. See District for further details about this type of Scottish constituency.

The first election in Dysart Burghs was in 1708. In 1707-08, members of the 1702-1707 Parliament of Scotland were co-opted to serve in the 1st Parliament of Great Britain. See Scottish representatives to the 1st Parliament of Great Britain, for further details.

The most populous of the Burghs was Kirkcaldy. The Oswald family became the dominant force in Kirkcaldy politics in the 18th century.

The second largest Burgh was Dysart, controlled by the St.Clair interest.

Burntisland and Kinghorn were smaller. The votes from these Burghs seem to have been available to the highest bidder.

The combined Oswald and St.Clair influence often decided who was to be elected, but in 1774 a rich outsider bribed his way into Parliament, to the surprise of the incumbent J.T. Oswald.

The most prominent political figure, during the time he represented the constituency, was the second James Oswald. He was seen as a reliable man of business and held a number of junior ministerial offices. At one point he was even being thought of as a possible Chancellor of the Exchequer, but being Scottish counted against Oswald. The Prime Minister, the Earl of Bute was extremely unpopular with English opinion in the early 1760's, so promoting another Scot was thought too risky.

Sir James St.Clair-Erskine (MP 1796-1805) was more important later in his career when in 1834-35, as 2nd Earl of Rosslyn, he served as Lord President of the Council.

Boundaries

The Burghs making up this district, between 1708 and 1832, were as follows.

Period District Burgh County
1708-1832 Dysart Burghs Dysart Fife
1708-1832 Dysart Burghs Burntisland Fife
1708-1832 Dysart Burghs Kinghorn Fife
1708-1832 Dysart Burghs Kirkcaldy Fife

In 1832 under the provisions of one of the statutes loosely referred to as the Reform Act of 1832, Dysart Burghs were altered to Kirkcaldy Burghs BC although the four Burghs in the district continued unchanged.

Member of Parliament

  • 1708 Hon. John Sinclair
  • 1710 James Abercromby
  • 1710 James Oswald (died 1716)
  • 1715 William Kerr
  • 1722 James St.Clair
  • 1734 Hon. Thomas Leslie
  • 1741 James Oswald (1715-1769)
  • 1747 James St.Clair
  • 1754 James Oswald (1715-1769)
  • 1768 James Townsend Oswald
  • 1774 John Johnstone
  • 1780 John Henderson
  • 1784 Sir Charles Preston, Bt
  • 1790 Hon. Charles Hope
  • 1805 Robert M. Dallas
  • 1806 Sir Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig)
  • 1831 Robert Ferguson (Whig) (re-elected for Kirkcaldy Burghs in 1832).

Elections

The constituency had only four voters (the commissioners elected by the four Burgh Councils). The place of election rotated between the Burghs and the host Burgh had a casting vote if there was a tie.

  • 1708 (26 May) general election (election at Dysart)
  • Hon. John Sinclair: Unopposed
  • Declared incapable of being elected, being the eldest son of Lord Sinclair
  • 1710 (16 January) by-election (election at Dysart)
  • James Abercromby possibly defeated William Patterson, no vote totals available (see note below)
  • 1710 (31 October) general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1713 general election (election at Burntisland)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1715 (17 February) general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • William Kerr: Unopposed
  • 1722 (14 April) general election (election at Dysart)
  • Thomas Leslie defeated James St.Clair, no vote totals available. On petition St.Clair was awarded the seat.
  • 1727 general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • James St.Clair: Unopposed
  • 1734 (20 May) general election (election at Burntisland)
  • Hon. Thomas Leslie defeated James St.Clair, no vote totals available.
  • 1741 (2 Jun) general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • Appointed a Commissioner of the Admiralty
  • 1745 (January) by-election (election at Kinghorn)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1747 (23 July) general election (election at Dysart)
  • James St.Clair: Unopposed
  • 1754 (11 May) general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • Appointed a Commissioner of the Treasury
  • 1760 (18 January) by-election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1761 (20 April) general election (election at Burntisland)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • Appointed a Vice Treasurer of Ireland
  • 1763 (18 May) by-election (election at Burntisland)
  • James Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1768 (11 Apr) general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • James Townshend Oswald: Unopposed
  • Appointed Secretary for the Leeward Islands
  • 1772 (28 February) by-election (election at Kinghorn)
  • James Townshend Oswald: Unopposed
  • 1774 (1 November) general election (election at Dysart)
  • John Johnstone: 3 votes (Burntisland, Dysart and Kinghorn)
  • James Townshend Oswald: 1 vote (Kirkcaldy)
  • 1780 (3 October) general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • John Henderson: 2 votes (Burntisland and Kirkcaldy)
  • John Johnstone: 2 votes (Dysart and Kinghorn)
  • Kirkcaldy used its casting vote to elect Henderson
  • 1784 (26 April) general election (election at Burntisland)
  • Sir Charles Preston: Unopposed
  • 1790 (12 July) general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • Hon. Charles Hope: 2 votes
  • John Crauford: 2 votes
  • Kinghorn used its casting vote to elect Hope
  • 1796 (21 June) general election (election at Dysart)
  • Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt: Unopposed
  • 1802 general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt: Unopposed
  • Succeeded to the Peerage as Earl of Rosslyn
  • 1805 (4 March) by-election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • Robert M. Dallas: Unopposed
  • 1806 (25 November) general election (election at Burntisland)
  • Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed
  • 1807 general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed
  • 1812 general election (election at Dysart)
  • Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig) 3 votes
  • P.C.C.H. Durham (Tory) 1 vote
  • 1818 general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • Sir Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed
  • 1820 general election (election at Burntisland)
  • Sir Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed
  • 1826 general election (election at Kinghorn)
  • Sir Ronald Crauford Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed
  • 1830 (23 August) general election (election at Dysart)
  • Lord Loughborough (Tory): Unopposed
  • 1831 (26 May) general election (election at Kirkcaldy)
  • Robert Ferguson (Whig): Unopposed

Note: Stooks Smith refers to a by-election in December 1709, won by Patterson but does not mention Abercromby. Leigh Rayment's site does not mention Patterson, but has James Abercromby as MP from 16 Jan 1710. Possibly there was an undocumented contested election.

Reference

The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)

House of Commons 1754-1790, by Sir Lewis Namier and John Brooke (Secker and Warburg 1964)

Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [self-published source] [better source needed]

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