Edinburghshire (Parliament of Scotland constituency)

Not to be confused with Midlothian (Scottish Parliament constituency).

Before the Acts of Union 1707, the barons of the sheriffdom of Edinburgh (also called "Edinburgh principal" to distinguish it from "Edinburgh within the constabulary of Haddington", and now known as Midlothian) elected commissioners to represent them in the Parliament of Scotland and in the Convention of the Estates. The number of commissioners was increased from two to four in 1690.

After the Union, Edinburghshire returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of Great Britain and later to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

List of shire commissioners

• 1594: James Foulis of Colinton^[1]

Parliament or Convention	Commissioners
Parliament 12–13 October 1612[2]	Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1]						Sir James Dundas of Arniston[3]
Convention 7 March 1617[4]	Sir George Ramsay of Dalhousie[5]						James Richardson of Smeton[6]
Parliament 27 May–28 June 1617[7]
Convention 25–26 January 1621[8]	none
Parliament 1 June–4 August 1621[8]	Sir Alexander Lauder of Haltoun[9]						David Crichton of Lugton[9][10]
Convention 27 October–2 November 1625[11]	Sir George Forrester of Corstorphine[12]						Sir James Dundas of Arniston[3]
Parliament 15 September 1628 – 28 June 1633[13]							Patrick Hamilton of Little Preston[14]
Convention 28 July–7 August 1630[15]	Sir James Makgill of Cranstoun Riddell[16]						James Richardson of Smeton[6]
Parliament 15 May 1639 – 17 November 1641[17]	Sir David Crichton of Lugton[10]						Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie[18]
Convention 22 June 1643 – 3 June 1644[19]	Sir Archibald Johnston of Warriston[20]						George Winram of Liberton[21]
	Sir Patrick Hamilton of Preston (from 10 April 1644)[14]						Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie (from 10 April 1644)[18]
Parliament 4 June 1644 – 27 March 1647[22]	Sir Archibald Johnston of Warriston[20]						Sir Patrick Hamilton of Preston[14]
							George Winram of Liberton (from 7 January 1645)[21]
							Sir James Foulis of Colinton (from 26 November 1645)[1]
Parliament 2 March 1648 – 6 June 1651[23]	Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1][24]						Sir James Dundas of Arniston[24][25]
	Sir Archibald Johnston of Warriston (from 4 January 1649)[20][26]						George Winram of Liberton (from 4 January 1649)[21][26]
	Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie[18]
	Sir James Foulis of Colinton (from 1651)[1]				Sir John Wauchope of Niddrie[18]				Sir William Scott of Clerkington (from 1651)[27]
During the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, the sheriffdom of Midlothian was represented by one Member of Parliament in the Protectorate Parliament at Westminster.
Parliament 3 September 1654 – 22 January 1655	George Smith[28]
Parliament 17 September 1656 – 4 February 1658	Samuel Desborough[29]
Parliament 27 January–22 April 1659
After the Restoration, the Parliament of Scotland was again summoned to meet in Edinburgh.
Parliament 1 January 1661 – 9 October 1663[30]	Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1]						Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar[31]
Convention 2–4 August 1665[32]	Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar[31]						Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1]
Convention 9–23 January 1667[33]
Parliament 19 October 1669 – 3 March 1674[34]							Charles Maitland of Haltoun[35]
	New commission 16 January 1672, to replace Gilmour (deceased) and Maitland (appointed Treasurer-Depute)[34]
	Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1]						Sir John Nicolson of that Ilk[36]
Convention 26 June–11 July 1678[37]							Richard Maitland of Gogar[38][39]
Parliament 28 July 1681 – 1 March 1682[40]							Sir John Couper of Gogar[41]
Parliament 23 April 1685 – 15 June 1686[42]	Sir James Foulis of Redford, later of Colinton[1]						Sir John Maitland of Ravelrig[43]
Convention 14 March–24 May 1689[44]
Parliament 5 June 1689 – 30 June 1702[45]
	By Act of Parliament 14 June 1690, the shire of Edinburgh was allocated two additional Commissioners.[45]
	Sir James Foulis of Colinton (seat declared vacant 25 April 1693)[1]			Sir John Maitland of Ravelrig, later (1693) Lauder of Haltoun (succeeded as Earl of Lauderdale in 1695)[43]			Sir Alexander Gilmour of Craigmillar[31]			Sir John Clerk of Pennycuik[46]
	Robert Craig of Riccarton[47]
				Archibald Primrose of Dalmeny (created Viscount of Rosebery in 1700)[48]
				Robert Dundas of Arniston[25]
Parliament 12 November 1702 – 25 March 1707[49]	Robert Dundas of Arniston[25]			Sir James Primrose of Carrington (created Viscount of Primrose in 1703)[50]			Sir Robert Dickson of Inveresk[51]			George Lockhart of Carnwath[52]
				Sir James Foulis of Colinton[1]

Sources

• Return of Members of Parliament (1878), Part II.
• Joseph Foster, Members of Parliament, Scotland (1882).
• The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland.