Peebles and Selkirk (UK Parliament constituency)

Peebles and Selkirk was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster) from 1868 to 1918. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post voting system.

Peebles and Selkirk
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
1868–1918
Seats	One
Created from	Peeblesshire Selkirkshire
Replaced by	Peebles and Southern Midlothian Roxburgh and Selkirk

Boundaries

The name relates the constituency to the counties of Peebles and Selkirk.

From 1708 to 1868 the counties had been covered, at least nominally, by the Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire constituencies.

When the Peebles and Selkirk constituency was abolished in 1918, the Peebles and Southern Midlothian and Roxburgh and Selkirk constituencies were created.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[1]	Party	Notes
	1868	Sir Graham Graham-Montgomery, Bt	Conservative	Previously MP for Peeblesshire
	1880	Charles Tennant	Liberal
	1886	Sir Walter Thorburn	Liberal Unionist
	1906	Alexander Murray, Master of Elibank	Liberal
	Jan. 1910	William Younger	Liberal
	Dec. 1910	Sir Donald Maclean	Liberal	Subsequently, MP for Peebles and Southern Midlothian
1918		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Peebles and Selkirk^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Graham Graham-Montgomery	361	50.2
	Liberal	John Murray[3]	358	49.8
Majority			3	0.4
Turnout			719	80.9
Registered electors			889
	Conservative win (new seat)

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Peebles and Selkirk^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Graham Graham-Montgomery	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,026
	Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Peebles and Selkirk^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Tennant	516	51.6	New
	Conservative	Graham Graham-Montgomery	484	48.4	N/A
Majority			32	3.2	N/A
Turnout			1,000	88.0	N/A
Registered electors			1,136
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

General election 1885: Peebles and Selkirk^[4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles Tennant	1,746	62.7	+11.1
	Conservative	Graham Graham-Montgomery	1,038	37.3	−11.1
Majority			708	25.4	+22.2
Turnout			2,784	85.7	−2.3
Registered electors			3,250
	Liberal hold		Swing	+11.1

General election 1886: Peebles and Selkirk^[4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,375	50.9	+13.6
	Liberal	Charles Tennant	1,325	49.1	−13.6
Majority			50	1.8	N/A
Turnout			2,700	83.1	−2.6
Registered electors			3,250
	Liberal Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing	+13.6

Elections in the 1890s

Carmichael

General election 1892: Peebles and Selkirk^[6][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,603	54.0	+3.1
	Liberal	Thomas Gibson-Carmichael	1,367	46.0	−3.1
Majority			236	8.0	+6.2
Turnout			2,970	87.4	+4.3
Registered electors			3,400
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+3.1

General election 1895: Peebles and Selkirk^[7][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,563	50.9	−3.1
	Liberal	Alexander Murray	1,509	49.1	+3.1
Majority			54	1.8	−6.2
Turnout			3,072	87.7	+0.3
Registered electors			3,504
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	-3.1

Elections in the 1900s

Edward Tennant

General election 1900: Peebles and Selkirk^[7][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,598	53.5	+2.6
	Liberal	Edward Tennant	1,387	46.5	−2.6
Majority			211	7.0	+5.2
Turnout			2,985	82.8	−4.9
Registered electors			3,603
	Liberal Unionist hold		Swing	+2.6

Alexander Murray

General election 1906: Peebles and Selkirk^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Alexander Murray	1,955	55.8	+9.3
	Liberal Unionist	Walter Thorburn	1,549	44.2	−9.3
Majority			406	11.6	N/A
Turnout			3,504	91.5	+8.7
Registered electors			3,830
	Liberal gain from Liberal Unionist		Swing	+9.3

Elections in the 1910s

William Younger

General election January 1910: Peebles and Selkirk^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Younger	1,941	52.8	−3.0
	Liberal Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	1,735	47.2	+3.0
Majority			206	5.6	−6.0
Turnout			3,676	91.2	−0.3
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.0

Donald Maclean

General election December 1910: Peebles and Selkirk^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Donald Maclean	1,965	52.7	−0.1
	Liberal Unionist	Samuel Strang Steel	1,764	47.3	+0.1
Majority			201	5.4	−0.2
Turnout			3,729	90.8	−0.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.1

General Election 1914–15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

• Liberal: Donald Maclean
• Unionist: John Buchan