County

The principal interest in Peeblesshire belonged to the earls of March, who as hereditary sheriffs were able to control the elections. An unsuccessful attempt to break this control in 1727 was made by Sir James Nasmyth, whose petition on the grounds of the partiality of the sheriff made no progress. However, after the 2nd Earl of March’s death, leaving an infant son, in 1731, followed by that of his brother, the sitting Member, John Douglas, a year later, Nasmyth obtained the support of the deputy sheriff for the ensuing by-election, at which he was returned.

In the seventeenth century the islands of Orkney and Shetland were granted by the Crown to the earls of Morton, subject to a right of redemption, which was abolished by a private Act of Parliament in 1742. All the Members returned were related to the earls of Morton, the hereditary stewards.

The chief interest in Nairnshire was that of the Campbells of Cawdor (Calder), the hereditary sheriffs. Its Members not infrequently used Nairnshire as a second string after failing in other constituencies. Thus in 1722 John Forbes of Culloden, having been defeated for Inverness-shire, fell back on Nairnshire, which he had represented in Anne’s last Parliament.

Although the Cunynghames of Livingstone, the Dundases of Dundas, and the Hamiltons of Ballencrieff had strong local interests, control of Linlithgowshire lay in the 2nd Earl of Hopetoun, who, as hereditary sheriff of the county, saw to it that the Members returned suited his own interest.

Up to 1750 Lanarkshire was usually represented by relations of the Tory dukes of Hamilton, its hereditary sheriffs. The only exception was James Lockart, a Whig, who was returned in 1715, when the 5th Duke was a minor. On Lockhart’s death in 1718, the Duke being still under age, his uncle, Lord Archibald Hamilton, took the seat, twice defeating Lockhart’s kinsman, Sir James Stewart.

In 1715 and 1722 Alexander Murray of Broughton, a Whig related to the Marquess of Annandale, the hereditary steward, was returned unopposed. In 1724 riots against the enclosure of lands in Galloway led to disagreement among the leading county families as to how the rioters should be treated. Some, led by Patrick Heron, were in favour of

Kinross-shire was controlled by its hereditary sheriff, John Hope, from 1729 Sir John Bruce Hope, who was accused of using his office ‘to engross to himself the whole power of electing as well as returning the representatives of that shire’.

The principal interest in Kincardineshire had been that of George Keith, Earl Marischal, the hereditary sheriff of the county, a Jacobite who was attainted for his part in the Fifteen, whereupon the Government nominated deputy sheriffs as the returning officer.

The chief interest in Inverness-shire was that of Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, who had ‘the best estate in the shire’.Spalding Club Misc. ii. 8. In 1715 John Forbes was successful with the support of Lovat, whose claim to Fraserdale Forbes supported against that of the rival candidate, Alexander Mackenzie, a Jacobite who had gained possession of the estate.

The shire was represented from 1708 till 1741 by John Cockburn, who had previously represented it in the last Parliament of Scotland. Owing to the expense of his pioneering experiments in agriculture, he was forced to mortgage and in the end sell his estates, thus losing the family interest. His place was taken in 1741 by the Marquess of Tweeddale’s brother, Lord Charles Hay, who did not stand in 1747, perhaps because of a bout of insanity the previous year.