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Selkirkshire
County
Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754, ed. R. Sedgwick, 1970
Available from Boydell and Brewer
Available from Boydell and Brewer
Background Information
Number of voters:
31 in 1757
Elections
Date | Candidate |
---|---|
10 Feb. 1715 | JOHN PRINGLE |
6 Apr. 1722 | JOHN PRINGLE |
26 Sept. 1727 | JOHN PRINGLE |
13 Feb. 1730 | JAMES RUTHERFORD vice Pringle, appointed to office |
3 Aug. 1733 | RUTHERFORD re-elected after appointment to office |
20 May 1734 | JOHN MURRAY |
21 May 1741 | JOHN MURRAY |
14 July 1747 | JOHN MURRAY |
(Opponent unknown) | |
13 Dec. 1753 | GILBERT ELLIOT vice Murray, deceased |
Main Article
The chief interest in Selkirkshire was that of its hereditary sheriff, John Murray of Philiphaugh, who returned his brother-in-law, John Pringle, from 1715, and in 1730 another kinsman, James Rutherford, both government supporters. In 1734 and 1741 Murray himself was returned unopposed as an opposition Whig, having resigned his hereditary sheriffdom to one of his sons. In 1747 he was opposed by a government candidate, Lord Charles Scott, who died before the election, whereupon an unknown candidate stood unsuccessfully against him.1 On his death in 1753, his eldest son was persuaded by the Duke of Argyll to withdraw in favour of Gilbert Elliot.2