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Banffshire — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Banffshire was won by Conservative at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 799 votes over SNP. This page covers every general election in Banffshire from 1832 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1832–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 George Ferguson (Conservative) 295 69.7% Thomas Gordon (Whig) 167 (39.5 pts) 84.9%
1835 George Ferguson (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1837 James Duff (Whig) 292 57.7% George Ferguson (Conservative) 78 (15.4 pts) 73.9%
1841 James Duff (Whig) 316 53.7% John Charles Ogilvy-Grant (Conservative) 43 (7.3 pts) 82.1%
1847 James Duff (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1852 James Duff (Whig) 327 52.1% Hay Macdowall-Grant (Conservative) 26 (4.1 pts) 77.2%
1857 James Duff (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1859 Lachlan Duff Gordon-Duff (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1865 Robert William Duff (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1868 Robert William Duff (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1874 Robert William Duff (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1880 Robert William Duff (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1885 Robert William Duff (Liberal) 3,740 65.1% Moir Tod Stormonth-Darling (Conservative) 1,732 (30.1 pts) 81.9%
1886 Robert William Duff (Liberal) 2,583 64.9% Charles Grant (Liberal Unionist) 1,189 (29.9 pts) 56.7%
1892 Robert William Duff (Liberal) 2,293 61.7% Michael Maltman Barry (Independent Conservative) 869 (23.4 pts) 51.7%
1895 William Wedderburn (Liberal) 2,977 54.7% James Augustus Grant (Conservative) 510 (9.4 pts) 72.4%
1900 Alexander William Black (Liberal) 2,768 52.8% George Watt (Liberal Unionist) 298 (5.7 pts) 64.2%
1906 Alexander William Black (Liberal) 4,101 68.3% James Augustus Grant (Conservative) 2,200 (36.6 pts) 73.9%
Jan 1910 Walter Waring (Liberal) 4,066 66.4% James Crabb Watt (Conservative) 2,013 (32.9 pts) 74.8%
Dec 1910 Walter Waring (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1918 Charles Coupar Barrie (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1922 Charles Coupar Barrie (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1923 Charles Coupar Barrie (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1924 William Paterson Templeton (Unionist) 6,829 42.7% Charles Coupar Barrie (Liberal) 1,403 (8.8 pts) 55.4%
1929 Murdoch McKenzie Wood (Liberal) 9,278 44.2% William Paterson Templeton (Unionist) 2,558 (12.2 pts) 63.8%
1931 Murdoch McKenzie Wood (Liberal) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1935 John Edmund Ritchie Findlay (Unionist) 11,771 51.3% Murdoch McKenzie Wood (Liberal) 603 (2.6 pts) 70.5%
1945 William Smith Duthie (Unionist) 10,689 49.5% Ian Alistair Duncan Millar (Liberal) 4,288 (19.8 pts) 66.5%
1950 William Smith Duthie (Unionist) 13,952 58.1% John Brown (Labour) 7,649 (31.9 pts) 74.1%
1951 William Smith Duthie (Unionist) 16,562 70.9% Alexander Flett (Labour) 9,756 (41.8 pts) 65.6%
1955 Sir William Smith Duthie (Unionist) 14,643 69.8% William Paterson (Labour) 8,306 (39.6 pts) 54.7%
1959 Sir William Smith Duthie (Unionist) 14,359 70.6% Robert W Irvine (Labour) 8,367 (41.1 pts) 63.3%
1964 Wilfred Harold Kerton Baker (Unionist) 9,995 47.8% Henry Dickson (Labour) 4,421 (21.1 pts) 67.8%
1966 Wilfred Baker (Conservative) 8,139 41.4% Basil Wishart (Liberal) 1,377 (7.0 pts) 65.1%
1970 Wilfred Baker (Conservative) 8,457 38.7% Hamish Watt (SNP) 3,451 (15.8 pts) 68.9%
Oct 1974 Hamist Watt (SNP) 10,638 45.9% James Sim Gordon (Conservative) 1,851 (8.0 pts) 72.5%
Feb 1974 Hamish Watt (SNP) 11,037 46.1% Wilfred Baker (Conservative) 2,785 (11.6 pts) 75.7%
1979 David Myles (Conservative) 10,580 44.6% Hamish Watt (SNP) 799 (3.4 pts) 72.5%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Ferguson Conservative 29569.7% Yes
Thomas Gordon Whig 12830.3% No

1835

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Ferguson Conservative Unopposed Yes

1837

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Duff Whig 29257.7% Yes
George Ferguson Conservative 21442.3% No

1841

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Duff Whig 31653.7% Yes
John Charles Ogilvy-Grant Conservative 27346.3% No

1847

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Duff Whig Unopposed Yes

1852

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Duff Whig 32752.1% Yes
Hay Macdowall-Grant Conservative 30147.9% No

1857

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Duff Whig Unopposed Yes

1859

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Lachlan Duff Gordon-Duff Liberal Unopposed Yes

1865

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal Unopposed Yes

1868

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal Unopposed Yes

1874

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal Unopposed Yes

1880

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal Unopposed Yes

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal 3,74065.1% Yes
Moir Tod Stormonth-Darling Conservative 2,00834.9% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal 2,58364.9% Yes
Charles Grant Liberal Unionist 1,39435.1% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Robert William Duff Liberal 2,29361.7% Yes
Michael Maltman Barry Independent Conservative 1,42438.3% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Wedderburn Liberal 2,97754.7% Yes
James Augustus Grant Conservative 2,46745.3% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander William Black Liberal 2,76852.8% Yes
George Watt Liberal Unionist 2,47047.2% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander William Black Liberal 4,10168.3% Yes
James Augustus Grant Conservative 1,90131.7% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Waring Liberal 4,06666.4% Yes
James Crabb Watt Conservative 2,05333.6% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Walter Waring Liberal Unopposed Yes

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Coupar Barrie Liberal Unopposed Yes

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Coupar Barrie Liberal Unopposed Yes

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Coupar Barrie Liberal Unopposed Yes

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Paterson Templeton Unionist 6,82942.7% Yes
Charles Coupar Barrie Liberal 5,42634.0% No
Alexander William Groundwater Labour 3,72223.3% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Murdoch McKenzie Wood Liberal 9,27844.2% Yes
William Paterson Templeton Unionist 6,72032.0% No
Alasdair Alpin MacGregor Labour 4,98223.7% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Murdoch McKenzie Wood Liberal Unopposed Yes

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Edmund Ritchie Findlay Unionist 11,77151.3% Yes
Murdoch McKenzie Wood Liberal 11,16848.7% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Smith Duthie Unionist 10,68949.5% Yes
Ian Alistair Duncan Millar Liberal 6,40129.6% No
Donald Macpherson Labour 4,52420.9% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Smith Duthie Unionist 13,95258.1% Yes
John Brown Labour 6,30326.3% No
Gordon James Lethem Liberal 3,73915.6% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Smith Duthie Unionist 16,56270.9% Yes
Alexander Flett Labour 6,80629.1% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir William Smith Duthie Unionist 14,64369.8% Yes
William Paterson Labour 6,33730.2% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir William Smith Duthie Unionist 14,35970.6% Yes
Robert W Irvine Labour 5,99229.4% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Harold Kerton Baker Unionist 9,99547.8% Yes
Henry Dickson Labour 5,57426.6% No
Thomas Alexander Macnair Liberal 5,35425.6% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Baker Conservative 8,13941.4% Yes
Basil Wishart Liberal 6,76234.4% No
Robert Middleton Labour 4,77524.3% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Wilfred Baker Conservative 8,45738.7% Yes
Hamish Watt SNP 5,00622.9% No
Thomas Fraser Liberal 4,58921.0% No
Andrew Walls Labour 3,79517.4% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hamist Watt SNP 10,63845.9% Yes
James Sim Gordon Conservative 8,78737.9% No
Colin McLeod Liberal 2,0598.9% No
Anne Wilma Macleod Porteous Labour 1,7007.3% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Hamish Watt SNP 11,03746.1% Yes
Wilfred Baker Conservative 8,25234.5% No
Thomas Fraser Liberal 3,12113.0% No
Robert Dool Labour 1,5286.4% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
David Myles Conservative 10,58044.6% Yes
Hamish Watt SNP 9,78141.2% No
Robert Emslie Duncan Labour 3,38114.2% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1832: Conservative margin 39.5 pts 1837: Whig margin 15.4 pts 1841: Whig margin 7.3 pts 1852: Whig margin 4.1 pts 1885: Liberal margin 30.1 pts 1886: Liberal margin 29.9 pts 1892: Liberal margin 23.4 pts 1895: Liberal margin 9.4 pts 1900: Liberal margin 5.7 pts 1906: Liberal margin 36.6 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 32.9 pts 1924: Unionist margin 8.8 pts 1929: Liberal margin 12.2 pts 1935: Unionist margin 2.6 pts 1945: Unionist margin 19.8 pts 1950: Unionist margin 31.9 pts 1951: Unionist margin 41.8 pts 1955: Unionist margin 39.6 pts 1959: Unionist margin 41.1 pts 1964: Unionist margin 21.1 pts 1966: Conservative margin 7.0 pts 1970: Conservative margin 15.8 pts Oct 1974: SNP margin 8.0 pts Feb 1974: SNP margin 11.6 pts 1979: Conservative margin 3.4 pts 1832 1837 1841 1852 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 1924 1929 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Oct 1974 Feb 1974 1979

Trend

Banffshire has been contested at 38 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Conservative, Whig, Liberal, Unionist, SNP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Banffshire in the 1979 general election?

Conservative won Banffshire in 1979 with 10,580 votes (44.6%), a majority of 799 votes over SNP in second place.

Which parties have won Banffshire since 1832?

Since 1832, Banffshire has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, SNP, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Banffshire?

The closest result on record for Banffshire was 1935, when Unionist beat Liberal by just 603 votes (2.6 percentage points).

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