Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Edinburgh elected 2 MPs at the 1880 general election: Duncan McLaren (Liberal) and James Cowan (Liberal). This page covers every general election in Edinburgh from 1832 to 1880.
This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.
Full Election History, 1832–1880
Election
Elected
Votes
Vote Share
Runner-up
Majority
Turnout
1832
Francis Jeffrey (Whig); James Abercromby (Whig)
3,850
42.9% (top seat)
Forbes Hunter Blair (Conservative)
2,331 (24.8 pts)
77.7%
1835
James Abercromby (Whig); John Campbell (Whig)
2,858
32.4% (top seat)
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay (Conservative)
1,142 (12.5 pts)
58.2%
1837
James Abercromby (Speaker (non-party)); John Campbell (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1841
Thomas Babington Macaulay (Whig); William Gibson-Craig (Whig)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1847
Charles Cowan (Radical); William Gibson-Craig (Whig)
1,854
32.4% (top seat)
Thomas Babington Macaulay (Whig)
377 (5.9 pts)
44.8%
1852
Thomas Babington Macaulay (Whig); Charles Cowan (Radical)
1,754
27.2% (top seat)
Duncan McLaren (Radical)
195 (2.8 pts)
55.2%
1857
Adam Black (Whig); Charles Cowan (Radical)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1859
Adam Black (Liberal); James Moncreiff (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1865
Duncan McLaren (Liberal); James Moncreiff (Liberal)
4,148
27.2% (top seat)
Adam Black (Liberal)
351 (2.2 pts)
77.5%
1868
Duncan McLaren (Liberal); John Miller (Liberal)
Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record
0.0%
1874
Duncan McLaren (Liberal); James Cowan (Liberal)
8,749
35.6% (top seat)
John Miller (Liberal)
2,531 (7.9 pts)
64.7%
1880
Duncan McLaren (Liberal); James Cowan (Liberal)
17,301
43.7% (top seat)
John Hay Athole Macdonald (Conservative)
11,650 (28.6 pts)
71.4%
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Francis Jeffrey
Whig
4,035
42.9%
Yes
James Abercromby
Whig
3,850
40.9%
Yes
Forbes Hunter Blair
Conservative
1,519
16.2%
No
1835 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Abercromby
Whig
2,963
32.4%
Yes
John Campbell
Whig
2,858
31.3%
Yes
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay
Conservative
1,716
18.8%
No
John Learmonth
Conservative
1,608
17.6%
No
1837 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
James Abercromby
Speaker (non-party)
Unopposed
Yes
John Campbell
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1841 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
William Gibson-Craig
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
1847 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Charles Cowan
Radical
2,063
32.4%
Yes
William Gibson-Craig
Whig
1,854
29.1%
Yes
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Whig
1,477
23.2%
No
Peter Blackburn
Conservative
980
15.4%
No
1852 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Thomas Babington Macaulay
Whig
1,872
27.2%
Yes
Charles Cowan
Radical
1,754
25.5%
Yes
Duncan McLaren
Radical
1,559
22.7%
No
Thomas Charles Bruce
Conservative
1,065
15.5%
No
Alexander Campbell
Peelite
625
9.1%
No
1857 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Adam Black
Whig
Unopposed
Yes
Charles Cowan
Radical
Unopposed
Yes
1859 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Adam Black
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
James Moncreiff
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1865 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Duncan McLaren
Liberal
4,354
27.2%
Yes
James Moncreiff
Liberal
4,148
25.9%
Yes
Adam Black
Liberal
3,797
23.7%
No
John Miller
Liberal
3,723
23.2%
No
1868 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Duncan McLaren
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
John Miller
Liberal
Unopposed
Yes
1874 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Duncan McLaren
Liberal
11,431
35.6%
Yes
James Cowan
Liberal
8,749
27.2%
Yes
John Miller
Liberal
6,218
19.4%
No
John Hay Athole Macdonald
Conservative
5,713
17.8%
No
1880 (2 seats)
Candidate
Party
Votes
Share
Elected
Duncan McLaren
Liberal
17,807
43.7%
Yes
James Cowan
Liberal
17,301
42.4%
Yes
John Hay Athole Macdonald
Conservative
5,651
13.9%
No
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Edinburgh has been contested at 12 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Speaker (non-party), Radical, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Edinburgh in the 1880 general election?
Duncan McLaren (Liberal), James Cowan (Liberal) won Edinburgh in 1880.
Which parties have won Edinburgh since 1832?
Since 1832, Edinburgh has been won by: Liberal, Radical, Speaker (non-party), Whig.
What was the closest result in Edinburgh?
The closest result on record for Edinburgh was 1865, when Liberal beat Liberal by just 351 votes (2.2 percentage points).
Did Edinburgh ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Edinburgh elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.