Number of voters: 50-70
| Date | Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Feb. 1715 | SIR WILLIAM JOHNSTONE | |
| 6 Apr. 1722 | CHARLES ARESKINE | |
| 2 July 1725 | ARESKINE re-elected after appointment to office | |
| 31 Aug. 1727 | CHARLES ARESKINE | |
| 18 May 1734 | CHARLES ARESKINE | |
| Alexander Fergusson | ||
| 4 Aug. 1737 | ARESKINE re-elected after appointment to office | |
| 4 June 1741 | SIR JOHN DOUGLAS | |
| Matthew Sharp | ||
| 20 July 1747 | LORD CHARLES DOUGLAS |
The chief interests in Dumfriesshire were those of the dukes of Queensberry, its hereditary sheriffs,and of the marquesses of Annandale. In 1715 Sir William Johnstone, a government supporter and a member of a junior branch of the Annandale family, was returned. He was succeeded in 1722 by Charles Areskine, on the joint Queensberry-Annandale interests.1More Culloden Pprs. iii. 66-69. In 1734 Queensberry, who had gone into opposition, wrote ‘I have no doubt of carrying my point in the shire’, but Areskine succeeded in getting himself elected against the Duke’s candidate, who petitioned unsuccessfully.2HMC Polwarth, v. 87; CJ, xxii. 373, 427. Queensberry regained control of the seat in 1741 and by 1747 was in sole control, the Annandale interest having lapsed through the insanity of the 3rd Marquess.