Constituency Top Notes
Inverary (1715, 47), Campbeltown (1722), Argyllshire; Ayr (1727), Irvine (1734), Ayrshire; Rothesay (1741), Buteshire
Background Information
Number of voters: 83
Constituency business
| Date | Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Feb. 1715 | CHARLES OLIPHANT | |
| 9 Jan. 1720 | THOMAS KENNEDY vice Oliphant, deceased | |
| 2 Sept. 1721 | DUNCAN FORBES vice Kennedy, appointed to office | |
| 13 Apr. 1722 | WILLIAM STEWART | |
| 9 Sept. 1727 | WILLIAM STEWART | |
| 4 June 1731 | STEWART re-elected after appointment to office | |
| 18 May 1734 | JAMES STUART | |
| 28 May 1741 | GEORGE FORBES, Earl of Granard | |
| 22 July 1747 | CHARLES ERSKINE | |
| 29 Dec. 1749 | SIR HENRY ERSKINE, vice Charles Erskine, deceased |
Main Article
Of the five Ayr burghs, Inverary and Campbeltown were controlled by the dukes of Argyll, and Rothesay by the earls of Bute, allied by the 2nd Earl’s marriage to the 2nd Duke’s sister in 1711. The predominant partners in this alliance were the dukes of Argyll, especially after the death of the 2nd Earl of Bute in 1723, when the 2nd Duke of Argyll and his brother, Lord Ilay, became the guardians of their nephew, the 3rd Earl of Bute, then aged 10. Throughout the period Argyll-Bute nominees were returned without opposition.
Volume