East Fife was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1983. Along with West Fife, it was formed by splitting the old Fife constituency.

It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system, and from 1886 to 1918 it was represented by the Liberal Prime Minister (1908–16), H. H. Asquith.

Boundaries

In 1885, the constituency comprised the parishes of Abdie, Abernethy, Anstruther Wester, Anstruther Easter, Auchtermuchty, Balmerino, Cameron, Carnbee, Ceres, Collessie, Crail, Creich, Cults, Cupar, Dairsie, Dunbog, Dunino, Elie, Falkland, Ferry-Port-on-Craig, Flisk, Forgan, Kemback, Kennoway, Kettle, Kilconquhar, Kilmany, Kilrenny, Kingsbarns, Largo, Leuchars, Logie, Monimail, Moonzie, Newburgh, Newburn, Pittenweem, St Andrews, St Leonards, St Monance, Scoonie and Strathmiglo.^[2]

In 1918, on the dissolution of the St Andrews Burghs constituency, the burghs of St Andrews, Anstruther Easter, Anstruther Wester, Crail, Cupar, Kilrenny and Pittenweem were added to the constituency. It then consisted of "The Cupar and St. Andrews County Districts, inclusive of all burghs situated therein, together with the burgh of Leven and so much of the Kirkcaldy County District as is contained within the extra-burghal portion of the parish of Scoonie and the parish of Kennoway."

Members of Parliament

Election results

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: East Fife^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Boyd Kinnear	4,533	63.8
	Conservative	John Gilmour	2,577	36.2
Majority			1,956	27.6
Turnout			7,110	77.0
Registered electors			9,233
	Liberal win (new seat)

H. H. Asquith

General election 1886: East Fife^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	2,863	53.5	−10.3
	Liberal Unionist	John Boyd Kinnear	2,489	46.5	+10.3
Majority			374	7.0	−20.6
Turnout			5,352	58.0	-19.0
Registered electors			9,233
	Liberal hold		Swing	−10.3

Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: East Fife^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	4,141	60.4	+5.9
	Conservative	Arthur Constable	2,710	39.6	-5.9
Majority			1,431	20.8	+11.8
Turnout			6,851	72.1	-12.2
Registered electors			9,505
	Liberal hold		Swing	+5.9

H. H. Asquith

General election 1906: East Fife^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	4,723	59.0	-1.4
	Conservative	John Gilmour	3,279	41.0	+1.4
Majority			1,444	18.0	-2.8
Turnout			8,002	80.0	+7.9
Registered electors			9,998
	Liberal hold		Swing	−1.4

Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	5,242	62.2	+3.2
	Conservative	Alexander Sprot	3,183	37.8	-3.2
Majority			2,059	24.4	+6.4
Turnout			8,425	81.2	+1.2
	Liberal hold		Swing

Asquith

General election December 1910: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	5,149	60.6	-1.6
	Conservative	Alexander Sprot	3,350	39.4	+1.6
Majority			1,799	21.2	-3.2
Turnout			8,499	78.0	-3.2
	Liberal hold		Swing

By-election, 1914: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	Unopposed
	Liberal hold

General election 1918: East Fife^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Alexander Sprot	8,996	54.2	+14.8
	Liberal	H. H. Asquith	6,996	42.2	-18.4
	Independent Progressive	William Pritchard Morgan	591	3.6	New
Majority			2,002	12.0	N/A
Turnout			16,581	54.0	-24.0
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

Elections in the 1920s

Duncan Millar

General election 1922: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Duncan Millar	12,697	56.0	+13.8
	Unionist	Alexander Sprot	9,987	44.0	-10.2
Majority			2,710	12.0	N/A
Turnout			22,684	67.2	+13.2
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+12.0

General election 1923: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Duncan Millar	12,825	55.5	-0.5
	Unionist	Alexander Sprot	10,275	44.5	+0.5
Majority			2,550	11.0	-1.0
Turnout			23,100	67.8	+0.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	-0.5

General election 1924: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Unionist	Archibald Cochrane	12,664	53.0	+8.5
	Liberal	James Duncan Millar	11,242	47.0	-8.5
Majority			1,422	6.0	N/A
Turnout			23,906	69.2	+1.4
	Unionist gain from Liberal		Swing

General election 1929: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Duncan Millar	14,329	42.9	-4.1
	Unionist	Archibald Cochrane	13,748	41.1	-11.9
	Labour	W R Garson	5,350	6.0	New
Majority			581	1.8	N/A
Turnout			33,427	73.3	+4.1
	Liberal gain from Unionist		Swing	+3.9

Elections in the 1930s

1931 general election: East Fife

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	James Duncan Millar	Unopposed
	National Liberal gain from Liberal

Henderson-Stewart

1933 East Fife by-election^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	James Henderson-Stewart	15,770	52.2	N/A
	Labour	Joseph Westwood	6,635	22.0	New
	Agricultural Party	J. L. Anderson	4,404	14.6	New
	Independent Liberal	David Edwin Keir	2,296	7.6	New
	National (Scotland)	Eric Linklater	1,083	3.6	New
Majority			9,135	30.2	N/A
Turnout			30,188	65.6	N/A
	National Liberal hold		Swing

General election 1935: East Fife ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Liberal	James Henderson-Stewart	27,915	82.3	+30.1
	Labour	Alexander Kerr Davidson	6,016	17.7	-4.3
Majority			21,899	64.6	+34.4
Turnout			33,931	71.0	+5.4
	National Liberal hold		Swing

References

Sources

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
• Election results, 1950 - 1970
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1974 - 1983
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918 - 1949
• F. W. S. Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1885 - 1918

See also

• North East Fife Constituency