The1895 Inverness Burghs by-election was a parliamentaryby-election held on 31 August 1895 for the UKHouse of Commons constituency ofInverness Burghs, which was made up of the towns ofInverness,Fortrose,Forres andNairn in theScottish Highlands.
Under the provisions of theSuccession to the Crown Act 1707 and a number of subsequentActs, MPs appointed to certain ministerial and legal offices were at this time required to seek re-election.[1] The vacancy in Inverness Burghs was caused by the appointment of the sittingLiberal UnionistMP,Robert Finlay to becomeSolicitor General.[2]
Finlay stood again in the Liberal Unionist interest. TheLiberal Party had held the seat from1892, whenGilbert Beith took it from Finlay, until the general election of1895 when Finlay had regained it. Beith had stood down and the Liberals had a new candidate, Henry Bell.[3] But on 26 August 1895, the local Liberal Association held a meeting to consider whether or not to oppose Finlay and it was unanimously agreed not to field a candidate.[4]
There being no other nominations therefore, Finlay was returned unopposed.[5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Unionist | Robert Finlay | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Liberal Unionisthold | Swing | N/A | |||