1507 ( 441a) James Lamont

Constituency  :  Buteshire  1865-8  

Here's  another  mistake  uncovered- I  had  the  Tories  holding  this  seat  in  1865-68.

James  won  the  seat  from  the  Tories.

James  was  the  son  of  a  Tory  army  officer . He  was  educated  at  Rugby  and  Edinburgh  Military  Academy. He  had  estates  in  Scotland  and  Trinidad. He became  an  explorer  who  travelled  in  the  Arctic, Africa  and  the  West  Indies.  He  did  a  lot  of  hunting, particularly  of  walruses  and  wrote  two  books  about  his  exploits . A  Russian  island  is  named  after  him. He  was  a  fellow  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. He  corresponded  with  Darwin  and  championed  his  theories. He  contested  Buteshire  in  1859  but  was  defeated  by  nine  votes. He  tried  again  at  a  by-election  in  1865  castigating  his  Tory  opponent  as  a  Catholic  in  disguise.

James   opposed  Gladstone's  plans  for  Irish  disestablishment  which  led  to  his  de-selection  in  1868.

James  was  created  a  baronet  in  1910.

He  died  in  1913  aged  85. His  son  Norman  was  a  later  MP  for  the  constituency.