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Downpatrick (UK Parliament constituency)

Summary

Downpatrick was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.

Downpatrick
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Down
BoroughDownpatrick
1801–1885
Seats1
Created fromDownpatrick
Replaced byEast Down

Boundaries edit

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Downpatrick in County Down.

Members of Parliament edit

Election Member Party Note
1801, January 1 Clotworthy Rowley 1801: Co-opted. Appointed Commissioner of Compensation.
1801, March 10 Samuel Campbell Rowley
1802, July 17 Charles Stewart Hawthorne
1806, November 18 Edward Southwell Ruthven Whig[1] 1
1807, May 22 John Wilson Croker Tory[1] 1
1812, October 20 Charles Stewart Hawthorne Whig[1] Appointed a Commissioner of Excise in Ireland
1815, March 9 Viscount Glerawley Tory[1]
1818, August 4
1820, March 28 John Waring Maxwell Tory[1]
1826, July 25
1830, August 7 Edward Southwell Ruthven Whig[1]
1831, June 14
1832, December 13 John Waring Maxwell Tory[1]
1834, December Conservative[1]
1835, January 9 David Ker Conservative[1]
1837, July/August
1841, July 2 David Stewart Ker Conservative[1]
1847, August 4 Richard Ker Peelite Resigned
1851, August 8 Hon. Charles Hardinge Conservative Became the 2nd Viscount Hardinge, 24 September 1856
1852, July
1857, February 12 Richard Ker Peelite 3
1857, March/April
1859, May 3 David Stewart Ker Conservative
1865, July Resigned
1867, August 5 William Keown Conservative
1868, Nov/Dec
1874, February 2 John Mulholland Conservative Last MP for the constituency
1885 Constituency abolished

Supplemental notes

  1. Stooks Smith suggests that after the 1806 election there was a petition, which led to Edward Southwell Ruthven (Whig) being unseated and John Wilson Croker {Tory} being declared duly elected. Walker does not make any reference to such a petition.
  2. Walker (like F. W. S. Craig in his compilations of election results for Great Britain) classifies Tory candidates as Conservatives from 1832. The name Conservative was gradually adopted as a description for the Tories. The party is deemed to be named Conservative from the 1835 general election.
  3. Walker (like F. W. S. Craig in his compilations of election results for Great Britain) classifies Whig, Radical and similar candidates as Liberals from 1832. The name Liberal was gradually adopted as a description for the Whigs and politicians allied with them, before the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the 1859 general election.

Elections edit

Elections in the 1830s edit

General election 1830: Downpatrick[2][1][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Edward Southwell Ruthven Unopposed
Registered electors c. 400
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1831: Downpatrick[2][1][3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Edward Southwell Ruthven 219 57.9
Tory Cospatrick Home 159 42.1
Majority 60 15.8
Turnout 378 c. 94.5
Registered electors c. 400
Whig hold
General election 1832: Downpatrick[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory John Waring Maxwell Unopposed
Registered electors 517
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1835: Downpatrick[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative David Guardi Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 525
Conservative hold
General election 1837: Downpatrick[2][1][4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative David Guardi Ker 154 51.0
Conservative John Keown 140 46.4
Radical Robert Thompson 5 1.7
Radical James Christie Whyte 3 1.0
Majority 14 4.6
Turnout 302 52.1
Registered electors 580
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s edit

General election 1841: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Stewart Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 342
Conservative hold
General election 1847: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Richard Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 385
Peelite gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s edit

Ker resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 8 August 1851: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Hardinge Unopposed
Conservative gain from Peelite
General election 1852: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Hardinge Unopposed
Registered electors 236
Conservative gain from Peelite

Hardinge succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Viscount Hardinge and causing a by-election.

By-election, 12 February 1857: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Richard Ker 129 99.2 New
Conservative William Johnston 1 0.8 N/A
Majority 128 98.4 N/A
Turnout 130 66.3 N/A
Registered electors 196
Peelite gain from Conservative Swing N/A
General election 1857: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Richard Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 196
Peelite gain from Conservative
General election 1859: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Stewart Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 199
Conservative gain from Peelite

Elections in the 1860s edit

General election 1865: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Stewart Ker Unopposed
Registered electors 230
Conservative hold

Ker resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 5 August 1867: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keown Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1868: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Keown Unopposed
Registered electors 241
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s edit

General election 1874: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Mulholland Unopposed
Registered electors 239
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s edit

General election 1880: Downpatrick[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Mulholland 176 64.0 N/A
Liberal Alexander Fraser 99 36.0 New
Majority 77 28.0 N/A
Turnout 275 90.5 N/A
Registered electors 304
Conservative hold Swing N/A

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 222–223. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 208–209, 269. ISBN 0901714127.
  3. ^ a b Farrell, Stephen. "Downpatrick". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Election News". Yorkshire Gazette. 12 August 1837. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)