Dublin City (UK Parliament constituency)
UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1885
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dublin City was an Irish borough constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It comprised the city of Dublin in the county of Dublin, and was represented by two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1801 until 1885.
| Dublin City | |
|---|---|
| Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | Dublin |
| Borough | Dublin |
| 1801–1885 | |
| Seats | 2 |
| Created from | Dublin City |
| Replaced by | |
In 1885, Dublin City was split into four divisions which were separate single-member constituencies: College Green, Dublin Harbour, St Stephen's Green and St Patrick's.
History
Under article 4 of the Acts of Union 1800, Dublin was one of two boroughs which has retained two seats among the initial 100 Irish MPs sitting in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801.[1]
A report into the boundaries was undertaken in 1831. The report found that the Circular Road was "in a popular sense, generally regarded as the Boundary of the Town".[2] The Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 defined the boundaries of the parliamentary borough as:[3]
The County of the City of Dublin, and such Parts of the County at large as lie within the Circular Road.
Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the representation of the parliamentary borough was increased to 4 members, and it was divided into four divisions: College Green, Dublin Harbour, St Stephen's Green and St Patrick's.[4]
Profile
The city of Dublin was accounted a county of itself, although it remained connected with County Dublin for certain purposes. A Topographical Directory of Ireland (1837), describes the parliamentary history of the city:[5]
The city returns two members to the Imperial parliament; the right of election, formerly vested in the corporation, freemen, and 40s. freeholders, has been extended to the £10 householders, and £20 and £10 leaseholders for the respective terms of 14 and 20 years, by the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 88. The number of voters registered at the first general election under that act was 7041, of which number, 5126 voted. The limits of the city, for electoral purposes, include an area of 3538 statute acres, the boundaries of which are minutely detailed in the Appendix; the number of freemen is about 3500, of whom 2500 are resident and 1000 non-resident, and the number of £10 houses is 16,000 : the sheriffs are the returning officers.
Members of Parliament
Elections
From 1832 (when registers of electors were first prepared) a turnout figure is given, for the percentage of the registered electors who voted. If the number of registered electors eligible to take part in a contested election is unknown, then the last known electorate figure is used to calculate an estimated turnout. If the numbers of registered electors and electors taking part in the poll are known, an exact turnout figure is calculated. In two-member elections (in which an elector could cast one or two votes as he chose), where the exact number of electors participating is unknown, an estimated turnout figure is given. This is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast by two. To the extent that electors used only one of their votes the estimated turnout figure is an underestimate.
Elections in the 1800s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | John Claudius Beresford | 1,965 | 35.34 | ||
| Whig | John La Touche | 1,673 | 30.08 | ||
| Tory | George Ogle | 1,281 | 23.04 | ||
| Whig | Jonah Barrington | 642 | 11.54 | ||
| Majority | 392 | 7.04 | |||
| Turnout | 5,561 | ||||
| Tory win (new seat) | |||||
| Whig win (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Elections in the 1810s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Elections in the 1820s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Tory | George Moore | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
Elections in the 1830s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | George Moore | 1,852 | 41.6 | ||
| Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,579 | 35.5 | ||
| Whig | Henry Grattan, Jr. | 1,014 | 22.8 | ||
| Tory | Edward Cottingham | 5 | 0.1 | ||
| Whig | Sir John Milley Doyle | 2 | 0.0 | ||
| Majority | 565 | 12.7 | |||
| Turnout | 2,803 | c. 49.2 | |||
| Registered electors | c. 5,700 | ||||
| Tory hold | |||||
| Tory gain from Whig | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Harty | 1,943 | 27.7 | +4.9 | |
| Whig | Louis Perrin | 1,935 | 27.6 | +27.6 | |
| Tory | George Moore | 1,568 | 22.4 | −19.2 | |
| Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,562 | 22.3 | −13.2 | |
| Majority | 367 | 5.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,613 | c. 63.4 | c. +14.2 | ||
| Registered electors | c. 5,700 | ||||
| Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +10.6 | |||
| Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +21.9 | |||
On petition, Harty and Perrin were unseated, causing a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,292 | 28.3 | +6.0 | |
| Tory | Viscount Ingestre | 1,250 | 27.4 | +5.0 | |
| Whig | David Charles LaTouche | 1,053 | 23.1 | −4.6 | |
| Whig | Michael O'Loghlen | 937 | 20.5 | −7.1 | |
| Whig | Marcus Costello | 28 | 0.6 | New | |
| Majority | 197 | 4.3 | −0.9 | ||
| Turnout | c. 2,280 | c. 40.0 | c. −23.4 | ||
| Registered electors | c. 5,700 | ||||
| Tory gain from Whig | Swing | +5.9 | |||
| Tory gain from Whig | Swing | +5.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal | Daniel O'Connell | 3,411 | 32.6 | New | |
| Repeal | Edward Southwell Ruthven | 3,352 | 32.0 | New | |
| Tory | John Beattie West | 1,862 | 17.8 | −4.6 | |
| Tory | George Rich | 1,837 | 17.6 | −4.7 | |
| Majority | 1,490 | 14.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,273 | 75.2 | c. +11.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,008 | ||||
| Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
| Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal (Whig) | Daniel O'Connell | 2,678 | 26.2 | −6.4 | |
| Repeal (Whig) | Edward Southwell Ruthven | 2,630 | 25.7 | −6.3 | |
| Conservative | George Alexander Hamilton | 2,461 | 24.1 | +6.3 | |
| Conservative | John Beattie West | 2,455 | 24.0 | +6.4 | |
| Majority | 169 | 1.6 | −12.6 | ||
| Turnout | 5,101 | 71.7 | −3.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 7,113 | ||||
| Repeal hold | Swing | −6.4 | |||
| Repeal hold | Swing | −6.3 | |||
- On petition, O'Connell and Ruthven were unseated and Hamilton and West were declared elected on 16 May 1836
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repeal (Whig) | Daniel O'Connell | 3,556 | 25.4 | −0.8 | |
| Whig | Robert Hutton | 3,542 | 25.3 | −0.4 | |
| Conservative | George Alexander Hamilton | 3,467 | 24.7 | +0.6 | |
| Conservative | John Beattie West | 3,461 | 24.7 | +0.7 | |
| Turnout | 6,972 | 61.1 | −10.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,409 | ||||
| Majority | 14 | 0.1 | −1.5 | ||
| Repeal hold | Swing | −0.7 | |||
| Majority | 75 | 0.6 | N/A | ||
| Whig gain from Repeal | Swing | −0.5 | |||
Elections in the 1840s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | John Beattie West | 3,860 | 25.6 | +0.9 | |
| Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,839 | 25.5 | +0.8 | |
| Repeal | Daniel O'Connell | 3,692 | 24.5 | −0.9 | |
| Whig | Robert Hutton | 3,662 | 24.3 | −1.0 | |
| Majority | 147 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,919 | 64.6 | +3.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,264 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Repeal | Swing | +0.9 | |||
| Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +0.9 | |||
West's death caused a by-election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | William Henry Gregory | 3,825 | 52.7 | +1.6 | |
| Whig | Viscount Morpeth | 3,435 | 47.3 | +23.0 | |
| Majority | 390 | 5.4 | +4.4 | ||
| Turnout | 7,260 | 59.2 | −5.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,264 (1841 figure) | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −10.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,353 | 34.5 | +9.0 | |
| Repeal | John Reynolds | 3,229 | 33.3 | +8.8 | |
| Peelite | William Henry Gregory | 3,125 | 32.2 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 4,854 (est) | 24.8 (est) | −39.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 19,562 | ||||
| Majority | 124 | 1.2 | +0.2 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |||
| Majority | 104 | 1.1 | N/A | ||
| Repeal gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.4 | |||
On petition, the poll was amended and 92 votes were struck off Reynolds, although this did not cause him to be declared unelected.
Elections in the 1850s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Grogan | 4,531 | 37.8 | +20.5 | |
| Conservative | John Vance | 4,429 | 37.0 | +19.7 | |
| Independent Irish | John Reynolds | 3,019 | 25.2 | −8.1 | |
| Majority | 1,410 | 11.8 | +11.6 | ||
| Turnout | 7,499 (est) | 66.4 (est) | +39.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,290 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +12.3 | |||
| Conservative gain from Repeal | Swing | +11.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,767 | 26.5 | −11.3 | |
| Conservative | John Vance | 3,711 | 26.1 | −10.9 | |
| Whig | Francis William Brady | 3,405 | 23.9 | −1.3 | |
| Whig | John Reynolds | 3,348 | 23.5 | New | |
| Majority | 306 | 2.2 | −9.6 | ||
| Turnout | 7,116 (est) | 71.8 (est) | +5.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,905 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −11.2 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −11.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sir Edward Grogan | 4,251 | 26.0 | −0.5 | |
| Conservative | John Vance | 4,224 | 25.9 | −0.2 | |
| Liberal | Francis William Brady | 3,976 | 24.3 | +0.4 | |
| Liberal | Alexander McCarthy | 3,881 | 23.8 | +0.3 | |
| Majority | 248 | 1.6 | −0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 8,166 (est) | 78.8 | +7.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,367 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |||
Elections in the 1860s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Benjamin Guinness | 4,739 | 35.2 | +9.2 | |
| Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 4,653 | 34.6 | −13.5 | |
| Conservative | John Vance | 4,073 | 30.2 | +4.3 | |
| Turnout | 9,059 (est) | 84.9 (est) | +6.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,666 | ||||
| Majority | 86 | 0.6 | −1.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.0 | |||
| Majority | 580 | 4.4 | N/A | ||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | −13.5 | |||
Guinness' death caused a by-election.
Transparency of results
Following the election, a publication was printed listing the names of those who had voted, and for whom.[21] The listing was categorised by the seventeen individual wards and districts of Dublin, and a further category solely reserved for the Freemen of Dublin.[21] A similar publication was produced for the voters in the wider County of Dublin.[22]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
| Conservative hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,587 | 25.4 | −9.8 | |
| Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 5,586 | 25.4 | +8.1 | |
| Conservative | David Plunket | 5,452 | 24.8 | −5.4 | |
| Liberal | Sir Dominic Corrigan | 5,379 | 24.4 | +7.1 | |
| Turnout | 11,002 (est) | 85.3 (est) | +0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,899 | ||||
| Majority | 1 | 0.0 | −0.6 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −8.5 | |||
| Majority | 134 | 0.6 | −3.8 | ||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +6.8 | |||
Elections in the 1870s
On petition, Guinness was unseated.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Sir Dominic Corrigan | 4,468 | 56.5 | +6.7 | |
| Home Rule | Edward King-Harman | 3,444 | 43.5 | New | |
| Majority | 1,024 | 13.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,912 | 61.3 | −24.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,899 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,213 | 41.7 | −8.5 | |
| Home Rule | Maurice Brooks | 4,838 | 38.7 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 1,937 | 15.5 | −34.3 | |
| Home Rule | Edward Fox | 515 | 4.1 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 6,252 (est) | 51.8 (est) | −33.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 12,067 | ||||
| Majority | 375 | 3.0 | +3.0 | ||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +12.9 | |||
| Majority | 2,901 | 23.2 | N/A | ||
| Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Elections in the 1880s
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Rule | Maurice Brooks | 5,763 | 26.3 | −12.4 | |
| Liberal | Robert Dyer Lyons | 5,647 | 25.8 | +10.3 | |
| Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,446 | 24.9 | +4.0 | |
| Conservative | James Stirling | 5,059 | 23.1 | +2.2 | |
| Turnout | 10,958 (est) | 80.6 (est) | +28.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 13,599 | ||||
| Majority | 116 | 0.5 | −22.7 | ||
| Home Rule hold | Swing | −8.2 | |||
| Majority | 201 | 0.9 | N/A | ||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.1 | |||
Notes
- The 1832 by-election was the last contest in Ireland for the Unreformed House of Commons.
Sources
- 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. Royal Irish Academy.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)
