Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Antrim is former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland. It was a two member constituency and existed in two periods, 1801–1885 and 1922-1950.
, excluding the parts in the Parliamentary borough
constituencies of Belfast, Carrickfergus
and Lisburn
. From 1885 - 1922, the constituency was split between the divisions of East Antrim
, Mid Antrim, North Antrim
and South Antrim
.
From 1922 until 1950, the constituency consisted of the Administrative county
of Antrim, that is the whole of County Antrim
excluding the part in the City of Belfast
. In 1950 the county was split, between the divisions of Antrim North
and Antrim South
.
, L Liberal
, NP no party identified, T Tory
, U Unionist, W Whig
. Changes of party name in 1832 are indicated i.e. (T,C) and (W,L).
Notes:
system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The two candidates with the largest number of votes were elected. In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied.
There was no election in 1801. The representatives of the county in the former Parliament of Ireland
became members of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
After 1832, when registration of voters was introduced, a turnout figure is given for contested elections. In two-member elections, when the exact number of participating voters is unknown, this is calculated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that voters did not use both their votes this will be an underestimate of turnout. If the electorate figure is unknown the last known electorate figure is used to provide an estimate of turnout.
Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote.
Boundaries
From 1801 until 1885, the constituency consisted of the whole of County AntrimCounty Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, excluding the parts in the Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
constituencies of Belfast, Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus (UK Parliament constituency)
Carrickfergus is a 19th century United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Northern Ireland, represented, between 1801 and 1885, by one MP.-Boundaries:This constituency was the Parliamentary borough of Carrickfergus in County Antrim....
and Lisburn
Lisburn (UK Parliament constituency)
Lisburn 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.-Boundaries:...
. From 1885 - 1922, the constituency was split between the divisions of East Antrim
East Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
East Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. It has voted for Unionist candidates since its re-creation in 1983.-Boundaries:...
, Mid Antrim, North Antrim
North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Its current member is Ian Paisley Jr.-Boundaries:North Antrim has always been a county constituency comprising the northern part of County Antrim in the north-east of Northern Ireland...
and South Antrim
South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions of the former Antrim constituency...
.
From 1922 until 1950, the constituency consisted of the Administrative county
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
of Antrim, that is the whole of County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
excluding the part in the City of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. In 1950 the county was split, between the divisions of Antrim North
North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Its current member is Ian Paisley Jr.-Boundaries:North Antrim has always been a county constituency comprising the northern part of County Antrim in the north-east of Northern Ireland...
and Antrim South
South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)
South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions of the former Antrim constituency...
.
MPs 1801–1885
Key to parties: C ConservativeConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, L Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, NP no party identified, T Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
, U Unionist, W Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
. Changes of party name in 1832 are indicated i.e. (T,C) and (W,L).
| From | To | Name (Party) | Born | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 1802 | Rt Hon. John Staples John Staples John Staples was an Irish Member of Parliament.He sat in the Irish House of Commons for Newtown Limavady from 1765 to 1768, for Clogher from 1768 to 1776, for Ballyshannon from 1776 to 1783, for Newtown Limavady again from 1783 to 1795 and for County Antrim from 1796 to 1800, and then for Antrim... (NP) |
1 March 1734 | 22 December 1820 |
| 1801 | 1812 | Edmond Alexander MacNaghten (T) | 2 August 1762 | 15 March 1832 |
| 1802 | 1841 | Hon. John Bruce Richard O'Neill John Bruce Richard O'Neill John Bruce Richard O'Neill, 3rd Viscount O'Neill was an Irish Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1802 to 1841 and then in the House of Lords.... (T,C) |
30 December 1780 | 12 February 1855 |
| 1812 | 1818 | Earl of Yarmouth Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford KG, GCH PC , styled Viscount Beauchamp between 1793 and 1794 and Earl of Yarmouth between 1794 and 1822, was a British Tory politician and art collector.... (T) |
11 March 1777 | 1 March 1842 |
| 1818 | 1822 | Hugh Henry John Seymour (T) | 25 September 1790 | 2 December 1821 |
| 1822 | 1826 | Earl of Yarmouth Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford Captain Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford KG was the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford.... (T) |
22 February 1800 | 25 August 1870 |
| 1826 | 1830 | Edmond Alexander McNaghten (T) | 2 August 1734 | 15 March 1832 |
| 1830 | 1837 | Earl of Belfast George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall George Hamilton Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall KP, GCH, PC , styled Viscount Chichester until 1799 and Earl of Belfast between 1799 and 1844, was an Anglo-Irish landowner, courtier and politician... (T,W,L) |
10 February 1797 | 20 October 1883 |
| 1837 | 1845 | John Irving John Irving (MP) John Irving was the proprietor of the Magheramorne estate in County Antrim in the 19th century and was an improving landlord who encouraged tenants to improve the land through provision of lime for fertilisation, and incentives for those who drained and erected ditches. He also built a row of... (C) |
c. 1767 | 10 November 1845 |
| 1841 | 1852 | Nathaniel Alexander Nathaniel Alexander Nathaniel Alexander was the 13th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1805 to 1807.-Biography:Alexander was born near Concord, North Carolina , the son of a local sheriff... (C) |
1815 | 5 January 1853 |
| 1845 | 1847 | Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour (C) | 22 November 1791 | 21 November 1851 |
| 1847 | 1852 | Sir Edward Macnaghten, Bt (C) | 1 April 1790 | 6 January 1876 |
| 1852 | 1854 | Edward William Pakenham (C) | 1819 | 5 November 1854 |
| 1852 | 1859 | George Macartney George Hume Macartney George Hume Macartney, born George Hume of Lissanoure, County Antrim was an Irish politician.In 1814 Hume assumed the surname Macartney under the will of his granduncle, George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney. He was Conservative MP for Antrim from 1852 to 1858.-References:... (C) |
1793 | |
| 1854 | 1865 | Thomas Henry Pakenham Thomas Henry Pakenham Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Henry Pakenham was an Irish Conservative politician and British Army officer. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Antrim in 1854, succeeding his brother Edward William Pakenham, who was killed at Inkermann. He remained MP until 1865.- External links :... (C) |
28 June 1826 | 20 February 1913 |
| 1859 | 1863 | George Upton (C) | 5 August 1802 | 4 January 1890 |
| 1863 | 1880 | Hon. Edward O'Neill Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill Edward O'Neill, 2nd Baron O'Neill , known as Edward Chichester until 1855, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician.... (C) |
31 December 1839 | 19 November 1928 |
| 1865 | 1869 | Henry Seymour Henry Seymour (Royal Navy officer) Vice-Admiral Henry Seymour CB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Third Naval Lord.-Career:... (C) |
20 March 1818 | 25 July 1869 |
| 1869 | 1874 | Earl of Yarmouth Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford Captain Hugh de Grey Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford CB, TD, PC, JP , styled Earl of Yarmouth from 1870 to 1884, was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician... (C) |
22 October 1843 | 23 March 1912 |
| 1874 | 1885 | James Chaine James Chaine James Chaine was an Irish shipping businessman and a Conservative Party politician from County Antrim.The son of James Chaine of Ballycraigy and his wife Maria née Whittle from Antrim, he was educated in Blackheath and in 1863 he married Henrietta Creery from Newcastle, County Down.Chaine was... (C) |
1841 | 4 May 1885 |
| 1880 | 1885 | Edward MacNaghten Edward Macnaghten, Baron Macnaghten Edward Macnaghten, Baron Macnaghten, Bart., GCB, GCMG was an Anglo-Irish rower, barrister, Conservative-Unionist politician and one of seven Lords of Appeal in Ordinary.-Early life and rowing:... (C) |
3 February 1830 | 17 February 1913 |
| 1885 | 1885 | William Pirrie Sinclair William Pirrie Sinclair William Pirrie Sinclair was a politician in the United Kingdom who was twice elected to the House of Commons.Standing as a Liberal Party candidate, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Ulster constituency of County Antrim at a by-election on 21 May 1885, where he won a majority of... (L) |
1837 | 1 November 1900 |
Notes:
- (1) Earl of Yarmouth (1800–1870) was known as Viscount Beauchamp until 17 June 1822.
- (2) Earl of Belfast became W by 1831 and is categorised as L from 1832.
- (3) Earl of Yarmouth (1843–1912) was known as Hugh de Grey Seymour until 25 August 1870.
MPs 1922–1950
| Election | | Member | Party | | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John... |
Rt Hon. Charles Curtis Craig Charles Curtis Craig Charles Curtis Craig , was an Irish Unionst and later Ulster Unionist politician. He was Member of Parliament for constituencies in County Antrim from 1903 to 1929, taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom... 18 February 1869 – 28 January 1960 |
Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
Rt Hon. Sir Hugh O'Neill Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan Robert William Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan PC , known as Sir Hugh O'Neill, Bt, from 1929 to 1953, was an Ulster Unionist member of both the UK Parliament and the Parliament of Northern Ireland.... , Bt 8 June 1883 – 28 November 1982 |
Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
||
| 1929 United Kingdom general election, 1929 -Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***... |
Sir Joseph McConnell Sir Joseph McConnell, 2nd Baronet Sir Joseph McConnell, 2nd Baronet , was an Ulster Unionist politician. He was Member of Parliament for Antrim from 1929 to 1942.- Family :... 17 September 1877 – 27 August 1942 |
Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
||||
| 1943 by-election | John Dermot Campbell John Dermot Campbell John Dermot Campbell DL was a Northern Irish businessman and Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament in both United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Parliaments. He was killed during World War II in a plane crash.... 20 January 1898 – 23 January 1945 |
Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
||||
| 1945 United Kingdom general election, 1945 The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to... |
Samuel Gillmor Haughton Samuel Gillmor Haughton Samuel Gillmor Haughton was a politician who was elected in 1945 as an Ulster Unionist MP for Antrim- External links :... 1 December 1889 – 19 May 1959 |
Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland... |
||||
| 1950 United Kingdom general election, 1950 The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five... |
constituency abolished. See North Antrim North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency) North Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. Its current member is Ian Paisley Jr.-Boundaries:North Antrim has always been a county constituency comprising the northern part of County Antrim in the north-east of Northern Ireland... and South Antrim South Antrim (UK Parliament constituency) South Antrim is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:From 1885, this constituency was one of four county divisions of the former Antrim constituency... |
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Elections
In two-member elections the bloc votingPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system was used. Voters could cast a vote for one or two candidates, as they chose. The two candidates with the largest number of votes were elected. In by-elections, to fill a single seat, the first past the post system applied.
There was no election in 1801. The representatives of the county in the former Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
became members of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
After 1832, when registration of voters was introduced, a turnout figure is given for contested elections. In two-member elections, when the exact number of participating voters is unknown, this is calculated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that voters did not use both their votes this will be an underestimate of turnout. If the electorate figure is unknown the last known electorate figure is used to provide an estimate of turnout.
Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote.
Elections in the 1940s
- Seat vacant at dissolution (Death of Campbell)
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1880s
Elections in the 1870s
Elections in the 1860s
- Note: Hugh de Grey Seymour was known as the Earl of Yarmouth from 25 August 1870.
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1830s
- Note: 3,026 voters cast 5,957 votes.