Bandon (UK Parliament constituency)

Boundaries

In 1832 a new boundary was formed for electoral purposes closely encircling the town, and comprising an area of 439 acre. It was defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 as:

"From the Point at which the Eastern Road to Macroom leaves the old or Northern Road to Cork, in a straight Line in a Westerly Direction, to the North-western Corner of Mr. Swanson's Garden; thence along the Wall of the said Garden to the South-western Corner thereof; thence in a straight Line across the River Bandon, and across the Enniskane Road, to the Point at which the old Road to Clonakilty is joined by a Bye Road which runs thereto from the new Road to Clonakilty; thence along the said Bye Road to the Point at which the same joins the new Road to Clonakilty; thence towards Bandon, along the new Road to Clonakilty, to that Point thereof which is nearest to the Northern Pillar of the Gate of Mr. M'Creight's House; thence in a straight Line to the said Northern Pillar; thence in a straight Line across the centre Kilbritten Road to the Point at which the Eastern Kilbritten Road is joined by a small Bye Road running Westward to the Fields, about Three hundred and thirty Yards to the South of the Point at which the Eastern Kilbritten Road leaves the Innishannon Road; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner, on the Ballinade Road, of the Premises of Mr Ormond's Distillery; thence, Eastward, along the Boundary of the Premises of Mr. Ormond's Distillery to the Point at which the same meets the Southernmost Road to Innishannon; thence in a straight Line across the River Bandon to the Point at which the old Innishannon Road is joined by a Bye Road which runs North-west in the Direction of the Kilbrogan Chapel; thence in a straight Line to the Northern Pillar of a Gateway on the old Cork Road, about Four hundred and thirty Yards to the North of the Point at which the same leaves the Innishannon Road; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described."

History

Before the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832, the parliamentary franchise for this constituency was extremely restricted. Only the provost (who was the returning officer for the borough) and the twelve burgesses were enfranchised. The population of the town, in 1821, was 10,179. All the elections in this period were unopposed returns; except for one election in 1831, where only ten voters participated and eleven votes were cast (including the returning officer's casting vote).

Stooks Smith gives an account of this contested election. It was the second by-election of 1831. As his book is out of copyright, the whole passage is set out below.

No other candidate being proposed, the Town Clerk asked the Provost for whom he would vote, in his official capacity? This was objected by Mr. Meade and Mr. Payne, who stated that, though a long time connected with the Corporation, they never knew this line of proceeding to be adopted. This was over-ruled by the assessor, who quoted in support of his opinion, an election case in the borough of Harwich, decided by a majority in the House of Commons. This point disposed of, the polling commenced, when the numbers were declared as follows.

• For Sir A. W. Clifford, 4 (Hon. William Smyth Bernard, Hon. Richard Boyle Bernard, John Leslie, Esq., John Swete, Esq.)
• For Viscount Lowther, 4 (W.H. Kingston, Esq., Rev. Richard Meade, Rev. Somers Payne, Benjamin Swete, Esq.)
• For Viscount Bernard, 2 (John Beamish, Esq., Ambrose Hickey, Esq.)

The Provost, as returning officer, then gave his vote for Sir A.W. Clifford, who was about to be duly elected, when Mr. Payne said, I object to the monopoly of the Provost, He has no right to more than one vote. The assessor (A. Connell, Esq.):- We shall take your objection if you state it in writing. A protest was then entered by Mr. Payne and those who voted for Viscount Lowther; and Sir A.W. Clifford was declared duly elected.}}

The franchise was expanded in 1832 under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832, when the £10 householders were added to the electorate and the registration of voters was introduced. In the election later that year, there were 266 registered electors in Bandon and 233 votes were cast in the general election. It appears, from the list of MPs and the report of the 1831 election, that the choice of the borough electorate both before and after 1832 was influenced by aristocratic patrons like the Duke of Devonshire and the Bernard family (whose head had the title of Earl of Bandon). If a Bernard was not elected then quite prominent political figures, notably the future Whig leaders George Tierney and Lord John Russell, were sometimes returned for the borough.

In 1868 the incumbent Bernard MP was defeated by William Shaw, standing in the Liberal interest. Later in his career Shaw was an associate of Isaac Butt in the Home Rule League. After Butt's death in 1879, Shaw became the leader of the Home Rule League until he was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880.

The constituency was disenfranchised in 1885. The area was then represented in Parliament as part of South East Cork, one of seven divisions of the former constituency of County Cork.

Members of Parliament

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 430

• Caused by Bernard's resignation.

|reg. electors = 430

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 371

Elections in the 1860s

|reg. electors = 295

|reg. electors = 231

|reg. electors = 231

• Caused by Bernard's death

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 229

|reg. electors = 201

|reg. electors = 201

• Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Bandon

|reg. electors = 209

Elections in the 1840s

|reg. electors = 467

• Caused by Jackson's appointment as Solicitor-General for Ireland

|reg. electors = 355

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 375

|reg. electors = 293

|reg. electors = 266

|reg. electors = 13

• Note [1831 (July)]: By-election caused by Bernard's resignation. Clifford was elected on the Returning Officer's casting vote. The Returning Officer John Swete was also Provost and had already cast one of the four votes for Clifford, so this was actually his second vote.

|reg. electors = 13

|reg. electors = 13

• Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Bandon

|reg. electors = 13

References

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)

References

1. "The public general acts". Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.
2. {{Rayment-hc. b. 1. (March 2012)
3. (1842). "The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830". Simpkin, Marshall, & Co..
4. (1978). "Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922". Royal Irish Academy.
5. (21 February 1857). "Bandon". Northern Standard.
6. "Bandon Bridge".
7. "Chapter 25, History of Bandon".