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County Carlow (UK Parliament constituency)

UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1922


Summary

UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1922

FieldValue
nameCounty Carlow
typecounty
regionIreland
countyCounty Carlow
parliamentuk
image[[File:Carlow_1918_UK_Irish_constituency_.png200px]]
year1801
abolished1922
seats
previousCounty Carlow
nextCarlow–Kilkenny

County Carlow was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and one MP from 1885 to 1922.

History and representation

County Carlow had been represented by two seats in the Irish House of Commons. Under the Acts of Union 1800, it continued to be represented by two MPs, now in the United Kingdom House of Commons. It comprised the whole of County Carlow, except for the borough of Carlow, which was separately represented from 1801 to 1885. The borough of Old Leighlin was disfranchised under the Acts of Union 1800.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the borough of Carlow was disfranchised and the county was reduced to one seat. It was the only Irish county not divided for electoral purposes in the 1885 redistribution. It was thus the only Irish county constituency to exist at every general election from the union with Great Britain to the establishment of the Irish Free State.

It was not affected by the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918. The 1918 general election was used by Sinn Féin as the first election to Dáil Éireann. James Lennon sat as a member of the First Dáil, abstaining from Westminster.

Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, it was combined with the constituencies of North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny to form Carlow–Kilkenny as a 4-seat constituency for the Southern Ireland House of Commons and a one-seat constituency at Westminster. At the 1921 election for the Southern Ireland House of Commons, the four seats were won uncontested by Sinn Féin, who treated it as part of the election to the Second Dáil. James Lennon was one of the four TDs elected for Carlow–Kilkenny. It was never used as a Westminster constituency; under the Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922, no writ was to be issued "for a constituency in Ireland other than a constituency in Northern Ireland". Therefore, following a dissolution on 26 October 1922, no vote was held in Carlow–Kilkenny at the 1922 United Kingdom general election on 15 November 1922. The Irish Free State left the United Kingdom on 6 December 1922.

Members of Parliament

Notable MPs for County Carlow included Nicholas Aylward Vigors, a zoologist, John Ball, a naturalist and Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh, and James Patrick Mahon.

MPs 1801–1885

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1801William Henry Burton
Jul. 1802Whigs (British political party)}}"David LatoucheWhigWhigs (British political party)}}"
Oct. 1812Tories (British political party)}}"Henry BruenTory
18 Apr 1816Whigs (British political party)}}"Robert Anthony LatoucheWhig
Jun 1818Tories (British political party)}}"Sir Ulysses BurghTory
Jun 1826Tories (British political party)}}"Thomas KavanaghTory
May 1831Whigs (British political party)}}"Walter BlackneyWhigWhigs (British political party)}}"
Dec 1832Repeal Association}}"Repeal AssociationWhigs (British political party)}}"Thomas Wallace
Jan. 1835Conservative Party (UK)}}"Henry BruenConservativeConservative Party (UK)}}"
15 Jun 1835Repeal Association}}"Nicholas Aylward VigorsRepeal AssociationWhigs (British political party)}}"
19 Aug 1835Conservative Party (UK)}}"Henry BruenConservativeConservative Party (UK)}}"
18 Feb 1837Whigs (British political party)}}"Nicholas Aylward VigorsWhig
Aug 1837Whigs (British political party)}}"John Ashton YatesWhig
5 Dec 1840Conservative Party (UK)}}"Henry BruenConservative
Jul 1841Conservative Party (UK)}}"Thomas BunburyConservative
1 Jul 1846Conservative Party (UK)}}"William McClintock-BunburyConservative
Jul 1852Independent Irish Party}}"John BallIndependent Irish Party
25 Apr 1853Conservative Party (UK)}}"William McClintock-BunburyConservative
Apr 1857Conservative Party (UK)}}"Henry Bruen (younger)Conservative
7 Aug 1862Conservative Party (UK)}}"Denis Pack-BeresfordConservative
Nov 1868Conservative Party (UK)}}"Arthur MacMurrough KavanaghConservative
Apr 1880Home Rule League}}"Edmund Dwyer GrayHome Rule LeagueHome Rule League}}"
1885representation reduced to one member

;Notes

MPs 1885–1922

FromToNamePartyDied
18851886Edmund Dwyer GrayIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
18861887John Aloysius BlakeIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
18871891James Patrick MahonIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
18911892John HammondIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
18921900Irish National Federation}}"Irish National Federation
19001908Irish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
19081910Walter MacMurrough KavanaghIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
19101918Michael MolloyIrish Parliamentary Party}}"Nationalist
19181922James LennonSinn Féin}}"Sinn Féin

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

|reg. electors = 530

|reg. electors = 530

|reg. electors = 1,246

|reg. electors = 1,269

On petition, Bruen and Kavanagh were unseated and a by-election was called.

|reg. electors = 1,269

After a further petition, the poll was amended and 105 votes for Vigors and Raphael were struck off. Kavanagh and Bruen were declared elected.

Kavanagh's death caused a by-election.

|reg. electors = 1,718

|reg. electors = 1,779

Elections in the 1840s

Vigors' death caused a by-election.

|reg. electors = 1,759

|reg. electors = 1,759

Bunbury's death caused a by-election.

|reg. electors = 1,984

Elections in the 1850s

|reg. electors = 2,090

Bruen's death caused a by-election.

|reg. electors = 2,039

|reg. electors = 2,381

|reg. electors = 2,418

Elections in the 1860s

McClintock Bunbury resigned, causing a by-election.

|reg. electors = 2,520

|reg. electors = 2,449

|reg. electors = 2,309

Elections in the 1870s

|reg. electors = 2,180

Elections in the 1880s

|reg. electors = 2,212

|reg. electors = 6,891

  • Gray elects to sit for Dublin St Stephen's Green

|reg. electors = 6,891

|reg. electors = 6,891

  • Death of Blake

|reg. electors = 7,643

Elections in the 1890s

  • Death of the O’Gorman Mahon

|reg. electors = 7,016

|reg. electors = 6,874

|reg. electors = 6,168

Elections in the 1900s

|reg. electors = 6,454

|reg. electors = 5,831

Hammond's death causes a by-election.

|reg. electors = 5,881

Elections in the 1910s

|reg. electors = 5,905

|reg. electors = 5,905

|reg. electors = 16,133

References

Citations

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". Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports.
  2. "Government of Ireland Act 1920: Fifth Schedule". [[The National Archives (United Kingdom).
  3. "Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922 (12 & 13 Geo. 5, c. 4), s. 1(4)".
  4. Smith, Henry Stooks. (1842). "The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections". Simpkin, Marshall & Company.
  5. (25 February 1837). "Leicester Chronicle".
  6. Salmon, Philip. "Co. Carlow".
  7. (1978). "Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922". Royal Irish Academy.
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