Londonderry City was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, representing the city of Derry in County Londonderry. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the United Kingdom House of Commons on the electoral system of the first past the post.
Boundaries
The parliamentary borough of Londonderry was granted representation in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom under the Acts of Union 1800 which took effect on 1 January 1801. It inherited the boundaries and franchise of the Londonderry City constituency of the abolished Irish House of Commons.
A report on the constituency was conducted in December 1831, proposing a new boundary.[1] The Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 defined the boundaries of the parliamentary borough as:[2]
From the Point on the South-west of the City at which Mary Blue's Burn joins the River Foyle, up Mary Blue's Burn to the Point at which the same crosses Stanley's Walk; thence, Westward, along Stanley's Walk to the Point at which the same meets a Road which runs nearly parallel to Mary Blue's Burn; thence, Northward, along the last-mentioned Road to the Point at which the same reaches the Entrance Gate to the Bishop's Demesne and Deer Park; thence, Westward, along the Road which proceeds from the said Entrance Gate to the Point at which the same turns South-westward; thence, Northward, along a small Stream for about Seventy Yards to the Point at which the same meets a Bank which skirts the Southeastern Bank of a circular Plantation, and runs up to the Creggan and Burt Road; thence along the Bank so running to the Creggan and Burt Road to the Point at which the same meets the Creggan and Burt Road; thence along a Ditch which runs from the Northern Side of the Creggan and Burt Road, and nearly opposite to the Point last described, to the Point at which the same meets a small Stream; thence in a straight Line to the North-western Corner of the Enclosure Wall of the Lunatic Asylum; thence along the Northern Enclosure Wall of the Lunatic Asylum, and in a Line in continuation thereof, to the Point at which such Line cuts the River Foyle; thence, Southward, along the River Foyle to the Point at which the same is met, on the Eastern Side, by a Ditch or Bank which forms the Southern Boundary of the Pleasure Grounds of Mr. William Bond; thence along the last-mentioned Ditch or Bank to the Point at which the same meets the Newton Limavady Road; thence, Southward, along the Newton Limavady Road for about Ninety Yards to the Point where the said Road joins the old Strabane Road; thence along the old Strabane Road for about Three hundred and ninety Yards to the Point where the same is met by a narrow Road running therefrom to the Tank; thence, Westward, along the last-mentioned narrow Road for about Thirty Yards to the Spot where the same is met by a Bank, now planted with Bushes, running Southward; thence along the last-mentioned Bank to the Spot where the same is met by a Lane running from Waterside up a steep Hill to the old Strabane Road; thence to the nearest Point of a small Stream which is the Boundary between the Townlands of Clooney and Gobnascale; thence down the said Stream for about Seventy Yards to the Point where the same is met by a Lane running South-westward to the Fields; thence along the last-mentioned Lane to the Point where it cuts the Boundary between the Townlands of Gobnascale and Tamneymore; thence, Westward, along the Boundary between the Townlands of Gobnascale and Tamneymore to the Point at which the same meets the River Foyle; thence, South-ward, along the River Foyle to the Point first described.
Under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868, its boundaries were extended to include all of the municipal borough of Londonderry.[3] It was not affected by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 or the Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918.
The Government of Ireland Act 1920 established the Parliament of Northern Ireland, which came into operation in 1921. The representation of Northern Ireland in the Parliament of the United Kingdom was reduced from 30 MPs to 13 MPs, taking effect at the 1922 United Kingdom general election. Londonderry City, North Londonderry and South Londonderry were combined to form the single-seat county constituency of Londonderry.[4]
Politics
After the extension of the franchise under the Representation of the People Act 1884, the constituency was one of the most marginal seats in Ireland.
Sinn Féin won in 1918. The MP, Professor Eoin MacNeill, was also returned for National University of Ireland. As MacNeill did not take his seat in the United Kingdom House of Commons he could not choose which constituency he would represent and arrange a by-election in the other. He played an active role in the First Dáil and in the Ministry of Dáil Éireann.
Members of Parliament
- ^ Lewis was declared elected at the 1886 general election, but the result was overturned on petition, and the seat awarded to McCarthy.
Elections
The elections in this constituency were conducted on the electoral system of first past the post.
Elections in the 1830s
On petition, Ferguson's election was declared void, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1840s
Elections in the 1850s
Elections in the 1860s
Ferguson's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1870s
Dowse was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
Dowse resigned after being appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1880s
On petition, Lewis was unseated. McCarthy was named as MP on 25 October.
Elections in the 1890s
Knox resigns, triggering a by-election.
Elections in the 1900s
- Results are compared to the 1895 election, not the by-election.
Hamilton is appointed Treasurer of the Household, prompting a by-election in which he stood unopposed.
Elections in the 1910s
Hamilton becomes Duke of Abercorn, prompting a by-election.
Hogg's death prompts another by-election.
- Results are compared to the December 1910 election, not the later by-elections.
- In common with other Sinn Féin MPs, Eoin MacNeill abstained from Westminster and took his seat as a TD in the First Dáil. He was also elected for the National University.
See also
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, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 227, 295–296, 361–362, 392. ISBN 0901714127.
- Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
- Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1978). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume II 1886–1918. The Harvester Press.
- Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1979). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume III 1919–1945. The Harvester Press.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4 )
References
- ^ "Londonderry". Instructions by Secretary for Ireland, respecting Cities and Boroughs in Ireland sending Representatives to Parliament; Reports of Commissioners. Sessional papers. Vol. 43. Sessional papers. 8 June 1832. pp. 99–103.
- ^ "Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 (c. 89)". The law journal for the year 1832–1949. Abridgment of statutes. Vol. X. E. B. Ince. 1832. pp. 239–246.
- ^ "Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868 (31 & 31 Vict., c. 49)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives.
- ^ "Government of Ireland Act 1920: Fifth Schedule". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d Farrell, Stephen. "Londonderry". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 234.
- ^ Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 166.
- ^ Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 90–91.
- ^ "Irish Members Return". Northern Standard. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons, Volume 50. 1843.