Armagh
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Armagh
BoroughArmagh
1801–1885
Seats1
Created fromArmagh (IHC)
Replaced byMid Armagh

Armagh was an Irish constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885.

History and boundaries

The parliamentary borough of Armagh in County Armagh was one of 33 Irish boroughs which were retained under the Acts of Union 1800.[1] It was the successor to the two-seat constituency of Armagh in the Irish House of Commons.[2] Its one MP in 1801 was chosen by lot to sit in the First Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Under the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832, it was defined as:[3]

From Mr. Carroll's Windmill on the West of the City in a straight Line in the Direction of the Spire of Grange Church to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the new Dungannon Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the Eastern Dome of the Observatory to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the Boundary of the Grounds attached to the Observatory; thence, Eastward, along the Boundary of the Grounds of the Observatory to the Point at which the same meets the Road to the Deanery; thence in a straight Line to the Magazine near the Infantry Barracks; thence in a straight Line, through a Point on the Rich Hill Road which is distant Twenty-five Yards (measured along the Rich Hill Road) to the East of the South-eastern Corner of the Infantry Barracks, to a Point which is One hundred and thirty Yards beyond the said Point on the Rich Hill Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the South-eastern Angle of the Palace to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the Demesne Wall; thence, Northward, along the Demesne Wall to the Point at which the same leaves the Boundary of the Corporation Land; thence, Northward, along the Boundary of the Corporation Land to the Point at which the same meets the Monaghan Road; thence in a straight Line to Mr. Carroll's Windmill.

The constituency was disenfranchised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which took effect at the 1885 general election.[4] The borough of Armagh, as part of the barony of Armagh, became part of the county division of Mid Armagh.[5]

Members of Parliament

Election Member Party Note
1801 (co-option) Patrick Duigenan Tory
1801 (b) Duigenan appointed commissioner of compensation
1802
1806
1807
1812
1816 (b) Daniel Webb Webber Tory Death of Duigenan
1818 John Leslie Foster Tory Also returned for Lisburn
1820 William Stuart Tory
1826 Rt Hon. Henry Goulburn Tory[6]
1828 (b) Goulburn appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer
1830
1831 Viscount Ingestre Tory[6]
1831 (b) Sir John Brydges Tory[6] Ingestre resigned to contest Dublin
1832 Leonard Dobbin Whig[6]
1835
1837 William Curry Whig[6][7]
1840 (b) John Rawdon Whig[6][8][9] Curry appointed Master in Chancery
1841
1847
1852 Ross Stephenson Moore Conservative[10]
1855 (b) Joshua Bond Conservative Death of Moore
1857 Stearne Miller Conservative
1859 Joshua Bond Conservative
1865 Stearne Miller Conservative
1867 (b) John Vance Conservative Miller appointed judge in bankruptcy
1868
1874
1875 (b) George Beresford Conservative Death of Vance
1880
1885 Area became part of Mid Armagh

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election, 11 August 1830: Armagh City[11][6][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Goulburn Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory hold
General election, 10 May 1831: Armagh City[11][6][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Chetwynd-Talbot Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory hold

Chetwynd-Talbot resigned to contest a by-election at Dublin City, causing a by-election.

By-election, 25 August 1831: Armagh City[11][6][12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory John Brydges (MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory hold
General election, 15 December 1832: Armagh City[11][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Leonard Dobbin 218 53.0
Tory Arthur Irwin Kelly 193 47.0
Majority 25 6.0
Turnout 411 92.6
Registered electors 444
Whig gain from Tory
General election, 15 January 1835: Armagh City[11][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Leonard Dobbin 197 54.7 +1.7
Conservative Robert William Jackson 163 45.3 −1.7
Majority 34 9.4 +3.4
Turnout 360 66.5 −26.1
Registered electors 541
Whig hold Swing +1.7
General election, 7 August 1837: Armagh City[11][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Curry (MP) 235 53.7 −1.0
Conservative Joseph Kidd 203 46.3 +1.0
Majority 32 7.4 −2.0
Turnout 438 57.1 −9.4
Registered electors 767
Whig hold Swing −1.0

Elections in the 1840s

Curry resigned after being appointed a Master in Chancery, causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 May 1840: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Rawdon Unopposed
Registered electors
Whig hold
General election, 5 July 1841: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Rawdon Unopposed
Registered electors 892
Whig hold
General election, 31 July 1847: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John Rawdon Unopposed
Registered electors 838
Whig hold

Elections in the 1850s

General election, 9 July 1852: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ross Stephenson Moore Unopposed
Registered electors 318
Conservative hold

Moore's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 6 December 1855: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joshua Bond 186 55.9 N/A
Conservative Thomas Ball Miller 147 44.1 N/A
Majority 39 11.8 N/A
Turnout 333 82.6 N/A
Registered electors 403
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election, 2 April 1857: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stearne Miller 175 51.9 N/A
Conservative Joshua Bond 162 48.1 N/A
Majority 13 3.8 N/A
Turnout 337 83.6 N/A
Registered electors 403
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election, 5 May 1859: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joshua Bond 201 59.5 +11.4
Conservative Stearne Miller 137 40.5 −11.4
Majority 64 19.0 +15.2
Turnout 338 82.8 −0.8
Registered electors 408
Conservative hold Swing +11.4

Elections in the 1860s

General election, 17 July 1865: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stearne Miller 184 52.1 +11.6
Liberal William Kirk 169 47.9 New
Majority 15 4.2 −14.8
Turnout 353 86.3 +3.5
Registered electors 409
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Miller was appointed a judge in bankruptcy, causing a by-election.

By-election, 30 January 1867: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Vance Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election, 17 November 1868: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Vance Unopposed
Registered electors 603
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 9 April 1874: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Vance 325 60.3 N/A
Liberal George C Cochrane 214 39.7 New
Majority 111 20.6 N/A
Turnout 539 90.4 N/A
Registered electors 596
Conservative hold

Vance died, causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 Oct 1875: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Beresford 278 53.0 N/A
Conservative William Squire Barker Kaye 247 47.0 N/A
Majority 31 6.0 N/A
Turnout 525 88.1 −2.3
Registered electors 596
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 9 April 1880: Armagh City[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Beresford Unopposed
Registered electors 657
Conservative hold
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

References

  1. ^ "Armagh". History of the Irish Parliament. Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  2. ^ Jupp, P.J. (2009). "Armagh". In Fisher, D.R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820–1832.
  3. ^ "Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 (c. 89)". The law journal for the year 1832–1949. 1832.
  4. ^ First Schedule Part I: Boroughs to cease to exist as such. "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, 48 & 49 Vict. C. 23". The public general acts. Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.
  5. ^ Seventh Schedule (Counties at Large); Part III (Ireland)."Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, 48 & 49 Vict. C. 23". The public general acts. Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 215. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ McCracken, J. L. (1993). New Light at the Cape of Good Hope: William Porter - The Father of Cape Liberalism. Belfast: The Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 40. ISBN 0-901905-54-2. Retrieved 18 August 2019 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "The Elections". Dublin Weekly Nation. 7 August 1847. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ^ "Irish Members Returned". Sligo Journal. 13 August 1847. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "General Election". Cork Constitution. 13 July 1852. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 195–196, 249–250. ISBN 0901714127.
  12. ^ a b c Farrell, Stephen. Fisher, D.R. (ed.). Armagh. Retrieved 9 May 2020. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)

Sources

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