County Kerry
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
County	County Kerry
1801–1885
Seats	2
Created from	County Kerry (IHC)
Replaced by	East Kerry North Kerry South Kerry West Kerry

County Kerry was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament. In 1885, it was divided into four constituencies.

History

County Kerry had been represented by two seats in the Irish House of Commons. From 1801, under the Acts of Union 1800, it was represented by two MPs in the United Kingdom House of Commons. It comprised the whole of County Kerry, except for the borough of Tralee. The boroughs of Ardfert and Dingle were disfranchised in 1801.

Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Tralee lost its separate franchise and the county was divided into four divisions: East Kerry, North Kerry, South Kerry and West Kerry.^[1]

Members of Parliament

Year		1st Party		2nd Party
1801	James Crosbie		Maurice Fitzgerald	Whig^[2]
1806	Henry Arthur Herbert (1756–1821)
1812	James Crosbie
1826	William Hare (Viscount Ennismore from 1827)	Whig^[3]
1830	William Browne	Whig^[4]		Tory^[2]^[4]
1831	Frederick Mullins	Repeal Association^[5]	Daniel O'Connell	Repeal Association^[4]^[5]
1832			Charles O'Connell	Repeal Association^[4]^[5]
1835			Morgan John O'Connell	Repeal Association^[4]^[5]^[6]
1837	Arthur Blennerhassett	Conservative^[4]
1841	William Browne	Whig^[4]
1847	Henry Arthur Herbert (1815–66)	Peelite^[5]
1852		Peelite^[5]	Valentine Browne (Viscount Castlerosse from 1853)	Whig^[7]
1859		Liberal^[5]		Liberal^[5]
1866 by-election	Henry Arthur Herbert (1840–1901)	Liberal^[5]		Liberal^[5]
1872 by-election	Henry Arthur Herbert (1840–1901)	Liberal^[5]	Rowland Blennerhassett	Home Rule League^[5]
1880	Sir Rowland Blennerhassett, 4th Bt	Liberal Party^[5]	Rowland Blennerhassett	Home Rule League^[5]

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

FitzGerald was appointed as Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 April 1830: Kerry^[5]^[4]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Tory	Maurice FitzGerald	Unopposed
	Tory gain from Whig

General election 1830: Kerry^[5]^[4]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	William Browne	390	36.1
	Tory	Maurice FitzGerald	377	34.9
	Tory	Pierce Crosbie	217	20.1
	Tory	John Bateman (Tralee MP)	96	8.9
Turnout			543	53.0
Registered electors			1,024
Majority			13	1.2
	Whig hold		Swing
Majority			160	14.8
	Tory gain from Whig		Swing

General election 1831: Kerry^[5]^[4]^[8]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Irish Repeal	Daniel O'Connell	Unopposed
	Irish Repeal	Frederick Mullins	Unopposed
Registered electors			936
	Irish Repeal gain from Tory
	Irish Repeal gain from Whig

General election 1832: Kerry^[5]^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Irish Repeal	Charles O'Connell	Unopposed
	Irish Repeal	Frederick Mullins	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,161
	Irish Repeal hold
	Irish Repeal hold

General election 1835: Kerry^[5]^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Irish Repeal (Whig)	Morgan O'Connell	818	44.0
	Irish Repeal (Whig)	Frederick Mullins	596	32.0
	Conservative	Maurice FitzGerald	384	20.6
	Whig	Thomas Ponsonby	63	3.4
Majority			212	11.4
Turnout			1,002	82.7
Registered electors			1,212
	Irish Repeal hold
	Irish Repeal hold

General election 1837: Kerry^[5]^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Repeal (Whig)	Morgan O'Connell	697	37.6	−6.4
	Conservative	Arthur Blennerhassett	546	29.5	+8.9
	Irish Repeal (Whig)	Frederick Mullins	498	26.9	−5.1
	Conservative	Samuel Murray Hickson	112	6.0	New
Turnout			921	60.9	−21.8
Registered electors			1,512
Majority			151	8.1	−3.3
	Irish Repeal hold		Swing	−6.9
Majority			48	2.6	N/A
	Conservative gain from Irish Repeal		Swing	+12.5

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kerry^[5]^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	William Browne	751	37.4	*N/A*
	Irish Repeal	Morgan O'Connell	744	37.1	−27.4
	Conservative	Arthur Blennerhassett	445	22.2	−7.3
	Conservative	John Hickson Mahony	67	3.3	−2.7
Turnout			1,219	80.0	+19.1
Registered electors			1,523
Majority			7	0.3	N/A
	Whig gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A
Majority			299	14.9	+6.8
	Irish Repeal hold		Swing	−8.5

General election 1847: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Irish Repeal	Morgan O'Connell	Unopposed
	Peelite	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			1,840
	Irish Repeal hold
	Peelite gain from Whig

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Peelite	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,222
	Whig gain from Irish Repeal
	Peelite hold

Browne was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 9 August 1856: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Whig	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Whig hold

General election 1857: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Whig	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Peelite	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,427
	Whig hold
	Peelite hold

Herbert was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 9 June 1857: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Peelite	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,427
	Peelite hold

General election 1859: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Liberal	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,278
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Browne was appointed Treasurer of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 5 July 1859: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,278
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Liberal	Henry Arthur Herbert (senior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,415
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Herbert's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 16 March 1866: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Henry Arthur Herbert (junior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,415
	Liberal hold

General election 1868: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
	Liberal	Henry Arthur Herbert (junior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,506
	Liberal hold
	Liberal hold

Browne was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 7 January 1869: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Valentine Browne	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,506
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

Browne succeeded as Earl of Kenmare, causing a by-election.

By-election, 6 Feb 1872: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Home Rule	Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett	2,237	61.5	*New*
	Liberal	James Arthur Dease	1,398	38.5	N/A
Majority			839	23.0	N/A
Turnout			3,635	66.7	N/A
Registered electors			5,450
	Home Rule gain from Liberal

General election 1874: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Home Rule	Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett	Unopposed
	Liberal	Henry Arthur Herbert (junior)	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,484
	Home Rule gain from Liberal
	Liberal hold

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Kerry^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Home Rule	Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett	Unopposed
	Liberal	Rowland Blennerhassett	Unopposed
Registered electors			5,326
	Home Rule hold
	Liberal hold

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

References

^ "Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 23)". The public general acts. Proprietors of the Law Journal Reports. p. 189. OCLC 145381863.
^ ^a ^b Aspinall, A., ed. (1938). The Letters of King George IV, 1812-1830, Volume 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 39. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
^ Farrell, Stephen. "HARE, Hon. William (1801-1856)". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 229. Retrieved 1 October 2018 – via Google Books.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 219–200, 284–285. ISBN 0901714127.
^ "Irish Members Returned". Tipperary Vindicator. 14 August 1847. p. 3. Retrieved 1 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ "Naval News". Southern Reporter and Cork Commercial Courier. 8 July 1852. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Kerry". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
^ Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons, Volume 50. 1843. Retrieved 25 August 2019 – via Google Books.

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 1)
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. ISBN 0901714127.</ref>

Parliamentary constituencies in County Kerry

Parliament of Ireland
to 1800

Ardfert (1639–1800)
Dingle (1607–1800)
Kerry (????–1800)
Tralee (1613–1800)

Westminster 1801–1922
and First Dáil 1918

Kerry (1801–1885)
Tralee (1801–1885)
East Kerry (1885–1922)
North Kerry (1885–1922)
South Kerry (1885–1922)
West Kerry (1885–1922)

Dáil Éireann
1921–present

Historic	Kerry–Limerick West (1921–1923) Kerry North (1937–2011) Kerry South (1937–2016) Kerry North–West Limerick (2011–2016)
Current	Kerry (1923–1937, 2016–)

European Parliament
1979–present

Munster (1979–2004)
South (2004–)

Constituencies in Ireland by county
Republic of Ireland	Carlow Cavan Clare Cork Donegal Dublin Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow
Northern Ireland	Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone