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County Antrim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

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Coordinates: 54°42′40″N 6°11′46″W / 54.711°N 6.196°W / 54.711; -6.196
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County Antrim
Former county constituency
for the Irish House of Commons
CountyCounty Antrim
–1801 (1801)
Seats2
Replaced byAntrim

County Antrim, Ireland, was represented in the Irish House of Commons by a county constituency of two knights of the shire (or MPs) until the abolition of the Irish Parliament on 1 January 1801.[1] It was enfranchised as a parliamentary constituency at an uncertain date, between the first known meeting of the Parliament in 1264 and the division of the area into baronies in 1584.

The county was represented in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, under the Instrument of Government, after it was established in 1654 as part of the constituency of Down, Antrim and Armagh (constituency). Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the Parliament of Ireland was re-established and the constituency again returned two Members of Parliament. In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by James II, County Antrim was represented with two members.[2]

Under the Acts of Union 1800, it continued to be represented in the Westminster constituency of County Antrim with two MPs in the United Kingdom House of Commons.[3]

Boundaries and boundary changes

[edit]

1264-1800: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis discusses the administrative history of Antrim. It is uncertain when Antrim was made a County and given representation as such in Parliament. Something like the modern arrangements seems to have originated in 1584 when the Lord Deputy Sir John Perrot divided the area into baronies. The parliamentary boroughs of Antrim (from 1666), Belfast (1613), Carrickfergus (1326), Lisburn (1661) and Randalstown (1683) had separate representation.

Members of Parliament

[edit]
Election First MP Second MP
1585 Edward Berkeley Shane McBrien O'Neill
1613 Sir Fulke Conway Sir Moyses Hill[4]
1634 Arthur Chichester John Clotworthy
1639 Sir Roger Langford
1660 Sir John Clotworthy Sir George Rawdon[5]
1661 Sir John Skeffington, Bt John Davys
1665 Sir Toby (or John) Poyntz,
vice Skeffington succeeded as 2nd Viscount Massereene[a]		 Conway Hill, Esq,
vice Davys, long absent without leave[4]
1689 Cormack O'Neile Randal MacDonnell
1692 Sir Robert Colville Clotworthy Skeffington
1695 Arthur Upton
1697 Hugh Colville
1703 Clotworthy Skeffington Clotworthy Upton[6]
November 1715 John Skeffington[b]
1715 Sir Arthur Langford, 2nd Bt
1716 Thomas Upton
1725 John Upton
1727 John Skeffington
1741 Arthur Skeffington Henry Seymour Conway
1747 Hugh Skeffington
1768 Viscount Dunluce Viscount Beauchamp
1776 Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway James Willson
1783 John O'Neill Hon. Hercules Rowley
1792 Edward Jones-Agnew
1794 Hugh Boyd
1796 John Staples
1798 Edmund Alexander Macnaghten
1801 Succeeded by the Westminster constituency of County Antrim
Notes
  1. ^ The Lord Lieutenant wrote to the Sheriff of Antrim on 2 November 1665 recommending Poyntz as the successor of Skeffington, who had inherited a peerage in September as Viscount Massereene. In the absence of evidence to the contrary it is assumed that, in this period, such a recommendation was tantamount to election.
  2. ^ Declared not duly elected in 1715.

Elections

[edit]
1761 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Henry Seymour Conway 663
Hugh Skeffington 659
John O'Neill 406
C. O'Hara 351
1768 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Viscount Dunluce Uncontested
Viscount Beauchamp Uncontested
1776 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway 1,246
James Willson 1,234
Hugh Skeffington 1,125
M. Dalway 1,021
1783 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John O'Neill Uncontested
Hon. Hercules Rowley Uncontested
1790 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John O'Neill 1,939
Hon. Hercules Rowley 1,867
J. Leslie 1,708
Edmund Alexander Macnaghten 1,499
Turnout 3,507
1793 County Antrim by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Hugh Boyd Uncontested
1795 County Antrim by-election[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John Staples Uncontested
1797 general election: County Antrim[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John Staples 1,984
Edmund Alexander Macnaghten 1,518
Edward Jones-Agnew 981
Turnout 4,483

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary. "County Antrim". History of the Irish Parliament. Ulster Historical Foundation.
  2. ^ O'Hart 2007, p. 500.
  3. ^ Jupp, P. J. (1986). "Co. Antrim". In Thorne, R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820.
  4. ^ a b Return of Members of Parliament, Part II (1878), p. 605
  5. ^ Clarke, Aidan. Prelude to Restoration in Ireland: The End of the Commonwealth, 1659–1660.
  6. ^ Bergin 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnston-Liik, E. M. (2006). MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 235. ISBN 9781903688601.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Bergin, John (2009). "Upton, Arthur". In Kinsella, Eoin; Clavin, Terry; Evers, Liz; Gallagher, Niav; Maume, Patrick; O'Riordan, Turlough (eds.). Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy; Cambridge University Press. doi:10.3318/dib.008767.v1. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  • O'Hart, John (2007). The Irish and Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry: When Cromwell came to Ireland. Vol. II. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-7884-1927-0.
  • Leigh Rayment's historical List of Members of the Irish House of Commons. Cites: Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2002). The History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800 (6 volumes). Ulster Historical Foundation.

54°42′40″N 6°11′46″W / 54.711°N 6.196°W / 54.711; -6.196

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