West Down (UK Parliament constituency)

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West Down
County constituency
Created: 1885
Abolished: 1922
Type: House of Commons
Members: One

West Down was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland.

Contents

[edit] Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the western part of County Down. There was a boundary change altering this division in 1918, when the new Mid Down constituency was created.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Down constituency.

[edit] Politics

The constituency was strongly unionist in 1918, when Sinn Féin only polled 1,725 votes. Two subsequent by-elections produced unopposed returns for the Unionist candidates.

[edit] The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in an eight-member Dáil constituency of Down.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Key to parties: U Irish Unionist 1886-1921 and Ulster Unionist 1921-1922.

From To Name (Party) Born Died
1885 1898 Lord Arthur William Hill (U) 28 July 1846 13 January 1931
1898 1905 Arthur Hill (U) 30 December 1873 27 June 1913
1905 1907 Harry Liddell (U) 1866 8 July 1931
1907 1908 Lord Arthur William Hill (U) 28 July 1846 13 January 1931
1908 1918 William John MacGeagh MacCaw (U) 1850 3 March 1928
1918 1921 Daniel Martin Wilson (U) 1862 5 January 1932
1921 1922 Thomas Browne Wallace (U) 28 January 1865 28 April 1951
1922 1922 Hugh Hayes (U) 5 September 1928

[edit] Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 14 December 1918: West Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Unionist Daniel Martin Wilson 10,559 N/A
Sinn Féin Bernard Campbell 1,725 N/A
Majority N/A
Turnout 17,997 N/A
Irish Unionist hold Swing N/A
By-Election 5 July 1921: West Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ulster Unionist Thomas Browne Wallace Unopposed N/A N/A
Ulster Unionist hold Swing N/A
  • Wallace appointed Chief Clerk to the High Court of Northern Ireland
By-Election 17 February 1922: West Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Ulster Unionist Hugh Hayes Unopposed N/A N/A
Ulster Unionist hold Swing N/A
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] References

  • Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)

[edit] External links

[edit] See also


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