Antrim County (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

Antrim County
Former county constituency
for the Irish House of Commons
CountyCounty Antrim
ProvinceUlster
Former constituency
CreatedUncertain
Abolished1800
Seats2
Replaced byAntrim

Antrim County was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.

Following the Acts of Union 1800 the constituency became Antrim (UK Parliament constituency).

History[]

The county constituency 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. It sent two knights of the shire to the Irish House of Commons.

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 constituency of Down, Antrim and Armagh (constituency). Following the restoration of the King 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 King James II, Antrim County was represented with two members.[1]

Boundaries and Boundary Changes[]

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 seem to have originated in 1584 when the Lord Deputy Sir John Perrot divided the area into baronies. From whatever point the county constituency existed it comprised the whole of County Antrim, excluding the parts in the borough constituencies of Antrim Borough (from 1666), Belfast (1613), Carrickfergus (1326), Lisburn (1661) and Randalstown (1683).

Members of Parliament[]

Election First member First party Second member Second party
1585 Edward Berkeley
1613 Sir Moyses Hill[2]
1634 Arthur Chichester John Clotworthy
1639
1660 Sir John Clotworthy Sir George Rawdon[3]
1661 Sir 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[2]
1689 Patriot Parliament Randal MacDonnell
1692 Sir Robert Colville Clotworthy Skeffington
1695
1697
1703 Clotworthy Skeffington
November 1715 [b]
1715
1716
1725
1727
1741 Henry Seymour Conway
1747
1768 Viscount Dunluce Viscount Beauchamp
1776 Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway
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 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[]

General Election 1761: Antrim County[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Henry Seymour Conway 663
659
John O'Neill 406
C. O'Hara 351
: Antrim County[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Viscount Dunluce Uncontested
Viscount Beauchamp Uncontested
: Antrim County[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway 1,246
1,234
1,125
M. Dalway 1,021
General Election 1783: Antrim County[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John O'Neill Uncontested
Hon. Hercules Rowley Uncontested
: Antrim County[4]
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
Antrim County by-election, 1793[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Hugh Boyd Uncontested
Antrim County by-election, 1795[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John Staples Uncontested
General Election 1797: Antrim County[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
John Staples 1,984
Edmund Alexander Macnaghten 1,518
Edward Jones-Agnew 981
Turnout 4,483

References[]

  1. ^ O'Hart 2007, p. 500.
  2. ^ a b Return of Members of Parliament, Part II (1878), P605
  3. ^ Clarke, Aidan. Prelude to Restoration in Ireland: The End of the Commonwealth, 1659–1660.
  4. ^ 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[]

  • O'Hart, John (2007). The Irish and Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry: When Cromwell came to Ireland. Vol. vol. II. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-7884-1927-0. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
  • 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.

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