Down (UK Parliament constituency)

Down was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland. It was a two-member constituency and existed in two periods, 1801–1885 and 1922–1950.

Down
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Replaced byEast Down, North Down, South Down and West Down
1922–1950
Replaced byNorth Down and South Down
Created fromEast Down, Mid Down, North Down, South Down and West Down

Boundaries

1801–1885: The whole of County Down, excluding the Boroughs of Downpatrick and Newry.

1922–1950: The Administrative county of Down, that is the whole of County Down excluding the part in the City of Belfast.

Members of Parliament

1801–1885
Election First member First party Second member Second party
1801 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory Francis Savage
1802
1805 Hon. John Meade Whig[1]
1806
1807
May 1812 Hon. Robert Ward
October 1812 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory[1]
1817 Lord Arthur Hill Whig[1]
1818
1820
1821 Mathew Forde Tory
1826 Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory[1]
1830
1831
1834 Conservative[1]
1832
1835
1836 Earl of Hillsborough Conservative[1]
1837
1841
1845 Lord Arthur Hill-Trevor Conservative
1847
1852 David Stewart Ker Conservative
1857 William Brownlow Forde Conservative
1859
1865
1868
1874 James Sharman Crawford Liberal
1878 Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Conservative
1880 Lord Arthur Hill Conservative
1884 Richard Ker Conservative
1885 constituency abolished: see East Down, West Down, South Down and North Down

1922–1950
ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1922 David Reid Ulster Unionist Party John Simms Ulster Unionist Party
1931 Viscount Castlereagh Ulster Unionist Party
1939 James Little Ulster Unionist Party
1945 Independent Unionist Walter Smiles Ulster Unionist Party
1946 C. H. Mullan Ulster Unionist Party

Elections

Elections in the 1940s
1946 Down by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±
UUP C. H. Mullan 50,699 51.4 +6.0
NI Labour Desmond Donnelly 28,846 29.3 New
Independent Unionist J. Hastings-Little 16,895 17.1 -23.3
Independent Unionist James Brown 2,125 2.2 -16.9
Majority 21,853 22.1 N/A
Turnout 98,565
UUP gain from Independent Unionist Swing N/A
General election 1945: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Independent Unionist James Little 46,732 40.4 New
UUP Walter Smiles 24,148 20.9 -22.6
UUP John Blakiston Houston 22,730 19.6 -26.8
Independent Unionist James Brown 22,163 19.1 New
Majority 22,584 19.5 N/A
Turnout 115,773 39.8 -17.1
Independent Unionist gain from UUP Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s
At the 1939 Down by-election, James Little was elected unopposed as an Ulster Unionist. He subsequently left the party in the run-up to the 1945 general election in a dispute over re-selection.
General election 1935: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
UUP David Reid 66,324 46.4 N/A
UUP Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart 58,777 43.5 N/A
Independent Republican Patrick O'Hagan 20,236 13.3 New
Majority 38,541 30.2 N/A
Turnout 145,337 56.7 N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
At the 1931 general election, David Reid and Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart were elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1929: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
UUP David Reid 54,073 36.3 -10.2
UUP John Simms 53,943 36.2 -10.2
Ulster Liberal Robert Pollock 20,999 14.1 New
Ulster Liberal David Johnston 20,013 13.4 New
Majority 32,944 22.1 -17.2
Turnout 149,028 58.5 -7.3
UUP hold Swing
UUP hold Swing
General election 1924: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
UUP David Reid 58,929 46.5 N/A
UUP John Simms 58,777 46.4 N/A
Sinn Féin Michael Murney 8,941 7.1 New
Majority 49,836 39.3 N/A
Turnout 117,706 65.8 N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A

At the 1922 and 1923 general elections, David Reid and John Simms were elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1880s
By-election, 8 July 1885: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Arthur Hill 5,097 52.0 −15.3
Liberal John Shaw Brown 4,696 48.0 +15.3
Majority 401 4.0 +3.9
Turnout 9,793 78.9 −7.6
Registered electors 12,412
Conservative hold Swing −15.3
By-election, 27 Nov 1884: Down (1 seat)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Richard Ker 4,387 52.3 −14.9
Liberal Arthur Crawford (Liberal politician) 3,998 47.7 +15.0
Majority 389 4.6 +4.5
Turnout 8,385 67.6 −18.9 (est)
Registered electors 12,412
Conservative hold Swing −15.0

The electorate was 12,718 in 1881.

  • Caused by Vane-Tempest's succession to the peerage, becoming Marquis of Londonderry.
General election 1880: Down (2 seats)[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Arthur Hill 5,873 34.4 −0.2
Conservative Charles Vane-Tempest 5,599 32.8 +0.6
Liberal John Crawford (Liberal politician) 5,579 32.7 −0.4
Majority 20 0.1 −1.4
Turnout 11,452 (est) 86.5 (est) +4.5
Registered electors 13,236
Conservative hold Swing +0.0
Conservative hold Swing +0.4

Elections in the 1870s
By-election, 17 May 1878: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Charles Vane-Tempest 6,076 56.4 −10.4
Liberal William Drennan Andrews 4,701 43.6 +10.5
Majority 1,375 12.8 +11.3
Turnout 10,777 84.1 +2.1
Registered electors 12,814
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing −10.5
  • Sharman Crawford's death caused a by-election.
General election 1874: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill-Trevor 5,029 34.6 N/A
Liberal James Sharman Crawford 4,814 33.1 N/A
Conservative William Brownlow Forde 4,683 32.2 N/A
Turnout 9,670 (est) 82.0 (est) N/A
Registered electors 11,797
Majority 215 1.5 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 131 0.9 N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1868: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill-Trevor Unopposed
Conservative William Brownlow Forde Unopposed
Registered electors 11,646
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1865: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill-Trevor Unopposed
Conservative William Brownlow Forde Unopposed
Registered electors 11,435
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

The electorate was 11,470 in 1862.

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1859: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill Unopposed
Conservative William Brownlow Forde Unopposed
Registered electors 11,367
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill 5,839 39.1 −0.1
Conservative William Brownlow Forde 5,341 35.8 +1.2
Peelite David Stewart Ker[3] 3,735 25.0 −1.2
Majority 1,606 10.8 +2.4
Turnout 9,325 (est) 86.7 (est) +11.9
Registered electors 10,759
Conservative hold Swing +0.3
Conservative hold Swing +0.9

The Poll Books for part of County Down, showing how each elector voted in the 1857 general election are available in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland under reference D/671/O/2/7-8.

General election 1852: Down[2][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill 4,654 39.2 N/A
Conservative David Stewart Ker 4,117 34.6 N/A
Radical William Sharman Crawford[5][6][7] 3,113 26.2 New
Majority 1,004 8.4 N/A
Turnout 7,499 (est) 74.8 (est) N/A
Registered electors 10,028
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

The Poll Books for part of County Down, showing how each elector voted in the 1852 general election are available in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland under reference D/671/O/2/5-6.

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1847: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 2,446
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-election, 3 June 1845: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Edwin Hill Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1841: Down[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Conservative Arthur Hill Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 2,215
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1837: Down[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Arthur Hill Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 3,525
Conservative hold
Conservative gain from Whig
By-election, 30 August 1836: Down[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Arthur Hill Unopposed
Conservative gain from Whig
General election 1835: Down[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Arthur Hill Unopposed
Conservative Frederick Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 3,729
Whig hold
Conservative hold
General election 1832: Down[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Arthur Hill Unopposed
Tory Frederick Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 3,130
Whig hold
Tory hold
General election 1831: Down[2][1][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Arthur Hill 1,671 45.7 +12.7
Tory Frederick Stewart 1,067 29.2 −7.5
Radical William Sharman Crawford 917 25.1 New
Turnout c. 1,828 c. 91.8 c. +12.9
Registered electors 1,990
Majority 604 16.5 +13.8
Whig hold Swing +10.1
Majority 150 4.1 +1.3
Tory hold Swing −10.1
General election 1830: Down[2][1][8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Tory Frederick Stewart 930 36.7
Whig Arthur Hill 837 33.0
Whig Mathew Forde 766 30.2
Turnout 1,570 78.9
Registered electors 1,990
Majority 93 3.7
Tory hold Swing
Majority 71 2.8
Whig hold Swing

Elections in the 1820s

At the by-election on 15 July 1829 following Frederick Stewart's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty, he was re-elected unopposed.

General election 1826: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Arthur Hill 667 N/A
Tory Frederick Stewart 665 N/A
Tory John Stewart 16 N/A

At the by-election on 9 May 1821 following Robert Stewart vacating his seat, Mathew Forde was returned unopposed.

Elections in the 1810s

At the 1818 and 1820 general elections, Arthur Hill and Robert Stewart were elected unopposed.

At the by-election on 26 February 1817 following the Hon. John Meade's appointment as consul general in Spain, Arthur Hill was returned unopposed.

The electorate was approximately 15,000 in 1815.

General election 1812: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Tory Robert Stewart 55 N/A
Non Partisan John Meade 52 N/A
Non Partisan Eldred Pottinger 13 N/A

At the by-election on 30 May 1812 following Francis Savage's acceptance of the Chiltern Hundreds, Robert Ward was returned unopposed. "Castlereagh ... was not prepared to come in at that moment, and after an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Savage to reconsider his decision, he arranged for his old friend Colonel Ward to stand as a 'stopgap' until the general election".[9]

Elections in the 1800s

At the 1806 and 1807 general elections, Francis Savage and John Meade were elected unopposed.

Down by-election, 1805
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Non Partisan John Meade 1973 N/A
Tory Robert Stewart c. 1481 N/A

At the 1802 general election Francis Savage and Robert Stewart were elected unopposed.

At the creation of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1801, the sitting members of the Parliament of Ireland for County Down, Francis Savage and Robert Stewart, continued as MP's for the county.

References
  1. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 222. Retrieved 14 May 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  3. "Belfast Mercury". 7 April 1857. p. 3. Retrieved 30 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Newry Telegraph". 22 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 30 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "William Sharman Crawford (1781–1861; Irish politician)". Manuscripts and Special Collections. University of Nottingham. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  6. Lee, Sidney (1888). "Crawford, William Sharman" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. 13. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  7. Navickas, Katrina (2016). Protest and the Politics of Space and Place, 1789–1848. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-7190-9705-8. Retrieved 1 July 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Down". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  9. Peter Jupp, County Down Elections, 1783–1831, Irish Historical Studies 18, no. 70 (1972): P 186
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