County Louth (UK Parliament constituency)

Louth
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Created from North Louth and South Louth
1918–1922
Replaced by North Louth and South Louth

County Louth, otherwise known as Louth County or Louth, is a former parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), and one in 1918–1922.

Boundaries

From 1801 to 1885, the constituency comprised the whole of County Louth, except for the Parliamentary boroughs of Drogheda and Dundalk. Between 1885 and 1918 the county was divided into the county division constituencies North Louth and South Louth. In 1918, the reunited constituency covered the entire county of Louth plus a small part of County Meath near Drogheda.

History

Louth was a constituency in the first Dáil election in December 1918 when Sinn Féin won by 255 votes, its narrowest margin of victory in that election. John J. O'Kelly, a native of Kerry, resident in Glasnevin (Dublin), was Louth's first TD. The constituency was merged with Meath to form the 5 seat Louth–Meath constituency for the 2nd and 3rd Dála. In 1923 Louth became a new 3 seat constituency.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1801–85

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1801, 1 January John Foster William Fortescue
1806, 18 November Tory Richard Jocelyn Tory
1807, 19 May John Jocelyn
1810, 10 February Richard Jocelyn Tory
1820, 10 August John Jocelyn
1821, 27 September Thomas Skeffington
1824, 21 February John Leslie Foster Tory[1]
1826, 21 June Alexander Dawson Radical[1]
1830, 13 August John McClintock Tory[1]
1831, 18 May Richard Lalor Sheil Repeal Association[1]
1831, 28 September Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Whig[1]
1832, 21 December Thomas FitzGerald Repeal Association Richard Bellew Repeal Association
1834, 24 December Sir Patrick Bellew, Bt Whig[1]
1837, 5 August Henry Chester Whig[1]
1840, 31 July Thomas Fortescue Whig[1]
1841, 15 July Thomas Vesey Dawson Whig[1][2] Whig[1][3][4][5]
1847, 10 August Chichester Fortescue Whig[5][6][7]
1852, 22 July Tristram Kennedy Ind. Irish[8]
1857, 10 April John McClintock Conservative[8][6]
1859, 16 May Liberal[8] Richard Bellew Liberal[8]
1865, 15 April Tristram Kennedy Liberal[8]
1868, 24 November Matthew Dease Liberal[8]
1874, 14 February Alexander Martin Sullivan Home Rule League[8] Philip Callan[9] Home Rule League[8]
1874, 9 April George Kirk Home Rule League[8]
1880, 31 May Philip Callan Home Rule League[8]
1880, 31 May Henry Bellingham Home Rule League[8]
1885 Constituency divided: see North Louth and South Louth

MPs 1918–22

ElectionMemberParty
1918 John J. O'Kelly Sinn Féin
1922 Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1852: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Chichester Fortescue 1,152 38.0 N/A
Independent Irish Tristram Kennedy 999 32.9 N/A
Conservative John McClintock 884 29.1 N/A
Turnout 1,518 (est) 73.1 (est) N/A
Registered electors 2,078
Majority 153 5.0 N/A
Whig hold Swing N/A
Majority 115 3.8 N/A
Independent Irish gain from Whig Swing N/A

Fortescue was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 27 February 1854: County Louth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Chichester Fortescue 916 54.5 +16.5
Independent Irish John MacNamara Cantwell 766 45.5 +12.6
Majority 150 8.9 +3.9
Turnout 1,682 80.9 +7.8
Registered electors 2,078
Whig hold Swing +2.0
General Election 1857: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Whig Chichester Fortescue 1,376 36.8 −1.2
Conservative John McClintock 1,059 28.4 −0.7
Whig Richard Bellew 894 23.9 N/A
Independent Irish Tristram Kennedy 406 10.9 −22.0
Turnout 1,868 (est) 77.3 (est) +4.2
Registered electors 2,418
Majority 317 8.5 +3.5
Whig hold Swing −0.4
Majority 165 4.4 N/A
Conservative gain from Independent Irish Swing +5.2
General Election 1859: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Chichester Fortescue 1,379 36.8 —
Liberal Richard Bellew 1,208 32.2 +8.3
Conservative John McClintock 1,138 30.4 +2.0
Conservative Frederick John Foster 23 0.6 N/A
Majority 70 1.9 −6.6
Turnout 1,874 (est) 76.8 (est) −0.5
Registered electors 2,439
Liberal hold Swing −0.5
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +3.7

Elections in the 1860s

Bellew resigned after he was appointed a law commissioner, causing a by-election.

By-election, 15 April 1865 (1 seat) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Tristram Kennedy 1,002 52.1 −16.8
Conservative John McClintock 923 47.9 +16.9
Majority 79 4.1 +2.2
Turnout 1,925 78.9 +2.1
Registered electors 2441
Liberal hold Swing −16.9
General Election 1865: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue 628 50.3 +13.5
Liberal Tristram Kennedy 607 48.6 +16.4
Conservative Frederick John Foster 8 0.6 —
Conservative John McClintock 6 0.5 −29.9
Majority 599 48.0 +46.1
Turnout 625 (est) 25.6 (est) −51.2
Registered electors 2,441
Liberal hold Swing +14.2
Liberal hold Swing +15.7

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

County Louth by-election, 1866 (1 seat) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue Unopposed
Registered electors 2,441
Liberal hold
General Election 1868: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue Unopposed
Liberal Matthew Dease Unopposed
Registered electors 2,443
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

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

County Louth by-election, 1869 (1 seat) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Liberal Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue Unopposed
Registered electors 2,443
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Home Rule Alexander Martin Sullivan 1,250 37.6 N/A
Home Rule Philip Callan 1,202 36.2 N/A
Liberal Chichester Parkinson-Fortescue 608 18.3 N/A
Liberal Matthew Dease 265 8.0 N/A
Majority 594 17.9 N/A
Turnout 1,834 (est) 79.2 (est) N/A
Registered electors 2,316
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Callan was also elected MP for Dundalk and opted to sit there.

County Louth by-election, 1874 (1 seat) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Home Rule George Kirk 997 66.3 -7.5
Home Rule Bernard Charles Molloy 507 33.7 +7.4
Majority 490 32.6 +14.7
Turnout 1,504 64.9 -14.3
Registered electors 2,316
Home Rule hold Swing -7.5

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: County Louth (2 seats) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Home Rule Philip Callan 902 37.6 +1.4
Home Rule Alexander Martin Sullivan 830 34.6 −3.0
Home Rule George Kirk 668 27.8 N/A
Majority 162 6.8 −11.1
Turnout 1,570 (est) 75.1 (est) −4.1
Registered electors 2,091
Home Rule hold Swing N/A
Home Rule hold Swing N/A

Sullivan declined to take the seat, causing a by-election.

County Louth by-election, 1880 (1 seat) [8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Home Rule Henry Bellingham Unopposed
Registered electors 2,091
Home Rule hold

Elections in the 1910s

General Election 1918: County Louth[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Sinn Féin John J. O'Kelly 10,770 50.6 N/A
Irish Parliamentary Richard Hazleton 10,515 49.4 N/A
Majority 255 1.2 N/A
Turnout 21,285 73.0 N/A
Registered electors 29,176
Sinn Féin win (new seat)
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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 235. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Freeman's Journal". 13 July 1847. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ "Election Movements". Kings County Chronicle. 7 July 1847. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ "Vindicator". 24 July 1847. p. 1. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. 1 2 "The Irish Members". Dublin Weekly Nation. 14 August 1847. p. 4. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. 1 2 "County Louth Election". Dublin Weekly Nation. 17 July 1852. p. 12. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ "Louth Election". The Evening Freeman. 20 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  9. ↑ Philip Callan was also returned for Dundalk, for which he chose to sit
  • 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)
  • Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
  • "County Louth: the Irish political revolution and the 1918 general election" by O. S. Kelly (MA thesis, 2006, UCD)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)
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