County Down was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland and later Northern Ireland. It was a two-member constituency and existed in two periods, 1801–1885 and 1922–1950.
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 1806 1807 May 1812 Hon. Robert Ward October 1812 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory 1817 Lord Arthur Hill Whig 1818 1820 1821 Mathew Forde Tory 1826 Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory 1830 1831 1834 Conservative 1832 1835 1836 Earl of Hillsborough Conservative 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 Party1931 Viscount Castlereagh Ulster Unionist Party1939James LittleUlster Unionist Party1945Independent UnionistWalter SmilesUlster Unionist Party1946C. H. Mullan Ulster Unionist Party
Elections Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1880s
Caused by Hill's appointment as Comptroller of the Household.
The electorate was 12,718 in 1881.
Caused by Vane-Tempest's succession to the peerage, becoming Marquess of Londonderry.
Blakely McCartney brought a petition against Vane-Tempest under the Parliamentary Elections Act 1868, which was tried in June by Francis Alexander FitzGerald and Charles Robert Barry. FitzGerald found no corrupt practices, while Barry found there was undue influence in favour of Vane-Tempest but not with his knowledge or consent.
Elections in the 1870s
Sharman Crawford's death caused a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
The electorate was 11,470 in 1862.
Elections in the 1850s
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.
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
Caused by Hill's succession to the peerage, becoming 4th Marquess of Downshire
Elections in the 1830s
Caused by Arthur Hill's succession as 2nd Baron Sandys
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.
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.
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".Peter Jupp, County Down Elections, 1783–1831, Irish Historical Studies 18, no. 70 (1972): P 186
Elections in the 1800s At the 1806 and 1807 general elections, Francis Savage and John Meade 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 Viscount Castlereagh, continued as MPs for the county. At the 1802 general election, Savage and Castlereagh were returned unopposed.
References
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) - including pre-1832 party allegiances. - including post-1832 party allegiances. ElectionsIreland.org