Londonderry_City_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Londonderry City (UK Parliament constituency)
UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1922
Not to be confused with Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency).
For the modern constituency covering the city, see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency).
Londonderry City was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the United Kingdom House of Commons, elected by the first past the post voting system.
Quick Facts County, Borough ...
| Londonderry City | |
|---|---|
| Former borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
| County | County Londonderry |
| Borough | Londonderry |
| 1801–1922 | |
| Seats | 1 |
| Created from | Londonderry City (IHC) |
| Replaced by | Londonderry |
Close
This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Londonderry (or Derry) in County Londonderry.[lower-alpha 1]
It was an original constituency represented in the first UK Parliament when the Acts of Union 1800 took effect on 1 January 1801, inheriting the boundaries and franchise of the Londonderry City constituency of the abolished Irish House of Commons. In 1922 it was combined with North Londonderry and South Londonderry, to form the Londonderry county constituency.
After the extension of the franchise in 1885, the constituency was one of the most marginal seats in Ireland.
Sinn Féin won in 1918. The MP, Professor Eoin MacNeill, was also returned for National University of Ireland. As MacNeill did not take his seat in the United Kingdom House of Commons he could not choose which constituency he would represent and arrange a by-election in the other. He played an active role in the First Dáil and in the government it set up.
More information Election, Member ...
Close
The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.
Elections in the 1830s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | 258 | 73.5 | ||
| Tory | John Richard James Hart | 87 | 24.8 | ||
| Whig | John Montgomery | 6 | 1.7 | ||
| Majority | 171 | 48.7 | |||
| Turnout | 351 | c. 54.0 | |||
| Registered electors | c. 650 | ||||
| Whig gain from Tory | |||||
Close
On petition, Ferguson's election was declared void, causing a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | 202 | 76.5 | +3.0 | |
| Tory | John Richard James Hart | 62 | 23.5 | −1.3 | |
| Majority | 140 | 53.0 | +4.3 | ||
| Turnout | 264 | c. 40.6 | c. −13.4 | ||
| Registered electors | c. 650 | ||||
| Whig hold | Swing | +2.2 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | 205 | 77.4 | +3.9 | |
| Whig | Conolly McClausland Lecky | 60 | 22.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 145 | 54.8 | +6.1 | ||
| Turnout | 265 | 40.8 | c. −13.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 650 | ||||
| Whig hold | Swing | +3.9 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | 308 | 57.7 | −19.7 | |
| Tory | George Robert Dawson | 226 | 42.3 | New | |
| Majority | 82 | 15.4 | −39.4 | ||
| Turnout | 534 | 87.4 | +46.6 | ||
| Registered electors | 611 | ||||
| Whig hold | Swing | −19.7 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 703 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | 212 | 60.7 | ||
| Conservative | George Robert Dawson | 137 | 39.3 | ||
| Majority | 75 | 21.4 | |||
| Turnout | 349 | 43.4 | |||
| Registered electors | 804 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1840s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 742 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 1,904 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1850s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 724 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whig | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 825 | ||||
| Whig hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Robert Ferguson | Unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 825 | ||||
| Liberal hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1860s
Ferguson's death caused a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | William McCormick | 326 | 45.6 | New | |
| Liberal | Samuel MacCurdy Greer | 307 | 42.9 | N/A | |
| Liberal | George Skipton | 82 | 11.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 19 | 2.7 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 715 | 86.7 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 825 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Claud Hamilton | 379 | 53.4 | N/A | |
| Liberal | Samuel MacCurdy Greer | 331 | 46.6 | N/A | |
| Majority | 48 | 6.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 710 | 81.1 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 876 | ||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Richard Dowse | 704 | 54.0 | +7.4 | |
| Irish Conservative | Claud Hamilton | 599 | 46.0 | −7.4 | |
| Majority | 105 | 8.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,303 | 87.9 | +6.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,483 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.4 | |||
Close
Elections in the 1870s
Dowse was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland, requiring a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Richard Dowse | 680 | 53.5 | −0.5 | |
| Irish Conservative | Robert Baxter | 592 | 46.5 | +0.5 | |
| Majority | 88 | 7.0 | −1.0 | ||
| Turnout | 1,272 | 85.8 | −2.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,483 | ||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −0.5 | |||
Close
Dowse resigned after being appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, causing a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Charles Lewis | 696 | 53.2 | +7.2 | |
| Liberal | Christopher Palles | 522 | 39.9 | −14.1 | |
| Home Rule | Joseph Biggar | 89 | 6.8 | New | |
| Irish Conservative | Bartholomew McCorkell | 2 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 174 | 13.3 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,309 | 80.7 | −7.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,622 | ||||
| Irish Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +10.7 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Charles Lewis | 744 | 51.0 | +5.0 | |
| Liberal | Bartholomew McCorkell | 715 | 49.0 | −5.0 | |
| Majority | 29 | 2.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,459 | 86.6 | −1.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 1,685 | ||||
| Irish Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.0 | |||
Close
Elections in the 1880s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Charles Lewis | 964 | 52.4 | +1.4 | |
| Liberal | Adam Hogg | 876 | 47.6 | −1.4 | |
| Majority | 88 | 4.8 | +2.8 | ||
| Turnout | 1,840 | 91.8 | +5.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 2,005 | ||||
| Irish Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Charles Lewis | 1,824 | 50.4 | −2.0 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Justin McCarthy | 1,792 | 49.6 | New | |
| Majority | 32 | 0.8 | −4.0 | ||
| Turnout | 3,616 | 93.2 | +1.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,879 | ||||
| Irish Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Conservative | Charles Lewis | 1,781 | 50.0 | −0.4 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Justin McCarthy | 1,778 | 50.0 | +0.4 | |
| Majority | 3 | 0.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 3,559 | 91.8 | −1.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 3,879 | ||||
| Irish Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |||
Close
On petition, Lewis was unseated. McCarthy was named as MP on 25 October.
Elections in the 1890s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | John Ross | 1,986 | 50.3 | +0.3 | |
| Irish National Federation | Justin McCarthy | 1,960 | 49.7 | −0.3 | |
| Majority | 26 | 0.6 | +0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 3,946 | 94.8 | +3.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,161 | ||||
| Irish Unionist hold | Swing | +0.3 | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish National Federation | Edmund Vesey Knox | 2,033 | 50.5 | +0.8 | |
| Irish Unionist | John Ross | 1,994 | 49.5 | −0.8 | |
| Majority | 39 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,027 | 96.1 | +1.3 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,191 | ||||
| Irish National Federation gain from Irish Unionist | Swing | +0.8 | |||
Close
Knox resigns, triggering a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Parliamentary | Arthur John Moore | 2,343 | 50.5 | 0.0 | |
| Liberal Unionist | Emerson Herdman | 2,301 | 49.5 | 0.0 | |
| Majority | 42 | 1.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Turnout | 4,644 | 95.7 | −0.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,855 | ||||
| Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | 0.0 | |||
Close
Elections in the 1900s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | James Hamilton | 2,361 | 50.7 | +1.2 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Arthur John Moore | 2,294 | 49.3 | −1.2 | |
| Majority | 67 | 1.4 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,655 | 92.1 | −4.0 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,056 | ||||
| Irish Unionist gain from Irish National Federation | Swing | +1.2 | |||
Close
- Results are compared to the 1895 election, not the by-election.
Hamilton is appointed Treasurer of the Household, prompting a by-election in which he stood unopposed.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | James Hamilton | Unopposed | |||
| Irish Unionist hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | James Hamilton | Unopposed | |||
| Irish Unionist hold | |||||
Close
Elections in the 1910s
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | James Hamilton | 2,435 | 50.6 | N/A | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Shane Randolph Leslie | 2,378 | 49.4 | New | |
| Majority | 57 | 1.2 | New | ||
| Turnout | 4,813 | 95.0 | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,068 | ||||
| Irish Unionist hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Unionist | James Hamilton | 2,415 | 51.1 | +0.5 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | Shane Randolph Leslie | 2,310 | 48.9 | −0.5 | |
| Majority | 105 | 2.2 | +1.0 | ||
| Turnout | 4,725 | 93.2 | −1.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,068 | ||||
| Irish Unionist hold | Swing | +0.5 | |||
Close
Hamilton becomes Duke of Abercorn, prompting a by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | David Cleghorn Hogg | 2,699 | 50.5 | New | |
| Irish Unionist | Hercules Pakenham | 2,642 | 49.5 | −1.6 | |
| Majority | 57 | 1.0 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 5,341 | 97.6 | +4.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 5,470 | ||||
| Liberal gain from Irish Unionist | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
Hogg's death prompts another by-election.
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | James Brown Dougherty | Unopposed | |||
| Liberal hold | |||||
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | Eoin MacNeill | 7,335 | 50.7 | New | |
| Irish Unionist | Robert Newton Anderson | 7,020 | 48.5 | −2.6 | |
| Irish Parliamentary | William Hamilton Davey | 120 | 0.8 | −48.1 | |
| Majority | 315 | 2.2 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 14,475 | 86.5 | −6.7 | ||
| Registered electors | 16,736 | ||||
| Sinn Féin gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
Close
- Results are compared to the December 1910 election, not the later by-elections.
- In common with other Sinn Féin MPs, Eoin MacNeill abstained from Westminster and took his seat as a TD in the First Dáil. He was also elected for the National University.
 |
- Farrell, Stephen. "Londonderry". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 234.
- Dod, Charles Roger; Dod, Robert Phipps (1847). Dod's Parliamentary Companion, Volume 15. Dod's Parliamentary Companion. p. 166.
- Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer: 1838. pp. 90–91.
- "Irish Members Return". Northern Standard. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- Lewis was declared elected at the 1886 general election, but the result was overturned on petition, and the seat awarded to McCarthy
- There is a longstanding Derry/Londonderry name dispute. This article follows the approach that Derry refers to the city and County Londonderry refers to the county (outside of organisations' names, which may follow their own approaches).
- 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)
Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 227, 295–296, 361–362, 392. ISBN 0901714127.
- Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume I 1832–1885, edited by M. Stenton (The Harvester Press 1976)
- Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1978). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume II 1886–1918. The Harvester Press.
- Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1979). 'Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume III 1919–1945. The Harvester Press.
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4 )