Down (UK Parliament constituency)

For other constituencies of the same name, see Down (disambiguation).
Down
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Replaced by East Down, North Down, South Down and West Down
1922–1950
Replaced by North Down and South Down
Created from East Down, Mid Down, North Down, South Down and West Down

Down was a UK Parliament constituency in 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

ElectionFirst memberFirst partySecond memberSecond party
1801 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory Francis Savage
1805 Hon. John Meade
May 1812 Hon. Robert Ward
October 1812 Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Tory
1817 Lord Arthur Hill Whig
1821 Mathew Forde Tory
1826 Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Conservative
1836 Earl of Hillsborough Conservative
1845 Lord Arthur Hill-Trevor Conservative
1852 David Stewart Ker Conservative
1857 William Brownlow Forde Conservative
1874 James Sharman Crawford Liberal
1878 Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Conservative
1880 Lord Arthur Hill Conservative
1884 Richard William Blackwood 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 Morrow 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 Charles Heron Mullan Ulster Unionist Party

Elections

Elections in the 1940s

Down by-election, 1946
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP Charles Heron Mullan 50,699 51.4 N/A
NI Labour Desmond Donnelly 28,846 29.3 N/A
Independent Unionist J. Hastings-Little 16,895 17.1 N/A
Independent Unionist James Brown 2,125 2.2 -16.9
Majority 21,853 22.2
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 N/A
UUP Walter Smiles 24,148 20.9 N/A
UUP John Blakiston Houston 22,730 19.6 N/A
Independent Unionist James Brown 22,163 19.1 N/A
Turnout 39.8
Independent Unionist gain from UUP Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1930s

At the Down by-election, 1939, 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 43.5 N/A
UUP Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart 58,777 46.4 N/A
Independent Republican Patrick O'Hagan 20,236 13.3 N/A
Turnout 56.7
UUP hold Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A
At the 1931 UK 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 Douglas Reid 54,073 36.3 -10.2
UUP John Morrow Simms 53,943 36.2 -10.2
Liberal Robert Pollock 20,999 14.1 n/a
Liberal David Johnston 20,013 13.4 n/a
Turnout 58.5 -7.3
UUP hold Swing n/a
UUP hold Swing n/a
General Election 1924: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UUP David Reid 58,929 46.5 N/A
UUP John Morrow Simms 58,777 46.4 N/A
Sinn Féin Michael Murney 8,941 7.1 N/A
Turnout 65.8
UUP hold Swing N/A
UUP hold Swing N/A

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

Elections in the 1880s

Down by-election, 1885
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Arthur William Hill 5097 N/A
Liberal John Shaw Brown 4696 N/A
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Down by-election, 1884
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard William Blackwood Ker 4387 N/A
Liberal Arthur Sharman Crawford 3998 N/A
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General Election 1880: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Arthur William Hill 5873 N/A
Conservative Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 5599 N/A
Liberal John Sharman Crawford 5579 N/A
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s

Down by-election 1878
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 6076 N/A
Liberal William Drennan Andrews 4701 N/A
Turnout
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General Election 1874: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor 5029 N/A
Liberal James Sharman Crawford 4814 N/A
Conservative William Brownlow Forde 4683 N/A
Turnout
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s

At the 1865 and 1868 general elections, Lord Arthur Edwin Hill, later known as Lord Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor, and William Brownlow Forde were returned unopposed.

Elections in the 1850s

At the 1859 general election, Lord Arthur Edwin Hill, later known as Lord Arthur Edwin Hill-Trevor, and William Brownlow Forde were returned unopposed.

General Election 1857: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Arthur Edwin Hill 5839 N/A
Conservative William Brownlow Forde 5341 N/A
Whig David Stewart Ker 3735 N/A
Turnout
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 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
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lord Arthur Edwin Hill 4654 N/A
Conservative David Stewart Ker 4117 N/A
Whig William Sharman Crawford 3113 N/A
Turnout
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

At the 1847 general election, Lord Arthur Edwin Hill and Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh were elected unopposed.

At the by-election on 3 June 1845 following Arthur Hill, Earl of Hillsborough's succession as Marquess of Downshire, Lord Arthur Edwin Hill was returned unopposed.

At the 1841 general election, Arthur Hill, Earl of Hillsborough and Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh were elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1830s

At the 1837 general election, Arthur Hill, Earl of Hillsborough and Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh were elected unopposed.

At the by-election on 30 August 1836 following Lord Arthur Hill's succession as Baron Sandys, Arthur Hill, Earl of Hillsborough was returned unopposed.

At the 1832 and 1835 general elections, Lord Arthur Hill and Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh were elected unopposed.

General Election 1831: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lord Arthur Hill 1671 N/A
Tory Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 1067 N/A
Radical William Sharman Crawford 917 N/A
General Election 1830: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 930 N/A
Whig Lord Arthur Hill 837 N/A
Tory Mathew Forde 766 N/A

Elections in the 1820s

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

General Election 1826: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Lord Arthur Hill 667 N/A
Tory Frederick Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 665 N/A
Tory John Stewart 16 N/A

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

Elections in the 1810s

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

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

General Election 1812: Down
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 55 N/A
Non Partisan Hon. 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.

Elections in the 1800s

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

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

At the 1802 general election Francis Savage and Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh 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, Viscount Castlereagh, continued as MP's for the county.

References

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