Bandon (UK Parliament constituency)

Bandon (sometimes called Bandon Bridge or Bandonbridge) was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Bandon in County Cork, Ireland. From 1801 to 1885 it elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Bandon
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Number of membersOne
Replaced bySouth East Cork
Created fromBandonbridge

Bandon had been one of the borough constituencies that had had two representatives in the Parliament of Ireland before 1801. The area retained one member after the Act of Union, until the borough was disenfranchised in 1885.

Boundaries

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Bandon, County Cork.

In 1832 a new boundary was formed for electoral purposes closely encircling the town, and comprising an area of 439 acres (1.78 km2). The exact definition, contained in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 (c. 89 2& 3 Will. 4), was as follows.

"From the Point at which the Eastern Road to Macroom leaves the old or Northern Road to Cork, in a straight Line in a Westerly Direction, to the North-western Corner of Mr. Swanson's Garden; thence along the Wall of the said Garden to the South-western Corner thereof; thence in a straight Line across the River Bandon, and across the Enniskane Road, to the Point at which the old Road to Clonakilty is joined by a Bye Road which runs thereto from the new Road to Clonakilty; thence along the said Bye Road to the Point at which the same joins the new Road to Clonakilty; thence towards Bandon, along the new Road to Clonakilty, to that Point thereof which is nearest to the Northern Pillar of the Gate of Mr. M'Creight's House; thence in a straight Line to the said Northern Pillar; thence in a straight Line across the centre Kilbritten Road to the Point at which the Eastern Kilbritten Road is joined by a small Bye Road running Westward to the Fields, about Three hundred and thirty Yards to the South of the Point at which the Eastern Kilbritten Road leaves the Innishannon Road; thence in a straight Line to the Southern Corner, on the Ballinade Road, of the Premises of Mr Ormond's Distillery; thence, Eastward, along the Boundary of the Premises of Mr. Ormond's Distillery to the Point at which the same meets the Southernmost Road to Innishannon; thence in a straight Line across the River Bandon to the Point at which the old Innishannon Road is joined by a Bye Road which runs North-west in the Direction of the Kilbrogan Chapel; thence in a straight Line to the Northern Pillar of a Gateway on the old Cork Road, about Four hundred and thirty Yards to the North of the Point at which the same leaves the Innishannon Road; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described."

History

Local government

The borough, which existed as a local government unit until it was abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, had an oligarchic constitution.

The corporation of the borough was formally known as "The Provost, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Bandon-Bridge" and consisted of a provost, 12 burgesses, and an unlimited number of freemen. The common council, a body not mentioned in the borough charter, was constituted by a by-law of the corporation made in 1621. It consisted of twelve members, who were elected from the freemen by the corporation at large, as vacancies arose. The burgesses were chosen from the common council, on vacancies occurring, by the provost and burgesses.

The provost was elected annually from and by the burgesses at midsummer, and took office at Michaelmas. The freedom was acquired by birth for the eldest son of a freeman, and nomination of the provost, who during the year of his office had the privilege of naming one. The freemen were elected by a majority of the body at large assembled in a court of D'Oyer Hundred; neither residence nor any other qualification was considered necessary.

Parliamentary constituency

Before 1832 the Parliamentary franchise for this constituency was extremely restricted. Only the provost (who was the returning officer for the borough) and the twelve burgesses were enfranchised. The population of the town, in 1821, was 10,179. All the elections in this period were unopposed returns; except for one election in 1831, where only ten voters participated and eleven votes were cast (including the returning officer's casting vote).

Stooks Smith gives an account of this contested election. It was the second by-election of 1831. As his book is out of copyright, the whole passage is set out below.

This election took place on 22 July. After the Provost, (John Swete, Esq.) had been sworn, the Hon. W.S. Bernard rose, and without preface or remark, proposed Sir Augustus William Clifford, Kt., (the Duke of Devonshire's nominee) as a fit and proper representative for the borough of Bandon in Parliament; John Leslie, Esq., seconded the proposition. The Rev. Somers Payne then rose and proposed Viscount Lowther to the burgesses; the Rev. Richard Meade seconded the nomination. By way of ruse, or pairing off, Viscount Bernard was proposed by John Beamish, Esq., and seconded by Ambrose Hikey, Esq., two gentlemen of opposite opinions.

No other candidate being proposed, the Town Clerk asked the Provost for whom he would vote, in his official capacity? This was objected by Mr. Meade and Mr. Payne, who stated that, though a long time connected with the Corporation, they never knew this line of proceeding to be adopted. This was over-ruled by the assessor, who quoted in support of his opinion, an election case in the borough of Harwich, decided by a majority in the House of Commons. This point disposed of, the polling commenced, when the numbers were declared as follows.

  • For Sir A. W. Clifford, 4 (Hon. William Smyth Bernard, Hon. Richard Boyle Bernard, John Leslie, Esq., John Swete, Esq.)
  • For Viscount Lowther, 4 (W.H. Kingston, Esq., Rev. Richard Meade, Rev. Somers Payne, Benjamin Swete, Esq.)
  • For Viscount Bernard, 2 (John Beamish, Esq., Ambrose Hickey, Esq.)

The Provost, as returning officer, then gave his vote for Sir A.W. Clifford, who was about to be duly elected, when Mr. Payne said, I object to the monopoly of the Provost, He has no right to more than one vote. The assessor (A. Connell, Esq.):- We shall take your objection if you state it in writing. A protest was then entered by Mr. Payne and those who voted for Viscount Lowther; and Sir A.W. Clifford was declared duly elected.

The franchise was expanded in 1832 because of the Great Reform Act, when the £10 householders were added to the electorate and the registration of voters was introduced. In the election later that year, there were 266 registered electors in Bandon and 233 votes were cast in the general election. It appears, from the list of MPs and the report of the 1831 election, that the choice of the borough electorate both before and after 1832 was influenced by aristocratic patrons like the Duke of Devonshire and the Bernard family (whose head had the title of Earl of Bandon). If a Bernard was not elected then quite prominent political figures, notably the future Whig leaders George Tierney and Lord John Russell, were sometimes returned for the borough.

In 1868 the incumbent Bernard MP was defeated by William Shaw, standing in the Liberal interest. Later in his career Shaw was an associate of Isaac Butt in the Home Rule League. After Butt's death in 1879, Shaw became the parliamentary leader of Irish Nationalism until he was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880.

The constituency was disenfranchised in 1885. The area was then represented in Parliament as part of South East Cork, one of seven constituencies created from the partition of County Cork constituency.

Members of Parliament
ElectionMember[1] PartyNote
1801, 1 January Sir Broderick Chinnery, Bt Whig 1801: Co-opted
1806, 15 November Hon. Courtenay Boyle Tory
1807, 15 May Henry Boyle, Viscount Boyle Tory Succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Shannon
1807, 3 August Rt Hon. George Tierney Whig
1812, 16 October Hon. Richard Bernard Tory Resigned
1815, 24 March William Sturges Bourne Tory
1818, 27 June Augustus Clifford Whig
1820, 13 March James Bernard, Viscount Bernard Tory
1826, 17 June John Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon Whig Also returned by and elected to sit for County Kilkenny
1826, 19 December Lord John Russell Whig Later Prime Minister 1846–1852 and 1865–1866
1830, 7 August James Bernard, Viscount Bernard Tory[2] Succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Bandon
1831, 6 January Francis Bernard, Viscount Bernard Tory[2] Resigned
1831, 22 July Sir Augustus Clifford Whig[2]
1832, 15 December Hon. William Smyth Bernard Conservative[2]
1835, 14 January Joseph Devonsher Jackson Conservative[2] Appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland
1842, 14 February Francis Bernard, Viscount Bernard Conservative[2] Succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Bandon
1857, 14 February Hon. William Smyth Bernard Conservative Died
1863, 27 February Hon. Henry Boyle Bernard Conservative
1868, 21 November William Shaw Liberal
1874, 3 February Alexander Swanston Liberal
1880, 2 April Percy Bernard Conservative Resigned
1880, 25 June Richard Allman Liberal Last MP for the constituency
1885 Constituency abolished

Elections
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Elections in the 1880s
By-election, 25 June 1880: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Richard Allman 217 55.8 +7.7
Conservative John Warren Payne 172 44.2 −7.7
Majority 45 11.6 N/A
Turnout 389 90.5 +1.0
Registered electors 430
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +7.7
  • Caused by Bernard's resignation.
General election 1880: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Percy Benard 200 51.9 +2.6
Liberal Richard Allman 185 48.1 −2.6
Majority 15 3.8 N/A
Turnout 385 89.5 −6.2
Registered electors 430
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +2.6

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Alexander Swanston 180 50.7 0.0
Conservative James Bernard 175 49.3 0.0
Majority 5 1.4 0.0
Turnout 355 95.7 +1.5
Registered electors 371
Liberal hold Swing 0.0

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1868: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Shaw 141 50.7 +1.9
Conservative Henry Boyle Bernard 137 49.3 −1.9
Majority 4 1.4 N/A
Turnout 278 94.2 +0.3
Registered electors 295
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +1.9
General election 1865: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Boyle Bernard 111 51.2 N/A
Liberal William Shaw 106 48.8 N/A
Majority 5 2.4 N/A
Turnout 217 93.9 N/A
Registered electors 231
Conservative hold Swing N/A
By-election, 27 February 1863: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Boyle Bernard 124 60.8 N/A
Liberal Thomas Kingston Sullivan 80 39.2 New
Majority 44 21.6 N/A
Turnout 204 88.3 N/A
Registered electors 231
Conservative hold Swing N/A
  • Caused by Bernard's death

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1859: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Smyth Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 229
Conservative hold
General election 1857: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Smyth Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 201
Conservative hold
By-election, 14 February 1857: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative William Smyth Bernard 101 60.1 N/A
Radical William Shaw[4] 67 39.9 New
Majority 34 20.2 N/A
Turnout 168 83.6 N/A
Registered electors 201
Conservative hold Swing N/A
  • Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Bandon
General election 1852: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 209
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1847: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 467
Conservative hold
By-election, 14 February 1842: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Bernard Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 1841: Bandon[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joseph Devonsher Jackson Unopposed
Registered electors 355
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1837: Bandon[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joseph Devonsher Jackson 133 62.1 +3.7
Whig William George Cavendish 81 37.9 −3.7
Majority 52 24.3 +7.5
Turnout 214 57.1 −7.7
Registered electors 375
Conservative hold Swing +3.7
General election 1835: Bandon[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Joseph Devonsher Jackson 111 58.4 +1.3
Whig James Redmond Barry 79 41.6 −1.3
Majority 32 16.8 +2.6
Turnout 190 64.8 −22.8
Registered electors 293
Conservative hold Swing +1.3
General election 1832: Bandon[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory William Smyth Bernard 133 57.1
Whig Jacob Biggs 100 42.9
Majority 33 14.2
Turnout 233 87.6
Registered electors 266
Tory hold
By-election, 22 July 1831: Bandon[3][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Augustus Clifford 5 45.5
Tory William Lowther 4 36.4
Tory Francis Bernard 2 18.2
Majority 1 9.1
Turnout 11 84.6
Registered electors 13
Whig gain from Tory
  • Note [1831 (July)]: By-election caused by Bernard's resignation. Clifford was elected on the Returning Officer's casting vote. The Returning Officer John Swete was also Provost and had already cast one of the four votes for Clifford, so this was actually his second vote.[6]
General election 1831: Bandon[3][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Francis Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory hold
By-election, 6 January 1831: Bandon[3][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Francis Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory hold
  • Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Bandon
General election 1830: Bandon[3][2][5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory James Bernard Unopposed
Registered electors 13
Tory gain from Whig

References
  1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 1)
  2. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. pp. 215–216.
  3. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  4. "Bandon". Northern Standard. 21 February 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. Salmon, Philip. "Bandon Bridge". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  6. "Chapter 25, History of Bandon". www.paulturner.ca. Retrieved 8 July 2017.

Sources
  • 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)
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