Galway County (UK Parliament constituency)

The UK Parliament constituency of County Galway was an historic Irish constituency, comprised the whole of County Galway, except for the Borough of Galway. It replaced the pre-Act of Union Parliament of Ireland constituency. Its representatives sat in the British House of Commons.

Galway County
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
18011885
Number of membersTwo
Replaced byGalway Connemara, East Galway, North Galway and South Galway

It returned two Members of Parliament.

The constituency was abolished in 1885 and replaced by smaller constituencies in the county.

Members of Parliament

  • Constituency created (1801)
First member First party Year Second member Second party
Richard Martin[notes 1]   Ind. Conservative 1801 Richard Trench[notes 1]   Tory
1802
1805 Denis Bowes Daly   Whig
1806
1807
James Daly   Tory[1] 1812
1818 Richard Martin   Ind. Conservative[notes 2]
1820
1826
1827 James Staunton Lambert   Whig[1]
Sir John Burke   Whig[1] 1830
1831
Thomas Barnwall Martin   Whig[1][2][3] 1832 James Daly   Tory[1]
1834   Conservative[1]
1835 John James Bodkin   Whig[1][4][3]
1837
1841
Thomas Burke   Irish Repeal[5] May 1847
Aug 1847 Christopher St George   Conservative[5]
  Ind. Irish[5] 1852 Thomas Bellew   Ind. Irish[5]
  Whig[6][7] 1857 William Henry Gregory   Peelite[8][9]
  Liberal 1859   Liberal
Lord Dunkellin   Liberal 1865
Viscount Burke   Liberal 1867
1868
Mitchell Henry   Home Rule 1871
1872 John Philip Nolan[notes 3]   Irish Parliamentary
William Le Poer Trench[notes 3]   Irish Conservative
1874 John Philip Nolan[notes 4]   Irish Parliamentary
1880

As a result of the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the constituency was abolished at the 1885 general election and replaced by 4 single-member constituencies:

Notes

  1. MPs in the First Parliament of the United Kingdom were co-opted from the Parliament of Ireland, where both MPs had previously represented Galway County.
  2. Richard Martin stood as an independent but generally supported and voted with the Tory government of Lord Liverpool.
  3. The 1872 by-election was contested at an election petition, with the IPP candidate John Philip Nolan being unseated after allegations of treating, in favour of the Conservative candidate William Le Poer Trench.
  4. John Philip Nolan continued to sit at Westminster until 1895, as IPP MP for Galway North.

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Galway County[5][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig James Staunton Lambert 755 32.3
Whig John Burke 700 30.0
Tory James Daly 666 28.5
Tory John D'Arcy 216 9.2
Majority 34 1.5
Turnout 1,422 69.3
Registered electors 2,052
Whig gain from Tory Swing
Whig gain from Ind. Conservative Swing
General election 1831: Galway County[5][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig James Staunton Lambert Unopposed
Whig John Burke Unopposed
Registered electors 2,052
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1832: Galway County[5][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Thomas Barnwall Martin 1,456 31.2
Tory James Daly 1,368 29.3
Whig John Burke 1,356 29.1
Tory Xaverius Blake 482 10.3
Turnout 2,732 89.3
Registered electors 3,061
Majority 88 1.9
Whig hold
Majority 12 0.2
Tory gain from Whig
General election 1835: Galway County[5][1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig John James Bodkin 420 51.5 +22.4
Whig Thomas Barnwall Martin 383 47.0 +15.8
Conservative John D'Arcy 12 1.5 38.1
Majority 371 45.5 +43.6
Turnout c.408 c.12.2 c.77.1
Registered electors 3,349
Whig hold Swing +20.7
Whig gain from Conservative Swing +17.4
General election 1837: Galway County[5][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Thomas Barnwall Martin Unopposed
Whig John James Bodkin Unopposed
Registered electors 3,765
Whig hold
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Barnwall Martin Unopposed
Whig John James Bodkin Unopposed
Registered electors 1,990
Whig hold
Whig hold

Martin's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 May 1847: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Thomas Burke Unopposed
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1847: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Thomas Burke Unopposed
Conservative Christopher St George Unopposed
Registered electors 1,893
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
Conservative gain from Whig

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Thomas Burke Unopposed
Independent Irish Thomas Bellew Unopposed
Registered electors 3,491
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal
Independent Irish gain from Conservative
General election 1857: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Thomas Burke 1,948 46.7 N/A
Peelite William Henry Gregory 1,464 35.1 New
Independent Irish Thomas Belllew 756 18.1 N/A
Turnout 2,084 (est) 49.0 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,251
Majority 484 11.6 N/A
Whig gain from Independent Irish Swing
Majority 708 17.0 N/A
Peelite gain from Independent Irish Swing
General election 1859: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Burke 2,536 39.2 7.5
Liberal William Henry Gregory 2,435 37.7 +2.6
Conservative Richard Trench 1,496 23.1 New
Majority 939 14.6 +3.0
Turnout 3,982 (est) 78.4 (est) +29.4
Registered electors 5,082
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Ulick de Burgh Unopposed
Liberal William Henry Gregory Unopposed
Registered electors 5,516
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

de Burgh's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 12 September 1867: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hubert de Burgh-Canning Unopposed
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Hubert de Burgh-Canning Unopposed
Liberal William Henry Gregory Unopposed
Registered electors 5,387
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

de Burgh-Canning resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 21 Feb 1871: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Mitchell Henry Unopposed
Home Rule gain from Liberal

Gregory was appointed Governor of Ceylon, causing a by-election.

By-election, 8 Feb 1872: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Philip Nolan 2,823 81.1 N/A
Conservative William Le Poer Trench 658 18.9 New
Majority 2,165 62.2 N/A
Turnout 3,481 64.5 N/A
Registered electors 5,400
Home Rule gain from Liberal
  • On 13 June 1872, on petition, Nolan was unseated due to "undue influence exerted by the Roman Catholic clergy", and Trench was declared elected.[11]
General election 1874: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Philip Nolan 2,348 41.2 N/A
Home Rule Mitchell Henry 2,270 39.8 N/A
Home Rule Hyacinth D'Arcy 1,080 19.0 N/A
Majority 1,190 20.8 N/A
Turnout 2,849 (est) 56.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,044
Home Rule gain from Liberal
Home Rule gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Galway County[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Philip Nolan Unopposed
Home Rule Mitchell Henry Unopposed
Registered electors 4,902
Home Rule hold
Home Rule hold

References

  1. Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 228. Retrieved 21 August 2019 via Google Books.
  2. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. p. 155. Retrieved 21 August 2019 via Google Books.
  3. The Irish Franchise and Registration Question. London: Ridgway. 1841. p. 4. Retrieved 21 August 2019 via Google Books.
  4. Mosse, Richard Bartholomew (1838). The Parliamentary Guide: a concise history of the Members of both Houses, etc. p. 143. Retrieved 21 August 2019 via Google Books.
  5. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  6. "General Intelligence". Coventry Standard. 17 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Undue Influence Exerted in the Irish Elections". Belfast News-Letter. 22 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. Wiebe, M. G.; Millar, Mary S.; Robson, Ann P.; Hawman, Elen L., eds. (January 1982). Benjamin Disraeli Letters: 1857–1859. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 385. ISBN 0-8020-8728-0. Retrieved 1 October 2018 via Google Books.
  9. "Armagh Guardian". 17 April 1857. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 1 October 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Galway". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  11. "Galway". Carlisle Patriot. 31 May 1872. p. 7. Retrieved 30 December 2017 via British Newspaper Archive.
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