County Tyrone
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Tyrone
18011885
Seats2
Created fromCounty Tyrone (IHC)
Replaced by

County Tyrone is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament (MPs).

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Tyrone, except the parliamentary borough of Dungannon.

It returned two MPs from 1801 to 1885. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland was created on 1 January 1801.

In the redistribution, which took effect in 1885, County Tyrone was divided into four single-member constituencies: East Tyrone, Mid Tyrone, North Tyrone and South Tyrone.

Politics

The constituency electorate was predominantly Tory/Conservative during most of this period.

Catholics were excluded from taking seats in Parliament until 1829 and there was a restrictive property based franchise. It was not until the electoral reforms which took effect in 1885 that most adult males became voters. See Catholic emancipation for further details.

In these circumstances most MPs came from a limited number of Protestant aristocratic and gentry families. There were few contested elections.

It was only in 1880, at the end of the period when this constituency existed, that the Liberals first won a seat in the county.

Members of Parliament

Election First MP Second MP
Name Born Died Name Born Died
1801 co-option   Somerset Corry (Tory)[1] 11 July 1774 18 April 1841 James Stewart
(affiliation uncertain)
1742 18 January 1821
1802 by-election   Rt Hon John Stewart (Tory)[2] ca 1758 22 June 1825
1806   Hon Thomas Knox (Ind)[3] 5 August 1754 26 April 1840
1812   Rt Hon John Stewart, Bt (Tory) ca 1758 22 June 1825   Hon Thomas Knox (Tory)[4] 19 April 1786 21 March 1858
1818   William Stewart (Whig)[5] 1780 ca October 1850
1825 by-election   Rt Hon Henry Lowry-Corry
(Tory, Con, Peelite)[6]
9 March 1803 6 March 1873
1830   Sir Hugh Stewart, Bt (Tory)[6] 14 May 1792 19 November 1854
1835     Lord Claud Hamilton (Con)[6] 27 July 1813 3 June 1884
1837   James Alexander (Con)[6] 27 July 1812 30 June 1855
1839 by-election   Rt Hon Lord Claud Hamilton
(Con, Peelite)[6]
27 July 1813 3 June 1884
1847    
1852 by-election    
1873 by-election   Hon Henry Lowry-Corry (Con) 30 June 1845 6 May 1927
1874   John Ellison-Macartney (Con) 1818 13 February 1904
1880   Edward Falconer Litton (Lib) 1827 27 November 1890
1881 by-election   Thomas Alexander Dickson (Lib) 1833 17 June 1909
1885 Constituency partitioned into East, Mid, North and South parts by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.

Notes:

  • Stooks Smith does not specify any party allegiances for this constituency before 1818. This does not necessarily mean that the MPs were not associated with a Party in Parliament.
  • From 1832 Lowry-Corry and Stewart are classified as Conservatives.
  • In 1847 Lowry-Corry and Hamilton contested the general election as Peelite Liberal Conservatives, but were again Conservatives by 1852.

Elections

The single-member elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system. Multi-member elections used the Plurality-at-large voting system.

There was no election in 1801. The representatives of the county in the former Parliament of Ireland became members of the 1st Parliament of the United Kingdom.

After 1832, when registration of voters was introduced, a turnout figure is given for contested elections. In two-member elections this is calculated by dividing the number of votes by two. To the extent that voters did not use both their votes this will be an underestimate of turnout. If the electorate figure is unknown the last known electorate figure is used to provide an estimate of turnout.

Where a party had more than one candidate in one or both of a pair of successive elections change is calculated for each individual candidate, otherwise change is based on the party vote.

Elections in the 1800s

Co-option 1 January 1801: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Stewart Co-opted N/A N/A
Non Partisan Viscount Corry Co-opted N/A N/A
By-Election 1 March 1802: Tyrone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan John Stewart Unopposed
General election 19 July 1802: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Stewart Unopposed
Non Partisan John Stewart Unopposed
General election 18 November 1806: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Stewart Unopposed
Non Partisan Thomas Knox Unopposed
General election 25 May 1807: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan James Stewart Unopposed
Non Partisan Thomas Knox Unopposed

Elections in the 1810s

General election 20 October 1812: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Non Partisan Thomas Knox Unopposed
Non Partisan John Stewart Unopposed
General election 1 July 1818: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory John Stewart Unopposed
Whig William Stewart Unopposed

Elections in the 1820s

General election 22 March 1820: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory John Stewart Unopposed
Whig William Stewart Unopposed
  • Death of John Stewart
By-Election 27 June 1825: Tyrone
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Tory hold
General election 20 June 1826: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Stewart Unopposed
Tory Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed

Elections in the 1830s

General election 9 August 1830: Tyrone (2 seats)[7][6][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Tory Hugh Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 773
Tory hold
Tory gain from Whig
General election 14 May 1831: Tyrone (2 seats)[7][6][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Tory Hugh Stewart Unopposed
Registered electors 773
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 17 December 1832: Tyrone (2 seats)[7][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Hugh Stewart Unopposed
Tory Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Registered electors 1,151
Tory hold
Tory hold
General election 20 January 1835: Tyrone (2 seats)[7][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Claud Hamilton 1,057 47.8
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry 627 28.4
Conservative James Alexander 510 23.1
Conservative Charles Eccles 17 0.8
Majority 117 5.3
Turnout c.1,106 c.88.5
Registered electors 1,250
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General election 7 August 1837: Tyrone (2 seats)[7][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative James Alexander Unopposed
Registered electors 2,602
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-Election 6 May 1839: Tyrone[7][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Conservative Claud Hamilton 218 72.7
Conservative John Humphreys[9] 81 27.0
Conservative James Alexander Boyle 1 0.3
Majority 137 45.7
Turnout 300 c.11.5
Registered electors c.2,602
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 9 July 1841: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 2,493
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-election, 23 September 1841: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 10 August 1847: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Peelite Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 5,026
Peelite gain from Conservative
Peelite gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s

By-election, 12 March 1852: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Conservative gain from Peelite
General election 29 July 1852: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry 3,271 43.8 N/A
Conservative Claud Hamilton 3,221 43.1 N/A
Whig Hugh Brabazon Higgins[10] 982 13.1 N/A
Majority 2,239 30.0 N/A
Turnout 4,228 (est) 74.3 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,692
Conservative gain from Peelite Swing N/A
Conservative gain from Peelite Swing N/A
General election, 4 April 1857: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 7,393
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-election, 11 March 1858: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 10 May 1859: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 7,592
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 18 July 1865: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 8,421
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
By-Election 18 July 1866: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Registered electors 8,421
Conservative hold
By-Election 20 July 1866: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 8,421
Conservative hold
By-Election 21 March 1867: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative hold
General election 24 November 1868: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry Unopposed
Conservative Claud Hamilton Unopposed
Registered electors 8,878
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1870s

  • Death of Lowry Corry
By-election, 16 April 1873: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry 3,139 50.3 N/A
Conservative John Ellison-Macartney 3,103 49.7 N/A
Majority 36 0.6 N/A
Turnout 6,242 72.2 N/A
Registered electors 8,643
Conservative hold Swing N/A
General election 11 February 1874: Tyrone (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Ellison-Macartney 4,710 44.3 N/A
Conservative Henry Lowry-Corry 3,171 29.8 N/A
Conservative Claud Hamilton 2,752 25.9 N/A
Majority 419 3.9 N/A
Turnout 5,317 (est) 59.9 (est) N/A
Registered electors 8,883
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1880s

General election 8 April 1880: Tyrone (2 seats)[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Ellison-Macartney 3,829 35.4 8.9
Liberal Edward Falconer Litton 3,511 32.5 New
Conservative Claud Hamilton 3,470 32.1 +6.2
Turnout 7,161 (est) 81.7 (est) +21.8
Registered electors 8,762
Majority 318 2.9 1.0
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 41 0.4 N/A
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing N/A
  • Litton appointed Land Commissioner
By-election 7 September 1881: Tyrone[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Thomas Alexander Dickson 3,168 44.3 +11.8
Conservative William Knox 3,084 43.1 24.4
Home Rule Harold Rylett 907 12.7 New
Majority 84 1.2 +0.8
Turnout 7,159 82.5 +0.8
Registered electors 8,674
Liberal hold Swing +18.1

References

  1. Somerset Lowry-Corry, 2nd Earl of Belmore, ThePeerage.com
  2. Was Attorney-General for Ireland under Tory Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and architect of the Act of Union 1800
  3. Earl of Ranfurly, Cracroft's Peerage
  4. Earl of Ranfurly, Cracroft's Peerage
  5. Farrell, Stephen. "STEWART, William (1781-1850), of Killymoon, co. Tyrone". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Stooks Smith, Henry (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections: Containing the Uncontested Elections Since 1830. London: Simpkin, Marshall, & Co. p. 241. Retrieved 24 May 2020 via Google Books.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 240–241, 315–317. ISBN 0901714127.
  8. 1 2 Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Tyrone". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. "Page 2". Derry Journal. 7 May 1839. Retrieved 24 May 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. "To the Electors of Tyrone". Tyrone Constitution. 16 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 14 October 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

See also

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