Athlone | |
---|---|
Former
borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | County Roscommon and County Westmeath |
Borough | Athlone |
1801– 1885 | |
Seats | 1 |
Created from | Athlone (IHC) |
Replaced by | South Westmeath |
Athlone was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Prior to 1801, the town of Athlone was a two-seat borough constituency in the Irish House of Commons. [1] Under the Acts of Union 1800, which united the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom, the 33 most populous boroughs (including Athlone) continued to return MPs, but except for Dublin and Cork, they were reduced to one MP. Its first MP in 1801 was chosen by lot.
As was customary in Irish boroughs, created before the reforms of the nineteenth century, Athlone had an oligarchic constitution. The borough existed as a local government unit until it was abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, but the parliamentary borough was not affected by this change in administrative arrangements.
The style of the corporation was "The Sovereign, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Freemen of the Town of Athlone". The officers were a sovereign, two bailiffs, thirteen burgesses (including the constable of the castle, who in 1837 was Viscount Castlemaine), a recorder, town-clerk, serjeant-at-mace, and billet-master; and there was a select body called the common council. The sovereign was elected by the common council from among the burgesses, annually on 29 June, and had the privilege of appointing a vice-sovereign with the approbation of the bailiffs and a majority of the burgesses. The bailiffs were elected from the freemen by the common council, on the same day as the sovereign, and were ex officio members of the council. The burgesses were elected for life from among the free men, and the freemen also for life, by the common council, of which body, according to the practice of the corporation, twelve had to be present to constitute an election. The common council were unlimited in number, but usually consisted of not more than twenty persons, including the sovereign and vice-sovereign and two bailiffs; they held their office for life, and vacancies were filled up by themselves from among the burgesses and freemen. The borough sent two representatives to the Irish parliament prior to the Union, after which it sent one to the Westminster parliament.
The right of election was vested in the burgesses and freemen. They numbered 71 in April 1831. By the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832, the non-resident freemen (except those living within seven miles) were disfranchised and the right to vote was extended to the £10 householders. The registered electorate, in 1832, numbered 243.
Athlone ceased to have parliamentary representation under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which took effect at the 1885 general election. [2]
This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Athlone. When the borough was represented in the UK Parliament, it was partly in County Westmeath and partly within County Roscommon. Although the River Shannon which runs through the town forms the historic border between County Roscommon and County Westmeath, the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included much of the town entirely in Westmeath, including areas west of the river.
Athlone was described (by Samuel Lewis in 1837) as "a borough, market and post-town, and an important military station, partly in the barony of Brawney, county of Westmeath, and province of Leinster, and partly in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon, and province of Connaught, 12 miles (N. E. by E.) from Ballinasloe, 15¼ (S.E.by S.) from Roscommon, and 59½ (W.) from Dublin ..."
Before 1832 the limit of the borough, under its charter, was a circle of a mile and a half radius from the centre of the bridge over the River Shannon, which waterway divided the town in two. However, for electoral purposes, those boundaries were diminished in 1832 and thereafter included only the town and a very small surrounding district, comprising 485 statute acres.
The boundaries of the parliamentary borough as set out in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 was:
From the Point at which the Southern End of the Canal joins the River Shannon, along the Canal, to the Point at which the Northern End thereof joins the River Shannon; thence along the River Shannon to the Point at which the same is met by the North-western Inclosure Wall of the Barracks; thence in a straight Line to the Angle in the Hare Island Road at which the same turns Northward, and at which there are Two Gateways with Pillars opposite each other; thence in a straight Line to a Gateway with Pillars on the Ballymahon Road, about Twenty Yards to the East of the Glebe Wall; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of the Wall of the Townland called Anchor's Bower; thence, Southward, along the Wall of Anchor's Bower to the Point at which the same meets the old Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of Mr. Dawson's House in Bunavally to the Point at which such straight Line cuts a small Bye Road which runs into the Dublin Road; thence along the said small Bye Road to the Point at which the same joins the Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Brideswell Bog Road is joined by a Bye Road leading thereto from the East, about Three hundred Yards from the Point at which the Brideswell Bog Road leaves the Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the Chimney of Mr. Robinson's Distillery to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the River Shannon; thence along the River Shannon to the Point first described.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Irish Parliamentary | Justin Huntly McCarthy | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 365 | ||||
Irish Parliamentary gain from Liberal |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 163 | 50.2 | +1.0 | |
Home Rule | Edward Sheil | 162 | 49.8 | −1.0 | |
Majority | 1 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 325 | 90.3 | +4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 360 | ||||
Liberal gain from Home Rule | Swing | +1.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home Rule | Edward Sheil | 153 | 50.8 | New | |
Liberal | John Ennis | 148 | 49.2 | −8.9 | |
Majority | 5 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 301 | 85.8 | +2.2 | ||
Registered electors | 351 | ||||
Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 154 | 57.9 | +26.0 | |
Conservative | Robert Preston Bayley | 111 | 41.7 | +30.5 | |
Liberal | John Staniforth (1832-1894) | 1 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 43 | 16.2 | −8.8 | ||
Turnout | 266 | 83.6 | +7.2 | ||
Registered electors | 318 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −2.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Denis Rearden | 107 | 56.9 | N/A | |
Liberal | John Ennis | 60 | 31.9 | −29.4 | |
Conservative | George Handcock | 21 | 11.2 | −27.5 | |
Majority | 47 | 25.0 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 188 | 76.4 | −8.5 | ||
Registered electors | 246 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 117 | 61.3 | −5.4 | |
Conservative | Robert Preston Bayley | 74 | 38.7 | +5.4 | |
Majority | 43 | 22.6 | −10.8 | ||
Turnout | 191 | 84.9 | −0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 225 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Irish | John Ennis | 100 | 66.7 | −23.0 | |
Conservative | Henry Handcock | 50 | 33.3 | +23.0 | |
Majority | 50 | 33.4 | −46.0 | ||
Turnout | 150 | 85.7 | +32.1 | ||
Registered electors | 175 | ||||
Independent Irish hold | Swing | −23.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Handcock | 82 | 53.9 | +43.6 | |
Peelite | John Ennis [11] | 70 | 46.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 12 | 7.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 152 | 86.9 | +33.3 | ||
Registered electors | 175 | ||||
Conservative gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | Unopposed | |||
Peelite gain from Independent Irish |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | 79 | 66.4 | −23.3 | |
Whig | Thomas Norton [12] | 40 | 33.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 39 | 32.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 119 | 70.0 | +16.4 | ||
Registered electors | 170 | ||||
Peelite gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Irish | William Keogh | 87 | 89.7 | +38.2 | |
Conservative | Robert Bartholomew Lawes | 10 | 10.3 | New | |
Majority | 77 | 79.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 97 | 53.6 | +7.3 | ||
Registered electors | 181 | ||||
Independent Irish gain from Peelite | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | 101 | 51.5 | New | |
Irish Repeal | John L M O'Beirne | 95 | 48.5 | New | |
Majority | 6 | 3.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 196 | 46.3 | +32.6 | ||
Registered electors | 423 | ||||
Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Collett | 114 | 51.4 | +15.2 | |
Conservative | George Beresford | 108 | 48.6 | -15.2 | |
Majority | 6 | 2.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 222 | 64.9 | +51.2 | ||
Registered electors | 342 | ||||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Beresford | 30 | 63.8 | New | |
Whig | Daniel Farrell | 17 | 36.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 13 | 27.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 47 | 13.7 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 342 | ||||
Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | John O'Connell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 385 | ||||
Radical gain from Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Benvenuto Mathew | 96 | 53.6 | +8.2 | |
Whig | James Talbot | 83 | 46.4 | −8.2 | |
Majority | 13 | 7.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 179 | 65.3 | −28.9 | ||
Registered electors | 274 | ||||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | −8.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Talbot | 125 | 54.6 | +46.3 | |
Tory | Richard Handcock | 104 | 45.4 | −46.3 | |
Majority | 21 | 9.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 229 | 94.2 | c. +43.5 | ||
Registered electors | 243 | ||||
Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +46.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Richard Handcock | 33 | 91.7 | −2.7 | |
Whig | James Talbot | 3 | 8.3 | +2.7 | |
Majority | 30 | 83.4 | -5.4 | ||
Turnout | 36 | c. 50.7 | c. ±0.0 | ||
Registered electors | c. 71 | ||||
Tory hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Richard Handcock | 34 | 94.4 | ||
Whig | James Talbot | 2 | 5.6 | ||
Majority | 32 | 88.8 | |||
Turnout | 36 | c. 50.7 | |||
Registered electors | c. 71 | ||||
Tory hold |
Athlone | |
---|---|
Former
borough constituency for the House of Commons | |
County | County Roscommon and County Westmeath |
Borough | Athlone |
1801– 1885 | |
Seats | 1 |
Created from | Athlone (IHC) |
Replaced by | South Westmeath |
Athlone was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Prior to 1801, the town of Athlone was a two-seat borough constituency in the Irish House of Commons. [1] Under the Acts of Union 1800, which united the Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom, the 33 most populous boroughs (including Athlone) continued to return MPs, but except for Dublin and Cork, they were reduced to one MP. Its first MP in 1801 was chosen by lot.
As was customary in Irish boroughs, created before the reforms of the nineteenth century, Athlone had an oligarchic constitution. The borough existed as a local government unit until it was abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, but the parliamentary borough was not affected by this change in administrative arrangements.
The style of the corporation was "The Sovereign, Bailiffs, Burgesses, and Freemen of the Town of Athlone". The officers were a sovereign, two bailiffs, thirteen burgesses (including the constable of the castle, who in 1837 was Viscount Castlemaine), a recorder, town-clerk, serjeant-at-mace, and billet-master; and there was a select body called the common council. The sovereign was elected by the common council from among the burgesses, annually on 29 June, and had the privilege of appointing a vice-sovereign with the approbation of the bailiffs and a majority of the burgesses. The bailiffs were elected from the freemen by the common council, on the same day as the sovereign, and were ex officio members of the council. The burgesses were elected for life from among the free men, and the freemen also for life, by the common council, of which body, according to the practice of the corporation, twelve had to be present to constitute an election. The common council were unlimited in number, but usually consisted of not more than twenty persons, including the sovereign and vice-sovereign and two bailiffs; they held their office for life, and vacancies were filled up by themselves from among the burgesses and freemen. The borough sent two representatives to the Irish parliament prior to the Union, after which it sent one to the Westminster parliament.
The right of election was vested in the burgesses and freemen. They numbered 71 in April 1831. By the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832, the non-resident freemen (except those living within seven miles) were disfranchised and the right to vote was extended to the £10 householders. The registered electorate, in 1832, numbered 243.
Athlone ceased to have parliamentary representation under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which took effect at the 1885 general election. [2]
This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Athlone. When the borough was represented in the UK Parliament, it was partly in County Westmeath and partly within County Roscommon. Although the River Shannon which runs through the town forms the historic border between County Roscommon and County Westmeath, the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 included much of the town entirely in Westmeath, including areas west of the river.
Athlone was described (by Samuel Lewis in 1837) as "a borough, market and post-town, and an important military station, partly in the barony of Brawney, county of Westmeath, and province of Leinster, and partly in the barony of Athlone, county of Roscommon, and province of Connaught, 12 miles (N. E. by E.) from Ballinasloe, 15¼ (S.E.by S.) from Roscommon, and 59½ (W.) from Dublin ..."
Before 1832 the limit of the borough, under its charter, was a circle of a mile and a half radius from the centre of the bridge over the River Shannon, which waterway divided the town in two. However, for electoral purposes, those boundaries were diminished in 1832 and thereafter included only the town and a very small surrounding district, comprising 485 statute acres.
The boundaries of the parliamentary borough as set out in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 was:
From the Point at which the Southern End of the Canal joins the River Shannon, along the Canal, to the Point at which the Northern End thereof joins the River Shannon; thence along the River Shannon to the Point at which the same is met by the North-western Inclosure Wall of the Barracks; thence in a straight Line to the Angle in the Hare Island Road at which the same turns Northward, and at which there are Two Gateways with Pillars opposite each other; thence in a straight Line to a Gateway with Pillars on the Ballymahon Road, about Twenty Yards to the East of the Glebe Wall; thence in a straight Line to the North-eastern Corner of the Wall of the Townland called Anchor's Bower; thence, Southward, along the Wall of Anchor's Bower to the Point at which the same meets the old Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of Mr. Dawson's House in Bunavally to the Point at which such straight Line cuts a small Bye Road which runs into the Dublin Road; thence along the said small Bye Road to the Point at which the same joins the Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Brideswell Bog Road is joined by a Bye Road leading thereto from the East, about Three hundred Yards from the Point at which the Brideswell Bog Road leaves the Dublin Road; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the Chimney of Mr. Robinson's Distillery to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the River Shannon; thence along the River Shannon to the Point first described.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Irish Parliamentary | Justin Huntly McCarthy | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 365 | ||||
Irish Parliamentary gain from Liberal |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 163 | 50.2 | +1.0 | |
Home Rule | Edward Sheil | 162 | 49.8 | −1.0 | |
Majority | 1 | 0.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 325 | 90.3 | +4.5 | ||
Registered electors | 360 | ||||
Liberal gain from Home Rule | Swing | +1.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Home Rule | Edward Sheil | 153 | 50.8 | New | |
Liberal | John Ennis | 148 | 49.2 | −8.9 | |
Majority | 5 | 1.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 301 | 85.8 | +2.2 | ||
Registered electors | 351 | ||||
Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 154 | 57.9 | +26.0 | |
Conservative | Robert Preston Bayley | 111 | 41.7 | +30.5 | |
Liberal | John Staniforth (1832-1894) | 1 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Majority | 43 | 16.2 | −8.8 | ||
Turnout | 266 | 83.6 | +7.2 | ||
Registered electors | 318 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −2.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | Denis Rearden | 107 | 56.9 | N/A | |
Liberal | John Ennis | 60 | 31.9 | −29.4 | |
Conservative | George Handcock | 21 | 11.2 | −27.5 | |
Majority | 47 | 25.0 | +2.4 | ||
Turnout | 188 | 76.4 | −8.5 | ||
Registered electors | 246 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | John Ennis | 117 | 61.3 | −5.4 | |
Conservative | Robert Preston Bayley | 74 | 38.7 | +5.4 | |
Majority | 43 | 22.6 | −10.8 | ||
Turnout | 191 | 84.9 | −0.8 | ||
Registered electors | 225 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | −5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Irish | John Ennis | 100 | 66.7 | −23.0 | |
Conservative | Henry Handcock | 50 | 33.3 | +23.0 | |
Majority | 50 | 33.4 | −46.0 | ||
Turnout | 150 | 85.7 | +32.1 | ||
Registered electors | 175 | ||||
Independent Irish hold | Swing | −23.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Henry Handcock | 82 | 53.9 | +43.6 | |
Peelite | John Ennis [11] | 70 | 46.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 12 | 7.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 152 | 86.9 | +33.3 | ||
Registered electors | 175 | ||||
Conservative gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | Unopposed | |||
Peelite gain from Independent Irish |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | 79 | 66.4 | −23.3 | |
Whig | Thomas Norton [12] | 40 | 33.6 | N/A | |
Majority | 39 | 32.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 119 | 70.0 | +16.4 | ||
Registered electors | 170 | ||||
Peelite gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent Irish | William Keogh | 87 | 89.7 | +38.2 | |
Conservative | Robert Bartholomew Lawes | 10 | 10.3 | New | |
Majority | 77 | 79.4 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 97 | 53.6 | +7.3 | ||
Registered electors | 181 | ||||
Independent Irish gain from Peelite | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peelite | William Keogh | 101 | 51.5 | New | |
Irish Repeal | John L M O'Beirne | 95 | 48.5 | New | |
Majority | 6 | 3.0 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 196 | 46.3 | +32.6 | ||
Registered electors | 423 | ||||
Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | John Collett | 114 | 51.4 | +15.2 | |
Conservative | George Beresford | 108 | 48.6 | -15.2 | |
Majority | 6 | 2.8 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 222 | 64.9 | +51.2 | ||
Registered electors | 342 | ||||
Whig gain from Conservative | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Beresford | 30 | 63.8 | New | |
Whig | Daniel Farrell | 17 | 36.2 | N/A | |
Majority | 13 | 27.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 47 | 13.7 | N/A | ||
Registered electors | 342 | ||||
Conservative gain from Radical | Swing | N/A |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical | John O'Connell | Unopposed | |||
Registered electors | 385 | ||||
Radical gain from Conservative |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | George Benvenuto Mathew | 96 | 53.6 | +8.2 | |
Whig | James Talbot | 83 | 46.4 | −8.2 | |
Majority | 13 | 7.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 179 | 65.3 | −28.9 | ||
Registered electors | 274 | ||||
Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | −8.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whig | James Talbot | 125 | 54.6 | +46.3 | |
Tory | Richard Handcock | 104 | 45.4 | −46.3 | |
Majority | 21 | 9.2 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 229 | 94.2 | c. +43.5 | ||
Registered electors | 243 | ||||
Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +46.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Richard Handcock | 33 | 91.7 | −2.7 | |
Whig | James Talbot | 3 | 8.3 | +2.7 | |
Majority | 30 | 83.4 | -5.4 | ||
Turnout | 36 | c. 50.7 | c. ±0.0 | ||
Registered electors | c. 71 | ||||
Tory hold | Swing |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tory | Richard Handcock | 34 | 94.4 | ||
Whig | James Talbot | 2 | 5.6 | ||
Majority | 32 | 88.8 | |||
Turnout | 36 | c. 50.7 | |||
Registered electors | c. 71 | ||||
Tory hold |