West Down (UK Parliament constituency)

West Down
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Number of members	One
Replaced by	Down
Created from	Down

West Down was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency was first created in 1885 from the western part of Down. It was defined as including 'The Baronies of - Lower Iveagh, Lower Half, and Lower Iveagh, Upper Half, and so much of the Barony of Iveagh Upper, Upper Half, as comprises the Parishes or parts of Parishes of - Aghaderg, Annaclone and Seapatrick.'.^[1] There was a boundary change altering this division in 1918, when the new Mid Down constituency was created, and West Down was redefined as including 'The rural district of Moira; the part of the rural district of Banbridge which is not included in the East Down Division; and the urban districts of Banbridge and Dromore.'.^[2] Maps showing the component units of the constituency can be seen here.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Down constituency.

Politics

The constituency was strongly unionist in 1918, when Sinn Féin only polled 1,725 votes. Two subsequent by-elections produced unopposed returns for the Unionist candidates.

The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in an eight-member Dáil constituency of Down.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Lord Arthur William Hill	Conservative
	1886	Lord Arthur William Hill	Irish Unionist
	1898(b)	Arthur Hill	Irish Unionist
	1905(b)	Harry Liddell	Irish Unionist
	1907(b)	Lord Arthur William Hill	Irish Unionist
	1908(b)	William John MacGeagh MacCaw (1850-1928)	Irish Unionist
	1918	Daniel Martin Wilson	Irish Unionist
	May 1921	Daniel Martin Wilson	Ulster Unionist
	1921(b)	Thomas Browne Wallace	Ulster Unionist
	1922(b)	Hugh Hayes	Ulster Unionist
1922		constituency abolished

Elections

General Election 14 December 1918: West Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Unionist	Daniel Martin Wilson	10,559	85.7	N/A
	Sinn Féin	Bernard Campbell	1,725	14.0	N/A
Majority			8,834	71.9	N/A
Turnout			12,284	68.3	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Wilson appointed Recorder of Belfast

By-Election 5 July 1921: West Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	UUP	Thomas Browne Wallace	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

Wallace appointed Chief Clerk to the High Court of Northern Ireland

By-Election 17 February 1922: West Down
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	UUP	Hugh Hayes	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	UUP hold		Swing	N/A

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

References

↑ Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, (Ch 23) Seventh Schedule, Part III - Ireland - County of Down
↑ Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act, 1918, (Ch 65) Fourth Schedule,

Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919–1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)

External links

Parliamentary constituencies in County Down

Parliament of Ireland
to 1800

Bangor (1613–1800)
Down (???–1800)
Downpatrick (1586–1800)
Hillsborough (1662–1800)
Killyleagh (1613–1800)
Newtownards (???–1800)

Westminster 1801–present

Historic	Down (1801–85, 1922–50) East Down (1885–1922) Mid Down (1918–22) North Down (1885–1922, 1950—) South Down (1885–1922, 1950—) West Down (1885–1922) Downpatrick (1801–85) Newry (1801–1918)

Current	Lagan Valley (1983—) Newry & Armagh (1983—) Strangford (1983—)

Dáil Éireann
Revolutionary era 1919–1922

First Dáil
1919–21

Seats taken	(none)

Seats not taken	East Down Mid Down North Down South Down West Down

Second Dáil
1921–22

One or more seats taken	Down

No seats taken	(none)

Parliament of Northern Ireland 1921–72

Ards (1929–72)
Bangor (1969–72)
Down (1921–29)
East Down (1929–72)
Iveagh (1929–72)
Lagan Valley (1969–72)
Larkfield (1969–72)
Mid Down (1929–72)
Mourne (1929–72)
North Down (1929–72)
South Down (1929–72)
West Down (1929–72)

Northern Ireland Assemblies

Assembly 1973–74 Constitutional Convention 1975–76 Assembly 1982–86	North Down South Down

Northern Ireland Forum 1996–98 Assembly (1998–present)	North Down South Down Lagan Valley Newry & Armagh Strangford Upper Bann

European Parliament
1979–present

Northern Ireland (1979—)

Constituencies in Ireland by county

Republic of Ireland	Carlow Cavan Clare Cork Donegal Dublin Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow

Northern Ireland	Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone

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