Newtownabbey was a single-member
county constituency
In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons.
Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constitue ...
of the
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended because of its inability to restore ord ...
.
Boundaries and boundary changes
Before 1969, the area formed part of the Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies of
Antrim Borough and
Carrick.
Newtownabbey was created by the
Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1968
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
as a division of
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. It was located to the north of
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
and comprised "part of the urban district of
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey ( ) is a large settlement in North Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course. It surrounds Carnmoney Hill, and was formed from the merging of severa ...
which consists of the wards of
Carnmoney
Carnmoney () is the name of a townland (of 456 acres), electoral ward and a civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Carnmoney is within the urban area of Newtownabbey, in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It lies from B ...
,
Cavehill
Cave Hill or Cavehill is a rocky hill overlooking the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, with a height of . It is marked by basalt cliffs and caves, and its distinguishing feature is 'Napoleon's Nose', a tall cliff which resembles the profile ...
,
Glengormley
Glengormley () is the name of a townland (of 215 acres) and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated in the ...
, Whitehouse, and Whitewell".
The constituency sent one MP to the
House of Commons of Northern Ireland
The House of Commons of Northern Ireland was the lower house of the Parliament of Northern Ireland created under the '' Government of Ireland Act 1920''. The upper house in the bicameral parliament was called the Senate. It was abolished w ...
from the
1969 Northern Ireland general election. The Parliament was
prorogued
A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two elections ...
on 30 March 1972, under the terms of the
Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972
The Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972 (c. 22) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced direct rule in Northern Ireland with effect from 30 March 1972.
The act, which took effect immediately on receiving ...
. It was formally abolished in 1973 when the
Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973
The Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received the royal assent on 18 July 1973. The Act abolished the suspended Parliament of Northern Ireland and the post of Governor and made pro ...
received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...
on 18 July 1973.
The Parliamentary representative of the division was elected using the
first-past-the-post
In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast thei ...
system.
Member of Parliament: House of Commons (Northern Ireland)
Election: House of Commons (Northern Ireland)
* ''Parliament
prorogued
A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two elections ...
30 March 1972 and abolished 18 July 1973''
References
* ''Northern Ireland Parliamentary Election Results 1921-1972'', compiled and edited by Sydney Elliott (Political Reference Publications 1973)
Northern Ireland House of Commons, 1921 - 1972
External links
* For more information about the Northern Ireland House of Commons, see http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/stormont.html
{{County Antrim constituencies
Constituencies of the Northern Ireland Parliament
Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies established in 1969
Historic constituencies in County Antrim
Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies disestablished in 1973