Belfast (UK Parliament constituency)
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Belfast was an Irish
Borough constituency In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by ...
in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...
. Comprising the city 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 ...
, it elected one
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) from 1801 to 1832, and then two MPs from 1832 until the constituency was divided for the 1885 general election.


Summary


Representation

Under the
Act of Union 1800 The Acts of Union 1800 (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a single 'Act of Union 1801') were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irela ...
the
Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...
was merged with the
Parliament of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdo ...
to form the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
. The 300 members of the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...
were reduced to 100 Irish members of the
United Kingdom House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
. As part of that process ''Belfast'' lost one of its seats. There was no new election for the 1st
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
. In Irish constituencies, where the number of seats were reduced from two to one, the MP to go to
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
was selected by drawing lots.


Boundaries and boundary changes

The details relate to the modern area of Belfast, but are included in this article to give a general idea of the location of the historic constituency. This constituency was the
Parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
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 ...
in
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 ...
. In 1832 and 1868 the boundaries of that borough were extended.


1832 boundaries

The boundaries in 1832 were defined as follows:
"From the Point on the South-east of the Town at which the Blackstaff River joins the
River Lagan The River Lagan (; Ulster Scots: ''Lagan Wattèr'') is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 53.5 miles (86 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The ...
, up the Blackstaff River, to the Point at which the same is joined by a small Stream which washes the Wall of Mr Campbell's Cotton Works Westlink.html" ;"title="Westlink_(road).html" ;"title="ear where Divis Street joins the Westlink (road)">Westlink">Westlink_(road).html" ;"title="ear where Divis Street joins the Westlink (road)">Westlink thence up the said small Stream to the Point at which the same would be cut by a straight Line to be drawn from the Chimney of Mr Campbell's Cotton Works to an old Fort on the West of the Town, in a field belonging to Mr Elliott, near a Brickfield on the Left of the old Lodge Road [near Denmark Street]; thence in a straight Line to the said old Fort; thence in a straight Line to the South-western Angle of Clifton Street Cemetery, the Graveyard which is to the West of the Infantry Barracks; thence along the Southern Wall of the said Graveyard to the Point at which the same makes an Angle; thence in a straight Line to the South-western Angle of the Enclosure of the Infantry Barracks; thence along the Western Enclosure Wall of the Infantry Barracks to the Northern Extremity thereof; thence along a Ditch which is the Boundary of the Ordnance Land to the Point at which the same reaches the South-western Angle of the Enclosure of the Artillery Barracks; thence along the Western Enclosure Wall of the Artillery Barracks; and along a Ditch in continuation of the Direction thereof, to the Point at which such Ditch meets
a Road A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...
he New Lodge Roadwhich leads from the Ballynure Road into the old Carrickfergus Road; thence along the Road so leading into the old Carrickfergus Road to the Point at which the same joins the old Carrickfergus Road; thence, Northward, along the old Carrickfergus Road to the Point at which the same meets the Mile Water ear Mountcollyer Street thence down the Mile Water to the Point at which the same joins the River Lagan; thence along the River Lagan to the Point first described; also beyond the Lagan, the Townland of
Ballymacarrett Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret () is the name of both a townland and electoral ward in Belfast. The townland is in County Down and the electoral ward is part of the Titanic district electoral area of Belfast City Council. The ward was create ...
."


1868 boundaries

The
Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868 The Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict c 49) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. The Act did not alter the overall distribution of parliamentary seats in Ireland. It was originally proposed to merge twelve ...
, provided that all that part of the Borough situate beyond the limits of the Parliamentary Borough as defined in 1832, but within the Municipal Limits, should form part of the Borough for all Purposes connected with the Election of a Member or Members to serve in Parliament for the Borough.Section 9
/ref> Se
Belfast Borough Extension Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict.) c. 129
which defined the boundaries of the borough as follows:
"From the Northern Lighthouse on the Eastern Twin Island ear East Twin Road Southward, in a straight Line to the Centre of the Bridge over Conn's Water on the Hollywood Railway onnswater Bridge, near the junction of Connsbank Road with the Sydenham Bypass thence Southward along the Boundary of the Townland of Ballymacarret to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Townland of Ballynafoy ear Hillsborough Drive thence Southward and Westward along the said Boundary of Ballynafoy to the Point at which the same meets the River Lagan t the southern end of the Annadale Embankment thence Westward along the River Lagan to the Centre of the Weir adjoining the Canal ear the eastern end of Laganvale Manor thence Northward along the Canal to the First Lock ear the eastern end of Prince Edward Park, across Lockview Road thence North-westward along the Road at the West Side of the River Lagan to the Point at which the same is crossed by the Old Belfast Watercourse, thence South- ward and Westward along the said Watercourse to a Brick Wall belonging to the Water Commissioners, thence Southward along the Fence which divides Mr. Batt's from Mr. Ward's Property, thence Westward along the Fence which divides Mr. Ward’s Property from Mr. Gilmore's and Mr. Batt’s Property to the Old Lisburn Road he Malone Road thence Northward about Fifty Yards on the Old Lisburn Road to the Fence of Mr. McQuiston's Property, thence Westward along the said Fence which divides Mr. McQuiston's Property from Mr. Honey's and Mr. Owden's Property to the Point at which the same meets the Blackstaff River
ear the Boucher Road An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists ...
thence North-westward in a straight Line to the Point at which the Old White Rock Road ow the Whiterock Roadmeets the Falls Road, thence Westward along the Old White Rock Road to the Point at which the same meets the Cross Road ow Brittons Paradeclose to the Fort, thence Northward along the said Cross Road to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Townland of Ballymurphy ear Davitts GAC thence North-westward along the said Boundary to the North-east Point of the said Boundary
ear Lyndhurst Meadows An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists ...
thence Northward in a straight line to the Centre of the Fort immediately behind the House of Mr. Moses Staunton ow Glencairn Clinic thence North- eastward in a straight Line to the Point at which the Boundary of Ballysillan Lower meets the Forth River ear Forthriver Way thence North-east- ward along the said Boundary to the North-east Point of the said Boundary at which the same meets a Stream ear Etna Drive thence Eastward and Northward along the said Stream to the Point at which the said Stream crosses the ldparkRoad at Old Park Mills ow Cliftonville Circus thence Northward and Eastward along the estlandRoad to the South End of the House of Mr. John Beatty n Old Westland Road thence Eastward in a straight Line to the Eastern Angle of the Boundary of the Townland of Old Park n Hughenden Avenue thence Eastward in a straight line to the Point at which Buttermilk Lane ow Skegoneill Avenuemeets the Antrim Road, thence Eastward along Buttermilk Lane to the Point at which the same meets the Carrickfergus Road ork Road/Shore Road thence Eastward in a straight Line to the Point first described."
The boundary is shown as 'Municipal Boundary' on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland.


1885 division

In the redistribution of 1885 Belfast was further expanded (including parts of
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
as well as
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 ...
) and split into four single member divisions; Belfast East, Belfast North, Belfast South and Belfast West.


Electoral system and electorate

The parliamentary representatives of the borough were elected using the bloc vote for two-member elections and
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 their ...
for single-member ones. Until 1832 the electorate were the members of Belfast Corporation (the local Council). This had long been resented by reformers as it made the constituency a
pocket borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorat ...
of the
Marquess of Donegall Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family, originally from Devon, England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons, Sir ...
. In 1784 a
petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...
was sent to the Parliament of Ireland. ''"Your petitioners in the most humble and respectful manner, take leave to represent to your Hon House,'' ''That Belfast is a large and populous town, containing above 15,000 inhabitants, carrying on a very extensive foreign commerce, as well as inland trade, and paying annually upwards of £80,000 towards the public revenue.'' ''That this numerous body of people not being represented in your Hon House, are, contrary to the fundamental principle of the constitution, governed by laws to which they give no assent; for although the borough of Belfast sends two Members to parliament, yet those members are returned (under the immediate direction of a noble peer) by five or six Burgesses, in the appointment of whom your Petitioners have no share, and therefore the members so returned cannot in any sense, be deemed the Representatives of your Petitioners."'' In such circumstances it is hardly surprising that there were no contested elections, for the United Kingdom Parliament, in the constituency until reform took place. In 1832 the electorate was considerably extended by the Irish part of the
Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament, Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major chan ...
. Boroughs in Ireland were given a uniform franchise for the first time. The vote was given to occupiers of land valued at least £10 and resident freemen by birth or servitude (descent from or apprenticeship to an existing freeman of the borough) or who were admitted before March 1831.


Members of Parliament

Notes: * (1) Lord Arthur Chichester and James Emerson Tennent changed party allegiance in 1834 (from Liberal to Conservative). * (2) Lord John Ludford Chichester changed party allegiance by 1847 (part of Peelite faction).


Elections

''After 1832, when registration of voters was introduced, a turnout figure is given for contested elections. In two-member elections (when the exact number of voters is unknown) 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


Elections in the 1810s

* ''Death of May'' * ''Appointment of May as Collector of Customs in Belfast Port''


Elections in the 1820s


Elections in the 1830s

'' J. Emerson Tennent ceased to support Lord Grey in 1834 (see Emerson Tennent's article in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).'' ''Note: Stooks Smith suggests there were 1,451 registered electors. Walker gives the electorate figure as above.'' * ''Death of McCance'' ''Note: Stooks Smith suggests there were 1,508 registered electors. Walker gives the electorate figure as above. Stooks Smith also indicates that 'Mr Tennent resigned in consequence of a decision of the Assessors'.'' ''Stooks Smith suggests there were 1,926 registered electors. Walker gives the electorate figure as above.'' * ''8 March 1838: On petition Gibson and the Earl of Belfast were unseated and Emerson Tennent and Dunbar declared elected''


Elections in the 1840s

''Note: 1,740 electors voted. Stooks Smith suggests there were 1,937 registered electors. Walker gives the electorate figure as above.'' * ''On petition Emerson Tennent and Johnson unseated and new writ issued'' ''Note: Stooks Smith comments that 'a compromise was entered into by which one of each party was to be returned'.'' * ''Resignation of Emerson Tennent''


Elections in the 1850s

* ''Appointment of Cairns as Solicitor-General''


Elections in the 1860s

* ''Resignation of Davison'' * ''Appointment of Cairns as
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
'' * ''Appointment of Cairns as Lord Justice of Appeal in Chancery (of England and Wales)''


Elections in the 1870s

* ''Appointment of Johnston as Inspector of Fisheries''


Elections in the 1880s

* ''Constituency divided in the 1885 redistribution''


See also

*
List of Irish constituencies A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland


References

*''The Parliaments of England'' by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F. W. S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973) *''Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922'', edited by B. M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)


External links

* '' Peter Robinson, the former MP for the constituency, provided details o
his web-site
of the Parliamentary boundaries and electoral history of Belfast since the Union and provided brief biographies of Belfast MPs''. The report of the Boundary Commission (Ireland) (Cd 8830, 1917), which is referred to on that website, is available onlin
here
* {{County Antrim constituencies Historic Westminster constituencies in Belfast Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1801 Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1832