Antrim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

Antrim Borough
Former borough constituency
for the Irish House of Commons
CountyCounty Antrim
BoroughAntrim
1666 (1666) (1666 (1666))–1801 (1801)
Seats2
Replaced byDisfranchised
For the county constituency, see County Antrim (Parliament of Ireland constituency).

Antrim was a borough constituency which elected two MPs to the Irish House of Commons, the house of representatives of the Kingdom of Ireland.

History

The borough of Antrim in County Antrim was enfranchised as a borough constituency in 1666. In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Antrim was not represented.[1] Thereafter it continued to be entitled to send two Members of Parliament to the Irish House of Commons until the Parliament of Ireland was merged into the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801. The constituency was disenfranchised on 31 December 1800 by the Acts of Union 1800.

The borough was represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as part of the county constituency of Antrim.

Electoral System and Electorate

The parliamentary representatives for all constituencies in the Irish House of Commons were elected using the bloc vote for two-member elections and first past the post for single-member by-elections.

The borough had a Potwalloper electorate.

Members of Parliament, 1666–1801

Election First member First party Second member Second party
1666 John Jeffreys William Domville, Junior[2]
1689 Antrim Borough was not represented in the Patriot Parliament
1692 Sir Robert Adare Arthur Upton
1695 Thomas Brooke Thomas Dawson
1696 Robert Dalway
1703 Hugh Montgomery Thomas Bell
1713 Thomas Upton Hugh Henry
1715 John William MacMullan
1717 John Skeffington
1727 Robert Colvill
1744 James Smyth
1749 Hungerford Skeffington
1768 William John Skeffington
1769 Hugh Skeffington
1776 Hon. Chichester Skeffington
1798 Hon. Henry Skeffington
1801 Disenfranchised

References

  1. ^ O'Hart 2007, p. 500.
  2. ^ Return of Members of Parliament (1878), vol II, p. 605.

Bibliography

  • O'Hart, John (2007). The Irish and Anglo-Irish Landed Gentry: When Cromwell came to Ireland. Vol. II. Heritage Books. ISBN 978-0-7884-1927-0.
  • Leigh Rayment's historical List of Members of the Irish House of Commons. Cites: Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2002). The History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800 (6 volumes). Ulster Historical Foundation.