- Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)
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Not to be confused with Londonderry City (UK Parliament constituency) .For other constituencies of the same name, see Londonderry (disambiguation).
Londonderry Former County constituency for the House of Commons 1801–1885 Replaced by North Londonderry and South Londonderry 1922–1983 Replaced by East Londonderry and Foyle Created from Londonderry City, North Londonderry and South Londonderry Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. It returned two MPs 1801–1885 and one 1922-1983.
Contents
Boundaries
The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry, except for the Parliamentary boroughs of Coleraine and Londonderry City.
The seat was re-created in 1922. As part of the consequences of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. It comprised the Administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough of Londonderry.
In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a United Kingdom general election.
In 1983 the number of seats for Northern Ireland was increased from 12 to 17 and Londonderry was split in two, forming Foyle and East Londonderry.
Members of Parliament
1801–1885
Election First member First party Second member Second party 1801 Hon. Charles William Stewart [1] Vacant 1801 by-election Sir George Hill, 2nd Bt 1802 Lord George Thomas Beresford Conservative 1812 Hon. William Ponsonby Conservative 1814 by-election Alexander Stewart 1815 by-election George Robert Dawson 1818 Alexander Robert Stewart 1830 Theobald Jones Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Bt Conservative 1842 by-election Robert Bateson Conservative 1844 by-election Thomas Bateson 1857 James Johnston Clark 1857 by-election Samuel Macurdy Greer 1859 Robert Peel Dawson Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Bt 1874 Richard Smyth Liberal Hugh Law 1878 by-election Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Bt 1881 by-election Andrew Marshall Porter 1884 by-election Samuel Walker Liberal 1885 constituency abolished: see North Londonderry & South Londonderry 1922–1983
Election Member Party 1922 Sir Malcolm Macnaghten Ulster Unionist 1929 by-election Sir Ronald Ross Ulster Unionist 1951 by-election William Wellwood Ulster Unionist 1955 Robin Chichester-Clark Ulster Unionist Feb 1974 William Ross Ulster Unionist 1983 constituency abolished: see Foyle & East Londonderry Notes
- ^ known as Sir Charles Stewart from 1813
Westminster elections
Elections in the 1970s
General Election 1979: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist William Ross 31,592 49.7 SDLP Hugh Logue 19,185 30.2 Alliance Arthur Barr 5,830 9.2 Irish Independence Fergus McAteer 5,489 8.6 Republican Clubs Eamonn Melaugh 888 1.4 Independent Labour William Webster 639 1.0 Majority 12,407 19.5 Turnout 63,623 67.1 Ulster Unionist hold Swing General Election October 1974: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist William Ross 35,138 54.4 SDLP John Hume 26,118 40.4 Republican Clubs Michael Montgomery 2,530 3.9 Independent Richard Foster 846 1.3 Majority 9,020 14.0 Turnout 64,632 69.3 Ulster Unionist hold Swing General Election February 1974: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist William Ross 33,060 52.7 SDLP Hugh Logue 23,670 37.7 Republican Clubs Michael Montgomery 4,889 7.8 Independent Richard Foster 1,162 1.9 Majority 9,390 15.0 Turnout 62,781 68.1 Ulster Unionist hold Swing General Election 1970: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Robin Chichester-Clark 39,141 53.1 Unity Eddie McAteer 27,006 36.6 Derry Labour Eamonn McCann 7,565 10.3 Majority 12,135 16.5 Turnout 73,712 81.6 Ulster Unionist hold Swing Elections in the 1960s
General Election 1966: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Robin Chichester-Clark 34,729 58.1 Nationalist (NI) Paddy Gormley 22,167 37.1 Independent Republican Neil Gillespie 2,860 4.8 Majority 12,562 21.0 Turnout 59,756 76.4 Ulster Unionist hold Swing General Election 1964: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Robin Chichester-Clark 37,700 64.1 Independent Republican Hugh McAteer 21,123 35.9 Majority 16,577 28.1 Turnout 58,823 76.5 Ulster Unionist hold Swing Elections in the 1950s
General Election 1959: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Robin Chichester-Clark 37,529 73.0 Sinn Féin Manus Canning 13,872 27.0 Majority 23,657 46.0 Turnout 51,401 70.2 Ulster Unionist hold Swing General Election 1955: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Robin Chichester-Clark 35,673 64.5 Sinn Féin Manus Canning 19,640 35.5 Majority 16,033 29.0 Turnout 55,313 77.6 Ulster Unionist hold Swing - In the Londonderry by-election, 1951 and the United Kingdom general election, 1951, William Wellwood was elected unopposed.
General Election 1950: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Ronald Deane Ross 36,602 62.6 Independent Republican Hugh McAteer 21,880 37.4 Majority 14,722 25.2 Turnout 58,482 80.7 Ulster Unionist hold Swing Elections in the 1940s
General Election 1945: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Ronald Deane Ross 40,214 50.8 N/A Nationalist (NI) Denis Cavanagh 37,561 47.4 N/A Labour (NI) Mitchell Gordon 1,471 1.9 N/A Majority 2,653 3.4 N/A Turnout 79,246 88.1 N/A Ulster Unionist hold Swing N/A Elections in the 1930s
- In the 1931 and 1935 United Kingdom general elections, Ronald Deane Ross was elected unopposed.
Elections in the 1920s
- In the Londonderry by-election, 1929 and the United Kingdom general election, 1929, Ronald Deane Ross was elected unopposed.
General Election 1924: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Malcolm Macnaghten 30,875 82.9 N/A Sinn Féin Charles MacWhinney 5,869 15.8 N/A Independent Unionist William Galt 517 1.4 N/A Majority 25,006 67.1 N/A Turnout 37,261 59.1 N/A Ulster Unionist hold Swing N/A - In the United Kingdom general election, 1923, Malcolm Macnaghten was elected unopposed.
General Election 1922: Londonderry Party Candidate Votes % ±% Ulster Unionist Malcolm Macnaghten 30,743 75.7 N/A Independent Unionist Edmund Macnaughten 9,861 24.3 N/A Majority 20,882 51.4 N/A Turnout 40,604 63.9 N/A Ulster Unionist hold Swing N/A Politics and History of the constituency
From its inception Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was approaching 40% in some elections.
In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until 1983. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry.
For the history of the area post 1983, please see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) and East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency).
References
Categories:- Historic constituencies in County Londonderry
- Westminster constituencies in Northern Ireland (historic)
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1801
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies disestablished in 1885
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies established in 1922
- United Kingdom Parliamentary constituencies disestablished in 1983
- Politics of Derry
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