Dublin County (UK Parliament constituency)

Dublin County
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
Local government in Ireland	County Dublin
Major settlements	Blanchardstown, Swords, Balbriggan
1801–1885
Replaced by	North Dublin and South Dublin
Created from	Dublin County constituency

Dublin County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The constituency was created under the Act of Union 1800, replacing the Dublin County constituency in the Parliament of Ireland. For the 1885 general election, it was replaced with two new county divisions, Dublin County South and Dublin County North.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Dublin, except for the Dublin borough constituency (which was separately represented). The borough comprised the whole of the county of the city of Dublin and the portion of the county at large within the Circular Road (see Dublin City (UK Parliament constituency) for further details.

A Topographical Directory of Ireland, published in 1837, describes some aspects of the Parliamentary history of the county.

Two knights of the shire are returned to the Imperial parliament, who are elected at the county court-house at Kilmainham : the number of electors registered under the 2d of William IV., c. 88, up to Feb. 1st, 1837, is 2728, of which 788 were £50, 407 £20, and 622 £10, freeholders; 18 £50, 427 £20, and 423 £10, leaseholders; and 12 £50, 30 £20, and 1 £10, rent-chargers : the number that voted at the last general election was 1480. Prior to the Union, the boroughs of Swords and Newcastle sent each two members to the Irish House of Commons.

Members of Parliament

Year	1st Member		1st Party	2nd Member		2nd Party
1801, 1 January		Hans Hamilton	Tory		Sir Frederick Falkiner, Bt	Tory
1807, 26 May					Richard Talbot	Whig
1823, 11 February		Henry White	Whig
1830, 16 August					Lord Brabazon	Whig
1832, 22 December		Christopher Fitzsimon	Repeal Association		George Hampden Evans	Whig
1837, 7 August		Lord Brabazon	Whig
1841, 16 July		James Hans Hamilton	Conservative		Thomas Edward Taylor	Conservative
1863, 22 April		Ion Hamilton	Conservative
1883, 27 February					Edward King-Harman	Conservative
1885	Constituency divided: see Dublin County South and Dublin County North

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

County Dublin by-election, 1883
Registered electors 5,008

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Edward King-Harman	2,514	63.6
	Irish Parliamentary	Edward MacMahon	1,428	36.1
	Irish Conservative	Thomas H. Guinness	13	0.3
Turnout			3,955
	Irish Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1880: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 4,725

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	Uncontested	n/a	n/a
	Irish Conservative	Ion Hamilton	Uncontested	n/a	n/a

Elections in the 1870s

Dublin County by-election, 1874
Registered electors 4,193

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	2,183	63.9	N/A
	Home Rule	Charles Stewart Parnell	1,235	36.1	N/A
Majority			948	27.7	N/A
Turnout			3,418	81.5	N/A
	Irish Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1874: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 4,193

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	Uncontested	n/a	n/a
	Irish Conservative	Ion Hamilton	Uncontested	n/a	n/a

Elections in the 1860s

General Election 1868: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 4,465

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Ion Hamilton	2,174
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	2,163
	Liberal	Peter Paul McSwiney	1,183

General Election 1865: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 4,744

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	2,100
	Irish Conservative	Ion Hamilton	2,083
	Liberal	Capt. Hon. Charles William White	1,646

County Dublin by-election, 1863
Registered electors 4,894

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	Ion Hamilton	Uncontested	n/a	n/a
	Irish Conservative hold		Swing

Elections in the 1850s

General Election 1859: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 6,251

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	James Hans Hamilton	Uncontested	n/a	n/a
	Irish Conservative	Thomas Edward Taylor	Uncontested	n/a	n/a

General Election 1857: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 6,123

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	James Hans Hamilton	2,451
	Irish Conservative	Lt. Col. Thomas Edward Taylor	2,338
	Liberal	Sir Charles Compton William Domvile, Bt	1,659

General Election 1852: County Dublin
2 Seats
Registered electors 4,864

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Irish Conservative	James Hans Hamilton	1,962
	Irish Conservative	Lt. Col. Thomas Edward Taylor	1,946
	Liberal	Capt. Augustus Craven	1,410
	Liberal	John Lentaigne	1,396

External links

• Part of the Library Ireland: Irish History and Culture website containing the text of A Topographical Directory of Ireland, by Samuel Lewis (a work published by S. Lewis & Co of London in 1837) including an article on County Dublin

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)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)