County Down was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.
History In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by James II, Down was represented with two members.
Members of Parliament
ElectionFirst MPSecond MP 1585 Sir Nicholas Bagnoll of The Newry, County Down Sir Hugh Magennies of Rathfriland, County Down 1613 Sir James Hamilton of Bangor and Killileagh, County Down Sir Hugh Montgomery of Newtown, County Down 1634 Sir Hugh Montgomery of Newtown, County Down Sir James Hamilton of Bangor and Killileagh, County Down 1639 Sir Edward Trevor of Rosetrevor, County Down Sir James Montgomery of Rosemount, Greyabbey, County Down 1661 Marcus Trevor of Rosetrevor, County Down Arthur Hill of Hillsborough, County Down 1662 by-electionCaused by the creation of Trevor as Viscount Dungannon Vere Essex Cromwell 1665 by-electionCaused by death of Hill in April 1663 Marcus Trevor of Rosetrevor, County DownA son of the man elected in 1661 - see Edward M. Furgol, ‘Trevor, Marcus, first Viscount Dungannon (1618–1670)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2008 accessed 15 May 2014 1689 Murtagh Magennis of Greencastle, County Down Ever Magennis of Castlewellan, County Down 1692 James Hamilton Sir Arthur Rawdon, 2nd Bt 1695James Hamilton 1695 by-electionCaused by the death of Rawdon Nicholas Price 1703 John Hawkins Magill 1713 Michael Ward 1715 Trevor Hill 1717 by-electionCaused by Hill's creation as Viscount Hillsborough Sir John Rawdon, 3rd Bt 1724 by-electionCaused by the death of Rawdon Robert Hawkins Magill 1727 Arthur HillChanged surname to Hill-Trevor in 1759 1745 by-electionCaused by the death of Hawkins-Magill Bernard Ward 1761 1766 by-electionCaused by Hill-Trevor's creation as Viscount Dungannon Henry Seymour-ConwayBiographies of Members of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800 1768 Roger Hall 1771 by-electionCaused by Ward's creation as Baron Bangor Robert Stewart 1776 Arthur Hill, Viscount KilwarlinStyled as Earl of Hillsborough from 1789 1783 Hon. Edward Ward 1790 Hon. Robert StewartStyled as Viscount Castlereagh from 1796 1794 by-electionCaused by Hill's succession as second Marquess of Downshire Francis Savage 1801 Succeeded by the Westminster constituency Down
Notes
Elections
Elections in the 1790s
At the 1797 general election Francis Savage and Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh were elected unopposed.Jupp (1972), p. 183
At the by-election in 1793 following Hill's succession as second Marquess of Downshire, Francis Savage was returned unopposed.Jupp (1972), p. 183
Election in the 1780s
Elections in the 1770s
At the 1776 general election Arthur Hill, Viscount Kilwarlin and Robert Stewart were elected unopposed.
At the by-election in 1771 following Ward's creation as Baron Bangor
Elections in the 1760s
At the 1768 general election Roger Hall and Bernard Ward were elected unopposed.
Election in the 1610s
"In the co. of Down, May-day was the county court day for the election, which the sheriff held at Newry, at which day the sheriff proceeding to the election, moved the freeholders to choose Sir Richard Wingfield and Sir James Hamilton, being recommended to him by the Lord Deputy; but the natives named Sir Arthur Magenisse and Rowland Savage; whereupon all the British freeholders, being 131, cried “Hamilton and Montgomery”, omitting Wingfield; and the Irish, to the number of 101, cried “Magenisse and Savage”. Exception being presently taken to divers of the British for want of freehold, 14 were examined on oath by the sheriff and deposed they were freeholders, and thereupon the sheriff returned Hamilton and Montgomery; to which some of the Irish made objections, which were found partly untrue, and partly frivolous."
References
Bibliography
Peter Jupp, County Down Elections, 1783–1831, Irish Historical Studies 18, no. 70 (1972): 177–206