County Mayo 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 from 1801 to 1885.
History The constituency was created in 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, succeeding the earlier County Mayo constituency in the pre-union Parliament of Ireland. Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 it was divided into four new single-seat constituencies: East Mayo, North Mayo, South Mayo and West Mayo.
Boundaries This constituency comprised the whole of County Mayo.
Members of Parliament Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party 1801, 1 January Denis Browne George Jackson 1802, 22 July Henry Dillon-Lee 1814, 5 March Dominick Browne Whig 1818, 4 July James Browne Tory 1826, 24 June Lord Bingham Non Partisan 1830, 14 August Dominick Browne Whig 1831, 19 May John Denis Browne Whig 1835, 24 January Sir William Brabazon, Bt Repeal Association 1836, 6 May Robert Dillon Browne Repeal Association 1840, 16 December Mark Blake Repeal Association 1846, 2 March Joseph Myles McDonnell Repeal Association 1847, 14 August George Henry MooreFollowing the general election in April 1857, the election of George Henry Moore was declared void on 14 July 1857. The writ was suspended until December 1857 Whig 1850, 29 July George Gore Ousley Higgins Whig 1852, 26 July Independent IrishIndependent Irish 1857, 10 April Roger Palmer Conservative 1857, 30 December Lord John Browne Whig 1859, 13 May Liberal 1865, 19 July Lord Bingham Conservative 1868, 23 November George Henry Moore Liberal 1870, 12 May George Eakins Browne Liberal 1874, 7 FebFollowing the general election in February 1874, the election of the two sitting members (Browne and Tighe) was declared void on 7 May 1874 Home Rule League Thomas Tighe Home Rule League 1874, 1 June John O'Connor Power Home Rule League 1880, 15 April Charles Stewart ParnellParnell was also returned for both Meath and Cork. He chose to sit for Cork 1880, 26 May Isaac Nelson Home Rule League1882There was no election in 1882, but in that year the Home Rule League was renamed as the Irish Parliamentary Party Irish Parliamentary Party Irish Parliamentary Party 1885 Constituency divided: see East Mayo, North Mayo, South Mayo and West Mayo
Elections
The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.
Elections in the 1830s
Browne was elevated to the peerage, becoming 1st Baron Oranmore and causing a by-election.
Note (1836): Walker suggests 609 votes were placed for Robert Browne, and none for John Browne, but Stooks Smith's figures have been used above.
Elections in the 1840s Brabazon's death caused a by-election.
Blake resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1850s Browne's death caused a by-election.
On petition, Moore was unseated, causing a by-election.
Elections in the 1860s
Elections in the 1870s Moore's death caused a by-election.
On petition, Browne and Tighe were unseated.
Elections in the 1880s
Parnell was also elected MP for Cork City and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.
Notes
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)