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.
| Antrim Borough | |
|---|---|
| Former borough constituency for the Irish House of Commons | |
| County | County Antrim |
| Borough | Antrim |
| 1666–1801 | |
| Seats | 2 |
| Replaced by | Disfranchised |
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[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
- O'Hart 2007, p. 500.
- 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.