County Kilkenny (UK Parliament constituency)

County Kilkenny was a former UK Parliament county constituency in County Kilkenny in Ireland. The County constituency returned two Members of Parliaments (MPs) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1885.

County Kilkenny
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Kilkenny
1801–1885
Seats2
Created fromCounty Kilkenny (IHC)
Replaced by

County Kilkenny constituency was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Acts of Union 1800 by Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and remained in existence until its abolition in 1885 when it was replaced by North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny.

Boundaries

County Kilkenny constituency was made up of the traditional county except for the borough constituency of Kilkenny City for Kilkenny.

This constituency comprised the whole of County Kilkenny, except for the parliamentary borough of Kilkenny City.

Members of Parliament
Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1801, 1 January William Ponsonby, later Baron Ponsonby Whig James Butler, later Marquess of Ormonde
1806, 12 April George Ponsonby
1806, 21 November Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby
1820, 11 September Charles Clarke Whig[1]
1826, 22 June John Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon, later Earl of Bessborough Whig[1]
1830, 12 August John Butler, Earl of Ossory, later Marquess of Ormonde Whig[1]
1832, 20 December Pierce Butler Repeal Association[1][2] William Francis Finn Repeal Association[1][2]
1837, 12 August George Bryan Whig[1]
1843, 1 December Pierce Somerset Butler Repeal Association[2][3][4]
1846, 29 July Richard Smithwicke Repeal Association[2]
1847, 18 August John Greene Repeal Association[2][3][4]
1852, 26 July Ind. Irish[2][5][6] William Shee Ind. Irish[2][5]
1857, 13 April Leopold Agar-Ellis Whig[7]
1859, 20 May Liberal[2] Liberal[2]
1865, 24 July George Leopold Bryan Liberal[2]
1874, 10 February Home Rule League[2] Patrick Martin Home Rule League[2]
1880, 15 April Edward Marum Parnellite Home Rule League[2]
1885 Constituency abolished: see North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny

Elections

Elections in the 1830s
General election 1830: County Kilkenny[2][1][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Ponsonby Unopposed
Whig John Butler Unopposed
Registered electors 1,078
Whig hold
Whig hold

Ponsonby was appointed as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 28 February 1831: County Kilkenny[2][1][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Ponsonby 336 55.5
Irish Repeal Pierce Butler 269 44.5
Majority 67 11.0
Turnout 605 c. 53.1
Registered electors c. 1,139
Whig hold
General election 1831: County Kilkenny[2][1][8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig John Ponsonby Unopposed
Whig John Butler Unopposed
Registered electors 1,139
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1832: County Kilkenny[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal Pierce Butler Unopposed
Irish Repeal William Francis Finn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,246
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1835: County Kilkenny[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal (Whig) Pierce Butler Unopposed
Irish Repeal (Whig) William Francis Finn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,262
Irish Repeal hold
Irish Repeal hold
General election 1837: County Kilkenny[2][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal (Whig) Pierce Butler Unopposed
Whig George Bryan Unopposed
Registered electors 1,726
Irish Repeal hold
Whig gain from Irish Repeal

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Pierce Butler Unopposed
Whig George Bryan Unopposed
Registered electors 1,530
Irish Repeal hold
Whig hold

Bryan's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 1 December 1843: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Pierce Somerset Butler Unopposed
Irish Repeal gain from Whig

Pierce Butler's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 29 July 1846: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Richard Smithwicke Unopposed
Irish Repeal hold
General election 1847: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal John Greene 277 30.1 N/A
Irish Repeal Pierce Somerset Butler 262 28.5 N/A
Irish Repeal Charles Hely 241 26.2 N/A
Irish Repeal Patrick Richard Welch 139 15.1 N/A
Majority 21 2.3 N/A
Turnout 460 (est) 41.6 (est) N/A
Registered electors 1,107
Irish Repeal hold Swing N/A
Irish Repeal gain from Whig Swing N/A

Elections in the 1850s
General election 1852: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish William Shee 2,622 43.6 New
Independent Irish John Greene 2,537 42.2 +12.1
Conservative James Wandesford Butler 500 8.3 New
Whig Leopold Agar-Ellis 350 5.8 New
Majority 2,037 33.9 N/A
Turnout 3,005 (est) 59.7 (est) +18.1
Registered electors 5,036
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal Swing N/A
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal Swing N/A
General election 1857: County Kilkenny[2][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Leopold Agar-Ellis 2,589 39.5 +33.7
Independent Irish John Greene 1,604 24.5 −17.7
Whig George Charles Mostyn 1,324 20.2 N/A
Whig William Shee 1,036 15.8 −27.8
Turnout 3,277 (est) 64.0 (est) +4.3
Registered electors 5,124
Majority 985 15.0 N/A
Whig gain from Independent Irish Swing +28.2
Majority 280 4.3 −29.6
Independent Irish hold Swing −17.3
General election 1859: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Leopold Agar-Ellis 2,483 31.8 −7.7
Liberal John Greene 1,992 25.5 +1.0
Liberal George Henry Moore 1,747 22.4 N/A
Liberal William Shee 1,590 20.4 +4.6
Majority 245 3.1 −11.9
Turnout 3,906 (est) 73.1 (est) +9.1
Registered electors 5,347
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Leopold Bryan 2,913 44.9 N/A
Liberal Leopold Agar-Ellis 2,728 42.0 +10.2
Liberal John Greene 852 13.1 −12.4
Majority 1,876 28.9 +25.8
Turnout 3,247 (est) 63.0 (est) −10.1
Registered electors 5,151
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal George Leopold Bryan Unopposed
Liberal Leopold Agar-Ellis Unopposed
Registered electors 5,159
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s
General election 1874: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule George Leopold Bryan 2,603 44.2 New
Home Rule Patrick Martin 2,139 36.3 New
Liberal Leopold Agar-Ellis 1,151 19.5 N/A
Majority 988 16.8 N/A
Turnout 3,522 (est) 66.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 5,300
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: County Kilkenny[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parnellite Home Rule League Edward Marum 2,707 42.9 −1.3
Home Rule Patrick Martin 2,694 42.7 +6.4
Conservative James Butler 913 14.5 New
Majority 1,781 28.2 +11.4
Turnout 3,620 (est) 73.8 (est) +7.3
Registered electors 4,907
Home Rule hold Swing N/A
Home Rule hold Swing N/A

References
  1. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 230. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  3. "Repeal Association". Dublin Evening Post. 31 August 1847. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Kilkenny Co. Election". Cork Examiner. 19 July 1847. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "The General Election". Staffordshire Advertiser. 31 July 1852. p. 3. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "The County Election". Kilkenny Journal, and Leinster Commercial and Literary Advertiser. 28 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "The County Election". Kilkenny Journal, and Leinster Commercial and Literary Advertiser. 21 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Co. Kilkenny". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  9. "General Intelligence". Coventry Standard. 17 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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