Kilkenny City (UK Parliament constituency)

Kilkenny City was an Irish borough constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament (MP). It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and remained in existence until its abolition at the 1918 general election.

Kilkenny City
Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Kilkenny
BoroughKilkenny
18011918
Seats1
Created fromKilkenny City (IHC)
Replaced byNorth Kilkenny

Boundaries

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This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Kilkenny in County Kilkenny.

Members of Parliament

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Election Member Party Note
1 January 1801 William Talbot 1801: Co-opted. Resigned.
2 March 1802 Richard Archdall
22 July 1802 Hon. Charles Harward Butler Whig Resigned
4 February 1809 Robert Williams
24 October 1812 Overington Blunden Resigned
27 May 1814 Hon. Charles Harward Butler Whig
7 April 1820 Rt Hon. Denis Browne Tory
22 June 1826 John Doherty Tory[1]
11 August 1830 Nicholas Philpot Leader Whig[2]
13 December 1832 Richard Sullivan Repeal Association[3] Re-elected as a candidate of a Liberal/Repealer pact
17 May 1836 Daniel O'Connell Repeal Association[2][3]
7 August 1837 Joseph Hume Radical[2]
3 July 1841 John O'Connell Repeal Association[2][3][4] 1847: Also returned by and elected to sit for Limerick
18 December 1847 Michael Sullivan Repeal Association[3][5] Re-elected as a Liberal candidate
10 July 1852 Ind. Irish[3]
5 May 1859 Liberal
13 July 1865 Sir John Gray Liberal Re-elected as a Home Rule League candidate
2 February 1874 Home Rule League Died
28 April 1875 Benjamin Whitworth Home Rule League Resigned
26 February 1880 John Francis Smithwick Home Rule League
1882 Irish Parliamentary Party
1886 Thomas Quinn Irish Parliamentary Party
1890 Parnellite
1891–1892 Irish National Federation
1892–1895 Thomas Bartholomew Curran Irish National Federation
1895 Patrick O'Brien Parnellite
1900–1917 Irish Parliamentary Party
1917 W. T. Cosgrave Sinn Féin
1918 constituency abolished

Elections

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Elections in the 1830s

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General election 1830: Kilkenny City[3][2][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Nicholas Leader 219 54.5
Nonpartisan William Morris Reade 116 28.9
Nonpartisan William Morres Bayley 67 16.7
Majority 103 25.6
Turnout 402
Whig gain from Tory Swing
General election 1831: Kilkenny City[3][2][6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Nicholas Leader Unopposed
Registered electors 350
Whig hold
General election 1832: Kilkenny City[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal Richard Sullivan (MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 562
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1835: Kilkenny City[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal (Whig) Richard Sullivan (MP) 7 100.0
Nonpartisan William Fletcher 0 0.0
Majority 7 100.0
Turnout 7 1.2
Registered electors 599
Irish Repeal hold

Sullivan resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 17 May 1836: Kilkenny City[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal Daniel O'Connell Unopposed
Irish Repeal hold
General election 1837: Kilkenny City[3][2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Radical Joseph Hume 57 45.6 New
Irish Repeal (Whig) Daniel O'Connell 50 40.0 −60.0
Radical William Ewart 18 14.4 New
Majority 7 5.6 N/A
Turnout 125 16.1 +14.9
Registered electors 775
Radical gain from Irish Repeal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1840s

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General election 1841: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal John O'Connell Unopposed
Registered electors 580
Irish Repeal gain from Radical
General election 1847: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal John O'Connell Unopposed
Registered electors 443
Irish Repeal hold

O'Connell was also elected for Limerick City and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 December 1847: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Michael Sullivan Unopposed
Irish Repeal hold

Elections in the 1850s

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General election 1852: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Michael Sullivan Unopposed
Registered electors 664
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal
General election 1857: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Michael Sullivan 218 55.2 N/A
Whig Francis Harvey Devereux[7] 177 44.8 New
Majority 41 10.4 N/A
Turnout 395 74.4 N/A
Registered electors 531
Independent Irish hold Swing N/A
General election 1859: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Michael Sullivan 236 52.9 −2.3
Liberal Matthew O'Donnell 210 47.1 +2.3
Majority 26 5.8 −4.6
Turnout 446 76.2 +1.8
Registered electors 585
Liberal hold Swing −2.3

Elections in the 1860s

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General election 1865: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Gray Unopposed
Registered electors 574
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Gray Unopposed
Registered electors 739
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

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General election 1874: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Gray Unopposed
Registered electors 709
Home Rule gain from Liberal

Gray's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 28 Apr 1875: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Benjamin Whitworth 290 55.6 N/A
Home Rule Edmund Dwyer-Gray 120 23.0 N/A
Home Rule Edward Marum 112 21.5 N/A
Majority 170 32.6 N/A
Turnout 522 75.7 N/A
Registered electors 690
Home Rule hold

Elections in the 1880s

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Whitworth's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 26 Feb 1880: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Francis Smithwick Unopposed
Registered electors 675
Home Rule hold
General election 1880: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule John Francis Smithwick 316 60.8 N/A
Home Rule William James Doherty 204 39.2 N/A
Majority 112 21.6 N/A
Turnout 520 77.0 N/A
Registered electors 675
Home Rule hold
1885 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary John Francis Smithwick Unopposed
Registered electors 1,899
Irish Parliamentary hold
1886 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Thomas Quinn Unopposed
Registered electors 1,899
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1890s

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1892 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National Federation Thomas Bartholomew Curran 744 55.2 N/A
Irish National League John O'Connor 604 44.8 N/A
Majority 140 10.4 N/A
Turnout 1,348 74.6 N/A
Registered electors 1,806
Irish National Federation gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing N/A
1895 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish National League Pat O'Brien 681 50.5 +5.7
Irish National Federation James Patrick Farrell 667 49.5 −5.7
Majority 14 1.0 N/A
Turnout 1,348 76.2 +1.6
Registered electors 1,769
Irish National League gain from Irish National Federation Swing +5.7

Elections in the 1900s

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1900 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Pat O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 2,556
Irish Parliamentary hold
1906 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Pat O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 1,533
Irish Parliamentary hold

Elections in the 1910s

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January 1910 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Pat O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 1,742
Irish Parliamentary hold
December 1910 general election: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Parliamentary Pat O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 1,742
Irish Parliamentary hold
By-election 10 August 1917: Kilkenny City[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Sinn Féin W. T. Cosgrave 772 66.3 New
Irish Parliamentary John Magennis 392 33.7 N/A
Majority 380 32.6 N/A
Turnout 1,164 68.4 N/A
Registered electors 1,702
Sinn Féin gain from Irish Parliamentary Swing N/A

References

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  1. ^ Fisher, David R. "DOHERTY, John (1785-1850), of Stephen's Green, Dublin". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. pp. 230–231.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 221, 286–287, 356. ISBN 0901714127.
  4. ^ "Kilkenny—The County Election". Wexford Independent. 14 August 1847. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ "Cork Examiner". 22 December 1847. p. 3 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ a b Salmon, Philip. "Kilkenny". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  7. ^ "The Evening Freeman". 8 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.