County Limerick (UK Parliament constituency)

County Limerick, also known as Limerick County, 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.

Not to be confused with Limerick County (Dáil constituency).

Limerick County
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Replaced byEast Limerick and West Limerick

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Limerick, except for the parliamentary borough of Limerick, which was within the Limerick City constituency.

Members of Parliament
Year1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1801, 1 Jan John Waller William Odell
1802, 22 July Charles Silver Oliver
1806, 22 November Windham Quin, later Earl of Dunraven & Mt Earl Tory[1]
1818, 8 July Richard FitzGibbon, later Earl of Clare Whig[1][2]
1820, 30 March Standish O'Grady, later Viscount Guillamore Whig[1]
1826, 23 Jun Thomas Lloyd Tory[1]
1830, 2 Feb Standish O'Grady, later Viscount Guillamore[3] Whig[1]
1830, 3 May James Hewitt Massy Dawson Tory[4]
1830, 10 Aug Standish O'Grady, later Viscount Guillamore Whig[1]
1835, 15 Jan William Smith O'Brien[5] Whig[1][6][2]
1841, 10 Jul Caleb Powell Whig[1]
1847, 14 Aug Irish Confederation[7] William Monsell, later Baron Emly Peelite[8][9][10]
1849, 1 Jun Samuel Dickson Peelite[11]
1850, 14 Dec Wyndham Goold Whig[12][13][14]
1854, Dec Stephen de Vere Whig[15]
1859, 16 May Samuel Auchmuty Dickson Conservative[7] Liberal[7]
1865, 19 Jul Edward John Synan Liberal[7]
1874, 11 Feb Home Rule[7] William Henry O'Sullivan Home Rule[7]
1885 Constituency divided: see East Limerick and West Limerick

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

Lloyd's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 2 February 1830: County Limerick[7][1][16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Standish O'Grady 902 56.8
Tory James Hewitt Massy Dawson 687 43.2
Majority 215 13.6
Majority 1,589 50.6
Registered electors 3,142
Whig gain from Tory Swing
  • On petition, O'Grady was unseated in favour of Massy Dawson.
General election 1830: County Limerick[7][1][16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare Unopposed
Whig Standish O'Grady Unopposed
Registered electors 3,142
Whig hold
Whig gain from Tory
General election 1831: County Limerick[7][1][16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare Unopposed
Whig Standish O'Grady Unopposed
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1832: County Limerick[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare 1,056 29.3
Whig Standish O'Grady 1,040 28.8
Irish Repeal Godfrey Massey 760 21.1
Irish Repeal Alexander McCarthy 751 20.8
Majority 280 7.7
Turnout 1,889 73.6
Registered electors 2,565
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1835: County Limerick[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare Unopposed
Whig William Smith O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 2,740
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1837: County Limerick[7][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Richard FitzGibbon, 3rd Earl of Clare 859 49.7
Whig William Smith O'Brien 855 49.5
Conservative Augustus Stafford O'Brien 14 0.8
Majority 841 48.7
Turnout 995 30.3
Registered electors 3,280
Whig hold
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s
General election 1841: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig William Smith O'Brien Unopposed
Whig Caleb Powell Unopposed
Registered electors 1,670
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1847: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite William Monsell 588 30.3 New
Irish Confederate William Smith O'Brien 482 24.9 New
Irish Repeal Caleb Powell 458 23.6 New
Irish Repeal George John O'Connell 407 21.0 New
Irish Repeal Patrick Carroll 4 0.2 New
Turnout 970 (est) 54.1 (est) N/A
Registered electors 1,793
Majority 106 5.4 N/A
Peelite gain from Whig Swing N/A
Majority 24 1.3 N/A
Irish Confederate gain from Whig Swing N/A

O'Brien was adjudged guilty of high treason, causing a by-election.

By-election, 1 June 1849: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite Samuel Dickson Unopposed
Peelite gain from Irish Confederate

Elections in the 1850s

Dickson's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 14 December 1850: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Wyndham Goold 239 42.2 New
Conservative Samuel Auchmuty Dickson 199 35.2 N/A
Tenant Right League Michael Ryan[14] 128 22.6 New
Majority 40 7.0 N/A
Turnout 566 31.6 −22.5
Registered electors 1,793
Whig gain from Irish Confederate Swing N/A
General election 1852: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite William Monsell Unopposed
Whig Wyndham Goold Unopposed
Registered electors 5,079
Peelite hold
Whig gain from Irish Confederate

Monsell was appointed a clerk of ordnance, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 12 January 1853: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite William Monsell Unopposed
Registered electors 6,249
Peelite hold

Goold's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 26 December 1854: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Stephen de Vere Unopposed
Whig hold

Monsell was appointed President of the Board of Health, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 17 February 1857: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite William Monsell Unopposed
Registered electors 6,428
Peelite hold
General election 1857: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Peelite William Monsell Unopposed
Whig Wyndham Goold Unopposed
Registered electors 6,428
Peelite hold
Whig hold
General election 1859: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Monsell 4,020 44.6 N/A
Conservative Samuel Auchmuty Dickson 2,626 29.1 N/A
Liberal Edward John Synan 2,369 26.3 N/A
Turnout 4,508 (est) 69.6 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,481
Majority 1,394 15.5 N/A
Liberal hold Swing
Majority 257 2.8 N/A
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing N/A

Elections in the 1860s
General election 1865: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Monsell Unopposed
Liberal Edward John Synan Unopposed
Registered electors 6,318
Liberal hold
Liberal gain from Conservative

Monsell was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Trade, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 1 March 1866: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Monsell Unopposed
Registered electors 6,318
Liberal hold
General election 1868: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Monsell Unopposed
Liberal Edward John Synan Unopposed
Registered electors 6,571
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

Monsell was appointed Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 28 Jan 1871: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal William Monsell Unopposed
Registered electors 6,489
Liberal hold

Monsell was created a peer in January 1874, voiding his seat, and a writ was to be issued for a by-election. However, this was pre-empted by the dissolution of Parliament later that month

General election 1874: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule William Henry O'Sullivan 3,521 47.8 New
Home Rule Edward John Synan 2,856 38.7 New
Home Rule John James Kelly 995 13.5 New
Majority 1,861 25.2 N/A
Turnout 3,686 (est) 58.5 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,300
Home Rule gain from Liberal
Home Rule gain from Liberal

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1880: County Limerick[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Edward John Synan Unopposed
Parnellite Home Rule League William Henry O'Sullivan Unopposed
Registered electors 6,072
Home Rule hold
Home Rule hold

Notes
  1. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 232. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. Churton, Edward (1838). The Assembled Commons or Parliamentary Biographer. pp. 91, 166. Retrieved 24 August 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. O'Grady's s name was erased from the return and that of James Hewitt Massy Dawson substituted 3 May 1830
  4. Salmon, Philip. "MASSY (afterwards MASSY DAWSON), James Hewitt (1779-1834), of Ballynacourte, co. Tipperary and 87 Gloucester Place, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. O'Brien was found guilty of high treason in Oct 1848
  6. "Limerick Chronicle". 4 August 1847. p. 4. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  8. "Election Details". The Examiner. 14 August 1847. pp. 8–11. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "Northern Whig". 14 August 1847. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. Potter, Matthew. "William Monsell, First Baron Emly of Terboe" (PDF). The Old Limerick Journal: 58–63. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  11. "State of the Country". Westmeath Independent. 2 June 1849. p. 3. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Ireland". Reading Mercury. 21 December 1850. p. 4. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. "The League in Limerick". Dublin Weekly Nation. 14 December 1850. p. 8. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Weekly Retrospect". Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury. 21 December 1850. p. 5. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  15. "Morning Advertiser". 1 December 1854. p. 5. Retrieved 5 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Limerick". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

References
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