Sligo Borough (UK Parliament constituency)

UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801 to 1870

Sligo

Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County| County Sligo
Borough| Sligo
1801–1870
Seats| 1
Created from| Sligo Borough (IHC)
Replaced by| County Sligo

The parliamentary borough of Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland, was represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom as a borough constituency from 1801 to 1870 by one Member of Parliament (MP), elected by the first past the post system of election.[1][2] It succeeded the two-seat constituency of Sligo represented in the Irish House of Commons until the abolition of the Irish Parliament on 1 January 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800.[3] It was disfranchised under the Sligo and Cashel Disfranchisement Act 1870.

## Boundaries

[edit]

The boundaries of the constituency were defined as:

> Such Part or Parts of the Town or Precincts of the Town of Sligo as lie or are situate within the Distance of One Mile, Irish Admeasurement, of a certain Spot in Market Street in said Town on which a Building or Erection formerly stood, called the Market Cross, being the Space defined in the Seventeenth Section of an Act passed in the Forty-third Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third, intituled 'An Act for repealing so much of an Act made in the Third Year of the Reign of King George the Second, intituled 'An Act for cleansing the Ports, Harbours, and Rivers of the City of Cork, and of the Towns of Galway, Sligo, Drogheda, and Belfast, and for erecting a Ballast Office in the said City and each of the said Towns,' as relates to the Port and Harbour of the Town of Sligo; and for repealing an Act made in the Fortieth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, intituled 'An Act for paving, cleansing, lighting, and improving the Streets, Quays, Lanes, and Passages in the Town of Sligo in the County of Sligo, for establishing a nightly Watch in the said Town for supplying the said Town with Pipe Water, and for improving and regulating the Port and Harbour thereof,' and for making better Provision for the paving, lighting, watching, cleansing, and improving of the said Town of Sligo, and for regulating the Porters and Carmen employed therein, and for the better Regulation and Improvement of the Port and Harbour thereof,' as the Part or Parts of the Precincts of the Town of Sligo which shall be or be deemed to be within the Intent and Purview of the said Act of the Forty-third Year of the Reign of King George the Third, for the several Purposes in the said Seventeenth Section specified.

Under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868, its boundaries were extended to include all of the municipal borough of Sligo.

## Abolition

[edit]

Numerous elections were overturned on petition by the losing candidate; after the 1868 election was overturned, a Royal Commission established under the Parliamentary Elections Act 1868 examined the matter and reported that "at the last three elections of members to serve in Parliament for the Borough of Sligo, corrupt practices have extensively prevailed."[4] Parliament passed the Sligo and Cashel Disfranchisement Act 1870 which was given royal assent on 1 August 1870.[5][6] The act disfranchised Sligo as well as Cashel, another Irish borough. The area of Sligo borough became part of the County Sligo constituency. In 1881 Thomas Sexton, one of two MPs for County Sligo, introduced a private member's bill to re-enfranchise the borough, which was defeated on second reading.[7]

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

Election | MP | Party | Note

|
|
|

1801, January 1 | Owen Wynne |  | Tory[8] | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster)
1806, July 16 | Col. George Canning |  | Tory | A cousin of his successor Rt Hon George Canning
1812, November 5 | Rt Hon George Canning |  | Tory | 1812: Also returned by and elected to sit for Liverpool.
Subsequently, Prime Minister 1827.
1813, April 5 | Joshua Spencer |  |  | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster)
1815, March 27 | Sir Brent Spencer |  |  |
1818, June 29 | John Bent |  | Tory |
1820, March 21 | Owen Wynne |  | Tory[8] |
1830, August 4 | John Arthur Wynne |  | Tory[9] |
1832, December 21 | John Martin |  | Whig[9] |
1837, August 5 | John Patrick Somers |  | Whig[10][9][11] | There were many disturbances in the election campaign.[12]
1841, July 9 |  | Irish Repeal[13] | Unseated on petition - new writ issued
1848, April 11 | Charles Towneley |  | Whig[14][15] | Unseated on petition - new writ issued.[16]
1848, July 15 | John Patrick Somers |  | Irish Repeal[13] |
1852, July 15 | Charles Towneley |  | Independent Irish[13] | Unseated on petition - new writ issued.[17] Henry Stonor, convicted of electoral bribery, was later appointed a judge in Victoria, Australia,[18] The Stonor scandal inspired the character of Mr Romer in Anthony Trollope's Doctor Thorne.[19]
1853, July 8 | John Sadleir |  | Whig[20][21] | Died.
1856, March 8 | Rt Hon. John Arthur Wynne |  | Conservative[13] | Election upheld after petitions were rejected.[22]
1857, April 2 | John Patrick Somers |  | Whig[9][10][11] | Unseated on petition.[23]
1857, July 31 | Rt Hon. John Arthur Wynne |  | Conservative[13] | Declared duly elected on petition.[23] Resigned
1860, August 9 | Francis Macdonogh |  | Conservative[13] |
1865, July 15 | Richard Armstrong |  | Liberal[13] |
1868, November 20 | Lawrence Edward Knox |  | Conservative[13] | Election declared void on petition.[24]
1870, 1 August  | Constituency disenfranchised

Supplemental Note:-

* 1 Walker (like F. W. S. Craig in his compilations of election results for Great Britain) classifies Whig, Radical and similar candidates as Liberals from 1832. The name Liberal was gradually adopted as a description for the Whigs and politicians allied with them, before the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the 1859 general election.

## Elections

[edit]

### Elections in the 1830s

[edit]

General election 1830: Sligo[13][9][25] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Tory | John Arthur Wynne | Unopposed
Registered electors | 13  |
| Tory hold
General election 1831: Sligo[13][9][25] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Tory | John Arthur Wynne | Unopposed
Registered electors | 13  |
| Tory hold
General election 1832: Sligo[13][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Whig | John Martin (Irish politician)  | 213  | 53.7
| Tory | John Arthur Wynne | 159  | 40.1
| Whig | Gregory Cuffe Martin  | 20  | 5.0
| Whig | Robert Jones  | 5  | 1.3
Majority  | 54  | 13.6
Turnout | 397  | 95.0
Registered electors | 418  |
| Whig gain from Tory
General election 1835: Sligo[13][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Whig | John Martin (Irish politician) | Unopposed
Registered electors | 694  |
| Whig hold
General election 1837: Sligo[13][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Whig | John Patrick Somers | 262  | 55.7
| Whig | John Martin (Irish politician)  | 208  | 44.3
Majority  | 54  | 11.6
Turnout | 470  | 56.2
Registered electors | 837  |
| Whig hold

### Elections in the 1840s

[edit]

General election 1841: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Irish Repeal | John Patrick Somers | Unopposed
Registered electors | 821  |  |
| Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1847: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Irish Repeal | John Patrick Somers | Unopposed
Registered electors | 910  |  |
| Irish Repeal hold

On petition, Somers was unseated, causing a by-election.

By-election, 11 April 1848: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Towneley | 130  | 52.6  | New
| Irish Repeal | John Patrick Somers | 117  | 47.4  | N/A
Majority | 13  | 5.2  | N/A
Turnout | 247  | 29.5 (est)  | N/A
Registered electors | 837 (1847 figure)  |  |
| Whig gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | N/A |

On petition, Towneley was unseated, causing a further by-election.

By-election, 15 July 1848: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Irish Repeal | John Patrick Somers | 102  | 36.6  | −10.8
| Conservative | James Hartley | 90  | 32.3  | New
| Whig | John Ball | 87  | 31.2  | −21.4
Majority | 12  | 4.3  | N/A
Turnout | 279  | 30.7  | +1.2
Registered electors | 910  |  |
| Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | +5.3  |

### Elections in the 1850s

[edit]

General election 1852: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Independent Irish | Charles Towneley | 147  | 57.6  | New
| Whig | John Patrick Somers | 108  | 42.4  | N/A
Majority | 39  | 15.2  | N/A
Turnout | 255  | 75.9  | N/A
Registered electors | 336  |  |
| Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | N/A |

On petition, Towneley was unseated on 6 June 1853 due to bribery by his agents, causing a by-election.[26]

By-election, 8 July 1853: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | John Sadleir | 150  | 51.4  | N/A
| Whig | John Patrick Somers | 142  | 48.6  | +6.2
Majority | 8  | 2.8  | N/A
Turnout | 292  | 83.2  | +7.3
Registered electors | 351  |  |
| Whig gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |

Sadleir's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 8 March 1856: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Arthur Wynne | 148  | 55.8  | New
| Whig | John Patrick Somers | 117  | 44.2  | +1.8
Majority | 31  | 11.6  | N/A
Turnout | 265  | 76.8  | +0.9
Registered electors | 345  |  |
| Conservative gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |
General election 1857: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | John Patrick Somers | 150  | 51.0  | +8.6
| Conservative | John Arthur Wynne | 144  | 49.0  | N/A
Majority | 6  | 2.0  | N/A
Turnout | 294  | 85.2  | +9.3
Registered electors | 345  |  |
| Whig gain from Independent Irish | Swing | N/A |

On petition, the poll was amended due to improperly recorded votes, leaving Wynne with 148 votes and Somers with 147 votes. Wynne was then declared elected on 31 July 1857.[27]

General election 1859: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | John Arthur Wynne | 177  | 70.0  | +21.0
| Liberal | John Patrick Somers | 73  | 28.9  | −22.1
| Liberal | Lucas Alexander Treston  | 3  | 1.2  | N/A
Majority | 104  | 41.1  | N/A
Turnout | 253  | 70.1  | −15.1
Registered electors | 361  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +21.6  |

### Elections in the 1860s

[edit]

Wynne's resignation caused a by-election.

By-election, 9 August 1860: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Francis Macdonogh | 160  | 95.8  | +25.8
| Liberal | John Reilly  | 5  | 3.0  | +1.8
| Liberal | John Patrick Somers | 2  | 1.2  | −27.7
Majority | 155  | 92.8  | +41.7
Turnout | 167  | 46.3  | −23.8
Registered electors | 361  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +26.8  |
General election 1865: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Richard Armstrong | 166  | 51.7  | +21.6
| Conservative | Francis Macdonogh | 155  | 48.3  | −21.7
Majority | 11  | 3.4  | N/A
Turnout | 321  | 84.7  | +14.6
Registered electors | 379  |  |
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +21.7  |
General election 1868: Sligo[13] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Lawrence E. Knox | 241  | 51.3  | +3.0
| Liberal | John Woulfe Flanagan  | 229  | 48.7  | −3.0
Majority | 12  | 2.6  | N/A
Turnout | 470  | 90.4  | +5.7
Registered electors | 520  |  |
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +3.0  |

Knox's election was declared void on 2 March 1869, and no writ was issued to find a replacement MP. The seat was then disenfranchised on 1 August 1870, and absorbed into County Sligo.[citation needed]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

|

## References

[edit]

### Sources

[edit]

* 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)
* Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
* British Electoral Facts 1832-1987, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services, 5th edition, 1989)
* Commissioners for the purpose of making inquiry into the existence of corrupt practices at the last election for Sligo (1870). Report. Command papers. Vol. C.48. Dublin: Alex Thom. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 3)

### Citations

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1. ^ Jupp, P. J. (1986). "Sligo". In Thorne, R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820.
2. ^ Salmon, Philip (2009). "Sligo". In Fisher, D.R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820-1832,.
3. ^ Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary. "County Sligo". History of the Irish Parliament. Ulster Historical Foundation.
4. ^ Commission 1870, p.viii
5. ^ "Sligo and Cashel Disfranchisement Bill— [Bill 139.] Second Reading". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 16 June 1870. HC Deb vol 202 cc309-15. Retrieved 23 December 2016.; "Sligo and Cashel Disfranchisement Bill.—(No. 167.) Second Reading". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 7 July 1870. HL Deb vol 202 cc1596-1602. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
6. ^ "An Act to disfranchise the Boroughs of Sligo and Cashel (33 & 34 Vict. c.38)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives.
7. ^ "Sligo Borough Re-Enfranchisement Bill.— [Bill 62.]; Second Reading". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 23 March 1881. HC Deb vol 259 cc1782–5. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
8. ^ a b Salmon, Philip. "WYNNE, Owen (c.1756-1841), of Hazelwood, co. Sligo". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 239. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via Google Books.
10. ^ a b The Assembled Commons; Or, Parliamentary Biographer. Scott, Webster and Geary. 1838. p. 210 – via Google Books.
11. ^ a b "Sligo Borough". King's County Chronicle. 14 July 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. ^ Copy of a memorial forwarded to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for certain magistrates of the county ... impugning the conduct of Major Browne (government magistrate) during the late contest (Sligo) election. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 36, 1837-1838 46 551. 12 December 1837. Retrieved 23 December 2016.; Return of all reports of outrages to Inspector General of Police by Constabulary during late Elections for County and Borough of Sligo. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 166, 1837-1838 46 555. 27 February 1838. Retrieved 23 December 2016.;
13. ^ 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 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 237, 310–311\. ISBN 0901714127.
14. ^ "Ireland". Norfolk Chronicle. 22 April 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. ^ "Durham County Advertiser". 21 April 1848. p. 5. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
16. ^ Select Committee of Privileges (21 July 1848). Sligo election petitions: petition of John Delaney: report with minutes of evidence. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 526, 1847-1848 14 367. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
17. ^ Select Committee on the Sligo borough election petition (6 June 1853). Report. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 572, 1852-1853 18 595. Retrieved 23 December 2016.; Select Committee on the Sligo borough election petition (10 June 1853). Minutes of evidence, proceedings and index. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 600, 1852-1853 18 605, 713. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
18. ^ Select Committee on Appointment of H. Stonor as Judge in Colony of Victoria, after being reported Guilty of Bribery at Election for Borough of Sligo (1 June 1854). Report, minutes of evidence and appendices. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 278, 1854 8 681. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
19. ^ Trollope, Anthony (3 March 2016). Dentith, Simon (ed.). Doctor Thorne. Foreword by Julian Fellowes (TV Tie-In ed.). OUP Oxford. p. 638, fn.156. ISBN 9780191088568. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
20. ^ "Irish Elections". Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal. 7 August 1847. p. 2. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
21. ^ "The General Election". Morning Post. 9 August 1847. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 15 September 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
22. ^ Select Committee on Sligo Borough Election Petition (22 May 1856). Report, minutes of evidence and proceedings. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 234, 1856 7 409. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
23. ^ a b Select Committee on Sligo Borough Election Petition (23 July 1857). Report and proceedings. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 227, 1857 8 585. Retrieved 23 December 2016.; Select Committee on Sligo Borough Election Petition (3 August 1857). Minutes of evidence and proceedings. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 206, 1857 8 609. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
24. ^ Minutes of evidence at Trial of Sligo Borough Election Petition. Sessional papers. Vol. HC 85, 1868-1869 49 933. 16 March 1869. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
25. ^ a b Salmon, Philip. "Sligo". The History of Parliament. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
26. ^ "Tralee Chronicle". 10 June 1853. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
27. ^ "Dublin Evening Mail". 17 July 1857. p. 4. Retrieved 8 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

* v
* t
* e

Parliamentary constituencies in County Sligo and Borough

Parliament of Ireland
to 1800|

* County Sligo (????–1800)
* Sligo (1614–1800)

Westminster 1801–1922
and First Dáil 1918|

* County Sligo (1801–1885)
* Sligo (1801–1870)
* North Sligo (1885–1922)
* South Sligo (1885–1922)

Dáil Éireann
1918–present|

| Historic|

* Sligo–Mayo East (1921–1923)
* Leitrim–Sligo (1923–1937)
* Sligo (1937–1948)
* Sligo–North Leitrim (2007–2016)

|

Current|

* Sligo–Leitrim (1948–2007, 2016–)

European Parliament
1979–present|

* Connacht–Ulster (1979–2004)
* North-West (2004–2014)
* Midlands–North-West (2014–)

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