Wexford Borough (UK Parliament constituency)

UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland, 1801–1885

For other similarly named constituencies, see Wexford (disambiguation).

Wexford

Former borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County| County Wexford
Borough| Wexford
1801–1885
Seats| 1
Created from| Wexford (IHC)
Replaced by| South Wexford

The parliamentary borough of Wexford, Ireland, was represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885 by a borough constituency electing one Member of Parliament (MP), on the electoral system of first past the post.[1][2] It succeeded the two-seat constituency of Wexford 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]

## Boundaries

[edit]

The boundaries of the constituency were defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 as:[4]

> From the Point on the South-east of the Town at which the Sea-shore is met by a Wall and Footpath which run a few Yards to the North of the Burial Ground which is near the Country House belonging to Mr. Talbot, along the said Wall to the Point at which the same meets the Fayeth Road; thence in a straight Line to the Flagstaff at the Signal Station; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the Eastern Corner of Cromwell's Fort House to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the Wall of the Pleasure Grounds of Cromwell's Fort House; thence, Northward, along the Wall of the said Pleasure Grounds to the Duncormick Road; thence, Westward, still along the Wall of the said Pleasure Grounds, to the westernmost Point at which the same leaves the Duncormick Road, thus excluding the whole of the said Pleasure Grounds; thence in a straight Line in the Direction of the South-western Corner of the Distillery to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the Road which runs in front of the Distillery; thence along the last-mentioned Road to the Point at which the same crosses the Johnstown Road near the Bridge over the Bishop's Water; thence in a straight Line to the Point close to the Female Orphan House, at which the Northern Duncannon Road is met by a Road which leads therefrom into the New Ross Road; thence along the Road so leading into the New Ross Road to the Ruins of the southernmost of Two old Windmills; thence in a straight Line to a Point on the New Ross Road which is distant One hundred and sixty Yards (measured along the New Ross Road) to the North-west of the Obelisk; thence in a straight Line to the northernmost Point at which the Boundary of the Premises of Mr. Scallen, a Brewer, meets the Enniscorthy Road; thence, Westward, along the Enniscorthy Road to an Iron Gate in a Stone Wall distant about Three hundred and sixty Yards from the Centre of the Diocesan School; thence along the Road or Path which leads from the said Iron Gate to the Point at which the same meets the Sea-shore; thence along the Sea-shore to the Point first described.

Under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868, its boundaries were extended to include all of the municipal borough of Wexford.[5]

## Members of Parliament

[edit]

Election | MP | Party | Note

|
|
|

1801-01-01 | Francis Leigh |  |  | 1801: Co-opted; Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster)
1801-02-20 | Ponsonby Tottenham |  |  |
1802-07-09 | Richard Nevill[a] |  | Tory |
1806-11-10 | Sir Robert Wigram, Bt |  | Tory[6] |
1807-05-21 | Richard Nevill[a] |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds)
1810-03-03 | Capt. Peter Parker R.N. |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds)
1811-07-01 | Richard Nevill[a] |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Steward of the Manor of East Hendred)
1813-03-03 | Vice Admiral John Fish |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Munster)
1814-08-09 | Richard Nevill[a] |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Escheator of Ulster)
1819-03-01 | Capt. Henry Evans R.N. |  | Tory |
1820-03-20 | William Wigram |  | Tory[6] |
1826-06-19 | Rear Admiral Henry Evans |  | Tory | Resigned (appointed Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds)
1829-06-03 | Robert Wigram[b] |  | Tory[6] | Unseated on petition
1830-03-15[c] | Sir Edward Dering, Bt |  | Tory[6] | Declared duly elected
1830-08-07 | William Wigram |  | Tory[6] | Unseated on petition
1831-02-21[c] | Sir Edward Dering, Bt |  | Ultra-Tory | Declared duly elected
1831-05-06 | Charles Arthur Walker |  | Whig | Re-elected as a candidate of the Repeal Association
1832-12-14 |  | Irish Repeal[7] | Re-elected as a candidate of a Liberal/Repealer pact
1841-07-12 | Sir Thomas Esmonde, Bt |  | Whig[6][8] |
1847-08-04 | John Thomas Devereux |  | Irish Repeal[7] | Re-elected as an Independent Irish candidate
1852-07-09 |  | Independent Irish[7] | Re-elected as a Liberal candidate
1857-03-20 |  | Whig |
1859-05-03 | John Edward Redmond |  | Liberal[7] |
1865-07-17 | Richard Joseph Devereux |  | Liberal[7] | Resigned
1872-04-26 | William Archer Redmond |  | Home Rule[7] | Died 1880
1880-11-24 | Tim Healy |  | Home Rule[7] | Joined new organisation
1882[d] |  | Irish Parliamentary[7] | Resigned to contest Monaghan
1883-07-17 | Willie Redmond |  | Irish Parliamentary[7] |
1885-11-18 | Constituency abolished

1. ^ a b c d Stooks Smith names the MP 1802–1806 as Richard Neville Furness, 1807–1810 as Richard Neville, 1811–1813 as Robert Neville and 1814–1819 as Richard Neville. Walker names the MP for all these terms as Richard Nevill.
2. ^ From 1832 known as Robert Fitzwygram.
3. ^ a b Not an election - date when the previous member was unseated and the petitioner was declared duly elected.
4. ^ Not an election - change of party allegiance.

## Elections

[edit]

### Elections in the 1830s

[edit]

General election 1830: Wexford[7][6][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Tory | William Wigram | 31  | 52.5
| Ultra-Tory | Edward Dering | 28  | 47.5
Majority  | 3  | 5.0
Turnout | 59  | c. 36.9
Registered electors | c. 160 |
| Tory hold

* On petition, Wigram was unseated and Dering was declared elected.

General election 1831: Wexford[7][6][9] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Whig | Charles Arthur Walker | Unopposed
Registered electors | 160  |
| Whig gain from Tory
General election 1832: Wexford[7][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Irish Repeal | Charles Arthur Walker | Unopposed
Registered electors | 269  |
| Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1835: Wexford[7][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Irish Repeal (Whig) | Charles Arthur Walker | Unopposed
Registered electors | 373  |
| Irish Repeal hold
General election 1837: Wexford[7][6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %

|
|
|

| Irish Repeal (Whig) | Charles Arthur Walker | Unopposed
Registered electors | 361  |
| Irish Repeal hold

### Elections in the 1840s

[edit]

General election 1841: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | Thomas Esmonde | 145  | 59.2  | N/A
| Conservative | James Bourne | 100  | 40.8  | New
Majority | 45  | 18.4  | N/A
Turnout | 245  | 81.4  | N/A
Registered electors | 301  |  |
| Whig gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | N/A |
General election 1847: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Irish Repeal | John Thomas Devereux | Unopposed
Registered electors | 375  |  |
| Irish Repeal gain from Whig

### Elections in the 1850s

[edit]

General election 1852: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Independent Irish | John Thomas Devereux | Unopposed
Registered electors | 348  |  |
| Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal
General election 1857: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Whig | John Thomas Devereux | Unopposed
Registered electors | 314  |  |
| Whig gain from Independent Irish
General election 1859: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | John Redmond | Unopposed
Registered electors | 301  |  |
| Liberal hold

### Elections in the 1860s

[edit]

General election 1865: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Richard Joseph Devereux | 153  | 58.8  | N/A
| Liberal | John Redmond | 107  | 41.2  | N/A
Majority | 46  | 17.6  | N/A
Turnout | 260  | 77.8  | N/A
Registered electors | 334  |  |
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |
General election 1868: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Richard Joseph Devereux | Unopposed
Registered electors | 520  |  |
| Liberal hold

On petition, Devereux was unseated due to "informality" in the return, causing a by-election at which he was re-elected.[10]

By-election, 26 February 1869: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Richard Joseph Devereux | Unopposed
Registered electors | 520  |  |
| Liberal hold

### Elections in the 1870s

[edit]

Devereux resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 26 Apr 1872: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Home Rule | William Archer Redmond | 321  | 86.3  | New
| Home Rule | Walter Redmond  | 51  | 13.7  | New
Majority | 270  | 72.6  | N/A
Turnout | 372  | 69.5  | N/A
Registered electors | 535  |  |
| Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |
General election 1874: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Home Rule | William Archer Redmond | 323  | 81.6  | N/A
| Liberal | Sir Frederick Hughes, 7th Baronet  | 73  | 18.4  | N/A
Majority | 250  | 63.2  | N/A
Turnout | 396  | 79.0  | N/A
Registered electors | 501  |  |
| Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A |

### Elections in the 1880s

[edit]

General election 1880: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Home Rule | William Archer Redmond | 292  | 75.5  | −6.1
| Liberal | Sir Frederick Hughes, 7th Baronet  | 95  | 24.5  | +6.1
Majority | 197  | 51.0  | −12.2
Turnout | 387  | 80.8  | +1.8
Registered electors | 479  |  |
| Home Rule hold | Swing | −6.1  |

Redmond's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 24 Nov 1880: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Home Rule | Tim Healy | Unopposed
Registered electors | 479  |  |
| Home Rule hold

Healy resigned to stand at the 1883 by-election in Monaghan, causing a by-election.

By-election, 17 July 1883: Wexford[7] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Irish Parliamentary | Willie Redmond | 307  | 70.9  | −4.6
| Liberal | Charles Owen O'Conor | 126  | 29.1  | +4.6
Majority | 181  | 41.8  | −9.2
Turnout | 433  | 83.0  | +2.2
Registered electors | 522  |  |
| Irish Parliamentary hold | Swing | −4.6  |

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

|

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jupp, P. J. (1986). "Wexford". In Thorne, R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820.
2. ^ Salmon, Philip (2009). "Wexford". 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. ^ "Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 (c. 89)". The law journal for the year 1832–1949. Abridgment of statutes. Vol. X. E. B. Ince. 1832. pp. 239–246.
5. ^ "Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1868 (31 & 31 Vict., c. 49)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives.
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 243. Retrieved 14 October 2018 – via Google Books.
7. ^ 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 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 243–244, 321. ISBN 0901714127.
8. ^ "Evening Mail". 21 June 1841. p. 3. Retrieved 26 August 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. ^ a b Salmon, Philip. "Wexford". The History of Parliament. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
10. ^ "To the Electors of the Borough of Wexford". Wexford Independent. 24 February 1869. p. 3. Retrieved 22 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

### 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.
* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 3)

* v
* t
* e

Parliamentary constituencies in County Wexford

Parliament of Ireland
to 1800|

* Bannow (????–1800)
* Clonmines (????–1800)
* Enniscorthy (1613–1800)
* Fethard (1613–1800)
* Gorey (????–1800)
* New Ross (????–1800)
* Taghmon (????–1800)
* Wexford Borough (????–1800)
* County Wexford (????–1800)

Westminster 1801–1922
and First Dáil 1918|

* New Ross (1801–1885)
* Wexford County (1801–1885)
* Wexford Borough (1801–1885)
* North Wexford (1885–1922)
* South Wexford (1885–1922)

Dáil Éireann
1918–present|

| Historic|

(none)

|

Current|

* Wexford (1921–)
* Wicklow–Wexford (2024–)

European Parliament
1979–present|

* Leinster (1979–2004)
* East (2004–2014)
* South (2014–)

Constituencies in Ireland by county

Republic of Ireland|

* Carlow
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* Louth
* Mayo
* Meath
* Monaghan
* Offaly
* Roscommon
* Sligo
* Tipperary
* Waterford
* Westmeath
* Wexford
* Wicklow

Northern Ireland|

* Antrim
* Armagh
* Down
* Fermanagh
* Londonderry
* Tyrone

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