Mid Armagh (UK Parliament constituency)

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Mid Armagh County constituency
Created:	1885
Abolished:	1922
Type:	House of Commons
Members:	One

Mid Armagh was a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland

Contents 1 Boundaries and Boundary Changes 2 Politics 3 The First Dáil 4 Members of Parliament 5 Elections 6 References 7 External links 8 See also

[edit] Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency comprised the central part of County Armagh. To the north was North Armagh, to the west were South Tyrone and North Monaghan, to the south were South Monaghan and South Armagh and to the east was West Down.

It returned one Member of Parliament 1885-1922.

Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and from the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Armagh constituency.

[edit] Politics

The constituency was a predominantly Conservative then Unionist area, although not as strongly so as some other parts of Northern Ireland. There were few contested elections and no instance of the same two parties contending against each other more than once.

In 1918 the Unionists defeated Sinn Féin by a solid margin. This was the first contested election for the seat since a 1900 by-election.

[edit] The First Dáil

Sinn Féin contested the general election of 1918 on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed on 10 May 1921, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

In 1921 Sinn Féin decided to use the UK authorised elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Irish Republic's Second Dáil. Armagh Mid, in republican theory, was incorporated in a four-member Dáil constituency of Armagh.

[edit] Members of Parliament

Key to parties: C Conservative, U Irish Unionist (1886-April 1921) and Ulster Unionist (May 1921-1922).

From	To	Name (Party)	Born	Died
1885	1886	Professor John McKane (C)		11 January 1886
1886	1891	Sir James Porter Corry, Bt (C)	1826	28 November 1891
1891	1900	Sir Dunbar Plunket Barton (U)	1853	11 September 1937
1900	1918	Sir John Lonsdale, Bt. (U)	23 March 1850	8 June 1924
1918	1921	James Rolston Lonsdale (U)	31 May 1865	23 May 1921
1921	1922	Henry Bruce Armstrong (U)	27 July 1844	4 December 1943

Note: Corry became (U) in July 1886. The Unionists were affiliated with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom Parliament

[edit] Elections

The elections in this constituency took place using the first past the post electoral system.

General Election 2 December 1885: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Professor John McKane	4,178	61.04	N/A
	Irish Parliamentary	Edmund Leamy	2,667	38.96	N/A
Majority			1,511	22.07	N/A
Turnout			8,169	83.79	N/A
	Conservative gain from new seat		Swing	N/A

• Death of McKane

By-Election 1 February 1886: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sir James Porter Corry, Bt	3,930	56.92	-4.12
	Liberal	Thomas Alexander Dickson	2,974	43.08	+43.08
Majority			956	13.85	-8.22
Turnout			8,169	84.51	+0.72
	Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 7 July 1886: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Sir James Porter Corry, Bt	4,160	62.26	+62.26
	Irish Parliamentary	Robert Riddall Gardner	2,522	37.74	+37.74
Majority			1,638	24.51	N/A
Turnout			8,169	81.80	-2.71
	Irish Unionist gain from Conservative		Swing	N/A

• Death of Corry

By-Election 17 December 1891: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Dunbar Plunket Barton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 5 July 1892: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Dunbar Plunket Barton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 15 July 1895: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Dunbar Plunket Barton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Barton as Solicitor-General for Ireland

By-Election 21 January 1898: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Dunbar Plunket Barton	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Appointment of Barton as a Justice of the Irish High Court

By-Election 12 February 1900: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Brownlee Lonsdale	3,212	63.95	N/A
	Liberal Unionist	John Gordon	1,811	36.05	N/A
Majority			1,401	27.89	N/A
Turnout			7,363	68.22	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 1 October 1900: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Brownlee Lonsdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 15 January 1906: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Brownlee Lonsdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 17 January 1910: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	John Brownlee Lonsdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 5 December 1910: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	Sir John Brownlee Lonsdale, Bt	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Creation of Lonsdale as Baron Armaghdale

By-Election 23 January 1918: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Rolston Lonsdale	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

General Election 14 December 1918: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Rolston Lonsdale	8,431	59.71	N/A
	Sinn Féin	Professor Liam O'Brien	5,689	40.29	N/A
Majority			2,742	19.42	N/A
Turnout			17,339	81.43	N/A
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

• Death of Lonsdale

By-Election 23 June 1921: Mid Armagh
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Ulster Unionist	Henry Bruce Armstrong	Unopposed	N/A	N/A
	Ulster Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

[edit] References

• Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume II 1886-1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1978)
• Who's Who of British Members of Parliament: Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (The Harvester Press 1979)

[edit] External links

• http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=0
• http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/en.toc.dail.html

[edit] See also

• List of UK Parliament Constituencies in Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918
• MPs elected in the UK general election, 1918
• List of Dáil Éireann constituencies in Ireland (historic)
• Members of the 1st Dáil