County Meath
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
CountyCounty Meath
1801–1885
Seats2
Created fromCounty Meath (IHC)
Replaced by

Meath was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Meath.

Members of Parliament

Election1st Member1st Party2nd Member2nd Party
1801 Hamilton Gorges Sir Marcus Somerville, 4th Baronet Whig[1]
1802 Thomas Cherburgh Bligh Whig[1]
1812 Thomas Taylour, Earl of Bective (later Marquess of Headfort) Whig[2]
Feb 1830 Arthur Plunkett, Baron Killeen, later Earl of Fingall Whig[1]
Aug 1831 Henry Grattan Repeal Association[1][3]
1832 Morgan O'Connell Repeal Association[1][3]
Feb 1840 Matthew Corbally Whig[4][5][6]
1841 Daniel O'Connell[7] Repeal Association[1][3]
Jun 1842 Matthew Corbally Whig[4][5][6]
1852 Ind. Irish[3] Frederick Lucas Ind. Irish[3]
1855 Edward McEvoy Ind. Irish[3]
1859 Liberal[3] Liberal[3]
1871 John Martin Ind. Nationalist[3]
1874 Home Rule League[3] Nicholas Ennis Home Rule League[3]
1875 Charles Stewart Parnell[8] Home Rule League[3]
Apr 1880 Robert Henry Metge Home Rule League[3]
May 1880 Alexander Martin Sullivan Home Rule League[3]
Feb 1882 Michael Davitt[9] Home Rule League[3]
Apr 1882 Edward Sheil Home Rule League[3]
Feb 1884 William Meagher Home Rule League[3]
1885 Constituency divided: see South Meath and North Meath

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

Taylour succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Marquess of Headfort and causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 February 1830: Meath[3][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Arthur Plunkett Unopposed
Registered electors 977
Whig hold
General election 1830: Meath[3][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Sir Marcus Somerville, 4th Baronet Unopposed
Whig Arthur Plunkett Unopposed
Registered electors 977
Whig hold
Whig hold
General election 1831: Meath[3][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Arthur Plunkett 417 47.2
Whig Sir Marcus Somerville, 4th Baronet 250 28.3
Irish Repeal Henry Grattan 198 22.4
Whig James Lenox William Naper 10 1.1
Tory Richard Rowley 8 0.9
Majority 52 5.9
Turnout c. 442 c. 45.2
Registered electors 977
Whig hold
Whig hold

Somerville's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 11 August 1831: Meath[3][1][10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Henry Grattan 309 67.3 +44.9
Whig John Duncan Bligh 150 32.7 −43.9
Majority 159 34.6 N/A
Turnout 459 47.0 c. +1.8
Registered electors 977
Irish Repeal gain from Whig Swing +44.4
General election 1832: Meath[3][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal Henry Grattan Unopposed
Irish Repeal Morgan O'Connell Unopposed
Registered electors 1,520
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1835: Meath[3][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal (Whig) Morgan O'Connell 838 35.7
Irish Repeal (Whig) Henry Grattan 826 35.2
Conservative Randal Plunkett 346 14.7
Conservative Gustavus Lambert 337 14.4
Majority 480 20.5
Turnout c. 1,174 c. 72.6
Registered electors 1,617
Irish Repeal hold
Irish Repeal hold
General election 1837: Meath[3][1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal (Whig) Morgan O'Connell Unopposed
Irish Repeal (Whig) Henry Grattan Unopposed
Registered electors 1,872
Irish Repeal hold
Irish Repeal hold

Elections in the 1840s

O'Connell resigned after being appointed assistant registrar of deeds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 4 February 1840: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Matthew Corbally Unopposed
Whig gain from Irish Repeal
General election 1841: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Daniel O'Connell Unopposed
Irish Repeal Henry Grattan Unopposed
Registered electors 1,236
Irish Repeal hold
Irish Repeal hold

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

By-election, 10 June 1842: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Matthew Corbally Unopposed
Whig gain from Irish Repeal
General election 1847: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Matthew Corbally 598 41.8 New
Irish Repeal Henry Grattan 503 35.1 N/A
Conservative Henry Corbet Singleton 331 23.1 New
Turnout 716 (est) 44.4 (est) N/A
Registered electors 1,611
Majority 95 6.7 N/A
Whig gain from Irish Repeal Swing N/A
Majority 172 12.0 N/A
Irish Repeal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Frederick Lucas 2,004 44.2 N/A
Independent Irish Matthew Corbally 1,968 43.4 +1.6
Independent Irish Henry Grattan 565 12.5 −22.6
Majority 1,403 30.9 N/A
Turnout 2,269 (est) 53.8 (est) +9.4
Registered electors 4,218
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal Swing N/A
Independent Irish gain from Whig Swing N/A

Lucas' death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 December 1855: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Edward McEvoy 1,639 64.6 N/A
Whig Henry Meredyth[11] 899 35.4 New
Majority 740 29.2 −1.7
Turnout 2,538 60.2 +6.4
Registered electors 4,218
Independent Irish hold Swing N/A
General election 1857: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Matthew Corbally Unopposed
Independent Irish Edward McEvoy Unopposed
Registered electors 4,177
Independent Irish hold
Independent Irish hold
General election 1859: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Matthew Corbally Unopposed
Liberal Edward McEvoy Unopposed
Registered electors 4,383
Liberal hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Matthew Corbally Unopposed
Liberal Edward McEvoy Unopposed
Registered electors 4,155
Liberal hold
Liberal hold
General election 1868: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Matthew Corbally 1,696 49.3 N/A
Liberal Edward McEvoy 1,655 48.1 N/A
Liberal John Thomas Hinds 88 2.6 N/A
Majority 1,567 45.5 N/A
Turnout 1,720 (est) 42.8 (est) N/A
Registered electors 4,018
Liberal hold Swing N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1870s

Corbally's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 Jan 1871: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Nationalist John Martin 1,140 62.5 New
Conservative George John Plunkett 684 37.5 New
Majority 456 25.0 N/A
Turnout 1,824 43.6 +0.8
Registered electors 4,179
Independent Nationalist gain from Liberal Swing N/A
General election 1874: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Nicholas Ennis 1,716 38.8 N/A
Home Rule John Martin 1,709 38.7 N/A
Conservative James Lennox Napier 992 22.5 N/A
Majority 717 16.2 N/A
Turnout 2,705 (est) 66.5 (est) +23.7
Registered electors 4,069
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing N/A
Home Rule gain from Independent Nationalist Swing N/A

Martin's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 Apr 1875: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Charles Stewart Parnell 1,771 62.8 −14.7
Conservative James Lennox Napier 912 32.3 +9.8
Home Rule John Thomas Hinds 138 4.9 N/A
Majority 859 30.5 +14.3
Turnout 2,821 68.2 +1.7
Registered electors 4,139
Home Rule hold Swing −12.3

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Parnellite Home Rule League Charles Stewart Parnell 2,283 45.2 +6.4
Home Rule Robert Henry Metge 2,252 44.6 +5.9
Conservative Henry Lorton Bourke 514 10.2 −12.3
Majority 1,738 34.4 +18.2
Turnout 2,797 (est) 72.1 (est) +5.6
Registered electors 3,877
Home Rule hold Swing +6.3
Home Rule hold Swing +6.0

Parnell was also elected MP for Cork City and opted to sit there, causing a by-election.

By-election, 20 May 1880: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Alexander Martin Sullivan Unopposed
Registered electors 3,877
Home Rule hold

Sullivan resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 22 Feb 1882: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Michael Davitt Unopposed
Registered electors 3,711
Home Rule hold

Davitt was disqualified because he was in prison, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 Apr 1882: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Edward Sheil Unopposed
Registered electors 3,711
Home Rule hold

Metge resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 21 Feb 1884: Meath[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule William Meagher (MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 3,660
Home Rule hold

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 236. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Fitzpatrick, David (1994). Oceans of Consolation: Personal Accounts of Irish Migration to Australia. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. p. 301. ISBN 0-8014-2606-5. Retrieved 21 May 2020 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 231–232, 303–304. ISBN 0901714127.
  4. 1 2 "Election News". Cambridge Independent Press. Cambridgeshire. 18 June 1842. p. 3. Retrieved 2 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. 1 2 "Meath". Gloucestershire Chronicle. 1 February 1840. p. 4. Retrieved 3 March 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. 1 2 "T.he Globe states that Mr. Matthew Elias Corbally,w ho declined". The Spectator. 28 May 1842. p. 11. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  7. ↑ O'Connell was also returned for County Cork and chose to sit for Cork
  8. ↑ At the 1880 general election, Parnell was also returned for both Mayo and Cork City. He chose to sit for Cork
  9. ↑ As a convicted felon, Davitt was held to be incapable of taking his seat. A by-election was held in April 1882
  10. 1 2 3 4 Salmon, Philip. "Co. Meath". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "County of Meath Election". Berkshire Chronicle. 15 December 1855. p. 8. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.

References

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