Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

Londonderry was a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. It returned two MPs 1801–1885 and one 1922-1983.

Boundaries

The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry

County Londonderry

The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...

, except for the Parliamentary borough

Parliamentary borough

Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

s of Coleraine

Coleraine (UK Parliament constituency)

Coleraine is a former United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland, returning one MP. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801.-Boundaries:...

and Londonderry City

Londonderry City (UK Parliament constituency)

Londonderry City was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system .-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...

.

The seat was re-created in 1922. As part of the consequences of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Londonderry

County Londonderry

. It comprised the Administrative county

Administrative county

An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....

of Londonderry and the County Borough

County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

of Londonderry.

In 1951, it was one of the last four seats to be uncontested in a United Kingdom general election.

In 1983 the number of seats for Northern Ireland was increased from 12 to 17 and Londonderry was split in two, forming Foyle

Foyle (UK Parliament constituency)

Foyle is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...

and East Londonderry

East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

East Londonderry is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...

1801–1885

Election	First member	First party	Second member	Second party
1801 United Kingdom general election, 1801 The United Kingdom general election, 1801 was not an election as such, but the co-option of members to serve in the first Parliament to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 January 1801...	Hon. Charles William Stewart		Vacant
1801 by-election			Sir George Hill, 2nd Bt
1802 United Kingdom general election, 1802 The United Kingdom general election, 1802 was the election to the 2nd Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the first to be held after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...			Lord George Thomas Beresford	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1812 United Kingdom general election, 1812 The election to the 5th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1812 was the fourth general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....			Hon. William Ponsonby	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1814 by-election	Alexander Stewart Alexander Stewart (1746–1831) Alexander Stewart was an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.He was the son of Alexander Stewart of Mount Stewart by his wife Mary, sister and heiress of Robert Cowan of Bombay...		Hon. William Ponsonby
1815 by-election			George Robert Dawson George Robert Dawson George Robert Dawson PC , was an Anglo-Irish Tory politician.-Background and education:Dawson was born at Castledawson, County Londonderry, Ireland, the son of Arthur Dawson, who represented Banagher, Midleton and Newtownards in the Irish Parliament, and Catherine Tyrone...
1818 United Kingdom general election, 1818 The 1818 general election of the United Kingdom saw the Whigs gain a few seats, but the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool retained a majority of around 90 seats...	Alexander Robert Stewart Alexander Robert Stewart Alexander Robert Stewart was an Irish landowner and Member of Parliament.He was the son of Alexander Stewart of Ards by his wife Lady Mary, daughter of Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda...
1830 United Kingdom general election, 1830 The 1830 United Kingdom general election, was triggered by the death of King George IV and produced the first parliament of the reign of his successor, William IV. Fought in the aftermath of the Swing Riots, it saw electoral reform become a major election issue...	Theobald Jones		Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Bt Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet DL was an Irish baronet, landowner and Conservative politician.He was the only son of Thomas Bateson and his wife Elizabeth, youngest daughter of George Lloyd....	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1842 by-election			Robert Bateson Robert Bateson (politician) Robert Bateson was an Irish Conservative politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Baronet and his wife Catherine, the youngest daughter of Samuel Dickinson....	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
1844 by-election			Thomas Bateson Thomas Bateson, 1st Baron Deramore Thomas Bateson, 1st Baron Deramore , known as Sir Thomas Bateson, 2nd Bt from 1863 until 1885, was a British peer and Conservative Party politician.-Biography:...
1857 United Kingdom general election, 1857 -Seats summary:-References:F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987 British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...			James Johnston Clark James Johnston Clark James Johnston Clark was a Unionist politician in Ireland.Clark lived in Largantogher House, Maghera, County Londonderry and was a Unionist Member of Parliament for County Londonderry from 9 March 1857 until 1859. He was a member of the Carlton Club, London.His son, Sir William Ovens Clark, was...
1857 by-election	Samuel Macurdy Greer
1859 United Kingdom general election, 1859 In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...	Robert Peel Dawson Robert Peel Dawson Colonel Robert Peel Dawson was an Irish Member of the House of Commons at Westminster. He was one of the Dawson family of Castledawson and lived at Moyola Park, County Londonderry. He served as MP for County Londonderry from 1859 to 1874.He was the son of The Rt. Hon...		Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Bt
1874 United Kingdom general election, 1874 -Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...	Richard Smyth Richard Smyth (minister) Richard Smyth was a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and politician.Smyth, son of Hugh Smyth of Bushmills, County Antrim, by Sarah Anne, daughter of J. Wray, was born at Dervock, County Antrim, on 4 Oct. 1826. He was educated at the University of Bonn and at the University of...	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...	Hugh Law Hugh Law Hugh Law PC , QC was an Irish lawyer, politician and Lord Chancellor of Ireland.Law was educated at Trinity College, Dublin where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1839. He became a barrister in 1840 and a Queen's Counsel in 1860...
1878 by-election	Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Bt Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Baronet, DL was an MP for Belfast from 1868-1874. MP for Londonderry County 1878-1885.Made 1st Baronet of Belmont, County Down 20 March 1874. Baronetcy extinct on his death...
1881 by-election			Andrew Marshall Porter Sir Andrew Porter, 1st Baronet Sir Andrew Marshall Porter, 1st Baronet PC, QC was an Irish lawyer and judge.-Background and education:Porter was born in Belfast, the son of Reverend John Scott Porter...
1884 by-election			Samuel Walker	Liberal Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
1885 United Kingdom general election, 1885 -Seats summary:-See also:List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918Representation of the People Act 1884Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...	constituency abolished: see North Londonderry North Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency) North Londonderry was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland.-Boundaries and boundary changes:This county constituency comprised the northern part of County Londonderry.It returned one Member of Parliament 1885–1922.... & South Londonderry South Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency) South Londonderry was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1885 until it was abolished in 1922.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...

1922–1983

Election		Member	Party
	1922 United Kingdom general election, 1922 The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...	Sir Malcolm Macnaghten Malcolm Macnaghten Sir Malcolm Martin Macnaghten KBE , was a Northern Ireland Unionist politician and judge, the fourth son of Lord Macnaghten, Bt.....	Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
	1929 by-election	Sir Ronald Ross Sir Ronald Ross, 2nd Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ronald Deane Ross, 2nd Baronet MC was an Ulster Unionist Northern Irish Member of Parliament .-Military career:...	Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
	1951 by-election	William Wellwood William Wellwood Captain William Wellwood MC was the Ulster Unionist Party MP for Londonderry in the Westminster Parliament from 1951 to 1955.Following the retirement of Ronald Ross, Wellwood was elected unopposed in a by-election on 19 May 1951....	Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
	1955 United Kingdom general election, 1955 The 1955 United Kingdom general election was held on 26 May 1955, four years after the previous general election. It resulted in a substantially increased majority of 60 for the Conservative government under new leader and prime minister Sir Anthony Eden against Labour Party, now in their 20th year...	Robin Chichester-Clark Robin Chichester-Clark Sir Robert Chichester-Clark was member of parliament for Londonderry in the British House of Commons from 1955 until February 1974, and was the only member representing Northern Ireland to be a British government minister since the Government of Ireland Act 1920.-Early life:Chichester-Clark was...	Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
	Feb 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...	William Ross	Ulster Unionist Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...		constituency abolished: see Foyle Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) Foyle is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency... & East Londonderry East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency) East Londonderry is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in boundary changes in 1983, as part of an expansion of Northern Ireland's constituencies from 12 to 17, and was predominantly made up from the old Londonderry constituency...

Elections in the 1970s

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1950s

In the Londonderry by-election, 1951 and the United Kingdom general election, 1951

United Kingdom general election, 1951

The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...

, William Wellwood

William Wellwood

Captain William Wellwood MC was the Ulster Unionist Party MP for Londonderry in the Westminster Parliament from 1951 to 1955.Following the retirement of Ronald Ross, Wellwood was elected unopposed in a by-election on 19 May 1951....

was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1930s

In the 1931

United Kingdom general election, 1931

The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...

and 1935 United Kingdom general elections, Ronald Deane Ross

Sir Ronald Ross, 2nd Baronet

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ronald Deane Ross, 2nd Baronet MC was an Ulster Unionist Northern Irish Member of Parliament .-Military career:...

was elected unopposed.

Elections in the 1920s

In the Londonderry by-election, 1929 and the United Kingdom general election, 1929

United Kingdom general election, 1929

-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...

, Ronald Deane Ross

Sir Ronald Ross, 2nd Baronet

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ronald Deane Ross, 2nd Baronet MC was an Ulster Unionist Northern Irish Member of Parliament .-Military career:...

was elected unopposed.

In the United Kingdom general election, 1923

United Kingdom general election, 1923

-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...

, Malcolm Macnaghten

Malcolm Macnaghten

Sir Malcolm Martin Macnaghten KBE , was a Northern Ireland Unionist politician and judge, the fourth son of Lord Macnaghten, Bt.....

was elected unopposed.

Politics and History of the constituency

From its inception Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist

Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

vote was approaching 40% in some elections.

In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement

Sunningdale Agreement

The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to establish a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland. The Agreement was signed at the Civil Service College in Sunningdale Park located in Sunningdale, Berkshire, on 9 December 1973.Unionist opposition, violence and...

and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark

Robin Chichester-Clark

Sir Robert Chichester-Clark was member of parliament for Londonderry in the British House of Commons from 1955 until February 1974, and was the only member representing Northern Ireland to be a British government minister since the Government of Ireland Act 1920.-Early life:Chichester-Clark was...

, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath

Edward Heath

Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....

. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until 1983

United Kingdom general election, 1983

The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...

. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry

East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

.

For the history of the area post 1983, please see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency)

Foyle (UK Parliament constituency)

and East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

East Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

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