Westmeath (UK Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Westmeath is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.
, except for the Parliamentary borough
of Athlone 1801–1885.
!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
|-
| 1841, 12 July
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
Westmeath is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.
, except for the Parliamentary borough
of Athlone 1801–1885.
!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
|-
| 1841, 12 July
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
Westmeath is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.
, except for the Parliamentary borough
of Athlone 1801–1885.
!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
|-
| 1841, 12 July
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
|-
| 3 Apr 1857
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Richard Levinge, Bt.
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 10 May 1859
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| William Pollard-Urquhart
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 20 Jul 1865
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Algernon Greville
(later Baron Greville)
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 17 Jul 1871
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Patrick James Smyth
|rowspan="2"| Home Rule Party
|-
| 13 Feb 1874
| style="background-color: " |
| Lord Robert Montagu
|
|-
| 13 Apr 1880
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Timothy Daniel Sullivan
|rowspan="2"| Home Rule League
| style="background-color: " |
| Henry Joseph Gill
|
|-
| 27 Feb 1883
| style="background-color: " |
| Timothy Charles Harrington
|
|-
| 1885
|colspan="6"| Constituency abolished: see North Westmeath
and South Westmeath
|}
|-
!|Years!!Member!!Party
|-
|colspan=3| 1918 seat re-established
|-
| 1918–1922
| Laurence Ginnell
| Sinn Féin
|}
Boundaries
This constituency comprised the whole of County WestmeathCounty Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, 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...
of Athlone 1801–1885.
MPs 1801–1885
{| class="wikitable"!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
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...
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
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....
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
United Kingdom general election, 1826
The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
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...
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
Repeal Association
The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell to campaign for a repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland....
|-
| 1841, 12 July
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart , was a 19th century writer specialising in economic and policy questions of his day; he served as high sheriff of County Westmeath, and sat as Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
Westmeath is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.
Boundaries
This constituency comprised the whole of County WestmeathCounty Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, 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...
of Athlone 1801–1885.
MPs 1801–1885
{| class="wikitable"!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
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...
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
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....
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
United Kingdom general election, 1826
The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
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...
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
Repeal Association
The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell to campaign for a repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland....
|-
| 1841, 12 July
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart , was a 19th century writer specialising in economic and policy questions of his day; he served as high sheriff of County Westmeath, and sat as Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
Westmeath is a former UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning two Members of Parliament 1801–1885 and one in 1918–1922.
Boundaries
This constituency comprised the whole of County WestmeathCounty Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, 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...
of Athlone 1801–1885.
MPs 1801–1885
{| class="wikitable"!Year!!colspan="2"|1st Member!!1st Party!!colspan="2"|2nd Member!!2nd Party
|-
|1801, 1 January
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...
|style="background-color: " |
|William Smyth
|
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: "|
|rowspan="3"| Gustavus Hume-Rochfort ||rowspan="2"|
|-
|1808, 27 February
|style="background-color: " rowspan="3" |
|rowspan="3"| Hon. Hercules Robert Pakenham
|rowspan="3"| Tory
|-
|1812, 24 October
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....
| style="background-color: " |
| Tory
|-
| 1824, 3 March
|style="background-color: " |
| Robert Smyth
| Whig
|-
|1826, 22 June
United Kingdom general election, 1826
The 1826 United Kingdom general election saw the Tories under the Earl of Liverpool win a substantial and increased majority over the Whigs. In Ireland, Home Rule candidates, working with the Whigs, won large gains from Unionist candidates....
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Gustavus Rochfort
|rowspan="2"| Tory
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite
| Tory
|-
|1830, 12 August
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...
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Montagu Lowther Chapman, Bt
|rowspan="2"| Whig
|-
|1832, 20 December
United Kingdom general election, 1832
-Seats summary:-Parties and leaders at the general election:The Earl Grey had been Prime Minister since 22 November 1830. His was the first predominantly Whig administration since the Ministry of all the Talents in 1806-1807....
|style="background-color: " |
|Sir Richard Nagle, Bt
| Repeal Association
Repeal Association
The Repeal Association was an Irish mass membership political movement set up by Daniel O'Connell to campaign for a repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 between Great Britain and Ireland....
|-
| 1841, 12 July
United Kingdom general election, 1841
-Seats summary:-Whig MPs who lost their seats:*Viscount Morpeth - Chief Secretary for Ireland*Sir George Strickland, Bt*Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987...
| style="background-color: " |
| Hugh Morgan Tuite || Whig
| style="background-color: " |
| Benjamin James Chapman
| Whig
|-
|-
| 10 Aug 1847
|rowspan="3" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="3"| William Henry Magan
|rowspan="3"|
| style="background-color: " |
| Sir Percy Fitzgerald Nugent, Bt
|
|-
| 22 Jul 1852
| style="background-color: " |
| William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart , was a 19th century writer specialising in economic and policy questions of his day; he served as high sheriff of County Westmeath, and sat as Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
|-
| 3 Apr 1857
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Sir Richard Levinge, Bt.
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 10 May 1859
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart
William Pollard-Urquhart , was a 19th century writer specialising in economic and policy questions of his day; he served as high sheriff of County Westmeath, and sat as Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 20 Jul 1865
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Algernon Greville
Algernon Greville, 2nd Baron Greville
Algernon William Fulke Greville, 2nd Baron Greville was a British politician.Algernon was the eldest son of Fulke Southwell Greville and his wife Lady Rosa Nugent, the only daughter and heir of the Marquess of Westmeath...
(later Baron Greville)
|rowspan="2"|
|-
| 17 Jul 1871
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Patrick James Smyth
Patrick James Smyth
Patrick James Smyth "Nicaragua Smyth" was an Irish politician and journalist.He was educated at Clongowes Wood College where he became friends with Thomas Francis Meagher, with whom he joined the Repeal Association in 1844...
|rowspan="2"| Home Rule Party
Home Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
|-
| 13 Feb 1874
| style="background-color: " |
| Lord Robert Montagu
Lord Robert Montagu
Lord Robert Montagu PC , was a British Conservative politician. He served as Vice-President of the Committee on Education between 1867 and 1868.-Background and education:...
|
|-
| 13 Apr 1880
|rowspan="2" style="background-color: " |
|rowspan="2"| Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan
Timothy Daniel Sullivan was an Irish nationalist, journalist, politician and poet who wrote the Irish national hymn "God Save Ireland", in 1867...
|rowspan="2"| Home Rule League
Home Rule League
The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a political party which campaigned for home rule for the country of Ireland from 1873 to 1882, when it was replaced by the Irish Parliamentary Party.-Origins:...
| style="background-color: " |
| Henry Joseph Gill
|
|-
| 27 Feb 1883
| style="background-color: " |
| Timothy Charles Harrington
Timothy Charles Harrington
Timothy Charles Harrington , born in Castletownbere, County Cork, was an Irish journalist, barrister, nationalist politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. As a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party he represented Westmeath...
|
|-
| 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
|colspan="6"| Constituency abolished: see North Westmeath
North Westmeath (UK Parliament constituency)
North Westmeath was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1918.Prior to the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the area was part of the Westmeath constituency....
and South Westmeath
South Westmeath (UK Parliament constituency)
South Westmeath was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland, returning one Member of Parliament 1885–1918.Prior to the 1885 general election and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1918 the area was part of the Westmeath constituency....
|}
MPs 1885–1918
{| class="wikitable"|-
!|Years!!Member!!Party
|-
|colspan=3| 1918 seat re-established
|-
| 1918–1922
| Laurence Ginnell
Laurence Ginnell
Laurence Ginnell was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer and Member of Parliament of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party for Westmeath North at the 1906 UK general election, from 1910 he sat as an Independent...
| Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
|}