County Antrim (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

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County Antrim, Ireland, was represented in the Irish House of Commons by a county constituency of two knights of the shire (or MPs) until the abolition of the Irish Parliament on 1 January 1801.^[1] It was enfranchised as a parliamentary constituency at an uncertain date, between the first known meeting of the Parliament in 1264 and the division of the area into baronies in 1584.

The county was represented in the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, under the Instrument of Government, after it was established in 1654 as part of the constituency of Down, Antrim and Armagh (constituency). Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 the Parliament of Ireland was re-established and the constituency again returned two Members of Parliament. In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by James II, County Antrim was represented with two members.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Under the Acts of Union 1800, it continued to be represented in the Westminster constituency of County Antrim with two MPs in the United Kingdom House of Commons.^[2]

Boundaries and boundary changes

1264-1800: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis discusses the administrative history of Antrim. It is uncertain when Antrim was made a County and given representation as such in Parliament. Something like the modern arrangements seems to have originated in 1584 when the Lord Deputy Sir John Perrot divided the area into baronies. The parliamentary boroughs of Antrim (from 1666), Belfast (1613), Carrickfergus (1326), Lisburn (1661) and Randalstown (1683) had separate representation.

Members of Parliament

Election	First MP	Second MP
1585	Edward Berkeley	Shane McBrien O'Neill
1613	Sir Fulke Conway	Sir Moyses Hill^[3]
1634	Arthur Chichester	John Clotworthy
1639	Arthur Chichester	Sir Roger Langford
1660	Sir John Clotworthy	Sir George Rawdon^[4]
1661	Sir John Skeffington, Bt	John Davys
1665	Sir Toby (or John) Poyntz, vice Skeffington succeeded as 2nd Viscount MassereeneTemplate:Efn	Conway Hill, Esq, vice Davys, long absent without leave^[3]
1689	Cormack O'Neile	Randal MacDonnell
1692	Sir Robert Colville	Clotworthy Skeffington
1695	Sir Robert Colville	Arthur Upton
1697	Hugh Colville	Arthur Upton
1703	Clotworthy Skeffington	Clotworthy UptonScript error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
November 1715	John Skeffington Template:Efn
1715	Sir Arthur Langford, 2nd Bt
1716	Thomas Upton
1725	Thomas Upton	John Upton
1727	John Skeffington	John Upton
1741	Arthur Skeffington	Henry Seymour Conway
1747	Hugh Skeffington	Henry Seymour Conway
1768	Viscount Dunluce	Viscount Beauchamp
1776	Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway	James Willson
1783	John O'Neill	Hon. Hercules Rowley
1792	John O'Neill	Edward Jones-Agnew
1794	Hugh Boyd
1796	John Staples
1798	John Staples	Edmund Alexander Macnaghten
1801	Succeeded by the Westminster constituency of County Antrim

Notes

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