Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)

Londonderry was a parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, as well as a constituency in elections to various regional bodies. It was replaced in boundary changes in 1983. Londonderry returned two MPs (1801–1885) and later one (1922–1983).

Politics and history of the constituency

From its inception, Londonderry had a unionist majority, though by the 1970s the nationalist vote was approaching 40% in some elections.

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

In 1974 the Ulster Unionist Party repudiated the Sunningdale Agreement and so did not reselect Robin Chichester-Clark, who had been a Minister in the government of Edward Heath. Instead they ran William Ross, who held the seat until the 1983 general election. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry constituency.

For the history of the area post-1983, see Foyle (UK Parliament constituency) and East Londonderry.

Boundaries

The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry,Template:Efn except for the parliamentary boroughs of Coleraine and Londonderry City.

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 reduced from 30 to 13. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. From 1922 to 1950, it comprised the administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough of Londonderry. From 1950 onwards, the rural district of Magherafelt in the south of the county was removed to form part of the new Mid Ulster constituency.

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

Members of Parliament

1801–1885

Election		First member	First party		Second member	Second party
1801	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hon. Charles Stewart	Tory	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Vacant
1801 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Sir George Hill, 2nd Bt	Tory
1802	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Lord George Beresford
1812	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Hon. William Ponsonby
1814 by-election	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alexander Stewart	Tory
1815 by-election	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			George Robert Dawson	Tory
1818	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Alexander Robert Stewart	Tory
1830	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Theobald Jones	Tory	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Robert Bateson, 1st Bt	Tory
1834	rowspan="4" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Conservative	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Conservative
1842 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Robert Bateson	Conservative
1844 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Thomas Bateson
1857 by-election	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			James Johnston Clark
1857	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Samuel MacCurdy Greer	Radical
1859	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Robert Peel Dawson	Conservative	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |		Sir Frederick Heygate, 2nd Bt
1874	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Richard Smyth	Liberal	rowspan="2" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Hugh Law	Liberal
1878 by-election	rowspan="3" style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	Sir Thomas McClure, 1st Bt
1881 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Andrew Porter
1884 by-election	style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |			Samuel Walker
1885		constituency abolished: see North Londonderry & South Londonderry

1922–1983

Election		Member	Party
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1922	Sir Malcolm Macnaghten	Ulster Unionist
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1929 by-election	Sir Ronald Ross
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1951 by-election	William Wellwood
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	1955	Robin Chichester-Clark
style="color:inherit;background-color: Template:Party color" |	February 1974	William Ross
1983		constituency abolished: see Foyle & East Londonderry

Westminster elections

File:Londonderry election results.png

Londonderry / East Londonderry election results

Elections in the 1830s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

1830 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box majority no changeTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

1831 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
		Robert Bateson, Snr.		38.7
		Theobald Jones		35.9
		John Byng		23.4
		John Richard James Hart		2.0
Turnout			c. Template:Trim	c. Template:Trim
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

1832 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

1835 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box registered electors no change

1837 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	hold
	hold

Elections in the 1840s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1841 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			1,718
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 26 May 1842: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Bateson's resignation by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 13 March 1844: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Bateson's death

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1847 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			4,663
	hold
	hold

Elections in the 1850s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 13 March 1852: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	hold

• Caused by Bateson's appointment as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

1852 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Thomas Bateson	Template:Replace	38.0
		Theobald Jones	Template:Replace	34.6
		Samuel MacCurdy Greer	1,518	27.5
Majority			391	7.1
Turnout			3,522 (est)	81.8 (est)
Registered electors			4,305
	hold		Swing	N/A
	hold		Swing	N/A

By-election, 9 March 1857: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		James Johnston Clark	Template:Replace	64.1
		Samuel MacCurdy Greer	1,457	35.9
Majority			1,143	28.2
Turnout			4,057	79.8
Registered electors			5,081
	hold		Swing	−8.5

• Caused by Bateson's resignation.

1857 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		James Johnston Clark	Template:Replace	37.5
		Samuel MacCurdy Greer	Template:Replace	36.4
		Henry Bruce	1,676	26.1
Turnout			3,210 (est)	63.2 (est)
Registered electors			5,081
Majority			65	1.1
	hold		Swing	+2.5
Majority			663	10.3
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+9.0

1859 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robert Peel Dawson	Template:Replace	38.2
		Frederick Heygate	Template:Replace	35.8
		Samuel MacCurdy Greer	1,790	26.0
Majority			678	9.8
Turnout			4,338 (est)	83.8 (est)
Registered electors			5,178
	hold		Swing	+3.2
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	+7.7

Elections in the 1860s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1865 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			5,512
	hold
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party linkTemplate:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1868 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			5,582
	hold
	hold

Elections in the 1870s

1874 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Richard Smyth	Template:Replace	33.8
		Hugh Law	Template:Replace	30.6
		Robert Jackson Alexander	1,747	19.8
		John Barré Beresford	1,402	15.9
Majority			954	10.8
Turnout			4,419 (est)	82.4 (est)
Registered electors			5,362
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A
	gain from Template:Yesno		Swing	N/A

By-election, 18 Dec 1878: Londonderry (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Thomas McClure	Template:Replace	56.9
		Samuel Maxwell Alexander	1,878	43.1
Majority			601	13.8
Turnout			4,357	76.3
Registered electors			5,714
	hold		Swing	−7.5

• Caused by Smyth's death.

Elections in the 1880s

1880 general election: Londonderry (2 seats)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Hugh Law	Template:Replace	37.5
		Thomas McClure	Template:Replace	36.3
		Samuel Maxwell Alexander	2,107	26.2
Majority			805	10.1
Turnout			5,069 (est)	86.6 (est)
Registered electors			5,853
	hold		Swing	+5.8
	hold		Swing	+3.6

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 19 May 1880: Londonderry (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			5,853
	hold

• Caused by Law's appointment as Attorney-General for Ireland

By-election, 6 Dec 1881: Londonderry (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Andrew Porter	Template:Replace	56.1
		Samuel Wilson	2,054	42.7
		Charles John Dempsey	56	1.2
Majority			647	13.4
Turnout			4,811	81.6
Registered electors			5,896
	hold		Swing	−17.1

• Caused by Law's appointment as Lord Chancellor of Ireland

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

By-election, 10 Jan 1884: Londonderry (1 seat)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors			5,798
	hold

• Caused by Porter's appointment as Master of the Rolls

Elections in the 1920s

1922 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Malcolm Macnaghten	Template:Replace	75.7
		Edmund Loftus MacNaghten	9,861	24.3
Majority			20,882	51.4
Turnout			40,604	63.9
	win (new seat)

• anti-partition

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1923 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

1924 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Malcolm Macnaghten	Template:Replace	82.9
		Charles MacWhinney	5,869	15.8
		William Galt	517	1.4
Majority			25,006	67.1
Turnout			37,261	59.1
	hold		Swing	N/A

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1929 Londonderry by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1929 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

Elections in the 1930s

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1931 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1935 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

Elections in the 1940s

1945 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Ronald Ross	Template:Replace	50.8
		Denis Cavanagh	37,561	47.4
		Milton Gordon	1,471	1.9
Majority			2,653	3.4
Turnout			79,246	88.1
	hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1950s

1950 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Ronald Ross	Template:Replace	62.6
		Hugh McAteer	21,880	37.4
Majority			14,722	25.2
Turnout			58,482	80.7
	hold		Swing

In the 1951 Londonderry by-election and the 1951 United Kingdom general election, William Wellwood was elected unopposed.

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1951 Londonderry by-election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

Template:Election box winning candidate unopposed with party link

1951 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Registered electors
	hold

1955 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robin Chichester-Clark	Template:Replace	64.5
		Manus Canning	19,640	35.5
Majority			16,033	29.0
Turnout			55,313	77.6
	hold		Swing	N/A

1959 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robin Chichester-Clark	Template:Replace	73.0
		Manus Canning	13,872	27.0
Majority			23,657	46.0
Turnout			51,401	70.2
	hold		Swing	+8.5

Elections in the 1960s

1964 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robin Chichester-Clark	Template:Replace	64.1
		Hugh McAteer	21,123	35.9
Majority			16,577	28.2
Turnout			58,823	76.5
	hold		Swing

1966 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robin Chichester-Clark	Template:Replace	58.1
		Paddy Gormley	22,167	37.1
		Neil Gillespie	2,860	4.8
Majority			12,562	21.0
Turnout			59,756	76.4
	hold		Swing

Elections in the 1970s

1970 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		Robin Chichester-Clark	Template:Replace	53.1
		Eddie McAteer	27,006	36.6
	Derry Labour	Eamonn McCann	7,565	10.3
Majority			12,135	16.5
Turnout			73,712	81.6
	hold		Swing	N/A

February 1974 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Ross	Template:Replace	52.7
		Hugh Logue	23,670	37.7
		Michael Montgomery	4,889	7.8
		Richard Foster	1,162	1.9
Majority			9,390	15.0
Turnout			62,781	68.1
	hold		Swing

October 1974 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Ross	Template:Replace	54.4
		John Hume	26,118	40.4
		Michael Montgomery	2,530	3.9
		Richard Foster	846	1.3
Majority			9,020	14.0
Turnout			64,632	69.3
	hold		Swing

1979 general election: Londonderry

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
		William Ross	Template:Replace	49.7
		Hugh Logue	19,185	30.2
		Arthur Barr	5,830	9.2
		Fergus McAteer	5,489	8.6
		Eamonn Melaugh	888	1.4
		William Webster	639	1.0
Majority			12,407	19.5
Turnout			63,623	67.1
	hold		Swing