Cashel (UK Parliament constituency)

Cashel is a former British 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.

Cashel
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1801–1870
Number of membersOne
Replaced byTipperary

There were problems with the 21 November 1868 election in the Borough. A petition was presented by the losing candidate, alleging corruption. As a result, the election was declared void. Parliament then passed the Sligo and Cashel Disenfranchisement Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c.38). On 1 August 1870 Cashel lost the right to elect its own MP. The area was transferred to form part of the Tipperary (UK Parliament constituency).

History

The corporation of the city of Cashel existed, as the local government of its area, until it was abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840. The parliamentary borough was not affected by this change in administrative arrangements.

Samuel Lewis, writing in 1837, described the oligarchic constitution of the city.

The corporation, under the style of the "Mayor, Aldermen, Bailiffs, Citizens, and Commons of the City of Cashel," consists of a mayor, aldermen (limited by the charter to 17 in number), two bailiffs, and an unlimited number of commons, aided by a recorder, town-clerk, two serjeants-at-mace, a sword-bearer, and a crier; a treasurer is also appointed. The mayor is elected annually on 29 June, by the court of common hall, and is one of three persons nominated by the aldermen from among themselves, but the choice may be extended to the citizens and commons, at the discretion of the aldermen; he is sworn into office on 29 Sept., and, with the concurrence of three aldermen, has power to appoint a deputy during illness or absence. The aldermen, on vacancies occurring, are chosen from among the freemen by the remaining aldermen, and hold office for life. The recorder, according to practice, is elected by the mayor and aldermen, but the charter gives the power to the entire body; he holds his office during good behaviour, and may appoint a deputy. The bailiffs, by the charter, are eligible from among the citizens, one by the mayor and aldermen and one by the corporation at large; according to practice they are elected annually on 29 June in the common hall from among the freemen, on the recommendation of the aldermen. The town-clerk is elected annually with the mayor and bailiffs; the sword-bearer is eligible by the whole body, and holds his office during good behaviour; and the serjeant-at-mace and the crier are appointed by the mayor. The freedom is obtained only by gift of the mayor and aldermen, who are the ruling body of the corporation, and have the entire management of its affairs. The city returned two members to the Irish parliament until the Union, since which it has sent one to the Imperial parliament. The right of election was vested solely in the corporation, but by the act of the 2nd of Wm. IV., cap. 88, has been extended to the £10 householders of an enlarged district, comprising an area of 3,974 acres [16.08 km2], which has been constituted the new electoral borough, and the limits of which are minutely described in the Appendix: the number of electors registered at the close of 1835 was 277, of whom 8 were freemen; the mayor is the returning officer.

Boundaries

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Cashel in County Tipperary.

The boundaries of the Cities and Boroughs in Ireland were defined by an Act passed in 1832, whose long title was "An Act to settle and describe the Limits of Cities, Towns, and Boroughs in Ireland, in so far as respects the Election of Members to serve in Parliament." This legislation was subsequently given the short title of the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832.

The boundaries of this constituency were described as follows.

The whole of the District under the Jurisdiction of the Mayor; and in addition thereto, The Space which lies between the Boundary of the said Jurisdiction and a straight Line to be drawn from the North-eastern Corner of the Enclosure Wall of the Charter School on the Dublin Road, in a South-easterly Direction, to the Point at which the Southernmost Killenaule Road is met by a Wall which runs thereto from the Northernmost Fethard Road, and which Point is about One hundred and seventy-six Yards North-west of the Point at which the Southernmost Killenaule Road leaves the Northernmost Fethard Road; And also the Space which lies between the Boundary of the said Jurisdiction and the following Boundary; (that is to say,) From the Point on the West of the Town at which the Boundary of the old Borough is met by a Wall which runs therefrom, first Westward and then Northward, to the Golden Road, Westward, along the said Wall to the Point at which the same meets the Golden Road; thence, Eastward, along the Golden Road (for about Twenty-two Yards) to the Point at which the same is met by a Ditch and Wall at the End of a Porter's Lodge; thence along the said Ditch and Wall (which bend Eastward) for about Seventy Yards; thence along the Continuation of the last-mentioned Ditch, Northward, for about One hundred Yards; thence along a Garden Wall continuing in the same Direction, Northward, for about One hundred and thirty Yards, to the Point at which the same meets a Wall which runs Westward therefrom; thence, Westward, along the last-mentioned Wall (for about Fifty-five Yards) to the Point at which the same meets a Wall which bends round Eastward to the Camas Road; thence along the last-mentioned Wall to the Point at which the same meets the Camas Road; thence along the Road which leads from the Camas Road into the Armel Road to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the old Borough.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberPartyNote
1801, 1 January Richard Bagwell Resigned
1801, 9 December John Bagwell Dean of Kilmacduagh, 1804 and Clogher, 1806
1802, 27 July Rt Hon. William Wickham Whig
1806, 17 November Viscount Primrose Whig
1807, 25 May Quinton Dick Tory Resigned
1809, 15 April Robert Peel Tory Later Prime Minister 1834–1835 and 1841–1846
1812, 26 October Sir Charles Saxton, Bt Tory
1818, 9 June Richard Pennefather Tory Resigned
1819, 4 March Ebenezer John Collett Tory[1]
1830, 5 August Mathew Pennefather Tory[2] Resigned
1831, 16 July Philip Pusey Tory[2]
1832, 14 December James Roe Repeal Association[3]
1835, 14 January Louis Perrin Whig[2] Appointed Judge of the Irish Court of Kings Bench
1835, 4 September Rt Hon. Stephen Woulfe Whig[2] Appointed Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland
1838, 14 July Joseph Stock Whig[2][4] Resigned
1846, 5 February Sir Timothy O'Brien, Bt Repeal Association[3][5] Re-elected as a Liberal candidate
1852, 15 July Independent Irish[3]
1857, 3 April Whig[6]
1859, 6 May John Lanigan Liberal
1865, 17 July James Lyster O'Briene Liberal 1868: Election declared void and borough disenfranchised
1870 Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Cashel [3][2][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Mathew Pennefather Unopposed
Registered electors 26
Tory hold
General election 1831: Cashel [3][2][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Mathew Pennefather Unopposed
Registered electors 26
Tory hold

Pennefather resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 16 July 1831: Cashel [3][2][7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Tory Philip Pusey Unopposed
Registered electors 26
Tory hold
General election 1832: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Irish Repeal James Roe (MP) Unopposed
Registered electors 277
Irish Repeal gain from Tory
General election 1835: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Louis Perrin 166 74.8
Conservative Mathew Pennefather 56 25.2
Majority 110 49.6
Turnout 222 68.3
Registered electors 325
Whig gain from Irish Repeal

Perrin was appointed as Attorney-General for Ireland, causing a by-election.

By-election, 28 April 1835: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Louis Perrin Unopposed
Registered electors 341
Whig hold

Perrin was appointed as a Puisne justice of the King's Bench, causing a by-election.

By-election, 4 September 1835: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Stephen Woulfe Unopposed
Registered electors 351
Whig hold

Woulfe was appointed as Solicitor-General for Ireland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 10 February 1837: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Stephen Woulfe Unopposed
Registered electors 373
Whig hold
General election 1837: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Stephen Woulfe Unopposed
Registered electors 353
Whig hold

Woulfe was appointed as Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Ireland, causing a by-election.

By-election, 14 July 1838: Cashel [3][2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Whig Joseph Stock Unopposed
Whig hold

Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Joseph Stock Unopposed
Registered electors 267
Whig hold

Stock resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.

By-election, 5 February 1846: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Timothy O'Brien Unopposed
Irish Repeal gain from Whig
General election 1847: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Irish Repeal Timothy O'Brien Unopposed
Registered electors 172
Irish Repeal gain from Whig

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Irish Timothy O'Brien 60 75.9 N/A
Conservative Charles McGarel[8][9] 19 24.1 New
Majority 41 51.8 N/A
Turnout 79 71.2 N/A
Registered electors 111
Independent Irish gain from Irish Repeal Swing
General election 1857: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Timothy O'Brien 54 42.2 −33.7
Conservative Charles Hemphill[10] 39 30.5 +6.4
Independent Irish John Lanigan 35 27.3 N/A
Majority 15 11.7 N/A
Turnout 128 94.8 +23.6
Registered electors 135
Whig gain from Independent Irish Swing −20.1
General election 1859: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Lanigan 91 83.5 +56.3
Conservative John Carden 10 9.2 -23.3
Liberal-Conservative Charles Hemphill[11] 8 7.3 N/A
Majority 81 74.3 +62.6
Turnout 109 74.1 −20.7
Registered electors 147
Liberal hold Swing +39.7

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Cashel [3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James O'Beirne 86 63.7 N/A
Liberal John Lanigan 49 36.3 −47.2
Majority 37 27.4 −46.9
Turnout 135 92.5 +18.4
Registered electors 146
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1868: Cashel[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal James O'Beirne 100 54.3 −9.4
Liberal Henry Munster 84 45.7 +9.4
Majority 16 8.6 −18.8
Turnout 184 90.6 −1.9
Registered electors 203
Liberal hold Swing −9.4

On petition, this election was declared void on account of bribery and the seat was disenfranchised.[12] The seat was absorbed into Tipperary in 1870.

Notes

  1. Salmon, Philip. "COLLETT, Ebenezer John (1755–1833), of Lockers House, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. and 19 Great George Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  2. Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 218. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via Google Books.
  3. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
  4. "Northern Liberator". 28 July 1838. p. 2. Retrieved 19 August 2019 via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "Cashel Election". Tipperary Vindicator. 7 August 1847. p. 1. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. "Election Intelligence". Kings County Chronicle. 18 March 1857. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. Salmon, Philip. "Cashel". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  8. "Limerick Reporter". 13 July 1852. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. Hawkins, Angus (2015). Victorian Political Culture: 'Habits of Heart & Mind'. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-19-872848-1. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  10. "Kings County Chronicle". 8 April 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Tipperary Free Press". 22 April 1859. p. 2. Retrieved 18 September 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Cashel". Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail. 23 April 1870. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 4 February 2018 via British Newspaper Archive.

References

  • The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844–50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
  • Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
  • British Electoral Facts 1832–1987, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Parliamentary Research Services, 5th edition, 1989)
  • Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 3)
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