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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).

Boundaries

The constituency consisted, in 1801–1885, of the whole of County Londonderry, 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 drastically cut. The seat was focused on County Londonderry. It comprised the administrative county of Londonderry and the County Borough 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 and East Londonderry.

Members of Parliament

1801–1885

1922–1983

Westminster elections

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

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

• Caused by Bateson's death

Elections in the 1850s

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

• Caused by Bateson's resignation.

Elections in the 1860s

Elections in the 1870s

• Caused by Smyth's death.

Elections in the 1880s

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

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

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

Elections in the 1920s

• anti-partition

Elections in the 1930s

Elections in the 1940s

Elections in the 1950s

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

Elections in the 1960s

Elections in the 1970s

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 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 1983. He was then elected for the new East Londonderry.

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

Notes

1. There is a longstanding Derry/Londonderry name dispute. This article follows the approach that Derry refers to the city and County Londonderry refers to the county (outside of organisations' names, which may follow their own approaches).

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 4)

1. known as Sir Charles Stewart from 1813
2. Farrell, Stephen. "STEWART, Alexander Robert (1795-1850), of Ards, Letterkenny, co. Donegal". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
3. Farrell, Stephen. "DAWSON, George Robert (1790-1856), of Castledawson, co. Londonderry and 16 Upper Grosvenor Street, Mdx". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
4. ^ Smith, Henry Stooks (1842). The Register of Parliamentary Contested Elections (Second ed.). Simpkin, Marshall & Company. p. 233.
5. ^ Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 227–228, 296–297. ISBN 0901714127.
6. "Triumphant Return of the Conservative". Tyrone Constitution. 13 March 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Correspondence". Belfast News-Letter. 13 April 1857. p. 1. Retrieved 6 October 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. ^ Farrell, Stephen. "Co. Londonderry". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
9. "1951 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015.

• Westminster constituencies in County Londonderry (historic)
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1801
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1885
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1922
• Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom disestablished in 1983
• Politics of Derry (city)