# Bandon (UK Parliament constituency)

Bandon (sometimes called Bandon Bridge or Bandonbridge) was a parliamentary constituency representing the town of Bandon in County Cork, Ireland from 1801 to 1885. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Bandon was a borough constituency with two representatives in the Irish House of Commons before 1801. The borough retained one member after the Acts of Union, until the borough was disenfranchised in 1885.

## Boundaries

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Bandon, County Cork.
In 1832 a new boundary was formed for electoral purposes closely encircling the town, and comprising an area of 439 acres (1.78 km$^2$). It was defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 as:

## History
### Local government

The borough had an oligarchic constitution. The corporation of the borough was formally known as "The Provost, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Bandon-Bridge" and consisted of a provost, 12 burgesses, and an unlimited number of freemen. The common council, a body not mentioned in the borough charter, was constituted by a by-law of the corporation made in 1621. It consisted of twelve members, who were elected from the freemen by the corporation at large, as vacancies arose. The burgesses were chosen from the common council, on vacancies occurring, by the provost and burgesses.
The provost was elected annually from and by the burgesses at midsummer, and took office at Michaelmas. The freedom was acquired by birth for the eldest son of a freeman, and nomination of the provost, who during the year of his office had the privilege of naming one. The freemen were elected by a majority of the body at large assembled in a court of D'Oyer Hundred; neither residence nor any other qualification was considered necessary.
The municipal corporation was abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840.

### Parliamentary constituency

Before 1832 the parliamentary franchise for this constituency was extremely restricted. Only the provost (who was the returning officer for the borough) and the twelve burgesses were enfranchised. The population of the town, in 1821, was 10,179. All the elections in this period were unopposed returns; except for one election in 1831, where only ten voters participated and eleven votes were cast (including the returning officer's casting vote).
Stooks Smith gives an account of this contested election. It was the second by-election of 1831. As his book is out of copyright, the whole passage is set out below.
   This election took place on 22 July. After the Provost, (John Swete, Esq.) had been sworn, the Hon. W.S. Bernard rose, and without preface or remark, proposed Sir Augustus William Clifford, Kt., (the Duke of Devonshire's nominee) as a fit and proper representative for the borough of Bandon in Parliament; John Leslie, Esq., seconded the proposition. The Rev. Somers Payne then rose and proposed Viscount Lowther to the burgesses; the Rev. Richard Meade seconded the nomination. By way of ruse, or pairing off, Viscount Bernard was proposed by John Beamish, Esq., and seconded by Ambrose Hikey, Esq., two gentlemen of opposite opinions.
   No other candidate being proposed, the Town Clerk asked the Provost for whom he would vote, in his official capacity? This was objected by Mr. Meade and Mr. Payne, who stated that, though a long time connected with the Corporation, they never knew this line of proceeding to be adopted. This was over-ruled by the assessor, who quoted in support of his opinion, an election case in the borough of Harwich, decided by a majority in the House of Commons. This point disposed of, the polling commenced, when the numbers were declared as follows.
   * For Sir A. W. Clifford, 4 (Hon. William Smyth Bernard, Hon. Richard Boyle Bernard, John Leslie, Esq., John Swete, Esq.)
   * For Viscount Lowther, 4 (W.H. Kingston, Esq., Rev. Richard Meade, Rev. Somers Payne, Benjamin Swete, Esq.)
   * For Viscount Bernard, 2 (John Beamish, Esq., Ambrose Hickey, Esq.)
   The Provost, as returning officer, then gave his vote for Sir A.W. Clifford, who was about to be duly elected, when Mr. Payne said, I object to the monopoly of the Provost, He has no right to more than one vote. The assessor (A. Connell, Esq.):- We shall take your objection if you state it in writing. A protest was then entered by Mr. Payne and those who voted for Viscount Lowther; and Sir A.W. Clifford was declared duly elected.
The franchise was expanded in 1832 under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832, when the £10 householders were added to the electorate and the registration of voters was introduced. In the election later that year, there were 266 registered electors in Bandon and 233 votes were cast in the general election. It appears, from the list of MPs and the report of the 1831 election, that the choice of the borough electorate both before and after 1832 was influenced by aristocratic patrons like the Duke of Devonshire and the Bernard family (whose head had the title of Earl of Bandon). If a Bernard was not elected then quite prominent political figures, notably the future Whig leaders George Tierney and Lord John Russell, were sometimes returned for the borough.
In 1868 the incumbent Bernard MP was defeated by William Shaw, standing in the Liberal interest. Later in his career Shaw was an associate of Isaac Butt in the Home Rule League. After Butt's death in 1879, Shaw became the leader of the Home Rule League until he was replaced by Charles Stewart Parnell in 1880.
The constituency was disenfranchised in 1885. The area was then represented in Parliament as part of South East Cork, one of seven divisions of the former constituency of County Cork.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1801, 1 January | Sir Broderick Chinnery, Bt | Whig | 1801: Co-opted |
| | 1806, 15 November | Hon. Courtenay Boyle | Tory | |
| | 1807, 15 May | Henry Boyle, Viscount Boyle | Tory | Succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Shannon |
| | 1807, 3 August | Rt Hon. George Tierney | Whig | |
| | 1812, 16 October | Hon. Richard Bernard | Tory | Resigned |
| | 1815, 24 March | William Sturges Bourne | Tory | |
| | 1818, 27 June | Augustus Clifford | Whig | |
| | 1820, 13 March | James Bernard, Viscount Bernard | Tory | |
| | 1826, 17 June | John Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon | Whig | Also returned by and elected to sit for County Kilkenny |
| | 1826, 19 December | Lord John Russell | Whig | Later Prime Minister 1846–1852 and 1865–1866 |
| | 1830, 7 August | James Bernard, Viscount Bernard | Tory | Succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Bandon |
| | 1831, 6 January | Francis Bernard, Viscount Bernard | Tory | Resigned |
| | 1831, 22 July | Sir Augustus Clifford | Whig | |
| | 1832, 15 December | Hon. William Smyth Bernard | Conservative | |
| | 1835, 14 January | Joseph Devonsher Jackson | Conservative | Appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland |
| | 1842, 14 February | Francis Bernard, Viscount Bernard | Conservative | Succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Bandon |
| | 1857, 14 February | Hon. William Smyth Bernard | Conservative | Died |
| | 1863, 27 February | Hon. Henry Boyle Bernard | Conservative | |
| | 1868, 21 November | William Shaw | Liberal | |
| | 1874, 3 February | Alexander Swanston | Liberal | |
| | 1880, 2 April | Percy Bernard | Conservative | Resigned |
| | 1880, 25 June | Richard Allman | Liberal | Last MP for the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

By-election, 25 June 1880: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Richard Allman | 217 | 55.8 | +7.7 |
| | Conservative | John Warren Payne | 172 | 44.2 | −7.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 45 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 389 | 90.5 | +1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 430 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +7.7 | |
* Caused by Bernard's resignation.
General election 1880: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Percy Bernard | 200 | 51.9 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal | Richard Allman | 185 | 48.1 | −2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 3.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 385 | 89.5 | −6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 430 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +2.6 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Alexander Swanston | 180 | 50.7 | 0.0 |
| | Conservative | James Bernard | 175 | 49.3 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 1.4 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 355 | 95.7 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 371 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | 0.0 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1868: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | William Shaw | 141 | 50.7 | +1.9 |
| | Conservative | Henry Boyle Bernard | 137 | 49.3 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 278 | 94.2 | +0.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 295 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1865: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Boyle Bernard | 111 | 51.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal | William Shaw | 106 | 48.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 217 | 93.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 231 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
By-election, 27 February 1863: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Boyle Bernard | 124 | 60.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Thomas Kingston Sullivan | 80 | 39.2 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 44 | 21.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 204 | 88.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 231 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Caused by Bernard's death

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1859: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Smyth Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 229 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1857: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Smyth Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 201 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 14 February 1857: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Smyth Bernard | 101 | 60.1 | N/A |
| | Radical | William Shaw | 67 | 39.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 34 | 20.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 168 | 83.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 201 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 3rd Earl of Bandon
General election 1852: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 209 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1847: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 467 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
By-election, 14 February 1842: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
* Caused by Jackson's appointment as Solicitor-General for Ireland
General election 1841: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joseph Devonsher Jackson | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 355 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1837: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joseph Devonsher Jackson | 133 | 62.1 | +3.7 |
| | Whig | William George Cavendish | 81 | 37.9 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 24.3 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 214 | 57.1 | −7.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 375 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.7 | |
General election 1835: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joseph Devonsher Jackson | 111 | 58.4 | +1.3 |
| | Whig | James Redmond Barry | 79 | 41.6 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 32 | 16.8 | +2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 190 | 64.8 | −22.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 293 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.3 | |
General election 1832: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | William Smyth Bernard | 133 | 57.1 |
| | Whig | Jacob Biggs | 100 | 42.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 33 | 14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 233 | 87.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 266 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
By-election, 22 July 1831: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Augustus Clifford | 5 | 45.5 |
| | Tory | William Lowther | 4 | 36.4 |
| | Tory | Francis Bernard | 2 | 18.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11 | 84.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
* Note [1831 (July)]: By-election caused by Bernard's resignation. Clifford was elected on the Returning Officer's casting vote. The Returning Officer John Swete was also Provost and had already cast one of the four votes for Clifford, so this was actually his second vote.
General election 1831: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Francis Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
By-election, 6 January 1831: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Francis Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
* Caused by Bernard's succession to the peerage, becoming 2nd Earl of Bandon
General election 1830: Bandon :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | James Bernard | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13 | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |