# Dublin City (UK Parliament constituency)

Dublin City was an Irish borough constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It comprised the city of Dublin in the county of Dublin, and was represented by two Members of Parliament from its creation in 1801 until 1885.
In 1885, Dublin City was split into four divisions which were separate single member constituencies: Dublin College Green, Dublin Harbour, Dublin St Stephen's Green and Dublin St Patrick's.

## Boundaries

The city of Dublin was accounted a county of itself, although it remained connected with County Dublin for certain purposes. A Topographical Directory of Ireland, published in 1837, describes the parliamentary history of the city:
   The city returns two members to the Imperial parliament; the right of election, formerly vested in the corporation, freemen, and 40s. freeholders, has been extended to the £10 householders, and £20 and £10 leaseholders for the respective terms of 14 and 20 years, by the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 88. The number of voters registered at the first general election under that act was 7041, of which number, 5126 voted. The limits of the city, for electoral purposes, include an area of 3538 statute acres, the boundaries of which are minutely detailed in the Appendix; the number of freemen is about 3500, of whom 2500 are resident and 1000 non-resident, and the number of £10 houses is 16,000 : the sheriffs are the returning officers.
The boundary was defined in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 as:
   The County of the City of Dublin, and such Parts of the County at large as lie within the Circular Road.

## Members of Parliament

| Year | 1st Member | 1st Member | 1st Party | 2nd Member | 2nd Member | 2nd Party |
| 1801, 1 January | | John Claudius Beresford | Tory | | Rt Hon. George Ogle | Tory |
| 1802, 21 July | | John Claudius Beresford | Tory | | John La Touche | Whig |
| 1804, 31 March | | Sir Robert Shaw, Bt | Tory | | John La Touche | Whig |
| 1806, 19 November | | Sir Robert Shaw, Bt | Tory | | Rt Hon. Henry Grattan | Whig |
| 1820, 30 June | | Sir Robert Shaw, Bt | Tory | | Thomas Ellis | Tory |
| 1826, 12 June | | Henry Grattan | Whig | | George Moore | Tory |
| 1830, 4 August | | Frederick Shaw | Tory | | George Moore | Tory |
| 1831, 19 May | | Robert Harty | Whig | | Louis Perrin | Whig |
| 1832, 18 August | | Frederick Shaw | Tory | | Viscount Ingestre | Tory |
| 1832, 22 December | | Daniel O'Connell | Repeal Association | | Edward Southwell Ruthven | Repeal Association |
| 1836, 16 May | | George Alexander Hamilton | Conservative | | John Beattie West | Conservative |
| 1837, 5 August | | Daniel O'Connell | Repeal Association | | Robert Hutton | Whig |
| 1841, 10 July | | John Beattie West | Conservative | | Sir Edward Grogan, Bt | Conservative |
| 1842, 29 January | | William Henry Gregory | Conservative | | Sir Edward Grogan, Bt | Conservative |
| 1847, 7 August | | John Reynolds | Repeal Association | | Sir Edward Grogan, Bt | Conservative |
| 1852, 12 July | | John Vance | Conservative | | Sir Edward Grogan, Bt | Conservative |
| 1865, 17 July | | Sir Benjamin Guinness, Bt | Conservative | | Jonathan Pim | Liberal |
| 1868, 1 June | | Sir Arthur Guinness, Bt | Conservative | | Jonathan Pim | Liberal |
| 1870, 18 August | | Sir Dominic Corrigan, Bt | Liberal | | Jonathan Pim | Liberal |
| 1874, 6 February | | Sir Arthur Guinness, Bt | Conservative | | Maurice Brooks | Home Rule League |
| 1880, 5 April | | Robert Dyer Lyons | Liberal | | Maurice Brooks | Home Rule League |
| 1882 | | Robert Dyer Lyons | Liberal | | Maurice Brooks | Irish Parliamentary |
| 1885 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections

From 1832 (when registers of electors were first prepared) a turnout figure is given, for the percentage of the registered electors who voted. If the number of registered electors eligible to take part in a contested election is unknown, then the last known electorate figure is used to calculate an estimated turnout. If the numbers of registered electors and electors taking part in the poll are known, an exact turnout figure is calculated. In two member elections (in which an elector could cast one or two votes as he chose), where the exact number of electors participating is unknown, an estimated turnout figure is given. This is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast by two. To the extent that electors used only one of their votes the estimated turnout figure is an underestimate.

### Elections in the 1800s

General election 21 July 1802: Dublin City 2 seats 15 day poll :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | John Claudius Beresford | 1,965 | 35.34 | |
| | Whig | John La Touche | 1,673 | 30.08 | |
| | Tory | George Ogle | 1,281 | 23.04 | |
| | Whig | Jonah Barrington | 642 | 11.54 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 392 | 7.04 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,561 | | |
| | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) | Tory win (new seat) |
| | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) | Whig win (new seat) |
Dublin by-election, 31 March 1804 Caused by resignation of Beresford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 19 November 1806: Dublin City 2 seats 8 day poll :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | 1,675 | 34.64 |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | 1,638 | 33.88 |
| | Whig | John La Touche | 1,522 | 31.48 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 116 | 2.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,835 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | |
General election 15 May 1807: Dublin City 2 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |

### Elections in the 1810s

General election 19 October 1812: Dublin City 2 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
General election 30 June 1818: Dublin City 2 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |

### Elections in the 1820s

General election 16 March 1820: Dublin City 2 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | Robert Shaw | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
Dublin by-election, 30 June 1820 Caused by the death of Grattan 6 day poll :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Thomas Ellis | 1,137 | 59.03 | N/A |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | 789 | 40.97 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 348 | 18.06 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,926 | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Swing | | |
General election 12 June 1826: Dublin City 2 seats :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Tory | George Moore | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |

### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | George Moore | 1,852 | 41.6 |
| | Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,579 | 35.5 |
| | Whig | Henry Grattan, Jr. | 1,014 | 22.8 |
| | Tory | Edward Cottingham | 5 | 0.1 |
| | Whig | Sir John Milley Doyle | 2 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 565 | 12.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,803 | c. 49.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 5,700 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
General election 1831: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Robert Harty | 1,943 | 27.7 | +4.9 |
| | Whig | Louis Perrin | 1,935 | 27.6 | +27.6 |
| | Tory | George Moore | 1,568 | 22.4 | −19.2 |
| | Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,562 | 22.3 | −13.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 367 | 5.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,613 | c. 63.4 | c. +14.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 5,700 | | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +10.6 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | +21.9 | |
On petition, Harty and Perrin were unseated, causing a by-election.
By-election, 18 August 1831: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | Frederick Shaw | 1,292 | 28.3 | +6.0 |
| | Tory | Viscount Ingestre | 1,250 | 27.4 | +5.0 |
| | Whig | David Charles LaTouche | 1,053 | 23.1 | −4.6 |
| | Whig | Michael O'Loghlen | 937 | 20.5 | −7.1 |
| | Whig | Marcus Costello | 28 | 0.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 197 | 4.3 | −0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | c. 2,280 | c. 40.0 | c. −23.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 5,700 | | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Swing | +5.9 | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Swing | +5.4 | |
General election 1832: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Repeal | Daniel O'Connell | 3,411 | 32.6 | New |
| | Irish Repeal | Edward Southwell Ruthven | 3,352 | 32.0 | New |
| | Tory | John Beattie West | 1,862 | 17.8 | −4.6 |
| | Tory | George Rich | 1,837 | 17.6 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,490 | 14.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,273 | 75.2 | c. +11.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,008 | | |
| | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
| | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Irish Repeal gain from Whig | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1835: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Repeal (Whig) | Daniel O'Connell | 2,678 | 26.2 | −6.4 |
| | Irish Repeal (Whig) | Edward Southwell Ruthven | 2,630 | 25.7 | −6.3 |
| | Conservative | George Alexander Hamilton | 2,461 | 24.1 | +6.3 |
| | Conservative | John Beattie West | 2,455 | 24.0 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 169 | 1.6 | −12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,101 | 71.7 | −3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,113 | | |
| | Irish Repeal hold | Irish Repeal hold | Swing | −6.4 | |
| | Irish Repeal hold | Irish Repeal hold | Swing | −6.3 | |
* On petition, O'Connell and Ruthven were unseated and Hamilton and West were declared elected on 16 May 1836
General election 1837: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Irish Repeal (Whig) | Daniel O'Connell | 3,556 | 25.4 | −0.8 |
| | Whig | Robert Hutton | 3,542 | 25.3 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative | George Alexander Hamilton | 3,467 | 24.7 | +0.6 |
| | Conservative | John Beattie West | 3,461 | 24.7 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,972 | 61.1 | −10.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,409 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 0.1 | −1.5 |
| | Irish Repeal hold | Irish Repeal hold | Swing | −0.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 75 | 0.6 | N/A |
| | Whig gain from Irish Repeal | Whig gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | −0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Beattie West | 3,860 | 25.6 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,839 | 25.5 | +0.8 |
| | Irish Repeal | Daniel O'Connell | 3,692 | 24.5 | −0.9 |
| | Whig | Robert Hutton | 3,662 | 24.3 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 147 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,919 | 64.6 | +3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,264 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Irish Repeal | Conservative gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | +0.9 | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +0.9 | |
West's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 29 January 1842: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Henry Gregory | 3,825 | 52.7 | +1.6 |
| | Whig | Viscount Morpeth | 3,435 | 47.3 | +23.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 390 | 5.4 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,260 | 59.2 | −5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,264 (1841 figure) | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −10.7 | |
General election 1847: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,353 | 34.5 | +9.0 |
| | Irish Repeal | John Reynolds | 3,229 | 33.3 | +8.8 |
| | Peelite | William Henry Gregory | 3,125 | 32.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,854 (est) | 24.8 (est) | −39.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 19,562 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 124 | 1.2 | +0.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 104 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Irish Repeal gain from Conservative | Irish Repeal gain from Conservative | Swing | +0.4 | |
On petition, the poll was amended and 92 votes were struck off Reynolds, although this did not cause him to be declared unelected.

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Grogan | 4,531 | 37.8 | +20.5 |
| | Conservative | John Vance | 4,429 | 37.0 | +19.7 |
| | Independent Irish | John Reynolds | 3,019 | 25.2 | −8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,410 | 11.8 | +11.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,499 (est) | 66.4 (est) | +39.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,290 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.3 | |
| | Conservative gain from Irish Repeal | Conservative gain from Irish Repeal | Swing | +11.9 | |
General election 1857: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Grogan | 3,767 | 26.5 | −11.3 |
| | Conservative | John Vance | 3,711 | 26.1 | −10.9 |
| | Whig | Francis William Brady | 3,405 | 23.9 | −1.3 |
| | Whig | John Reynolds | 3,348 | 23.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 306 | 2.2 | −9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,116 (est) | 71.8 (est) | +5.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,905 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −11.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −11.0 | |
General election 1859: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sir Edward Grogan | 4,251 | 26.0 | −0.5 |
| | Conservative | John Vance | 4,224 | 25.9 | −0.2 |
| | Liberal | Francis William Brady | 3,976 | 24.3 | +0.4 |
| | Liberal | Alexander McCarthy | 3,881 | 23.8 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 248 | 1.6 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,166 (est) | 78.8 | +7.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,367 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.4 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.3 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Benjamin Guinness | 4,739 | 35.2 | +9.2 |
| | Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 4,653 | 34.6 | −13.5 |
| | Conservative | John Vance | 4,073 | 30.2 | +4.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,059 (est) | 84.9 (est) | +6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,666 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 86 | 0.6 | −1.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 580 | 4.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | −13.5 | |
Guinness' death caused a by-election.
By-election, 1 June 1868: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,587 | 25.4 | −9.8 |
| | Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 5,586 | 25.4 | +8.1 |
| | Conservative | David Plunket | 5,452 | 24.8 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal | Sir Dominic Corrigan | 5,379 | 24.4 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,002 (est) | 85.3 (est) | +0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,899 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.0 | −0.6 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −8.5 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 134 | 0.6 | −3.8 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +6.8 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

On petition, Guinness was unseated.
By-election, 18 Aug 1870: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sir Dominic Corrigan | 4,468 | 56.5 | +6.7 |
| | Home Rule | Edward King-Harman | 3,444 | 43.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,024 | 13.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,912 | 61.3 | −24.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,899 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1874: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,213 | 41.7 | −8.5 |
| | Home Rule | Maurice Brooks | 4,838 | 38.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Jonathan Pim | 1,937 | 15.5 | −34.3 |
| | Home Rule | Edward Fox | 515 | 4.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,252 (est) | 51.8 (est) | −33.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,067 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 375 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.9 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,901 | 23.2 | N/A |
| | Home Rule gain from Liberal | Home Rule gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Dublin City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Home Rule | Maurice Brooks | 5,763 | 26.3 | −12.4 |
| | Liberal | Robert Dyer Lyons | 5,647 | 25.8 | +10.3 |
| | Conservative | Sir Arthur Guinness | 5,446 | 24.9 | +4.0 |
| | Conservative | James Stirling | 5,059 | 23.1 | +2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,958 (est) | 80.6 (est) | +28.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,599 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 116 | 0.5 | −22.7 |
| | Home Rule hold | Home Rule hold | Swing | −8.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 201 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +4.1 | |