# Kinsale (UK Parliament constituency)

Kinsale was a United Kingdom 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.

## Boundaries

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Kinsale in County Cork. A Topographical Directory of Ireland, published in 1837, describes the Parliamentary history of the borough.
   It is not known exactly at what time the borough first exercised the elective franchise, but it returned two members to parliament long prior to 1652, and continued to do so without interruption till the Union, since which time it has returned only one to the Imperial parliament. The right of election, previously vested in the corporation, was, by the act of the 2nd of Wm. IV., cap. 88, extended to the £10 householders and limited to the resident freemen; the total number of registered electors up to 1 June 1837, was 224, of whom 192 were £10 householders, and 32 freemen; the sovereign is the returning officer. The borough and liberties comprise an area of 11,000 acres, within the jurisdiction of the borough magistrates; a new electoral boundary has been drawn close round the town, including the village of Scilly, and comprising an area of 273 acres.
The new boundary contained in the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832 was:
   From the Point on the North-east of the Town at which the new Cork Road crosses the old Cork Road, in a straight Line to the Northern Extremity of Mr. Hurley's Stables; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Road to Bandon River leaves the Road to Bandon; thence in a straight Line to the Point at which the Blindgate Road meets the Compass Hill Road; thence in a straight Line over Compass Hill to the Westernmost House at the place called "The World's End;" thence along the Coast to the Point at which the same is met by the first Bank which runs up the Hill to the East of and beyond the Village of Scilly;thence along the said Bank to the Point at which the same meets the Road from Scilly to Charles Fort; thence in a straight Line to a Point on the Harbour Hill Road which is distant One hundred and eighty Yards (measured along the Harbour Hill Road) to the East of the Barrack Wall; thence in a straight Line to the Point first described.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1801, 1 January | William Rowley | | 1801: Co-opted |
| | 1802, 13 July | Samuel Campbell Rowley | | Resigned |
| | 1806, 29 April | Henry Martin | Whig | |
| | 1818, 27 June | George Coussmaker | | Died |
| | 1821, 12 July | Sir Josias Rowley, Bt | Tory | |
| | 1826, 15 June | John Russell | Whig | |
| | 1832, 18 December | Sampson Stawell | Whig | |
| | 1835, 15 January | Henry Thomas | Conservative | |
| | 1837, 7 August | Pierce Mahony | Whig | Unseated on petition |
| | 1838, 1 April | Henry Thomas | Conservative | Declared duly elected |
| | 1841, 9 July | William Henry Watson | Whig | |
| | 1847, 6 August | Richard Samuel Guinness | Conservative | Unseated on petition and new writ issued |
| | 1848, 11 March | Benjamin Hawes | Whig | Resigned |
| | 1852, 12 February | John Isaac Heard | Whig | |
| | 1859, 7 May | Sir John Arnott | Liberal | Resigned |
| | 1863, 8 June | Sir George Colthurst, Bt | Liberal-Conservative | |
| | 1874, 3 February | Eugene Collins | Home Rule League | Last MP from the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Russell (MP) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1831: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | John Russell (MP) | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Sampson Stawell | 96 | 51.6 |
| | Tory | John Cuthbert | 90 | 48.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 186 | 90.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 206 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1835: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Thomas (MP) | 78 | 50.3 | +1.9 |
| | Whig | Thomas Dickson | 77 | 49.7 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 155 | 70.1 | −20.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 221 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +1.9 | |
General election 1837: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Pierce Mahony | 103 | 51.2 | +1.5 |
| | Conservative | Henry Thomas (MP) | 98 | 48.8 | −1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 2.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 201 | 69.1 | −1.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 291 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.5 | |
* On petition, Mahony was unseated in favour of Thomas

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Henry Watson | 98 | 55.1 | +3.9 |
| | Conservative | Matthias Wolverley Attwood | 80 | 44.9 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18 | 10.2 | +7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 178 | 59.3 | −9.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 300 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Swing | +3.9 | |
General election 1847: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Samuel Guinness | 103 | 54.5 | +9.6 |
| | Whig | William Henry Watson | 86 | 45.5 | −9.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17 | 9.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 189 | 55.1 | −4.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 343 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +9.6 | |
On petition, Guinness was unseated and a new writ was issued, causing a by-election.
By-election, 11 March 1848: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Benjamin Hawes | 97 | 50.8 | +5.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert Pelham-Clinton | 94 | 49.2 | −5.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3 | 1.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 191 | 55.7 | +0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 343 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.3 | |

### Elections in the 1850s

Hawes resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 12 February 1852: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Isaac Heard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |
General election 1852: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Isaac Heard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 139 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |
General election 1857: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | John Isaac Heard | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 149 | | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1859: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Arnott | 79 | 67.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Frederick Brine | 38 | 32.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 41 | 35.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 117 | 81.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 144 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1860s

Arnott resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 8 June 1863: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal-Conservative | George Colthurst | 63 | 55.3 | New |
| | Conservative | Victor Beare Fitzgibbon | 51 | 44.7 | +12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12 | 10.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 114 | 78.6 | −2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 145 | | |
| | Liberal-Conservative gain from Liberal | Liberal-Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1865: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal-Conservative | George Colthurst | 62 | 52.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Eugene Collins | 56 | 47.5 | −20.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 5.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 118 | 81.4 | +0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 145 | | |
| | Liberal-Conservative gain from Liberal | Liberal-Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1868: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal-Conservative | George Colthurst | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 172 | | |
| | Liberal-Conservative hold | Liberal-Conservative hold | Liberal-Conservative hold | Liberal-Conservative hold | Liberal-Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Home Rule | Eugene Collins | 107 | 69.5 | New |
| | Conservative | Charles Andrews | 47 | 30.5 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 60 | 39.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 154 | 83.7 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 184 | | |
| | Home Rule gain from Liberal-Conservative | Home Rule gain from Liberal-Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Kinsale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Home Rule | Eugene Collins | 112 | 72.7 | +3.2 |
| | Conservative | John Carmichael | 42 | 27.3 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 70 | 45.4 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 154 | 79.4 | −4.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 194 | | |
| | Home Rule hold | Home Rule hold | Swing | +3.2 | |