# Downpatrick (UK Parliament constituency)

Downpatrick 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 Downpatrick in County Down.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1801, January 1 | Clotworthy Rowley | | 1801: Co-opted. Appointed Commissioner of Compensation. |
| | 1801, March 10 | Samuel Campbell Rowley | | |
| | 1802, July 17 | Charles Stewart Hawthorne | | |
| | 1806, November 18 | Edward Southwell Ruthven | Whig | $^1$ |
| | 1807, May 22 | John Wilson Croker | Tory | $^1$ |
| | 1812, October 20 | Charles Stewart Hawthorne | Whig | Appointed a Commissioner of Excise in Ireland |
| | 1815, March 9 | Viscount Glerawley | Tory | |
| | 1818, August 4 | Viscount Glerawley | Tory | |
| | 1820, March 28 | John Waring Maxwell | Tory | |
| | 1826, July 25 | John Waring Maxwell | Tory | |
| | 1830, August 7 | Edward Southwell Ruthven | Whig | |
| | 1831, June 14 | Edward Southwell Ruthven | Whig | |
| | 1832, December 13 | John Waring Maxwell | Tory | |
| | 1834, December | John Waring Maxwell | Conservative | |
| | 1835, January 9 | David Ker | Conservative | |
| | 1837, July/August | David Ker | Conservative | |
| | 1841, July 2 | David Stewart Ker | Conservative | |
| | 1847, August 4 | Richard Ker | Peelite | Resigned |
| | 1851, August 8 | Hon. Charles Hardinge | Conservative | Became the 2nd Viscount Hardinge, 24 September 1856 |
| | 1852, July | Hon. Charles Hardinge | Conservative | Became the 2nd Viscount Hardinge, 24 September 1856 |
| | 1857, February 12 | Richard Ker | Peelite $^3$ | |
| | 1857, March/April | Richard Ker | Peelite $^3$ | |
| | 1859, May 3 | David Stewart Ker | Conservative | |
| | 1865, July | David Stewart Ker | Conservative | Resigned |
| | 1867, August 5 | William Keown | Conservative | |
| | 1868, Nov/Dec | William Keown | Conservative | |
| | 1874, February 2 | John Mulholland | Conservative | Last MP for the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |
Supplemental notes
* Stooks Smith suggests that after the 1806 election there was a petition, which led to Edward Southwell Ruthven (Whig) being unseated and John Wilson Croker {Tory} being declared duly elected. Walker does not make any reference to such a petition.
* Walker (like F. W. S. Craig in his compilations of election results for Great Britain) classifies Tory candidates as Conservatives from 1832. The name Conservative was gradually adopted as a description for the Tories. The party is deemed to be named Conservative from the 1835 general election.
* Walker (like F. W. S. Craig in his compilations of election results for Great Britain) classifies Whig, Radical and similar candidates as Liberals from 1832. The name Liberal was gradually adopted as a description for the Whigs and politicians allied with them, before the formal creation of the Liberal Party shortly after the 1859 general election.

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Edward Southwell Ruthven | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 400 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory |
General election 1831: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | Edward Southwell Ruthven | 219 | 57.9 |
| | Tory | Cospatrick Home | 159 | 42.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 60 | 15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 378 | c. 94.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 400 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | John Waring Maxwell | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 517 | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
General election 1835: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Guardi Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 525 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1837: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | David Guardi Ker | 154 | 51.0 |
| | Conservative | John Keown | 140 | 46.4 |
| | Radical | Robert Thompson | 5 | 1.7 |
| | Radical | James Christie Whyte | 3 | 1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14 | 4.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 302 | 52.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 580 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Stewart Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 342 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Richard Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 385 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1850s

Ker resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 8 August 1851: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hardinge | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite |
General election 1852: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Charles Hardinge | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 236 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite |
Hardinge succeeded to the peerage, becoming 2nd Viscount Hardinge and causing a by-election.
By-election, 12 February 1857: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Richard Ker | 129 | 99.2 | New |
| | Conservative | William Johnston | 1 | 0.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 128 | 98.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 130 | 66.3 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 196 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1857: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | Richard Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 196 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative |
General election 1859: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Stewart Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 199 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Stewart Ker | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 230 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Ker resigned, causing a by-election.
By-election, 5 August 1867: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Keown | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Keown | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 241 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Mulholland | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 239 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Downpatrick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Mulholland | 176 | 64.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Alexander Fraser | 99 | 36.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 77 | 28.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 275 | 90.5 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 304 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |