# Carrickfergus (UK Parliament constituency)

Carrickfergus was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency in Ireland represented from 1801 to 1885 by one MP.

## History and boundaries

This constituency was the parliamentary borough of Carrickfergus which was a county corporate in County Antrim. It was disenfranchised under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, which took effect at the 1885 general election. The county of the town of Carrickfergus became part of the county division of East Antrim.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1801, January 1 | Noah Dalway | | 1801: Co-opted |
| | 1802, July 30 | Lord Spencer Chichester | Tory | Resigned |
| | 1807, April 29 | James Craig | Whig | Initially elected four weeks earlier, in the 31 March 1807 Carrickfergus by-election |
| | 1812, November 5 | Arthur Chichester | Tory | |
| | 1818, July 1 | Earl of Belfast | Tory | |
| | 1820, March 16 | Sir Arthur Chichester, Bt | Tory | Created Baronet 13 September 1821 |
| | 1830, August 10 | Lord George Hill | Whig | |
| | 1832, December 9 | Conway Richard Dobbs | Tory | Election declared void on petition |
| 1833, March | 1833, March | Writ suspended | Writ suspended | Writ suspended |
| | 1835, January 10 | Peter Kirk | Conservative | |
| | 1847, August 3 | Hon. Wellington Stapleton-Cotton | Conservative | |
| | 1857, April 2 | William Cary Dobbs | Conservative | |
| | 1859, May 6 | Robert Torrens | Conservative | |
| | 1868, November 21 | Marriott Dalway | Liberal-Conservative | |
| | 1880, April 2 | Thomas Greer | Conservative | Last MP for the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | George Hill | 311 | 39.1 |
| | Whig | Marcus Hill | 241 | 30.3 |
| | Tory | Charles Adair | 198 | 24.9 |
| | Tory | Arthur Chichester | 46 | 5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 70 | 8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 796 | c. 92.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 860 | |
| | Whig gain from Tory | Whig gain from Tory | Swing | |
General election 1831: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Whig | George Hill | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 860 | |
| | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold | Whig hold |
General election 1832: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Conway Richard Dobbs | 495 | 52.2 |
| | Whig | Arthur Chichester | 447 | 47.2 |
| | Tory | James Wills | 6 | 0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 948 | 92.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,024 | |
| | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig | Tory gain from Whig |
* On petition, the election was declared void and the writ for the seat was suspended.
General election 1835: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Kirk | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,431 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1837: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Peter Kirk | 446 | 51.6 |
| | Whig | Matthew Boulton Rennie | 418 | 48.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 28 | 3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 864 | 59.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,458 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Kirk | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,326 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Wellington Stapleton-Cotton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,426 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Wellington Stapleton-Cotton | 311 | 51.3 | N/A |
| | Whig | Warren Hastings Leslie Frith | 295 | 48.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16 | 2.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 606 | 84.2 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 720 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1857: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Cary Dobbs | 560 | 59.4 | +8.1 |
| | Whig | Francis Macdonogh | 383 | 40.6 | −8.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 177 | 18.8 | +16.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 943 | 82.8 | −1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,139 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.1 | |
General election 1859: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Torrens | 668 | 72.1 | +12.7 |
| | Liberal | William McMechan | 259 | 27.9 | −12.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 409 | 44.2 | +25.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 927 | 74.6 | −8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,243 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +12.7 | |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Torrens | 498 | 63.6 | −8.5 |
| | Liberal | Luke White | 285 | 36.4 | +8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 213 | 27.2 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 783 | 69.6 | −5.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,125 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −8.5 | |
General election 1868: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal-Conservative | Marriott Dalway | 669 | 62.2 | +25.8 |
| | Conservative | Robert Torrens | 407 | 37.8 | −25.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 262 | 24.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,076 | 83.4 | +13.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,290 | | |
| | Liberal-Conservative gain from Conservative | Liberal-Conservative gain from Conservative | Swing | +25.8 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal-Conservative | Marriott Dalway | 628 | 58.1 | −4.1 |
| | Conservative | George Augustus Chichester May | 452 | 41.9 | +4.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 176 | 16.2 | −8.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,080 | 78.8 | −4.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,370 | | |
| | Liberal-Conservative hold | Liberal-Conservative hold | Swing | −4.1 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Carrickfergus :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Thomas Greer | 591 | 51.6 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal-Conservative | Marriott Dalway | 554 | 48.4 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 37 | 3.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,145 | 81.0 | +2.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,414 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal-Conservative | Conservative gain from Liberal-Conservative | Swing | +9.7 | |