# Coleraine (UK Parliament constituency)

Coleraine is a former 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 Coleraine in County Londonderry.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party | Note |
| | 1 January 1801 | Walter Jones | Tory | 1801: Co-opted |
| | 13 November 1806 | Sir George Hill, Bt | Tory | Also returned by and elected to sit for Londonderry City |
| | 4 February 1807 | Walter Jones | Tory | Resigned |
| | 26 June 1809 | John Beresford | Tory | |
| | 17 October 1812 | Lord George Beresford | Tory | Resigned |
| | 10 June 1814 | Sir John Beresford, Bt | Tory | Resigned |
| | 22 February 1823 | Sir John Brydges | Tory | Unseated on petition 4 August 1831 |
| | 4 August 1831 | William Taylor Copeland | Whig | Declared duly elected on petition |
| | 13 December 1832 | Sir John Beresford, Bt | Tory | Unseated on petition 27 May 1833 |
| | 27 May 1833 | William Taylor Copeland | Whig | Declared duly elected on petition |
| | 4 August 1837 | Edward Litton | Conservative | Appointed Master of Chancery in Ireland |
| | 18 February 1843 | John Boyd | Conservative | |
| | 5 August 1847 | John Boyd | Peelite | Resigned |
| | 22 March 1852 | Rt Hon. Richard Bourke | Conservative | |
| | 30 March 1857 | John Boyd | Conservative | Died 2 January 1862 |
| | 31 January 1862 | Sir Henry Bruce, Bt | Conservative | |
| | 6 February 1874 | Daniel Taylor | Liberal | |
| | 3 April 1880 | Sir Henry Bruce, Bt | Conservative | Last MP for the constituency |
| 1885 | 1885 | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished | Constituency abolished |

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

General election 1830: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | John Brydges (MP) | 24 | 61.5 |
| | Whig | John Thomas Thorp | 15 | 38.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9 | 23.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39 | c. 18.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | c. 36 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
* Inhabitants were allowed to "tender" votes, with 2 being granted to Brydges and 15 for Thorp. However, just 22 votes of the corporation were accepted. Petitions and counter-petitions over whether the franchise extended to freemen were lodged, but both lapsed ahead of the 1831 election.
General election 1831: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | John Brydges (MP) | 17 | 80.5 | +19.0 |
| | Whig | William Taylor Copeland | 70 | 19.5 | −19.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 53 | 61.0 | +38.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 87 | 24.7 | c. +6.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 36 | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | | |
* Again, inhabitants were allowed to tender votes, with 1 being cast for Brydges and 70 for Copeland, but these were rejected, and just 16 from the corporation in favour of Brydges were accepted. A petition was again lodged and, after lengthy committee proceedings in the House of Commons, it was agreed that 23 of the 70 tendered votes from those who had been admitted as freeman in 1797 were accepted. Copeland was then declared elected.
General election 1832: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Tory | John Beresford | 98 | 50.3 | +30.8 |
| | Whig | William Taylor Copeland | 97 | 49.7 | −30.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.6 | −60.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 195 | 94.2 | +69.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 207 | | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Swing | +30.8 | |
* The candidates initially had 97 votes apiece, but the mayor cast a deciding vote in favour of Beresford. A petition was again lodged and a Commons committee again ruled in favour of the freemen and seated Copeland on 27 May 1833.
General election 1835: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | William Taylor Copeland | 95 | 51.4 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | Henry Richardson | 90 | 48.6 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5 | 2.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 185 | 57.8 | −36.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 320 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.7 | |
General election 1837: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Litton | 129 | 62.6 | +14.0 |
| | Whig | Leslie Alexander | 77 | 37.4 | −14.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 52 | 25.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 206 | 49.0 | −8.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 420 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Swing | +14.0 | |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Litton | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 368 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Litton resigned after being appointed Master of Chancery in Ireland, causing a by-election.
By-election, 18 February 1843: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Boyd | 106 | 55.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | 84 | 44.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22 | 11.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 190 | 51.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 368 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General Election 1847: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Peelite | John Boyd | 116 | 65.9 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | 60 | 34.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56 | 31.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 176 | 19.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 891 | | |
| | Peelite gain from Conservative | Peelite gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1850s

Boyd resigned by accepting the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, causing a by-election.
By-election, 22 March 1852: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Bourke | 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: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Richard Bourke | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 222 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite | Conservative gain from Peelite |
General election 1857: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Boyd | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 261 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1859: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Boyd | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 274 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

Boyd's death caused a by-election.
By-election, 31 Jan 1862: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 271 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1865: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 259 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1868: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 346 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Daniel Taylor | 227 | 58.7 | New |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | 160 | 41.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 67 | 17.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 387 | 88.0 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 440 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Coleraine :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Henry Bruce | 222 | 53.5 | +12.2 |
| | Liberal | Daniel Taylor | 193 | 46.5 | −12.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29 | 7.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 415 | 87.9 | −0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 472 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.2 | |