# Portarlington (UK Parliament constituency)

Portarlington was a rotten borough and 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 Portarlington in Queen's County, now called County Laois.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1801 | Frederick Trench | |
| March 1801 | William Elliot | |
| July 1802 | Henry Parnell | Whig |
| December 1802 | Thomas Tyrwhitt | |
| March 1806 | John Langston | |
| November 1806 | Sir Oswald Mosley, Bt | |
| 1807 | Hon. William Lamb | Whig |
| 1812 | Arthur Shakespeare | |
| 1816 | Richard Sharp | Whig |
| 1819 | David Ricardo | Whig |
| 1824 | James Farquhar | Tory |
| 1830 | Sir Charles Ogle, Bt | Tory |
| 1831 | Sir William Rae, Bt | Tory |
| 1832 | Thomas Gladstone | Tory |
| 1834 | Thomas Gladstone | Conservative |
| 1835 | George Dawson-Damer | Conservative |
| 1846 | George Dawson-Damer | Peelite |
| 1847 | Francis Plunkett Dunne | Whig |
| 1852 | Francis Plunkett Dunne | Conservative |
| 1857 | Lionel Dawson-Damer | Conservative |
| 1865 | James Anthony Lawson | Liberal |
| 1868 | Lionel Dawson-Damer | Conservative |
| 1880 | Bernard FitzPatrick | Conservative |
| 1883 | Robert French-Brewster | Conservative |
| 1885 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1830s

General election 1830: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Charles Ogle | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1831: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | William Rae | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1832: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Tory | Thomas Gladstone | 66 | 50.4 |
| | Tory | George Dawson-Damer | 65 | 49.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1 | 0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 131 | 95.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 137 | |
| | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold | Tory hold |
General election 1835: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | George Dawson-Damer | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 156 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1837: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | George Dawson-Damer | 80 | 55.2 |
| | Whig | Francis Plunkett Dunne | 65 | 44.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15 | 10.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 145 | 66.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 217 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1840s

General election 1841: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Dawson-Damer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 188 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
Dawson-Damer was appointed Comptroller of the Household, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 27 September 1841: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Dawson-Damer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1847: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Whig | Francis Plunkett Dunne | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 221 | | |
| | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative | Whig gain from Conservative |

### Elections in the 1850s

Dunne was appointed Clerk of the Ordnance, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 8 March 1852: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Plunkett Dunne | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1852: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Francis Plunkett Dunne | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 71 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig | Conservative gain from Whig |
General election 1857: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lionel Dawson-Damer | 42 | 53.8 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Francis Plunkett Dunne | 36 | 46.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6 | 7.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 78 | 83.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 93 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1859: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lionel Dawson-Damer | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 99 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | James Anthony Lawson | 46 | 56.8 | New |
| | Conservative | Lionel Dawson-Damer | 35 | 43.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 | 13.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 81 | 76.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 106 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
General election 1868: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lionel Dawson-Damer | 69 | 57.5 | +14.3 |
| | Liberal | James Anthony Lawson | 51 | 42.5 | −14.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18 | 15.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 120 | 89.6 | +13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 134 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +14.3 | |

### Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lionel Dawson-Damer | 76 | 59.4 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | William D Barnett | 52 | 40.6 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 18.8 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 128 | 94.1 | +4.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 136 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bernard FitzPatrick | 116 | 86.6 | +27.2 |
| | Liberal | Robert Keating Clay | 18 | 13.4 | −27.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 98 | 73.2 | +54.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 134 | 91.2 | −2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 147 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +27.2 | |
FitzPatrick succeeded to the peerage, becoming Lord Castletown, causing a by-election.
By-election, 28 Feb 1883: Portarlington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert French-Brewster | 70 | 55.1 | −31.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Mayne | 57 | 44.9 | +31.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13 | 10.2 | −63.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 127 | 92.0 | +0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 138 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −31.5 | |