Irish House of Commons

For the current house of representatives in Ireland, see Dáil Éireann. For the body which existed between 1921 and 1922, see House of Commons of Southern Ireland.

The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive franchise, similar to the unreformed House of Commons in contemporary England and Great Britain. Catholics were disqualified from sitting in the Irish parliament from 1691, even though they comprised the vast majority of the Irish population.

Irish House of Commons
Type
Type	Lower house
History
Established	1297
Disbanded	31 December 1800
Succeeded by	House of Commons of the United Kingdom
Leadership
Speaker of the House	John Foster (1785–1801)
Seats	300^[a]
Elections
Voting system	First past the post with limited suffrage
Meeting place
The House of Commons in session (by Francis Wheatley, 1780)
Footnotes
In 1800.

The Irish executive, known as the Dublin Castle administration, under the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was not answerable to the House of Commons but to the British government. However, the Chief Secretary for Ireland was usually a member of the Irish parliament. In the Commons, business was presided over by the Speaker.

From 1 January 1801, it ceased to exist and was succeeded by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Franchise

The limited franchise was exclusively male. From 1728 until 1793, Catholics were disfranchised, as well as being ineligible to sit in the Commons. Most of the population of all religions had no vote. In counties, forty-shilling freeholders were enfranchised while in most boroughs it was either only the members of self-electing corporations or a highly-restricted body of freemen that were eligible to vote for the borough's representatives. The vast majority of parliamentary boroughs were pocket boroughs, the private property of an aristocratic patron.

Abolition

The House of Commons was abolished under the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Ireland into the Kingdom of Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland with effect from 1 January 1801. The Irish House of Commons sat for the last time in Parliament House, Dublin on 2 August 1800. One hundred of its members were designated or co-opted to sit with the House of Commons of Great Britain, forming the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The patron of pocket boroughs that were disfranchised under the Act of Union was awarded £15,000 compensation for each.^[1]

Speaker of the Commons

 

Drawing of the front of the Irish Parliament House with the dome, seen from the street-level, in the 18th century

Main article: Speaker of the Irish House of Commons

The Speaker of the Irish House of Commons was the presiding officer of the House and its most senior official. The position was one of considerable power and prestige, and in the absence of a government chosen from and answerable to the Commons, he was the dominant political figure in the Parliament. The last Speaker was John Foster.

Constituencies

 

Engraving of section of the Irish House of Commons chamber by Peter Mazell based on the drawing by Rowland Omer 1767

The number of boroughs invited to return members had originally been small (only 55 Boroughs existed in 1603) but was doubled by the Stuart monarchs. By the time of the Union, there were 150 constituencies, each electing two members:^[2]

• 32 county constituencies;
• 8 county borough constituencies;
• 109 borough constituencies;
• Dublin University.

Following the Act of Union, from 1801, there were 100 MPs from Ireland in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The constituencies were adapted from those in the Irish House of Commons as follows:

• 32 county constituencies, with two MPs each;
• 2 county borough constituencies, Cork City and Dublin City, both with two MPs;
• 31 county borough and borough constituencies, with one MP each;
• Dublin University, with one MP.

Constituency	Type	County	Creation^[a]	Franchise	Fate after the union
Antrim Borough	Borough	Antrim	1666	Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Antrim County	County	Antrim	1570^[3]	Freeholders	Two seats
Ardee	Borough	Louth	1378	Corporation	Disfranchised
Ardfert	Borough	Kerry	1639?	Corporation	Disfranchised
Ards	County	Down	By 1560^[4]		Previously disfranchised^[b]
Armagh Borough	Borough	Armagh	1613 (26 March) ^[5]	Ecclesiastical corporation - Bishop's borough	One seat
Armagh County	County	Armagh	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Two seats
Askeaton	Borough	Limerick	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Athboy	Borough	Meath	By 1560^[4]^[c]	Manor	Disfranchised
Athenry	Borough	Galway	1310?^[d]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Athlone	Borough	Westmeath	1606 (10 December)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Athy	Borough	Kildare	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Augher	Borough	Tyrone	1613 (15 April)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Ballynakill	Borough	Queen's County	1612 (10 December)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Ballyshannon	Borough	Donegal	1613 (23 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Baltimore	Borough	Cork	1613 (25 March)^[5]	Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Baltinglass	Borough	Wicklow	1664	Corporation	Disfranchised
Banagher	Borough	King's County	1629	Corporation	Disfranchised
Bandonbridge	Borough	Cork	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Bangor	Borough	Down	1613 (18 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Bannow	Borough	Wexford	Between 1614 and 1634^[e]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Belfast	Borough	Antrim	1613 (27 April)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Belturbet	Borough	Cavan	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Blessington	Borough	Wicklow	1670	Corporation	Disfranchised
Boyle	Borough	Roscommon	1613 (25 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Callan	Borough	Kilkenny	By 1585^[f]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Carlingford	Borough	Louth	13??^[g]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Carlow Borough	Borough	Carlow	1613 (19 April)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Carlow County	County	Carlow	1297^[12]^[h]	Freeholders	Two seats
Carrick	Borough	Leitrim	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Carrickfergus	County borough	Antrim^[i]	1326	Freeholder and householder	One seat
Carysfort	Borough	Wicklow	1629	Corporation	Disfranchised
Cashel	Borough	Tipperary	By 1585^[4]^[j]	Corporation	One seat
Castlebar	Borough	Mayo	1613 (26 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Castlemartyr	Borough	Cork	1676	Corporation	Disfranchised
Cavan Borough	Borough	Cavan	1610 (15 November)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Cavan County	County	Cavan	1579^[14] or 1584^[15]	Freeholders	Two seats
Charlemont	Borough	Armagh	1613 (29 April)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Charleville	Borough	Cork	1673	Corporation	Disfranchised
Clare	County	Clare	By 1560	Freeholders	Two seats
Clogher	Borough	Tyrone	By 1613^[k]	Ecclesiastical corporation - Bishop's borough	Disfranchised
Clonakilty	Borough	Cork	1613 (5 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Clonmel	Borough	Tipperary	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	One seat
Clonmines	Borough	Wexford	Between 1614 and 1634^[l]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Coleraine	Borough	Londonderry	1613 (25 March)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Coleraine County	County	Londonderry	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Previously disfranchised
Connacht	County	Multiple^[m]	1297^[12]		Previously disfranchised^[m]
Cork City	County borough	Cork^[i]	1299	Freeholder and Freemen	Two seats
Cork County	County	Cork	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Dingle	Borough	Kerry	By 1585^[4]^[n]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Donegal Borough	Borough	Donegal	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Donegal County	County	Donegal	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Two seats
Doneraile	Borough	Cork	1640	Manor	Disfranchised
Down	County	Down	1570^[3]	Freeholders	Two seats
Downpatrick	Borough	Down	By 1585^[4]^[o]	Potwalloper	One seat
Drogheda	County borough	Louth^[i]	1299	Freeholders and freemen	One seat
Dublin City	County borough	Dublin^[i]	1299	Freeholders and freemen	Two seats
Dublin County	County	Dublin	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Dublin University	University	Dublin^[p]	1613^[q]	Graduates	One seat
Duleek	Borough	Meath	Between 1614 and 1661^[r]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Dundalk	Borough	Louth	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	One seat
Dungannon	Borough	Tyrone	1612 (27 November)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Dungarvan	Borough	Waterford	By 1560^[4]	Potwalloper	One seat
Dunleer	Borough	Louth	1679	Corporation	Disfranchised
Ennis	Borough	Clare	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Enniscorthy	Borough	Wexford	1613 (25 May)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Enniskillen	Borough	Fermanagh	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Fermanagh	County	Fermanagh	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Two seats
Ferns	County	Wexford	By 1579^[19]	Freeholders	Previously disfranchised^[s]
Fethard	Borough	Tipperary	1613 (15 April)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Fethard	Borough	Wexford	1613 (15 April)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Fore	Borough	Westmeath	Between 1614 and 1634^[t]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Galway Borough	County borough	Galway^[i]	By 1560^[4]	Freemen	One seat
Galway County	County	Galway	By 1579 ^[21]	Freeholders	Two seats
Gorey (also Newburgh)	Borough	Wexford	1620	Corporation	Disfranchised
Gowran	Borough	Kilkenny	1608 (15 September)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Granard	Borough	Longford	1679	Manor	Disfranchised
Harristown	Borough	Kildare	1684	Corporation	Disfranchised
Hillsborough	Borough	Down	1662	Corporation	Disfranchised
Inistioge	Borough	Kilkenny	By 1585^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Jamestown	Borough	Leitrim	1622	Corporation	Disfranchised
Kells	Borough	Meath	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Kerry	County	Kerry	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Kilbeggan	Borough	Westmeath	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Kildare Borough	Borough	Kildare	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Kildare County	County	Kildare	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Kilkenny City	County borough	Kilkenny^[i]	1299?	Freeholders and Freemen	One seat
Kilkenny County	County	Kilkenny	1297^[12]^[h]	Freeholders	Two seats
Killybegs	Borough	Donegal	1616	Corporation	Disfranchised
Killyleagh	Borough	Down	1613 (10 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Kilmallock	Borough	Limerick	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
King's County	County	King's County	1556^[22]^[23]	Freeholders	Two seats
Kinsale	Borough	Cork	1334?^[u]	Corporation and Freemen	One seat
Knocktopher	Borough	Kilkenny	1665	Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Lanesborough	Borough	Longford	1642	Corporation	Disfranchised
Leitrim	County	Leitrim	1583	Freeholders	Two seats
Lifford	Borough	Donegal	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Limerick City	County borough	Limerick^[i]	1299	Freeholders and Freemen	One seat
Limerick County	County	Limerick	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Lisburn	Borough	Antrim	1661	Potwalloper	One seat
Lismore	Borough	Waterford	1613 (6 May)^[5]	Manor	Disfranchised
Londonderry City	Borough	Londonderry	1613 (29 March)^[5]^[v]	Corporation	One seat
Londonderry County	County	Londonderry	1613	Freeholders	Two seats
Longford Borough	Borough	Longford	1669	Corporation	Disfranchised
Longford County	County	Longford	1571^[25]^[26]^[27]	Freeholders	Two seats
Louth	County	Louth	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Mallow	Borough	Cork	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Manor	One seat
Maryborough	Borough	Queen's County	1571	Corporation	Disfranchised
Mayo	County	Mayo	By 1579^[21]	Freeholders	Two seats
Meath	County	Meath	1297^[12]^[h]	Freeholders	Two seats
Midleton	Borough	Cork	1671	Corporation	Disfranchised
Monaghan Borough	Borough	Monaghan	1613 (26 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Monaghan County	County	Monaghan	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Two seats
Mullingar	Borough	Westmeath	By 1560^[4]	Manor	Disfranchised
Naas	Borough	Kildare	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Navan	Borough	Meath	1469	Corporation	Disfranchised
New Ross	Borough	Wexford	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	One seat
Newcastle	Borough	Dublin	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Newry	Borough	Down	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Potwalloper	One seat
Newtown Limavady	Borough	Londonderry	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Newtownards	Borough	Down	1613 (25 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Old Leighlin	Borough	Carlow	Between 1614 and 1634	Ecclesiastical corporation - Bishop's borough	Disfranchised
Philipstown	Borough	King's County	1571	Corporation	Disfranchised
Portarlington	Borough	Queen's County	1668	Corporation	One seat
Queen's County	County	Queen's County	1556 ^[22]^[23]	Freeholders	Two seats
Randalstown	Borough	Antrim	1683	Freeman / Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Rathcormack	Borough	Cork	Between 1614 and 1692^[w]	Potwalloper / Manor	Disfranchised
Ratoath	Borough	Meath	Between 1614 and 1661^[x]	Manor	Disfranchised
Roscommon Borough	Borough	Roscommon	1613 (27 February)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Roscommon County	County	Roscommon	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
St Canice	Borough	Kilkenny^[y]	Between 1614 and 1661^[z]	Ecclesiastical corporation - Bishop's borough	Disfranchised
St Johnstown	Borough	Donegal	1618	Corporation	Disfranchised
St Johnstown	Borough	Longford	1628	Corporation	Disfranchised
Sligo Borough	Borough	Sligo	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Sligo County	County	Sligo	By 1579^[21]	Freeholders	Two seats
Strabane	Borough	Tyrone	1613 (18 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Swords	Borough	Dublin	By 1585^[4]^[aa]	Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Taghmon	Borough	Wexford	Between 1614 and 1634^[ab]^[ac]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Tallow	Borough	Waterford	1613 (1 May)^[5]	Manor / Potwalloper	Disfranchised
Thomastown	Borough	Kilkenny	1541	Corporation	Disfranchised
Tipperary	County	Tipperary	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Cross Tipperary	County	Tipperary	By 1585	Freeholders	Previously disfranchised^[ad]
Tralee	Borough	Kerry	1613 (31 March)^[5]	Corporation	One seat
Trim	Borough	Meath	By 1560^[4]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Tuam	Borough	Galway	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Tulsk	Borough	Roscommon	1663	Corporation	Disfranchised
Tyrone	County	Tyrone	1585 (September)^[6]	Freeholders	Two seats
Liberty of Ulster	County	Multiple^[ae]	1297^[12]^[h]		Previously disfranchised^[ae]
Waterford City	County borough	Waterford^[i]	1299	Freemen and freeholders	One seat
Waterford County	County	Waterford	1297^[12]	Freeholders	Two seats
Westmeath	County	Westmeath	1543^[34]^[35]	Freeholders	Two seats
Wexford Borough	Borough	Wexford	By 1560^[4]	Freemen	One seat
Wexford County	County	Wexford	1297^[12]^[h]	Freeholders	Two seats
Wicklow Borough	Borough	Wicklow	1613 (30 March)^[5]	Corporation	Disfranchised
Wicklow County	County	Wicklow	1577;^[36]^[af] 1606^[38]	Freeholders	Two seats
Youghal	Borough	Cork	1374	Corporation and Freemen	One seat

Notes

1. The date of either: the earliest Parliament at which it is known to have received a writ of election or sent representatives; or else: the earliest charter or statute granting representation. Outside the Pale, places enfranchised after the Norman conquest often had long periods unrepresented prior to the Tudor reconquest.
2. The territory of Ards, one of the medieval sheriffdoms of the Earldom of Ulster, was included in the reconstituted County Down in 1570.
3. "Athboy was an ancient borough by prescription with a charter dated 1410, 9 Henry IV. There were further charters of 9 Henry VII and 8 James I all confirming the liberties and privileges of the corporate or free borough."^[7]
4. "Athenry was a very old town with writs with grants and charters going back to at least the reign of Edward II. There is one for 14 October 1310 and there are a number for the reign of Richard II in the 1390s."^[8]
5. "Bannow was a borough by prescription, and no charter could be found for it in 1800"^[9]
6. "Callan was a medieval borough by prescription, with charters and grants from the reigns of Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV."^[10]
7. "Carlingford was another ancient borough, with charters going back to the reign of Edward II."^[11]
8. created as a Liberty
9. A separate county corporate.
10. "Cashel was a medieval foundation said to have been established in the year 1216 by Donat, Archbishop of Cashel, and incorporated under his successor, Marianus O'Brien, in 1233. It had various subsequent charters before it emerged in its modern form by a 1585 charter of 26 Eliz. I and a 1638 charter of Charles I."^[13]
11. "It was probably a borough by prescription confirmed by a 1630 charter, 5 Chas. I ..."^[9]
12. "Clonmines, like Bannow, was a borough by prescription, and no charter was available"^[9]
13. The medieval county of Connacht was subdivided in 1570 into the modern counties of Galway and Mayo.
14. Then called Dengenechoyshe.
15. "Downpatrick was recognised as early as the reign of Henry IV, when letters of protection were granted to the inhabitants. No charter of incorporation is extant, but it returned two MPs to the 1586-7 parliament of Elizabeth I"^[16]
16. The University was in the county of the city of Dublin. The electorate was its provost, fellows and scholars.
17. "[I]n 1613 [James I] granted the University a further charter enabling it to return two members of parliament."^[17]
18. "Duleek was [an] ancient borough with a charter of Edward IV."^[18]
19. The area of Ferns, corresponding to the northern part of County Wexford, was briefly made a separate shire between the 1570s before merging back into Wexford in the 1600s.
20. "Fore appears to have been a borough by prescription: the Rolls Office issued a negative certificate to the Commissioners for Union Compensation."^[20]
21. "Kinsale was a medieval borough. The earliest charter extant is that of 1589, 31 Eliz. I, which refers to a 1334 charter of 7 Edw. III"^[24]
22. Previously incorporated as Derry, 11 July 1604.
23. "Rathcormack was ... incorporated by charter, which was produced at the Union. Some boroughs, particularly those incorporated before or during the early years of the seventeenth century ... "^[28]
24. "No charter is extant for this borough"^[29]
25. In the county of the city of Kilkenny rather than county Kilkenny.
26. "St Canice was a very ancient borough and thought to have been from remote antiquity part of the See of Ossory. In 1606 a patent appears to have been granted by James I, whereby Irishtown was to be a corporation ..., but, the muniments of the temporalities of the Bishops of Ossory having been lost during the troubles, in 1678 Charles II made a new grant of a corporation" "^[30]
27. "Swords had the distinction of being the most notorious borough in the Irish Parliament. Its charter was lost. The memorial presented by John Beresford and Francis Synge declared that it was 'an ancient borough by prescription'; another memorial declared that it had been enfranchised from 'time immemorial'. The portreeve, James Stewart, said 'that the said corporation is an open borough by Charter' dated 11 April, 5 James II - i.e. 1690! Most memorialists simply stressed that it was of great antiquity."^[31]
28. "Taghmon was a borough by prescription; no charter could be found for it in 1800. It is mentioned in 1642, so it must have existed before then."^[32]
29. It did not return members in 1613 and returned two members in 1634.^[33]
30. Cross Tipperary last returned MPs in 1634, and was definitively merged with Tipperary in 1716.
31. The medieval liberty of Ulster was subdivided in 1570 into the modern counties of Antrim and Down.
32. The county of Wicklow created in 1577 seems not to have functioned and ceased to exist some time after 1586^[37]

 

Henry Boyle, speaker between 1733 and 1756

 

John Ponsonby, speaker between 1756 and 1771

 

Edmund Perry, speaker between 1771 and 1785

 

John Foster, last speaker of the Irish House of Commons (1785–1800)

Means of resignation

Until 1793 members could not resign their seats. They could cease to be a member of the House in one of four ways:

• death,
• expulsion,
• taking Holy Orders, or
• being awarded a peerage and so a seat in the Irish House of Lords.
• Standing down at election to the House.

In 1793 a methodology for resignation was created, equivalent to the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead as a means of resignation from the British House of Commons. From that date, Irish members could be appointed to the Escheatorship of Munster, the Escheatorship of Leinster, the Escheatorship of Connaught or the Escheatorship of Ulster. Possession of one of these Crown offices, "office of profit under the Crown" with a 30-shilling salary, terminated one's membership of the House of Commons.

Notable members

• Henry Grattan: Went on to serve as an Irish member of the United Kingdom House of Commons.
• Boyle Roche: The "father" of Irish bulls
• Hon. Arthur Wellesley: Later became Duke of Wellington, defeated Napoleon I at Waterloo, and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He represented his family borough of Trim, County Meath from 1790–98.
• William Conolly: A past Speaker, Conolly was notable not just for his role in parliament but also for his great wealth that allowed him to build one of Ireland's greatest Georgian houses, Castletown House.
• Nathaniel Clements: 1705–77 Government and Treasury Official, Managed extensive financial functions from 1720–77^{[dubious ]} on behalf of the Government, de facto Minister for Finance 1740–77, extensive property owner and developer. A major influence on the architecture of Georgian Dublin and the Irish Palladian Country house.
• John Philpot Curran: Orator and wit, originator of the quotation "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty".

See also

• List of parliaments of Ireland
• History of Ireland

References

1. Porritt, Edward (1963). The Unreformed House of Commons. Parliamentary Representation Before 1832. CUP Archive. pp. 185–187. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
2. Johnston-Liik 2006, p. 222.
3. Fiants Ire. Eliz. No 1530
4. Hardiman, James (1842). "Appendix III: The lordes spirituall and temporall, counties, cytties, and borough-townes, as are answerable to the Parlyament in this realme of Ireland ; and souche as weare sommoned unto the Parlyament holden before the right honorable Sir John Perrot, knyght, Lord Deputie Generall of the realme of Ireland, xxvi. die Aprilis, anno regni Regine nostre Elizabeth, vicesimo septimo. A. D. 1585.". A Statute of the fortieth Year of Edward III., enacted in a Parliament held in Kilkenny, A. D. 1367, before Lionel Duke of Clarence, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Now first printed from a MS.in the Library of his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth. With a Translation and Notes. Tracts relating to Ireland. Vol. II. Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society.
5. Moody, T.W.; The Irish Parliament under Elizabeth and James I, Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol 45 (1939) No 6, PP 72-76
6. Moody, T.W.; Martin, F.X.; Byrne, F.J. (1991). Early Modern Ireland, 1534-1691. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 9780198202424.Inquisitionum in Officio Rotulorum Cancellariae Hiberniae Asservatarum Repertorium (Repertory of the Inquisitions of the Chancery of Ireland) Volume II, page xix 'An Order for the division, setting out and appoyntinge of the boundes, lymytts and circuits of sixe severall sheires or countyes within the pvince of Ulster within this realme of Ireland, viz. the countye of Tyron, the countye of Donnyngall, the countye of Fermanaghe, the countye of Colrane, the countye of Armaghe and the countye of Monohon ... the firste of September anno dei 1585, annoque d[omi]n[a]e Regin[a]e Elizabeth', 27mo'
7. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 301)
8. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 240)
9. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 356)
10. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 253)
11. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 289)
12. Betham, William (1830). Dignities, Feudal and Parliamentary. London: Thomas and William Boone. p. 262.
13. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 327)
14. "Turlough Lynagh (O'Neill)'s pretence to harm ... the new made county of Cavan" Proceedings and orders of the Chancellor, Council and Gentlemen of Meath and Dublin, August 21 1579, Calendar of the State Papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, Volume 2, 1574-1585 page 184
15. "O'Reilly's country erected into the County of Cavan" Lord Deputy Perrot to Walsyngham, 16 November 1584, Calendar of the State Papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, Volume 2, 1574-1585 page 537
16. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 221)
17. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 231)
18. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 303)
19. Moody, T.W.; Martin, F.X.; Byrne, F.J. (1984). A New History of Ireland, Vol IX, Maps, Genealogies, Lists. Oxford University Press. p. 108.
20. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 352), citing Report of the Commissioners of Union Compensation - Cities, Towns and Boroughs, p. 47
21. "Orders to be observed by Sir Nicholas Malby, Knight, for the better government of the Province of Connaght" Printed in O'Flaherty's Chorographical Description of West Or H-Iar Connaught: Written A.D. 1684 ed. Hardiman, P. 304
22. An Act "whereby the King and Queen's Majesties, and the Heires and Successors of the Queen, be entituled to the Counties of Leix, Slewmarge, Irry, Glinmaliry, and Offaily, and for making the same Countries Shire Grounds."303/554 - 3 & 4 Phil & Mar, c.2 (1556). The Act was repealed in 1962.
23. ”Falkiner, Caesar Litton (1904). Illustrations of Irish history and topography, mainly of the seventeenth century. London: Longmans, Green, & Co. pp. 118–9. ISBN 1-144-76601-X.
24. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 209)
25. Fiants Ire. Eliz. No 1486
26. Maginn, Christopher (2012). William Cecil, Ireland, and the Tudor State. Oxford. p. 194.
27. "The Annaley, formerly governed by O’Farrale Bane and O’Farrale Boy, is erected into a shire called Longford." Lord Chancellor and Council to the Queen, March 23, 1571,Calendar of the State Papers relating to Ireland, of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, Volume 1, 1509-1573, page 440
28. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 305)
29. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 211)
30. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 259)
31. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 235)
32. (Johnston-Liik 2002, p. 360)
33. Members of Parliament - Return (in part) to an Order of the House of Lords, dated 13th July 1877
34. Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 (294/554) 34 Henry VIII cap 1 (Ire) An Act for the division of Methe into two shires.
35. Falkiner, Caesar Litton (1904). Illustrations of Irish history and topography, mainly of the seventeenth century. London: Longmans, Green, & Co. p. 117. ISBN 1-144-76601-X.
36. Fiants Ire. Eliz. No 3003, 22 March 1577
37. Moody, T. W.; Martin, F. X.; Byrne, F. J. (1984). A New History of Ireland, Vol IX, Maps, Genealogies, Lists. Oxford University Press. p. 108.
38. Moody, T.W.; Martin, F.X.; Byrne, F.J. (1991). Early Modern Ireland, 1534-1691. Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 9780198202424.

Sources

• Mary Frances Cusack, Illustrated History of Ireland, Project Gutenberg
• Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary, ed. (2002). History of the Irish parliament, 1692–1800. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation.
• Johnston-Liik, Edith Mary (2006). MPs in Dublin: Companion to the History of the Irish Parliament 1692-1800. Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation. ISBN 1903688604.
• McGrath, Charles Ivar (2000). The making of the 18th century Irish Constitution: Government, Parliament and the Revenue, 1692-1714. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-554-1.
• Magennis, Eoin (2000). The Irish Political System 1740-1765. Dublin: Four Courts Press. ISBN 1-85182-484-7.
• Moody/Vaughan, A new history of Ireland, Oxford, 1986, ISBN 0-19-821742-0 and ISBN 0-19-821739-0
• Return of the name of every member of the lower house of parliament of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with name of constituency represented, and date of return, from 1213 to 1874. C. Vol. 69-I. HMSO. 1878.

External links

• Members Name Search (Commons and Lords, 1692–1800) Irish Legislation Database, Queen's University Belfast
• History of the Irish Parliament: Constituencies Ulster Historical Foundation
• Journals of the House of Commons of Ireland (proceedings from 1613)
  • Index page for 14 volumes at HathiTrust
  • large (~1 GB) PDF scans of 21 volumes from Oireachtas library) Index Vol.1 Index Vol.2 Vol.2 Vol.3 Vol.4 Vol.5 Vol.6 Vol.7 Vol.8 Vol.9 Vol.10 Vol.11 Vol.12 Vol.13 Vol.14 Vol.15 Vol.16 Vol.17 Vol.17 (Appendix) Vol.18 Vol.19 Vol.19 (Appendix)