Mid Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Encyclopedia
Mid Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
.
, immediately south east of Belfast
. It was created when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
introduced first-past-the-post
elections throughout Northern Ireland
. Mid Down was created by the division of Down
into eight new constituencies. The constituency survived unchanged until 1969, when it was considerably reduced in size, with areas of the seat being transferred to Lagan Valley
and North Down
. It returned one Member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended
in 1972, and then formally abolished
in 1973.
The seat comprised parts of the rural districts of Castlereagh, Hillsborough
and Newtownards
.
candidates. It was only contested on one occasion, by a Northern Ireland Labour Party
candidate who received only 23% of the votes cast.
, 1933
, 1938
, 1945 and 1949 Northern Ireland general elections
, John Miller Andrews was elected unopposed.
At the 1953
, 1958
and 1962 Northern Ireland general elections
, Jack Andrews
was elected unopposed.
At the 1965
and 1969 Northern Ireland general elections
, Basil Kelly
was elected unopposed.
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
.
Boundaries
Mid Down was a county constituency comprising part of northern County DownCounty Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, immediately south east of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. It was created when the House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
House of Commons (Method of Voting and Redistribution of Seats) Act (Northern Ireland) 1929
The House of Commons Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of Northern Ireland; its major provision was to abolish proportional representation for all future elections in Northern Ireland....
introduced first-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
elections throughout Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Mid Down was created by the division of Down
Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Down was a county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1921 - 1929. It returned eight MPs, using the single transferable vote method of proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
into eight new constituencies. The constituency survived unchanged until 1969, when it was considerably reduced in size, with areas of the seat being transferred to Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Lagan Valley was a single-member county constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:Before 1969, the area formed part of the Northern Ireland Parliament constituencies of Mid Down and Iveagh....
and North Down
North Down (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
North Down was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:North Down was a county constituency comprising part of northern County Down, immediately south east of Belfast. It was created when the House of Commons Act 1929 introduced first-past-the-post elections throughout...
. It returned one Member of Parliament until the Parliament of Northern Ireland was temporarily suspended
Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972
The Northern Ireland Act 1972 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that introduced direct rule in Northern Ireland with effect from 30 March 1972....
in 1972, and then formally abolished
Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973
The Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which received the Royal Assent on 18 July 1973...
in 1973.
The seat comprised parts of the rural districts of Castlereagh, Hillsborough
Hillsborough, County Down
Hillsborough is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated from the city of Belfast. It is within the Lisburn City Council area....
and Newtownards
Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
.
Politics
The seat had a substantial unionist majority and was always won by Ulster Unionist PartyUlster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
candidates. It was only contested on one occasion, by a Northern Ireland Labour Party
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
candidate who received only 23% of the votes cast.
Members of Parliament
| Elected | Party | Name |
|---|---|
| 1929 Northern Ireland general election, 1929 -References:*... |
John Miller Andrews |
| 1953 Northern Ireland general election, 1953 -References:*... |
Jack Andrews Jack Andrews Sir John Lawson Ormrod Andrews KBE, DL was a member of both the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the Senate of Northern Ireland.... |
| 1964 |
Basil Kelly Basil Kelly Sir John William Basil Kelly, QC, PC, PC was a Northern Irish barrister, judge and politician.He was born in Belfast and was educated at Methodist College Belfast and Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the Northern Irish Bar in 1944 and took silk in 1958. He served as senior Crown Counsel... |
Election results
At the 1929Northern Ireland general election, 1929
-References:*...
, 1933
Northern Ireland general election, 1933
-References:*...
, 1938
Northern Ireland general election, 1938
-References:*...
, 1945 and 1949 Northern Ireland general elections
Northern Ireland general election, 1949
-References:*-See also:*MPs elected in the Northern Ireland general election, 1949...
, John Miller Andrews was elected unopposed.
At the 1953
Northern Ireland general election, 1953
-References:*...
, 1958
Northern Ireland general election, 1958
-References:*-See also:*MPs elected in the Northern Ireland general election, 1958...
and 1962 Northern Ireland general elections
Northern Ireland general election, 1962
-Seats summary:-References:*...
, Jack Andrews
Jack Andrews
Sir John Lawson Ormrod Andrews KBE, DL was a member of both the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the Senate of Northern Ireland....
was elected unopposed.
At the 1965
Northern Ireland general election, 1965
-Seats summary:-References:*...
and 1969 Northern Ireland general elections
Northern Ireland general election, 1969
-References:*...
, Basil Kelly
Basil Kelly
Sir John William Basil Kelly, QC, PC, PC was a Northern Irish barrister, judge and politician.He was born in Belfast and was educated at Methodist College Belfast and Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the Northern Irish Bar in 1944 and took silk in 1958. He served as senior Crown Counsel...
was elected unopposed.