- Carrickfergus and Belfast (constituency)
Carrickfergus and Belfast was a constituency in Ireland, that returned a single
Member of Parliament to sit in the House of Commons of theCommonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland .It was represented in the three Protectorate Parliaments, between 1654 and 1659.
Representation and Electorate
Ireland was united with England and Scotland under a republican government, after the defeat of the Royalists in the
English Civil War and related conflicts, which had affected all three kingdoms.Under the
Instrument of Government , of15 December 1653 , theLord Protector and theEnglish Council of State were given power to provide for Irish representatives in theWestminster Parliament .Provision for thirty Members of Parliament was made by "An Ordinance by the Protector for Elections in Ireland" of
27 June 1654 . "Carrickfergus and Belfast" was one of the constituencies established by the Ordinance. The place of election was at Belfast."
Belfast " was aborough , which had been enfranchised in 1613. According to Samuel Lewis in "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland" in Parliament of Ireland elections the voters were the free burgess members of the corporation (the local Council). This group numbered twelve in the 18th century, although it should be noted that many Irish boroughs had larger corporations in earlier times than in the 18th century."
Carrickfergus ", one of the oldestParliamentary borough s in Ireland, was a county of itself. This was a status similar to the laterCounty Borough s. The town had been enfranchised in 1326, before County Antrim existed as a sub-division ofIreland and "Carrickfergus" was included in that geographical county (but not for the purposes of administration). In Irish Parliament elections it was one of the few boroughs with a fairly large electorate. According to Samuel Lewis in "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland" it consisted of themayor ,aldermen ,burgess es, and freemen of the town as well as the freeholders of land valued at 40 shillings per annum or more.Boundaries and boundary changes
The constituency comprised the
County Antrim borough s ofBelfast andCarrickfergus .Both before and after the Commonwealth,
Belfast (constituency) andCarrickfergus (constituency) each sent two members to theParliament of Ireland .Parliaments in which the constituency was represented
First Protectorate Parliament
The
First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by theLord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of theInstrument of Government . It sat for one term from3 September 1654 until22 January 1655 withWilliam Lenthall as the Speaker of the House.econd Protectorate Parliament
The
Second Protectorate Parliament sat for two sessions from17 September 1656 until4 February 1658 withThomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House.Third Protectorate Parliament
The
Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session from27 January 1659 until22 April 1659 withChaloner Chute andThomas Bampfield as the Speakers of the House.ee also
*
List of Irish constituencies
*Irish House of Commons External links
* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur097.htm Text of the "Instrument of Government"]
* [http://www.constitution.org/eng/conpur100.htm Text of "An Ordinance by the Protector for Elections in Ireland"]
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