County Kilkenny (UK Parliament constituency)

Kilkenny County
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Seats	two
Replaced by	North Kilkenny South Kilkenny

County Kilkenny parliamentary constituency was a former UK Parliament County constituency in County Kilkenny in Ireland. The County constituency returned two Members of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1885.

County Kilkenny constituency was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Acts of Union 1800 by Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and remained in existence until its abolition in 1885 when it was replaced by North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny.

County Kilkenny constituency was made up of the traditional county except for the borough constituency of Kilkenny City for Kilkenny.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Kilkenny, except for the Parliamentary borough of Kilkenny City.

Members of Parliament

Year	1st Member		1st Party	2nd Member		2nd Party
1801, 1 January	style="background-color: Template:Whig Party (UK)/meta/color" |	William Ponsonby, later Baron Ponsonby	Whig	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	James Butler, later Marquess of Ormonde
1806, 12 April	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	George Ponsonby
1806, 21 November	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby
1820, 11 September	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Charles Clarke
1826, 22 June	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon, later Earl of Bessborough
1830, 12 August	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			John Butler, Earl of Ossory, later Marquess of Ormonde
1832, 20 December	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Pierce Butler		style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	William Francis Finn
1837, 12 August	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			George Bryan
1843, 1 December	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Pierce Somerset Butler
1846, 29 July	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Richard Smithwicke
1847, 18 August	rowspan="3" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	John Greene
1852, 26 July	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			William Shee
1857, 13 April	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Leopold Agar-Ellis, later Viscount Clifden
1865, 24 July	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	George Leopold Bryan
1874, 10 February	rowspan="2" style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |			Patrick Martin
1880, 15 April	style="background-color: Template:/meta/color" |	Edward Marum
1885	Constituency abolished: see North Kilkenny and South Kilkenny

Elections

Elections in the 1870s

General Election 1874: County Kilkenny

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Home Rule	George Leopold Bryan	2,603	44.2	N/A
	Home Rule	Patrick Martin	2,139	36.3	N/A
	Liberal	Leopold Agar-Ellis	1,151	19.5	N/A
Majority			988	16.8	N/A
Turnout			3,522 (est)	66.5 (est)	N/A
Registered electors			5,300
	Home Rule gain from Liberal		Swing
	Home Rule gain from Liberal		Swing

Elections in the 1880s

General Election 1880: County Kilkenny

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Parnellite Home Rule League	Edward Marum	2,707	42.9	−1.3
	Home Rule	Patrick Martin	2,694	42.7	+6.4
	Conservative	James Butler	913	14.5	N/A
Majority			1,781	28.2	+11.4
Turnout			3,620 (est)	73.8 (est)	+7.3
Registered electors			4,907
	Home Rule hold		Swing	N/A
	Home Rule hold		Swing	N/A

References

• The Parliaments of England by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), 2nd edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)
• Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "K" (part 2 )