Sligo Borough (UK Parliament constituency)


Sligo Borough is a former borough constituency in Ireland, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801, and returned one Member of Parliament, elected by the first past the post system of election.
Numerous elections were overturned on petition by the losing candidate; after the 1868 election was overturned, a Royal Commission examined the matter and reported that "at the last three elections of members to serve in Parliament for the Borough of Sligo, corrupt practices have extensively prevailed." Parliament therefore passed the Sligo and Cashel Disenfranchisement Act 1870 which came into force on 1 August 1870. The act disfranchised Sligo Borough as well as Cashel, another Irish borough. The area of Sligo borough became part of the Sligo County constituency. In 1881 the county's MP, Thomas Sexton, introduced a private member's bill to re-enfranchise the borough, which was defeated on second reading.

Boundaries

This constituency was the Parliamentary borough of Sligo in County Sligo.

Members of Parliament

Supplemental Note:-

Elections in the 1830s

Elections in the 1840s

On petition, Somers was unseated, causing a by-election.
On petition, Towneley was unseated, causing a further by-election.

Elections in the 1850s

On petition, Towneley was unseated on 6 June 1853 due to bribery by his agents, causing a by-election.
Sadleir's death caused a by-election.
On petition, the poll was amended due to improperly recorded votes, leaving Wynne with 148 votes and Somers with 147 votes. Wynne was then declared elected on 31 July 1857.

Elections in the 1860s

Wayne's resignation caused a by-election.
Knox's election was declared void on 2 March 1869, and no writ was issued to find a replacement MP. The seat was then disenfranchised on 1 August 1870, and absorbed into Sligo County.

Citations