Cork County (UK Parliament constituency)

For the Irish county, see County Cork.

Cork County
Former County constituency for the House of Commons
1801–1885
Number of members	Two
Replaced by	East Cork, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and West Cork

Cork County was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1801 to 1885 it returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

At the 1885 general election, County Cork was divided into seven parliamentary divisions: East Cork, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and West Cork.

Since 1919, the area no longer elects UK members of parliament, as it is no longer in the United Kingdom.

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Cork, except for the city of Cork and the boroughs of Bandon, Kinsale, Mallow and Youghal.

Members of Parliament

Year	1st Member	1st Party	2nd Member	2nd Party
1801, 1 January	Viscount Boyle	Whig (from 1806)	Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald
1806, 17 November			Hon. George Ponsonby	Whig
1807, 16 May	Viscount Bernard	Conservative
1812, 23 October			Viscount Ennismore
1818, 29 June	Viscount Kingsborough	Whig
1826, 21 June	Hon. Robert King	Whig
1827, 4 December			John Boyle	Whig
1830, 12 August			Viscount Boyle	Whig
1832, 29 December	Feargus Edward O'Connor	Repeal, Chartist	Garrett Standish Barry	Repeal
1835, 5 June	Richard Longfield	Conservative
1837, 18 August	Edmond Roche	Repeal
1841, 15 July			Daniel O'Connell	Repeal
1847, 2 July			Maurice Power	Repeal
1852, 22 March			Vincent Scully	Repeal and Liberal
1855, 23 April	Rickard Deasy	Liberal
1857, 10 April			Alexander McCarthy	Repeal
1859, 10 May			Vincent Scully	Repeal and Liberal
1861, 28 February	Nicholas Philpot Leader	Conservative
1865, 29 July			George Richard Barry	Liberal
1867, 3 February			Arthur Smith-Barry	Liberal, later Unionist
1868, 30 November	McCarthy Downing	Liberal
1874, 9 February			William Shaw	Home Rule
1879, 20 February	David la Touche Colthurst	Liberal Unionist
1885	Constituency divided: see East Cork, Mid Cork, North Cork, North East Cork, South Cork, South East Cork and West Cork

Elections

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• 1654 Roger Boyle, afterwards Earl of Orrery, born 25 April 1621, died 16 October 1679 aged 58
• 1801, (No formal election), (1) Henry Boyle, Viscount Boyle, later Earl of Shannon (to 1807), b. 8 August 1771, d. 22 April 1842 aged 70; (2) Robert Uniacke Fitzgerald, b. 17 March 1751, d. 20 December 1814 aged 63
• 1806 17 November, George Ponsonby (to 1812), b. 1773, d. 5 June 1863 aged 90
• 1807 16 May, James Bernard, Viscount Bernard, later Earl of Bandon (to 1818), b. 14 June 1785, d. 31 October 1856 aged 71
• 1812 23 October, Richard Hare, Viscount Ennismore (to 1827), b. 20 March 1773, d. 24 September 1827 aged 54
• 1818 29 June, Edward King, Viscount Kingsborough,(Whig), b. 16 November 1795, d. 27 February 1837 aged 41
• 1826, 21 June, Robert Henry King, after Earl of Kingston (to 1832), (Whig), b. 4 October 1796, d. 21 January 1867 aged 70
• 1827, 4 December, John Boyle, b. 13 March 1803, d. 6 December 1874 aged 71
• 1830, 12 August, Richard Boyle, Viscount Boyle after Earl of Shannon, b. 12 May 1809, d. 1 August 1868 aged 58
• 1832, 29 December 1832, (1) Feargus Edward O'Connor, b. 1796, d. 30 August 1855 aged 59; (2) Garrett Standish Barry (to 1841), d. 26 December 1864
• 1835, 24 January, O'Connor initially returned; unseated in June in favour of Richard Longfield
• 1837, 5 July, Edmund Burke Roche(to 1855),(Repeal), b. August 1815, d. 17 September 1874 aged 59
• 1841, 15 July, Daniel O'Connell, (Repeal), b. 8 August 1775, d. 15 May 1847 aged 71
• 1847, 2 July, Maurice Power, b. 1811
• 1852, 22 March, Vincent Scully (to 1857),(Repeal and Liberal), b. 1810, d. 4 June 1871 aged 60
• 1855, 23 April, Rickard Deasy (to 1861), b. 1812, d. 6 May 1883 aged 70
• 1857, 10 April, Alexander McCarthy
• 1859, 10 May, Vincent Scully (to 1865), (Repeal and Liberal), b. 1810, d. 4 June 1871 aged 60
• 1861, 28 February, Nicholas Philpot Leader (to 1868), d. 31 March 1880
• 1865, 29 July, George Richard Barry, b. 1825, d. 31 January 1867 aged 41
• 1867, 3 February, Arthur Smith-Barry (to 1874), (Liberal later Unionist), b. 17 January 1843, d. 22 February 1925 aged 82
• 1868, 30 November, McCarthy Downing (to 1879), b. 1814, d. 9 January 1879 aged 64
• 1874, 9 February, William Shaw (to 1885), b. 1823, d. 19 September 1895 aged 72
• 1879, 20 February, David la Touche Colthurst, (Liberal Unionist), b. 1828

Divided 1885 into seven divisions

• East Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• Mid Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• North Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• North-East Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• South Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• South-East Cork (UK Parliament constituency)
• West Cork (UK Parliament constituency)

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, David Dickson Old World Colony Corl and South Munster 1630-1830 Cork University Press 2005, Famine in West Cork Fr. Patrick Hickey Mercier Press 2002
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 5)