Cavan (UK Parliament constituency)

County Cavan
Former county constituency
for the House of Commons
County County Cavan
1801–1885
Seats 2
Created from County Cavan
Replaced by East Cavan and West Cavan

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

Boundaries

This constituency comprised the whole of County Cavan.

Members of Parliament

From 1801 to 1885 County Cavan was one constituency with two Members of Parliament who both represented the whole of the county.

Election 1st Member 1st Party 2nd Member 2nd Party
1801 Francis Saunderson Whig Nathaniel Sneyd Tory
1802
1806 John Maxwell-Barry Tory
1807
1812
1818
1820
1824 Henry Maxwell Tory
1826 Alexander Saunderson Whig
1830
1831 Sir John Young, Bt. Tory
1832
1835 Conservative Conservative
1837
1839 Somerset Maxwell Conservative
1840 Henry John Clements Conservative
1841
1841
1843 James Maxwell Conservative
1847 Peelite
1852
1853 Conservative
1855 Robert Burrowes Conservative
1857 Hugh Annesley Conservative
1859
1865 Edward James Saunderson Palmerstonian Liberal
1869 Conservative
1874 Charles Joseph Fay Home Rule League Joseph Biggar Home Rule League
1880
1885 constituency abolished: see Cavan East and Cavan West

Election results

Elections in the 1800s

Co-option 1 January 1801: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Francis Saunderson Unopposed
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
General Election 1802: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Whig Francis Saunderson Unopposed
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
General Election 1806: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
Tory John Maxwell-Barry Unopposed
General Election 1807: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
Tory John Maxwell-Barry Unopposed

Elections in the 1810s

General Election 1812: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
Tory John Maxwell-Barry Unopposed
General Election 1818: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
Tory John Maxwell-Barry Unopposed

Elections in the 1820s

General Election 1820: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Nathaniel Sneyd Unopposed
Tory John Maxwell-Barry Unopposed

John Maxwell-Barry succeeded as 5th Baron Farnham, causing a by-election.

By-election 24 February 1824: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Maxwell Unopposed
General Election 1826: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Maxwell 2,854 30.5 N/A
Whig Alexander Saunderson 2,673 28.6 N/A
Robert Henry Southwell 1,917 20.5 N/A
Charles Coote 1,901 20.3 N/A

Elections in the 1830s

General Election 1830: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Maxwell 786 51.5 N/A
Whig Alexander Saunderson 452 29.6 N/A
Tory William Young 287 18.8 N/A
Turnout 879 66.3 N/A
Registered electors 1,325
Majority 334 21.9
Tory hold Swing
Majority 165 10.8
Whig hold Swing
General Election 1831: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Maxwell 664 41.3 −10.2
Tory John Young 614 38.2 +19.4
Whig Robert Henry Southwell 331 20.6 −9.0
Majority 283 17.6 −4.3
Turnout c. 805 c. 60.7 c. −5.6
Registered electors 1,325
Tory hold Swing −2.9
Tory gain from Whig Swing +12.0
General Election 1832: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Tory Henry Maxwell Unopposed
Tory John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 2,248
Tory hold
Tory hold
General Election 1835: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Maxwell Unopposed
Conservative John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 2,241
Conservative hold
Conservative hold
General Election 1837: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry Maxwell Unopposed
Conservative John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 2,918
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Henry Maxwell succeeded to the peerage, becoming 7th Baron Farnham and causing a by-election.

By-election, 18 February 1839: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Somerset Maxwell Unopposed
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1840s

Somerset Maxwell resigned, causing a by-election.

By-election, 12 August 1840: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry John Clements Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1841: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Henry John Clements Unopposed
Conservative John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 2,050
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

John Young was appointed a Commissioner of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 30 September 1841: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Young Unopposed
Conservative hold

Henry John Clements's death caused a by-election.

By-election, 17 February 1843: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maxwell Unopposed
Conservative hold
General Election 1847: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maxwell Unopposed
Peelite John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 1,492
Conservative hold
Peelite gain from Conservative

Elections in the 1850s

General election 1852: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maxwell 2,252 44.8 N/A
Peelite John Young 2,049 40.8 N/A
Tenant Rights Hercules Ellis 727 14.5 New
Turnout 2,514 (est) 65.3 N/A
Registered electors 3,850
Majority 203 4.0 N/A
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Majority 1,322 26.3 N/A
Peelite hold Swing N/A

John Young was appointed Chief Secretary of Ireland, requiring a by-election.

By-election, 10 January 1853: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Young Unopposed
Registered electors 4,909
Conservative gain from Peelite

John Young resigned after being appointed Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands, causing a by-election.

By-election, 13 April 1855: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Burrowes 2,163 53.7 +8.9
Whig Henry George Hughes 1,866 46.3 New
Majority 297 7.4 +3.4
Turnout 4,029 82.1 +16.8
Registered electors 4,909
Conservative gain from Peelite Swing N/A
General election 1857: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maxwell 3,164 47.0 +2.2
Conservative Hugh Annesley 2,164 32.1 N/A
Radical Matthew O'Reilly Dease 1,409 20.9 New
Majority 755 11.2 +7.2
Turnout 4,073 (est) 72.2 (est) +6.9
Registered electors 5,638
Conservative hold Swing N/A
Conservative gain from Peelite Swing N/A
General election 1859: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative James Maxwell Unopposed
Conservative Hugh Annesley Unopposed
Registered electors 5,989
Conservative hold
Conservative hold

Elections in the 1860s

General election 1865: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Annesley Unopposed
Liberal Edward James Saunderson Unopposed
Registered electors 6,304
Conservative hold
Liberal gain from Conservative
General election 1868: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Annesley Unopposed
Liberal Edward James Saunderson Unopposed
Registered electors 6,415
Conservative hold
Liberal hold

Elections in the 1870s

General election 1874: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Charles Joseph Fay 3,229 37.5 New
Home Rule Joseph Biggar 3,079 35.7 New
Conservative Edward James Saunderson 2,310 26.8 N/A
Majority 769 8.9 N/A
Turnout 5,464 (est) 87.8 (est) N/A
Registered electors 6,225
Home Rule gain from Conservative Swing
Home Rule gain from Liberal Swing

Elections in the 1880s

General election 1880: Cavan
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Home Rule Charles Joseph Fay 3,097 36.9 −0.6
Parnellite Home Rule League Joseph Biggar 3,061 36.5 +0.8
Conservative Somerset Maxwell 2,233 26.6 −0.2
Majority 828 9.9 +1.0
Turnout 5,330 (est) 87.4 (est) −0.4
Registered electors 6,096
Home Rule hold Swing N/A
Home Rule hold Swing N/A