East Down (UK Parliament constituency)

East Down
East Down
Former county constituency ; for the House of Commons
1885–1922
Seats	1
Created from	Down, Downpatrick
Replaced by	Down

Last updated August 25, 2025

East Down was a UK Parliament constituency in Ireland which returned one Member of Parliament from 1885 to 1922, using the first past the post electoral system.

Boundaries and Boundary Changes

This county constituency was first created in 1885 from the eastern part of Down. There was a boundary change reducing the size of this division in 1918, when the new Mid Down constituency was created.

1885–1918: The baronies of Dufferin, Kinelarty, Lecale Lower and Lecale Upper, and that part of the barony of Castlereagh Upper not contained in the North Down constituency.^[1]^[2]

1918–1922: The rural district of Downpatrick, exclusive of the district electoral divisions of Ballynahinch, Kilmore and Leggygowan; the part of the rural district of Kilkeel which consists of the district electoral divisions of Bryansford, Fofanny and Maghera, and the part of the rural district of Banbridge which consists of the district electoral divisions of Ballyward, Crossgar and Leitrim.'.^[3]

Maps showing the component units of the constituency can be seen here.

Prior to the 1885 United Kingdom general election and after the dissolution of Parliament in 1922 the area was part of the Down constituency.

Politics

The constituency had an anti-unionist majority in 1918, but its support was split fairly evenly between Nationalist and Sinn Féin candidates. An attempt at a limited electoral pact broke down in this constituency. In a first past the post election this situation produced a minority Unionist win.

Dáil Éireann

Sinn Féin contested the 1918 general election on the platform that instead of taking up any seats they won in the United Kingdom Parliament, they would establish a revolutionary assembly in Dublin. In republican theory every MP elected in Ireland was a potential Deputy to this assembly. In practice only the Sinn Féin members accepted the offer.

The revolutionary First Dáil of the Irish Republic assembled on 21 January 1919 and last met on 10 May 1921. The First Dáil, according to a resolution passed also on 10 May, was formally dissolved on the assembling of the Second Dáil. This took place on 16 August 1921.

Sinn Féin used the UK-authorised May 1921 elections for the Northern Ireland House of Commons and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland as a poll for the Second Dáil. This area, in republican theory, was incorporated in an eight-member Dáil constituency of Down.

Members of Parliament

Election		Member	Party
	1885	Richard Ker	Conservative
	1890 by-election	James Alexander Rentoul	Conservative
	1891	James Alexander Rentoul	Unionist
	1902 by-election	James Wood	Russellite Unionist
	1906	James Craig	Unionist
	1918	David Douglas Reid	Unionist
1922		constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 1880s

1885 general election: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Conservative	Richard Ker	Unopposed
	Irish Conservative win (new seat)

1886 general election: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Conservative	Richard Ker	5,093	66.5	*N/A*
	Irish Parliamentary	Henry McGrath	2,561	33.5	New
Majority			2,532	33.0	N/A
Turnout			7,654	78.1	N/A
Registered electors			9,805
	Irish Conservative hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1890s

By-election 1890: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Conservative	James Alexander Rentoul	Unopposed
	Irish Conservative hold

1892 general election: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Alexander Rentoul	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

1895 general election: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Alexander Rentoul	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

Elections in the 1900s

1900 general election: East Down^[4]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Alexander Rentoul	Unopposed
	Irish Unionist hold

1902 by-election: East Down^[6]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Russellite Unionist	James Wood	3,576	51.0	*New*
	Irish Unionist	Robert Hugh Wallace	3,429	49.0	N/A
Majority			147	2.0	N/A
Turnout			7,005	85.6	N/A
Registered electors			8,184
	Russellite Unionist gain from Irish Unionist		Swing	N/A

1906 general election: East Down^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Craig	4,011	54.6	*N/A*
	Russellite Unionist	James Wood	3,341	45.4	N/A
Majority			670	9.2	N/A
Turnout			7,352	91.1	N/A
Registered electors			8,072
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1910s

January 1910 general election: East Down^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Craig	4,028	56.9	+2.3
	Liberal	James Wood	3,054	43.1	−2.3
Majority			974	13.8	+4.6
Turnout			7,082	89.7	−1.4
Registered electors			7,895
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	+2.3

December 1910 general election: East Down^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	James Craig	4,110	63.0	+6.1
	Liberal	James Williamson	2,412	37.0	−6.1
Majority			1,698	26.0	+12.2
Turnout			6,522	82.6	−7.1
Registered electors			7,895
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing	+6.1

1918 general election: East Down^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Irish Unionist	David Reid	6,007	42.3	−20.7
	Irish Parliamentary	Michael J. Johnston	4,362	30.4	New
	Sinn Féin	Russell McNabb	3,876	27.3	New
Majority			1,645	11.9	−14.1
Turnout			14,245	79.8	−2.8
Registered electors			17,846
	Irish Unionist hold		Swing

References

Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "D" (part 3)
Walker, Brian M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1978). Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume II 1886–1918. The Harvester Press.
Stenton, M.; Lees, S., eds. (1979). 'Who's Who of British members of parliament: Volume III 1919–1945. The Harvester Press.

↑ Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, (Ch 23) Seventh Schedule, Part III - Ireland - County of Down
↑ The portion of the Barony of Castlereagh Upper comprised in Division No. 1 was the parishes or parts of parishes of Comber and Knockbreda.
↑ Redistribution of Seats (Ireland) Act 1918, (Ch 65) Fourth Schedule. A list of townlands in each district electoral division can be found from the 1901 census page
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Election intelligence". The Times. No. 36652. London. 31 December 1901. p. 4.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 342–343, 387. ISBN 0901714127.
↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36685. London. 7 February 1902. p. 8.